Morning of Worship

Perry Duggar

May 8, 2022

I. Welcome & Announcements

Good morning and Happy Mother’s Day! I’m Perry Duggar, Pastor here at Brookwood.

Thanks for joining us today; we’d like to connect with you.

You can scan the QR code on the front of your program to take next steps, ask for prayer, or connect with us.

Later in the service, we will worship together through giving—and you can participate here in our building, or by using the QR code or the online links.

Today at Ministry Spotlight, you can discover Financial Peace University, which offers biblical, practical steps to learn how to create a budget, eliminate debt, and increase your generosity.

Stop by Ministry Spotlight for more information about our 8-week class beginning Thursday, May 12.

For more opportunities to connect and grow, check out Featured Events on the back of your program, on our app and the website.

This is a special day – Mother’s Day! We’re thankful for all the moms, including women who have stepped in as mothers in our lives: grandmothers, aunts, and friends.

Today, we will celebrate and appreciate our mothers as we honor God through a morning of worship.

II. Worship Service

A. What Is Worship?

1. The word “worship” comes from Old English; it means “to give worth to” or “to hold in high esteem,” to reverence and honor.
2. When we worship, we stop focusing on ourselves and instead, fix our attention on God.
3. We become more aware of the Person, the Presence, and the Power of God; we respond to that perception by communicating His worth through words, songs, giving and service.
4. We collect a financial offering as part of our worship, but the sacrifice God wants from each of us is giving ourselves to Him (Romans 12:1).
5. This service may feel different from a typical Sunday morning, but I encourage you to actively engage in worship.
6. Seek an encounter with our Heavenly Father that enables you to discern His Presence, feel His Power, and hear His voice as we turn our attention to Him through A.C.T.S.

B. A.C.T.S.

1. The structure for our Morning of Worship is the acronym A.C.T.S., which is also a guide for prayer (an expression of worship) which includes four elements.
2. This approach to prayer avoids focusing on what we want from God and affords the opportunity to reflect first on God Himself, then on our relationship with Him.
3. This pattern will guide our service this morning, but I hope it also provides a form for future times with God for many of us.

We begin with…

C. Adoration [which means] - expressing love to God

1. 1. Adoration includes praise through words, thoughts and song, but it goes beyond merely reciting God’s positive attributes.
2. 2. Adoration is contemplating and communicating the deep love and respect we have for Him.
3. 3. It is loving God for who He is, not only what He has done; and declaring those feelings.
4. 4. If expressing adoration for God feels uncomfortable, think of someone in your life you truly love. How does thinking about them make you feel? What do you say to them?
5. 5. David loved God and expressed his adoration through praise in Psalm 145 (NLT):
   ¹ I will exalt You, my God and King, and praise Your name forever and ever.
   ² I will praise You every day; yes, I will praise You forever.
   ³ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness.
   ⁴ Let each generation tell its children of Your mighty acts; let them proclaim Your power.
   ⁵ I will meditate on Your majestic, glorious splendor and Your wonderful miracles.
   ⁶ Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim Your greatness.
   ⁷ Everyone will share the story of Your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about Your righteousness.
6. David called to us at Psalm 34:3 (NLT)— Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt His name together.
7. Please stand and express adoration to God as we sing, We Praise You!

WE PRAISE YOU
HOW GREAT THOU ART
GLORIOUS DAY

D. Confession – admitting sins to God.

We are so grateful for God’s presence with us this morning! Sometimes it’s hard to wrap our minds around just how good and powerful and majestic God really is and to grasp that He is holy.

God’s holiness inspires a deep sense of awe similar to what we feel as we worship Him through music or see a sunset or hear a newborn baby for the first time. His holiness also makes us aware of our human condition; these words of an old hymn are familiar to some of us, “prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”

And we do wander. We do things we know we shouldn’t to satisfy our sinful desires. And that satisfaction is temporary.

Our culture tells us we are enough. But the truth is that we are nothing without Jesus.

God’s call to us is one of love, to cleave to Him in our need, to recognize how broken we are and confess to God both our sin and our need for His forgiveness.

King David prayed many years ago,

Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

Praise God that He made a way for reconciliation through His death and resurrection!

In these next songs, let’s take a moment to hear from God, confess what needs to be made right and ask and receive His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 says

… if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9 (NLT)

Let’s worship together.

LORD, I NEED YOU
HOLY WATER

In Psalm 32:5, King David said,

Finally I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt. … And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Psalm 32:5 (NLT)

God’s word reminds us that

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

Let’s praise God whose mercy is greater than our sin!

HIS MERCY IS MORE

E. Thanksgiving – expressing gratitude to God.

When we read in Isaiah, he is prophesying of a kingdom renewed with God’s righteousness and mercy. He talks of our overflowing praise of THANKSGIVING.

He says

In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the LORD! Praise His name! Tell the nations what He has done, Let them know how mighty He is, Sing to the Lord, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world.” Isaiah 12:4-5 (NLT)

Let’s give a preview, in this room, of the mighty things to come. Thanksgiving in our songs of praise, thanksgiving in our posture of life, thanksgiving in our worship through giving today.

But, Jesus talks about us waiting for that moment of praise,

“… You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.” John 16:20-21 (NLT)

Wow! What a wonderful illustration the Son gives us. Jesus understood the power of a mother’s love and the impact it has on all of us. This Mother’s Day can be hard for some of us who no longer have our mothers here with us. But, if you are next to your mom right now, will you show your appreciation to her. For those of us who are not with our mom right now, like my mom watching through the live-stream (love you mom), let’s give it up for them!

And in that spirt of loving our mom’s lets watch an extraordinary example of mother’s love.

Let’s Stand and continue to give thanks to what God has done and what He continues to do.

One of my favorite Psalms: 103 says

Let all that I am praise the Lord. With my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. Psalm 103:1-2 (NLT)

When we believe that, and when we believe God, His Spirit, is really in this room, we reach out to Him. Raising our hands just to reach out that much further to Him.

As this next song says “I throw up my hands, praise You again and again, cause all that I have is a Hallelujah” That’s what we’re made for, Praise. Every one of us has something within us to shout and give THANKS to God.

GRATITUDE
WHAT HE’S DONE

F. Supplication – making requests to God.

The Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:19 when he says,

And this same God, who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

In John’s gospel, Jesus tells us,

“You can ask for anything in My Name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it!” John 14: 13-14 (NLT)

What are you asking God for? What has He brought to your mind that He wants you to trust Him for? Over the past few years and perhaps longer, Brookwood prayers have increasingly intensified for God to bring revival and that it would ignite right here with us. Do you desire for God to begin a fresh move of His Spirit right here at Brookwood? “Yes, ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it!” Let’s ask God to renew and empower us with His Spirit!

REST ON US
FRESH WIND

Let’s read out loud together from 1 John 5:14-15:

And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)

Let’s worship our Savior and ask Him to bring revival.

GOD OF REVIVAL