Sermons on giving are uncomfortable for everybody. They are uncomfortable for the hearer because our giving is such an intimate testimony of who and what has true lordship in our lives. Giving, because it is not generally public knowledge, is often the very first area in your life that becomes disobedient when you begin to turn away from the Lord.

But I want you to understand that preaching on giving is not just uncomfortable for the hearer; it is uncomfortable for the preacher as well. The fear of being labeled "money focused" or only money focused is a limiting fear for many who preach. The right desire not to be identified with the false teachers of the health-wealth-prosperity gospel movement causes many to limit how much they say about giving in faith.

Yet the command to give tithes and offerings is found throughout Scripture from the Old Testament to the New. I believe if you are to walk in faithfulness before the Lord, you must be obedient in your giving. Thus, faithful preaching and faithful pastors must preach on giving.

Scripture is full of passages that teach on the theology of worship, the importance of worship, and examples of worship. It certainly is a subject that could occupy much more than just one sermon. For our time today I want us to consider David’s worship after bringing the Ark of the covenant to the capital city Jerusalem. The occasion was filled with many public acts of offering and worship. In verses 8-36 David declares a psalm of thanks and in it he gives many imperatives:

• Give thanks

• Call upon His name

• Make known His deeds / Tell all of His wondrous works

• Sing praises

• Glory in His name

• Seek the Lord

• Remember the covenant

• Declare His glory (Ascribe His glory)

• Worship Him

It is the call to worship the Lord that I want to give our attention to today from verses 28-36. From these verses we will learn these three truths:

1. Recognize God’s glory

2. All of creation worships

3. Worship forever

Like king Josiah we must be confronted by the word of God and respond with obedience of heart and action.

Today I begin a sermon series on resetting. From time to time it is good to take an assessment of your life and reset things that are not as they should be. In the weeks to come I will be preaching on prayer, Bible study, worship, and other spiritual disciplines. But before we begin with the specific areas where we need to reset, I want to start with an introductory word on grace.