Since the Spirit of the Lord is here Now What?
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING- Byron Cage wrote The presence of the lord is here. The presence of the lord is here. I can feel it in the atmosphere The presence of the lord is here. The spirit of the lord is here. Everybody blow the trumpets and sound the alarm. Because the lord is in his temple let everybody bow. Let all the people praise him now The blessing of the lord is here.
Therefore, I want to use Since the Spirit of the Lord is here - Now What?
Prayer:
Last week I talked about what we have traditionally called the Lord’s Prayer and how that it really is not the Lord’s Prayer, but rather the Disciple Prayer because this is how Jesus told them to pray. Let me establish or rather clarify some misconceptions about this and explain why it cannot be the Lord’s prayer. Matthew 6:12 sates “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” Luke 11:4 says “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil”.
WATCH THIS:- Jesus didn’t have debts & sins or transgressions, if he would have then he would not have been the perfect sacrifice for our sins. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”. So, we see that it cannot be the Lord’s Prayer, as I said John 17 would better be called the Lord’s Prayer and is often called the High Priestly Prayer because this is the prayer Jesus prayed just before He went and died on Calvary’s cross for Himself, the Disciples, and all those in the future that took up the cross and followed Him, including you and me and all those that might come after us.
However, last week I said Matthew 6:10 stated “The kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”. I expounded upon how heaven is from Revelation 4 and what was going on as far as worship and how God was seated on the throne in the midst of worship. I talked about how we can say in earth is us (mankind) because according to Genesis 2:7 God formed man from the dust of the earth (ge in Greek) which is us. In order for His will to be done in earth (us) as it is in Heaven, we have to make earth like heaven and praise God. According to Psalm 22:3 “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel (His people)”. So, when we praise Him, He inhabits or enthrones himself in the midst of the praises of His people because earth has become like heaven.
Today I want to expand upon this a little bit. Since this is a New Year let us start it off correctly! Since we know how to cause His will to be done in earth as it is in heaven. Because He inhabits the praises of His people since He is now here from our praises Now there is something we must do and that is Worship Him.
QUESTION: - When was the last time you experienced the presence of God in a worship service? Sadly true, life changing encounters with God are missing from many of our churches. I said last week that this pandemic has killed the spirit of entertainment and now people are crying out with true hunger and thirst for the bread of heaven to feed them until they want no more.
The word worship produces all kinds of images in people's minds. There are those of us that are used to the hand clapping foot stomping shouting types of worship. Some may be used to quiet hands raised and a tear running down the cheek worship. Some may be used to a form of worship that is totally different then what others especially in the western culture are used to. However, the style of worship is not important, but the object of worship is. Understand worship is not to get you here (church), but to get God here, it is not to please you it is to please Him. For to long worship services have been either to entertain or a platform to showcase someone’s personal agenda.
Ok Bishop so what is Worship?
Simply stated worship is declaring the worth of God. The word worship comes from the old English word that means "worth-ship." With that definition in mind, we do not worship God for what we get out of it, but to give God the honor that He is due, recognizing His worth, His value, His place in our lives, and His claim on our lives.
Worship, therefore, is not limited to a one day a week gathering at a place we call the house of worship, nor is it a weekly pep rally to make us feel good and happy and good about ourselves. Worship is not the Christian alternative to a Saturday night party or club.
Worship occurs when people encounter God who loves them and desires a relationship with them. I came across this quote during my studies I can’t remember who said it, but it goes “Worship does not lead to an encounter with God. It is an encounter with God”. Understand you cannot have an encounter with God and not be changed. When Moses encountered God the glory shined on his face so much that he had to cover his face from the people.
The purpose of our worship is to glorify, honor, praise, exalt, and please God. Our worship must show our adoration and loyalty to God for His grace in providing us with the way to escape the bondage of sin, so we can have the salvation He so much wants to give us.
The nature of the worship God demands is the prostration of our souls before Him in humble and contrite submission. James 4:6, 10 tells us, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up". Our worship to God is a very humble and reverent action.
Jesus says in John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." It doesn't say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth".
Worshipping God in spirit and in truth is a serious matter which must not be taken lightly. It is more than the ritualistic entertainment that we have become so accustomed to. Worship services that do not cause people to meet God, that really don’t let people participate more than just you can follow the words on the screen but do not promote a worship relationship with God are missing out on the true and most significant benefit of a worship service and that is connecting with God.
Since God is the object of our worship, He and He alone has the right to determine how we are to worship Him. We read in Jeremiah 10:23, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps."
Our absolute best in worship is due God and is prescribed by Him in the Bible. The worship God has prescribed is the only way we can be pleasing to Him in this life and finally attain everlasting life with Him in eternity.
True Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, adoration, and fear to the one who created us. Acts 17:24-25 says, "God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life, breath, and all things."
Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God through Jesus Christ. God does not have to have our worship, but we must worship Him to please Him.
Our singing, praying, studying His word, giving, and communion are designed by God to bring us closer to Him and to cause us to think more like He thinks, thus becoming more like Him. James 4:8 tells us to, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop a God-like character. When we worship God we tend to value what God values and gradually take on the characteristics and qualities of God Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ."
How do we take on the mind of Christ? Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We renew our mind as we study and meditate on God's word and worship Him.
When we worship God, we develop characteristic like Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”.
What is needed in worship?
If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? What we ask for says a lot about ourselves.
Moses met with God and had the opportunity to ask him for anything in the universe. Moses did not ask for food or drink, or gold or silver, prestige or riches. Moses had a desire for something far deeper, something higher, something beyond himself, something eternal, something spiritual. Moses had two requests.
First, Moses asked: Exodus 33:13 “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people”. Moses was not interested in God's ways just because he desired information. His desire came from a heart of a worshipper that was saying, It was his way of saying I want to become more intimately acquainted you God. He was saying that he wanted to experience God every day of his life. He didn't just want the facts he wanted God. He was talking about a relationship.
Moses hungered for God. Moses longed for God. Moses realized that nothing else in the world could compare to the experience of being with God. Moses had a passion for his presence.
Moses wasn’t looking for God’s hand he wanted God heart.
Our worship should be a hunger for God, not for His hand but for His heart. Matthew 6:33 says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
When we truly worship God in spirit and in truth as he desires, we encounter God's supernatural presence, which transforms our worship from a duty to devotion, from a religion to relationship.
As we begin this New Year let us Worship God in spirit and in truth.
Let us develop a desire for Him.
Look for His heart and not so much His hand.
Listen for God's voice. So many times, we pray and ask God for something but do not wait to listen to His answer.
Be sensitive to the leadership of God's Spirit - worship is for Him.
Develop a desire for more!!!!
A. W. Tozer wrote:
"The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God, and the church is famishing for want of his presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged. This would burn away the impurities from our lives as the bugs and fungi were burned away by the fire that dwelt in the bush."
Our prayer in 2021 should be Lord burn out of me anything that is not like you so that I may worship you in spirit and in truth.
Clint Brown wrote “I wanna be more like you”. That is worship – I want to be like you Lord.
Now that the spirit of the Lord is here – WE MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH!
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
