The Angels ’To-Do’ List
Psalm 148:2
They don’t just float on clouds all day, and they have no bows and arrows to shoot hearts with. They don’t play harps and they don’t play outfield!
What’s an angel’s job?
1. To offer praise and worship to God
v. 2
Hebrews 1:6
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Let’s take a peek into heaven, like a fly on the wall:
Rev. 5:11-12
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; [12] Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Rev. 7:11-12
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, [12] Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Heaven will be a noisy place¡Kwe might as well get used to praising God aloud right now!
Praise and worship are very misunderstood subjects in Christianity today. Did you know that you and I were created for the same reason as the angels? Yes! To praise and worship and glorify God!
How many prayed to God this week? Ok, how many praised Him? Worshipped Him?
How many here came to church this week to praise and worship God? Would it surprise you to know that you are still living in the OT? If you think you HAVE to go to church, or should praise and worship God only in church, you’re OT.
In the OT, worship took place in the temple exclusively. And God’s presence was manifested in a localized way only. In the NT, God doesn’t dwell in buildings made with hands, but in the bodies of believers.
[I Cor. 6--your body is the temple]
Don’t be offended, but this isn’t God’s house...tho’ we use that phrase often. I know, even I tell my kids not to run in God’s house, and pray and say, it’s good to be in God’s house today...but really, this is only the building in which God’s houses come together on a regular basis.
Not only is this not God’s house, but this room we’re in is technically not the sanctuary. The "inner sanctum" is the Holy of Holies, which is where God lives. This room is actually the auditorium into which the "sanctuaries" come together.
Ill.--song:
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for You
Nowhere does the Bible command us to assemble together for the purpose of worship. So why does everyone call it the worship service?
John 4:20-24
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. [21] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. ¡K [23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. [24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Worship is not something we do 3 times a week, but 24/7¡K365!
Worship is not just closing your eyes, raising your hands, and repeating some song over and over. It’s focusing on God, it’s walking thankfully, it’s living holy lives.
Worship is not something we do w/ our mouths as much as with our lives. It’s giving all that I am to all that He is.
We say it takes ¡¥3 to Thrive¡¦. I encourage faithful church attendance w/ this phrase. But many people come to church only 3 times in their whole lives: when they’re born [christened], when they get married, and when they die [funeral].
Basically it’s when they’re hatched, matched, and dispatched!
[1st time we throw water, 2nd time rice, 3rd time dirt!]
I’m glad you come to church more than that--but why do we come here if not for praise and worship?
1. To receive instruction from God’s Word
2. To be edified and encouraged by fellowshipping with believers.
Knowing this now, I’m amazed at how people choose a church. The music program, the location, the look of the building!
So, how much time do you spend worshipping God?
Ill.--Imagine you lived in OT times, about 4k years ago. Imagine you¡¦re not a believer, but say, a Moabite, not one of the Israelites. You¡¦re a pagan. You watch as they go into their temple to worship, and you wonder.
You ask an Israelite how they worship. He answers about the tabernacle and explains the outer court, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies. You say, I wanna go in there! The Jew says, no, you can’t--you’re not an Israelite. "What would I have to do"? "You’d have to believe and become a convert."
You say, if I became a convert, then I’d go in there. I’d get as close to God as I could! "No you wouldn’t. Only if you were of the house of Levi, the priestly tribe."
You say, well, I’d join that tribe and become a priest, and not only go into the holy place, but the "Holy of Holies". "No you wouldn’t, only the High Priest is allowed in there".
You say, well, then I’d become a High Priest, so I could go in there every day! "No you wouldn’t...only once a year, and with a basin of blood, and a bell on you and a rope tied to you so we could hear if you fell down dead and drag you out!"
Do you see the OT concept of worship tonite? What a privilege it was to be able to draw nigh to God and come into His presence! It was very difficult to even approach Him!
Good news: you know that "Holy of Holies"? I’ve been in there! I spent time in there this morning, and off and on throughout my day! For when Jesus died on the cross as my great High Priest, the veil of the temple was torn in half, and now the Bible says "let US come boldly before the throne of Grace"...not just Jews, not just priests, not just the high priest, not just once a year, not fearfully...but boldly!
As long as we do it in the name of Jesus and by authority of HIS blood, we can enter in and worship Him!
So, how much time have you spent in that great privilege of worshipping God?
Understand the difference between prayer and worship--
Ill.--woman atop a burning building cries for help / fireman comes to her rescue and carries her down his ladder / days later she wants to go to the fire house and thank him / she notices his looks, and oh, he’s kind and gentle, humorous, and she tells him how she feels, and they begin dating / they fall in love / they become one.
When she was crying from the rooftop--that was prayer. Most of us do this everyday, only when in trouble, we cry out to God to help or save us.
But we should add to our prayer some thanksgiving--take some time to be grateful. This is where the woman went out of her way down to the fire house to be thankful¡Kshe went to the next level! [thank Him for good health / a job / wonderful children / free salvation / a great looking pastor!].
Then the woman started noticing him, how wonderful he was, etc. And she started to admire him and tell him how special he was--that’s adoration. It’s a deeper level now. Adoration is when he believer thanks God not only for what He does, but for Who He is!! Read the Psalms--adoration is thanking God that He’s longsuffering, merciful, kind, gracious, loving, etc.
Then the woman and the man got married, and she gave all that she was to all that he was--and they went into the inner sanctum of closeness--that’s worship!
The first reason the angels were created was to give God praise and worship--and the same is true for us, too!
It’s a well known fact: man becomes like whatever he worships.
Some people’s eyes become glassy just like that TV they worship. Some become a walking fashion show just like they worship. Some, just as much as they can, become like that singer or Hollywood actor they worship, and some guys start to look like their dog for the same reason!
Look at it this way: some people may wonder why in the world God is so big on praise and worship. Why did He create us to worship Him? Is God an egotist? Why does He seem to need to continually have His ego stroked? Must He always insist on being told how great He is?
Listen: the reason we worship is not for what it does for God, but for what it does for us! Our praise doesn’t make Him any more glorious than our offerings make Him more rich! We don¡¦t give because God needs it, but for what it does to us! It teaches us love, trust, and dependency.
This is why idol worship is so ridiculous. First the man molds the idol, but then the idol molds the man!
When we spend time worshipping God--we become more like Him!
We’ll look at several more things on the angels to do list next week.
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http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/ToDoListPart1.html
