L.O.V.E. Like Christ . .
in Exalting our God
January 29, 2006 Jay Robison Deuteronomy 6:12-18
Deuteronomy 6 children of Israel entering into promised land
It was culmination of a miracle from slavery to promised land
But be careful! Do not forget the LORD vs 12 NCV
Forget God? How can we do that? Purpose to worship
Exalting=Worship which means WORTH-SHIP Old English
we engage our mind, emotions, & will
to gratefully acknowledge the worth of our God.
No other human activity as lofty as that of adoring God.
Worship is a verb active, how do we do it? In addition to Singing praying preaching reading, Bible says worship by; Sitting, I Chronicles 17:16 Standing, Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. NKJV
Walking, Psalm 48:12
Dancing, Psalm 149:3 Let them praise his name w\dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
II Sam 6:16 As ark of LORD came into city of David
Michal saw King David leaping\dancing before LORD
Leaping Acts 3:8 crippled man who Jesus healed walking
leaping and praising God
Eyes up, Psalm 123:1
Eyes down, Luke 18:13 “The tax collector, standing at a
distance, would not even look up to heaven. But he beat on
his chest because he was so sad. He said, ‘God, have mercy
on me, a sinner.’
Bowing, & Kneeling, Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship & bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
Face down, Revelation 7:11 All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders & the four living creatures, & they fell on their faces before the throne & worshiped God, Clapping, Psalm 47:1 , clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph! NKJV
Lifting hands, Psalm 63:4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Sitting, I Chron 17:16; Standing, Ps 33:8; Walking, Ps 48:12 ;
Dancing, Psalm 149:3; II Samuel 6:16; Leaping Acts 3:8;
Eyes up, Psalm 123:1; Eyes down, beating chest Luke 18:13;
Bowing, and Kneeling, Psalm 95:6; Face down, Rev 7:11;
Clapping, Psalm 47:1; Lifting hands, Psalm 63:4;
In all these focus was on God not the people
They were drawn into relationship w\God
& expressed their love for God
Worship is an interaction between people and God
Choose real God to worship but real people as well
Used to say: ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda. Latin
“The Church is reformed & always needing to be reformed.”
Never get it right. Respond to new waves of God’s spirit
Form for worship
The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall serve,
and by his name alone you shall swear. Vs 13 NRSV
3 Components of Worship\Exalting God above expressions
Of worship Different
1. FEAR OF GOD
What does it mean to fear God?
Do we have to be afraid of God as a tyrant?
Quaking because he may haul off and smack us
Is God capricious unreasonable, unruly?
William Temple British preacher worship is to quicken the conscience by the Holiness of God; to feed the mind w\the truth of God; to purge the imagination by the beauty of God;
to open the heart to the love of God; to devote the will to the purpose of God.
Recognition that when worship meet God
Being beyond us, not just a big buddy or mentor
But almighty God, descriptions of who God is
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent
God is AWESOME !! Fear=reverence
because worship a god w\little “g” always end up empty.
All have replaced God with things less than God
Recognize where we are\what we face Steven Curtis Chapman
“In gospel we discover we are far worse off than we thought
& far more loved than we ever dreamed
Worship Elevating OURSELVES, OTHERS, & OUR WORLD
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8, 9
Worship causes us to think what if thoughts, new ideas
Possibilities perspectives, insight,
We all came w\things on our minds
In worship, we discover that God is at work in our lives.
At work in our hearts, through our circumstances
Works in us individually, and collectively
As elevated to God express love, C.S. Lewis “We praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.
It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are;
the delight is incomplete till it is expressed
Worship not a have to but wow when I look at life
I am blessed thank you God mountains to climb help me
2. SERVICE TO GOD
Worship must have joy at its bottom line, not mere instruction.
For joy of God worship must spill out into street
And not be confined to church
Means our worship must move outside of ourselves
Not just me and Jesus got our own thing going
But involves how we act in the world
Recognizing WHO IS IN CHARGE
Vs 16 Do not put Lord to test as you did at Massah
What does that mean? Worship not dependant on blessings
Exodus 17 while on way to promised land going was rough
Sun hot, people dry, thirsty, tired no end in sight
As we would began to complain Give us water!!
Come on Moses said, God led us here trust God
Yeah yeah, if we following the real God he’d help us
Now we are out here to die of thrist
The LORD told Moses, get leaders together take your staff
Strike a rock at Mount Horeb &water will come out of it
Moses did water sprang out he called place Massah [Testing]
& Meribah [Complaining] because is what they did
Serving the Lord means we do so without question
We remain faithful even when life is uphill
Guided by commands of the LORD your God Vs 17 NLT
We serve in a community AW Tozer "Has it ever occurred to
you that 100 pianos all tuned to same fork are automatically
tuned to each other?”
They are of 1 accord by being tuned, not to each other, but
to another standard to which each one individually tunes.
100 worshipers (meeting) together, each one looking away
to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could
possibly be, were they to become ’unity’ conscious & turn
their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship."
3. SWEARING BY GOD’S NAME ALONE
SWEAR BY NAME=build life on God, no other Gods,
do not be like everyone else
Because the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a
jealous God. The anger of the LORD your God would be
kindled vs you & he would destroy you from face of the earth
VS 15 God is a jealous God
Jealous is not usually seen as positive characteristic
How do you see if? Jealous usually seen as small
Jealous does not mean INSECURITY but EXCLUSIVITY\RELATIONSHIP
Hebrew word Kawnaw= zealous for relationship
My wife is not jealous insecure,
But expects relationship only with me One of a kind
Gives focus and perspective in all we do
Issue is settled for us we worship only God
Our worship should be such that God rips off
the lid and says oh yeah
"If worship is just one thing we do, everything becomes
mundane. If worship is the one thing we do, everything takes on eternal significance.” Timothy J. Christenson
A Daddy coming home to a little girl in World Christian,
John Huffman describes unforgettable moment w\daughter.
Had been away from home for several weeks.
When plane landed, he could hardly wait to see wife & 4 kids
he & other passengers were detained in customs for 2 hours.
Finally customs officials allowed Huffman to proceed to lobby,
where 100s of people anxiously waiting for family & friends.
Given press of bodies, I knew I would not be able to pick my
Kids out til I walked up ramp past security & out into open.
But 3 yr-old daughter, who had managed to squeeze her way
to front of the crowd, began screaming at top of her lungs,
"Daddy! Daddy! That’s my daddy!" Must have shouted that
at least 5 times, suddenly she broke free from the crowd,
bolted past the security guards, still yelling,
"Daddy! Daddy! That’s my daddy!" She literally flew into my
arms\began kissing and hugging me. What a welcome!
I have never felt so loved & acknowledged in my life.
It was a wonderful, even today brings warm\happy feeling.
That, says John Huffman, is what God feels like when we
acknowledge Him in worship. (Larson 1996, 11)
Why what we are doing is so important: are men & women
in this very room who find strength here & only here to do
what they have to do.
Teens worship here in midst of temptation to find guidance
Some worship God here & find power to keep up civil
rights struggle.
Some worship God here find strength to teach hostile kids
Some worship taking new steps with God
Some worship here & gain courage to live in business.
Some worship here & just go home to tackle one more time
an impossible family situation.
And in their worship they find glory!
What about you, worship response
Fear God, Serve God, Swear by God alone
maybe to bow, sing, pray, commit,
L.O.V.E. Like Christ . .
in Exalting our God
January 29, 2006 Jay Robison Deuteronomy 6:12-18
But be careful! Do not forget the LORD vs 12 NCV
Exalting=Worship which means
In addition to Singing, praying, preaching, reading, worship by Sitting, I Chron 17:16; Standing, Ps 33:8; Walking, Ps 48:12 ;
Dancing, Psalm 149:3; II Samuel 6:16; Leaping Acts 3:8;
Eyes up, Psalm 123:1; Eyes down, beating chest Luke 18:13;
Bowing, and Kneeling, Psalm 95:6; Face down, Rev 7:11;
Clapping, Psalm 47:1; Lifting hands, Psalm 63:4;
The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall serve,
and by his name alone you shall swear. Vs 13 NRSV
3 Components of Worship\Exalting God
1.
God is
Elevating
2.
Recognizing
You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your
God all the stipulations & laws he has given you. Vs 17 NLT
"Has it ever occurred to you that 100 pianos all tuned to same
fork are automatically tuned to each other?” A. W. Tozer
3.
Jealous does not mean but
"If worship is just one thing we do, everything becomes
mundane. If worship is the one thing we do, everything takes
on eternal significance.” Timothy J. Christenson
A Daddy coming home to a little girl
