Worship with Open Windows
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Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
Introduction.
Introduction.
What would it take to disrupt your regular worship? Embarrassment? A bad day? A personal failure?
What would cause you to miss a communion service? Un-forgiveness? A funny Feeling?
Daniel had heard that the king had made a proclamation: No more prayer. Had he been a person who only worshipped privately, this would not have mattered, but he was in the habit of praying out loud, on his knees, with the windows open.
It wouldn’t have been wrong for him to worship privately, but Daniel knew to change what he was doing for the decree of the king was to compromise what he believed.
Daniel lived in Babylon. Once you compromise with Babylon you will never stop compromising.
Some things are worth taking a stand on, even in public.
Daniel said “Every day he honors me with His presence, why should today be any different”?
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
So we find that, Daniel, it was becoming to him, as a prophet, to stay with the Word, regardless!
So there was a decree went out, and said, “That whosoever will worship any other god, besides the god that they had selected.” In other words, “If you don’t cooperate with us, we’ll just throw you into the lions’ den.”
Well, it was becoming to Daniel, it was becoming to him that he fulfilled all righteousness, that he worshipped no other god, or entangled himself with the world; only to God only!
So, he just throwed back the shutters and threw up the sash, and opened up the curtains, and looked out towards the East, and prayed three times a day, just like he always did.
Why? Not slip off somewhere and hide, to do it, but he opened up the windows; let anybody see, that wants to. He wasn’t ashamed of his religion.
Because, it’s becoming to a Christian not to be ashamed of your religion. As Paul, of old, said, “In the way that’s called heresy, crazy, that’s the way I worship the God of our fathers.” “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said, “for it’s the Power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believes It.”
That’s right, not ashamed of the Gospel! It’s the thing that holds in the hours when the ship is a-rocking and every star is out of sight, and the moon and stars, and storms a-blowing. It still holds, for it’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 61-1001M - It Becometh Us To Fulfil All Righteousness
You have to care enough about God and His word to take a stand.
God cared because Daniel cared. Yes, sir. Sincerely prayed, knowing that it going to mean throwed into the lion’s den if he disobeyed the denominational orders. But he knelt down by the window, not fearing what man said.
He threw open the windows because it was a commandment of God, and he prayed sincerely and honestly to his God every day. He cared for God and His commandment, and God turned around and cared for Daniel and his command, his stand.
Daniel cared for God and His Word, and God cared for Daniel and his stand for the Word. He’ll do it every time. Amen. 63-0721 - He Cares. Do You Care?
We need to worship with the windows open. Not to show off, or offend people, but because that’s what Christians do.
Daniel had been prepared for this moment by decisions made when he was a young man.
It was easy to serve God with his family in Jerusalem, but Daniel had been taken captive by the Babylonian invasion. No one would have ever known if he started acting like a Babylonian.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
He was willing to put his lifestyle to the test.
And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
This message works.
We should worship Him with the windows open. A Christian should never be embarrassed to worship God publicly.
Now, the church…We’ll try to carry everything just as orderly and reverent as we know how. We believe in old time heartfelt salvation, believe in the people’s liberty to say “Amen,” “Praise the Lord.” Whatever the Spirit of God leads you to do, do it. And He won’t lead you to do anything, but what’s right.
And He’s the Spirit. God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. And God, the very word “god” means “object of worship.” So God likes to be worshipped by His children, that we can be free and not bound down in yokes.
But we can exercise our faith in Him, and believe it, and not be ashamed to tell the world about it: that Jesus Christ raised from the dead, lives and reigns in our hearts, and we’re not ashamed of it.
Doesn’t make our face red to testify of the glory of Jesus Christ. For He is worthy of all praise; don’t you believe that? 54-0328 - Sirs, We Would See Jesus
Simon invited Him to his house, but didn’t entertain Him when He got there.
And you ask Him to come to your church sometime, and He will fall in an old fashion way, and you’re ashamed to let loose and let Him have His way. You quench Him away.
You invite Him to your home, and then you’re ashamed of Him before your neighbors, let Him set there unentertained. Jesus wants to be worshipped. He wants to be entertained.
How do you entertain Jesus? Say, “Come, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart. I love you, Lord.” Entertain Him.
If someone come at your house, and you didn’t entertain them, they wouldn’t come many times. Maybe that’s what’s the matter tonight.
Maybe that’s what’s the matter around our homes and around our churches. We’re afraid, or ashamed to entertain Jesus. You’re afraid somebody will hear you say, “Amen.”
You’re afraid to raise up you’re hands and give Him praise. You’re ashamed ’cause your neighbor setting there or somebody else. What do I care about your neighbor? Worship the Lord.
You asked Him. You invited Him. Then worship Him when He comes. Hallelujah.
What we need tonight is an old fashion Jesus Christ entertaining place, where men and women can forget theirselves and entertain Jesus. 55-1002 - The Unwelcomed Christ
(Abraham entertaining the Angel)
And if you’ll just all forsake your thoughts for a little bit and just get in one accord…Oh, if you’ll just let every heart beat the same towards Christ tonight, you’ll see the exceedingly abundantly.
Now, remember that. Feast on the Word, believe with all your heart. Enter into It, get into the service, get into the worship. And don’t be ashamed. Just in your heart…I don’t mean you have to scream. If you feel like screaming, that’s up to you.
But if you’ll just…That doesn’t profit too much. But if you’ll just get into the worship of it. “Oh, Jesus, how lovely You really are. I never knew You so sweet.”
That’s when you get into it. That’s when God comes down and pours His blessings right over everywhere. That’s when something happens. 57-0808 - The Mighty Conqueror
Now, we need to let Him in, and when He comes in, worship Him and said, “Come in, Lord. Be my Saviour. Be my God. Be my Ruler. Be my Healer. Be my…Be all that I want to know in life, be. Be my Lord.
Take everything that I’ve got, Lord, and rule it. Take my emotions. I will not get ashamed any more. Take my pride. Stand in the door and cloth me, Lord, with Your Word.” Going to see a revival start then. 58-0609 - The Message To The Laodicean Church
Bro. Branham taught us we live in a three room house, and we should not be ashamed to go with Christ our husband into the inner room.
And listen. So is it with the church today. We got too many people; we got too many of them that’s ashamed to go into complete relationship with God to new life and new birth.
If we’re the Bride of Christ, then why can’t we go into relationship, then all the shameness and backwardness and all’s gone from us?
If we come into complete relationship, been borned again, I don’t care…The President of the United States could be standing on the street; you’d shout, “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.”
You don’t care, because you’re come into a relationship. You’re borned again. You’re a new child. You’re in the Shekinah Glory with God, fellowshipping with Him.
What we need today, brother, is a worship under the Blood, a worship in complete relationship, to die out.
What if the little bride said, “Now, wait a minute. I just…I don’t know…I don’t know if married life consists of such things.” She would never come into fellowship with her husband.
That’s what’s the matter with the church today, that say, “Oh, I don’t believe in that there kind of religion that makes you shout and call it ‘heartfelt religion,’ and, I don’t believe in such things as that.”
No wonder you’ve never come into it yet. You come into it and really get under the Shekinah Glory of God, when the power of the Holy Ghost is falling down upon you, you’ll know something happened to you, that you’ve passed from death unto Life and become a new creature. God is first. 60-0630 - God's Provided Approach To Divine Fellowship
(Charles Finney)
That’s the reason I like these full Gospel conventions: You hear the people cry and shout and praise the Lord, because they’ve come into a fellowship, a Divine fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Whenever you get rid of that, you’re gone back to Babylon and you might as well bury yourself. That’s exactly right.
When we get to a place to where we get away from that Shekinah Glory, that praises of God, that fresh anointing that breaks down all the religious barriers and things and makes us one in Christ Jesus, free from all condemnation…That’s what we need tonight. That’s what the church…That’s Divine fellowship. 60-0630 - God's Provided Approach To Divine Fellowship
(Eagle Pine Squirrel)
You know, the trouble of it, we Pentecostal people, we’ve lost our joy, we’ve lost our emotions.
As Billy Graham said the other night, “Them preachers, collars turned around, going down South, clapping their hands, and beating their feet up-and-down on the ground, and stomping, they had something they were happy about.”
Well, yeah, I got Something I’m happy about. See? See? Yeah. Yeah, we’ve lost our emotion.
Now let’s just raise our hands. Don’t worry about the tears, they won’t hurt nothing, see. That don’t hurt. “He that goeth forth sowing, in tears, will doubtless return again, bringing precious sheaves.” 65-0911 - God's Power To Transform
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
Woman who washed Jesus feet.
Communion
Footwashing
Worship