This Is Us: Worship Pt 2

Michael T. Ward

This Is Us • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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Worship: In His Presence

(NIV)

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—

5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

This image of the Christian leader as a shepherd is picked up in a number of places in the New Testament. Peter writes, ‘Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care... not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock’ (). Jesus is the ‘Chief Shepherd’ (v.4).

6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I know my sheep’ (). He says that one day there will be ‘one flock and one shepherd’ (v.16). The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as ‘that great Shepherd of the sheep’ ().

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

The rest of the passage in Numbers, with its regulations for eating and drinking, religious festivals and the Sabbath, again points us ultimately to Jesus (). St Paul writes, ‘These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ’ (). Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, the Great Sower and the Saviour of the world.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We started a series a few weeks ago entitled, “THIS IS US.” It’s based off of the hit TV show that details three siblings who stick together through the thick and thin times. They value principles that their parents taught them which enables them to maintain a loving family culture. Likewise the church has been instructed by the WORD of GOD to embrace certain principles such as UNITY, DIVERSITY, RACIAL ACCEPTANCE, HOSPITALITY, & WORSHIP. These principles and the like help the church to maintain a loving, caring, accepting, God-fearing church culture.

In order for these principles to be at work in our congregation, we must have something that ties these things together. It has to undergird everything we attempt. It has to be the center of what we engage in.

PP- But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (-NIV)

The source for who we are and what we do comes from the light! “…into his wonderful light”. What is this light? His illumination, in His sphere of glory, where righteousness and goodness dominates. It’s in His presence!

We pretty much all agree from last week we were called out of darkness into God’s light, for the purpose of Worship! But God didn’t stop there, he called us into something.

Where? “…into his wonderful light”. What is this light? His illumination, in His sphere of glory, where righteousness and goodness dominates. It’s in His presence!

PP- Today’s Topic is, “In His Presence”

11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

(NIV)

13 Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.

(NIV)

11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

His presence creates a loving light atmosphere. It also not only works on the outside but on the inside of us!

In order for unity, diversity, different races of people, hospitality, we must have God’s presence among us!

In his presence there is fulness of joy, peace love, light, and unity!

PP- Worship connects us to His presence!

It draws a dotted line to HIM!

Illustration: (locator dots leading to God on a map) God tries to make a clear pathway for us to get to Him! There are a lot of distractions and potential destination that can put you out of his will.

We love to take detours! “God, I’m on my way, can i stop at the Ice Cream Shop First?”

I asked Pastor Ruth to get me some special putty glue I needed to secure a cold show onto my Go Pro Camera. Bring it back to me. She went, but on her way back to be, she stopped at Panera bread, and every other that was opened in route to me!

God drew dots to himself. In the OT He set forth statues (written Law) and precepts (principles, rules) and decrees (verbal commands) in order to connect them to him.

There are two categories of Worship that God set forth in order to connect us to Him! So He and man could commune in holiness:

There are two categories of Worship God set forth in the Laws of Moses:

PP- Practical Worship

The long litany of rules, social, and civic rules God set forth was to encourage a lifestyle of worship. We are to worship with our practical lives by way of our decisions, actions, responses, motives, how we meet the needs of those who are less fortunate.

(NIV)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(The Message)

1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Then we have what I called years ago,

PP- Spiritual Worship

The bible instructs us to worship by means of our spirituality.

(NIV)

2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

At the conclusion of a day, after the rigors and stressors of the day, there was an assigned time for an evening sacrifice, which was a show of appreciation for the completion of the day. it marked the time for reflection and prayer. It was thanking God for making it through another day.

Accept my hands raised in worship the way you accept the smoke from the evening sacrifice.

So these practical and spiritual worship elements keeps us connected to God, with Him being the center of our existence!

Remember, everything is vying, competing, contending for your worship. Your adoration, devotion, admiration, glorification, attachment, your worship! There are things and interest in people’s lives that have won their peak interest. These things, events, interests, get their adoration, ultimate attention, it gets preeminent glorification from them, it gets their worship!

These practical and spiritual worship connects us to God even in the midst of a hectic, topsy-turvy world.

Worship connects us to God even in the midst of a hectic, topsy-turvy world.

PP- Worship Makes Us Aware of His presence!

(NIV)

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking (awareness) became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

The act of worship causes our spirits to become keen to His presence.

One of the main goals of living out practically worship and the engaging in spiritual worship is to kindle an awareness of the invisible, loving, ever-present, omnipresent God.

Illustration: A $2 4 by 5 inch photo Randy Guijarro found in a cardboard box at a junk shop in Fresno, California, in 2010 turned out to be worth $5 million dollars! It was confirmed by a California company that it was one of only two certified images of the notorious bandit Billy the Kid!

1. Worship Makes You Aware of His presence!

We are in the presence of the most invaluable source in the universe! The one true God!

The goal of worship is for us to acknowledge His presence. To tap into what is already present! When we sing about inviting God, we aren’t inviting him into our place, but we are inviting him to overtake our hearts and we yield to Him so that he will make His presence more evident. Worship helps us become more aware of His presence!

"Holy Spirit" (feat. Kim Walker-Smith)

There is nothing worth more That will ever come close No thing can compare You're our living hope Your presence Lord

I've tasted and seen Of the sweetest of love When my heart becomes free And my shame is undone Your presence Lord

Holy spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

There is nothing worth more That will ever come close No thing can compare You're our living hope Your presence Lord

I've tasted and seen Of the sweetest of Love When my heart becomes free And my shame is undone Your presence Lord

Holy spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

Let us become more aware of Your presence Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

Holy spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

The goal of worship is for us to acknowledge His presence. To give Him an invite, welcoming Him to overtake our hearts and make His presence more evident. Worship helps us become more aware of His presence!

PP-Worship Is The Key to His Presence

The gladness of access

()

This psalm is often known as the ‘Jubilate’, which is Latin for ‘O be joyful’. It is one of the most popular and often-used psalms for public worship. Many other anthems, hymns and worship songs are based on it.

Here is an invitation to the whole earth to offer a great shout of joy to the Lord, and to enter his presence, singing with uninhibited joy! It may originally have been a psalm for bringing a thank-offering.

, the most famous being William Kethe’s ‘All People That on Earth Do Dwell’.

Here is an invitation to the whole earth (not just separate ‘lands’) to offer a great shout of joy to the Lord, and to enter his presence, singing with uninhibited joy! It may originally have been a psalm for bringing a thank-offering.

The joyful shout is that of a crowd offering loyalty and welcome to a king. It is not to be given lightly, as it implies a total commitment. The people of Israel shouted in such a way when Saul became their king (). It is a fanfare of human hearts and voices.

4(NIV)

Knowing that the Lord is God is a sure foundation for our praise. We are secure in his creation and saving love. We are sure of his welcome. We belong to him.

It is because God has made us and he welcomes us that we can come into his presence with such confidence and praise. The courts are the courts of the temple, where nothing unholy is allowed—and yet we may enter. This is God’s house, his place—and we can come in!

Finally, the psalmist realizes that this privilege is ongoing. God’s nature doesn’t change, so his goodness will continue. His love will last for ever. This invitation to acknowledge him is to all people, in every place and age.

4(NIV)

PP- (NIV)

(NIV)

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

In the OT, when an offer decided to worship God, they would go to the Tabernacle, and make bring their sacrifices. The Tabernacle was the center piece for their worship. It was where the presence of the LORD resided and then celebrate Him where you’re there!

3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Gates- saar-a movable barrier, an entrance point.

Thanksgiving removes barriers! It creates an entrance point with God!

(The Message)

4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.

Thanksgiving - toda-to acknolwedge verbally and illustratively (often through the bringing of sacrifices)

What we do in our worship is not a futile action! It is a physical, tangible action that takes us into spiritual power!

PP- Picture of the encampment.

In the OT, the instructions were clear.

One of many benefits of Worship is that it makes us aware of His presence! And we invite him to fill up our hearts.

God is everywhere infinitely at all time! The theological word is omnipresence.

But, God doesn’t always involve himself in everything especially things that aren’t of His nature which is holiness. In regard to unholy things, He does by His sovereign perfect will, chooses what to involve himself in.

But, when it comes to people who are consecrated to him, set apart to him, he obligates himself to be involved!

The presence of the Lord is awesome!

(NIV)

33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out;

37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.

38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

Worship is an activity that we can engaged in and God is obligated to be in the midst! Everytime, you see in scripture when groups of people come together in worship, he shows up! It’s a pattern of divine nature!

In the old Testament God put forth many stringent rules and obligations for the believer to follow. The goal was to make sure that they were as close to HIM as possible.

When You Begin To Open your Heart and Invite God to Visit You, you’ll start to say...

The presence of the Lord is awesome!

Song: Oh, Oh, Oh, there’s nobody like you Lord, nobody like you LORD!

This moves me from my natural limitations, into the heavenly sphere, into light, goodness, glory where God does His business.

PP-Worship Draws God To You.

God desires for us to be in His presence!

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Angels are ministering spirits to the righteous.

The encampment of the ancient Israelites was a foreshadow of the life of worship we are to have!

Illustration:

Being saved from darkness made us of him! We have been born again which indicates we are from him. Although your are from him, doesn’t mean you are in him! Being from Tennessee doesn’t mean I am in Tennessee. Just because I identify with something doesn’t mean I’m in it!

Numbers chapter 2 gives us a paints the picture of the Israelite’s encampment.

On the east were Judah, the tribe of Issachar, and the tribe of Zebulun

We studied this a few weeks ago in john chapter 4 when both the Samaritans and the Jews claimed to be from God and God’s Children. They both read from the same first five books.

On the south were the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Simeon, and the tribe of Gad.

In the middle was the “tent of meeting” (Where the presence of the Lord resided) and the Levites (the spiritual leaders)

On the west the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe of Manasseh, and the tribe of Benjamin.

On the north, the tribe of Dan, the tribe of Asher, and the tribe of Naphtali.

PP- This second picture of Israel’s encampment is a more formal one. God’s sole intent, was and still is for him to be the center of His people’s lives.

Worship gives you that added benefit of being of Him and in Him. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we now have free access to the Father. It puts us in His presence!

We studied this a few weeks ago in john chapter 4 when both the Samaritans and the Jews claimed to be from God and God’s Children. They both read from the same first five books.

Jesus while ministering to the woman at the well, he had to break through, racial, cultural, and ethnic barriers. Then he started breaking down some theological concepts to her. He said listen, lets cut through all of this racial tension, tradition, cultural differences. let’s divorce ourselves from some of the errors of our forefathers, and let’s get to the heart of the matter.

PP- (NIV)

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

(The Message)

23 But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.

We have to stop limiting God by our preconceived notions. We also have to be careful about elevating our preferences in worship. And not to prioritize our traditions over what pleases the father! God just wants pure hearts who worship in the spirit and in line with his WORD!

David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and felt shame so he recognized that he needed God. He needed His presence!

(NIV)

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

We should want GOd in our midst like we need a cold drink of water on a hot, summers day!

David had sinned before the Lord, and he recognized that he needed God. So he pleaded with God

David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and felt shame so he recognized that he needed God. He needed His presence!

PP- (NIV)

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

PP- When We Gather Together His Presence Shows Up! ().

The extraordinary message of the New Testament is that this separation has now been removed.

PP- Jesus brings God’s presence to us ().

PP- Jesus has given you the Holy Spirit, who is God’s empowering presence dwelling within you ().

PP- When We Gather Together His Presence Shows Up! ().

(NIV)

In His presence is the fullness of joy!

God Has To Be The Center of your Life!

(NIV)

The life of God’s people literally revolved around the presence of God.

20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

They were to be God centered!

PP- The Father’s Presence Was Significance At The Cross!

The real issue Jesus had when we was being crucified wasn’t really with the beating!

What Killed Jesus? The obvious answer is the Roman Crucifixion!

PP- (NIV)

46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Something happened that caused jesus to give up his spirit, to resign and die!

God had to turn judicially away from Jesus. He had to turn his back on Jesus and walk away! Jesus became abhorrent to God the Father.

What Killed Jesus? The obvious answer is the Roman Cruxifixtion! But the moment Jesus gave up his spirit something happened that caused Jesus to die at that very moment that transcended the cross! Hint: Jesus cried out

Because “He who knew no sin because sin”. Jesus became repulsive to God. So God abandoned him! God removed his presence!

God had to turn judicially from Jesus. he had to turn his back on Jesus and walk away! God, because Christ who knew no sin, became sin, became abhorrent to God! Jesus became repulsive to God. So God abandoned him!

Jesus could bear the separation no longer and cried out in a loud voice, (a quotation of )

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) 1593 ἐγκαταλείπω

egkataleipō

This is

PP- sabachthani-egkataleipō - to reject, abandon, leave, desert.

Jesus could bear the separation no longer and cried out in a loud voice, (a quotation of )

Jesus sensed a separation from the Father He had never known, for in becoming sin the Father had to turn judicially from His Son.

The real issue Jesus had when he was being crucified wasn’t really with the punishment, it was with the separation from God.

So the crucifixion was exacerbated because of God’s rejection of Jesus because he was the bearer of sin for the world!

The teacher of life in the book of Ecclesiastes gives us a glimpse of a person who grows old and eventually dies.

So the crucifixion was exacerbated because of God’s rejection of Jesus because he was the bearer of sin for the world!

The teacher of life in the book of Ecclesiastes gives us a glimpse of a person who grows old and eventually dies.

PP- (NIV)

7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

The reason Jesus died, was because while he was on the cross and his spirit remained in the body, God had to abandon him. The only way for Jesus to reconnect with the Father was to give up the ghost, His spirit left the body and went immediately back into the presence of the LORD!

Vs 50 said, “… he gave up his spirit.”

If I have God’s Spirit, he is my daddy! I long for Him!

(NIV)

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

We should want GOd in our midst like we need a cold drink of water on a hot, summers day!

Opening Up Psalms The Reason Jesus Was on the Cross Is Here

We have never begun, even in our moments of keenest insight, to understand the depths of Calvary. There the Lord Jesus Christ bore in his own person an eternity of the wrath of God. He, being infinite, suffered in a finite amount of time what we, being finite, would suffer in an infinite amount of time. Eternity was compressed upon him.

(NIV)

11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

2. Worship Spawns Manifestation

The Presence of God ( The Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire)

Protection - safety, security

Instruction/direction-what do I do? When do I do it? How do I do it?

Comfort - peace, calm, shalom,

These are the three areas most humans are concerned with in their lives

33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out;

37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.

38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

(The Message) — 9 Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness.

The extraordinary message of the New Testament is that this separation has now been removed.

You can now WORSHIP in the heart of God’s presence.

PP- Jesus brings God’s presence to us ().

PP- Jesus has given you the Holy Spirit, who is God’s empowering presence dwelling within you ().

PP- We experience God’s presence especially when we gather together ().

PP- One day you will know God’s presence face to face ( , 22:4).

In His presence is the fullness of joy!

(The Message) — 9 Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness.

(The Message) — 19 What a stack of blessing you have piled up for those who worship you, Ready and waiting for all who run to you to escape an unkind world.

(The Message) — 4 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God, turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,” ignore what the world worships;

(The Message) — 4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.

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