Worship Fully
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The season is upon us
Black Friday is past
Cyber Monday is upon us
The holiday Christmas music has started, the credit cards are being warmed up, and the Christmas list are growing and the season of want is here
Our culture and society has succumbed to the almighty dollar, and the theology of the one with the most toys wins.
The US retail industry generated over 3.14 trillion dollars during the 2014 Christmas season.
It has nearly doubled in less than 10 years
Christmas is no longer known as Christmas, it is now known as Winter holidays
Santa Clause is the main character, led by his 8 reindeer, and his community of Christmas elves.
It is more about the magic of materialism than it is about the Son of God invading our world bringing the light of hope and peace to a world wondering around in darkness
We look around our houses filled with toys, games, and other items, some still in their packages from last years Christmas
The newest gadget, phone, or piece of technology is no longer good enough, we must have something more, something new, something uptodate
We have lost focus as a society
I am not saying that we should do away with the Christmas trees, the presents, or the food
But what I am saying is that we have lost focus of why and what we celebrate this time of year
We are doing something a bit different this year, we are not following the typical advent story
As a chapel I want us to take back to that which are culture and our world has hijacked from us, I want us to take back Christmas
Reclaim it again and make it what it was truly meant to be
I want us to conspire together, spend the next 4 weeks reclaiming this season back
The Advent conspiracy
Where we conspire to take back that which was holy
The word Conspire means “to act in harmony toward a common end.”
To conspire against the norm of our culture, and lean forward towards the good news of Christ’s coming
To redirect our hearts not only as individuals, but as families, as believers, to the coming of the prince of peace, the horn of our salvation, the hope of eternity.
OVer the next four weeks we will conspire together to
Worship Fully
Spend less
give more
love all
this morning we will spend a little time exploring what does it mean to worship fully
Pray with me!
The need for a right view of Christmas
The need for a right view of Christmas
Body
From the very onset of the Christmas story, it was always about Christ, the babe who came to die
It is about worshiping Christ as the Son of God, the one who is able to take away the sins of the world
Every year at this time worship begins, the worship of stuff and materialism
And yet Christ, the one who provides true happiness, who is able to fill our empty hearts and satisfy the souls of humanity is lost in the midst of almighty throne of stuff
And yet as believers in Christ Jesus, this is the season where we celebrate the coming of life, not just any life, but the one who brings abundant life, eternal life
It is Christ that we celebrate, it is Christ that we must worship, it is truly the reason for this season
The more we focus upon the gospel, the good news, the more our hearts will be turned to worshipping him
When we understand that from the beginning of time, from the very onset of sin, God set his plan into motion, the plan of redemption
What is redemption?
The purchasing of someone out of situation in which the one is unable to provide on their own.
Meaning you are unable to do for yourself, there is nothing you are able to do or say, that will bring you out of your current situation/
In terms of sin, the only redemption able to bring us out of our sinful state, happened over two thousand years ago, when the Son of God came into this world as a baby
The coming of Christ
The coming of Christ
The awesomeness of God
The awesomeness of God
But this was only a fulfillment of what was proclaimed to Mary and Joseph
IT was the message given to the angel sent by God to Mary and Joseph, both received a message, both were told about the Son they would have and the mission he would accomplish on this earth
The ultimate message that “God is with us and He would take away the sins of the world”
God would come down in human form, and dwell among us, he would come in form where we could see, touch, and experience God in a whole new way
He would not only dwell among us, he would be the one who would take away our sins
Not merely cover our sin, but wipe them away once and for all
he would bring us into a right relationship with him
He would become our peace and our protector
We would no longer walk in fear and darkness, but we would walk in light and freedom
The message to Mary was one in which proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, the one who would dwell with him people, and set up his kingdom, the one who would reign with them provide them with the hope they were waiting for.
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
This babe, would be the promised Messiah
The one who the nations were looking to, make straight the path of salvation
In both messages God was fulfilling what he promised would take place
In both cases God was and continues to be faithful to do what he says he would do
In this story, in this message to both Mary and Joseph, God shows himself worthy to be worshipped
For in it, the story of our salvation begins, the story of redemption will come forth, and begins with a babe.
But the story doesn't stop there, in every encounter by all those who find this King, find themselves worshipping him AS THE KING OF ALL KINGS
Around the world, men began to see the signs of God invading our world and they came from afar to worship this king of Kings
The wisemen from the east, whether it be three or more, we really dont know, but what we do know is that God begins to reveal in their hearts the coming of the Redeemer, the one who would right the wrong of this world, the promise king
They came for one purpose, to worship him, to show him not only the honor due to him, but the devotion to follow him and dedicate their lives to his mission
Or The shepherds who find themselves in the field by night, who are captured by the awe inspiring light of heaven opened up and the brilliance of God’s light making night as if it were day, with the angels who celebrate the birth of the Christ
They too are overcome with the sense of worship, the angel of heaven, and the common shepherds find themselves overwhelmed by the goodness of God to enter into their presence.
They drop everything they are doing and they run to the place where the babe lay, to do what?
to worship him
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Our savior was born, the world was introduced the gospel of Christ on this starry night
A night that was filled with awe and worship
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
A night that was filled with awe and worship
Where the heavens opened and the myriads of Angels rejoiced because the plan of salvation, when sins of the world would be dealt with once and for all
Where men traveled near and far, kings from the east, commoners from nearby fields, ass for one purpose and one purpose only, to worship the God who is faithful and who will provide the way back to life, through life itself
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:4
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John
Through Christ the Messiah we have our redemption
The Christmas story, is Christ coming to dwell among us, to provide what we could not do, what we were unable to do, and provided this gift freely to everyone who would want it
A gift, that cost God greatly, given to us freely, paying off a debit that could not be paid by human effort alone, and needed a God-man to come forth to pay the price for you and me
A gift he gives to you this Christmas,
a gift that reminds us that to worship by definition IS TO HONOR the one who provided the greatest gift ever
To worship fully, not just because of a gift you already received, but reminded daily the impact of that gift has upon our lives.
A gift that keeps on giving,
a gift that daily changes us,
empowers us,
walks with us,
and loves us unconditionally
A gift that should cause us to worship more fully the one provided this gift to us.
READ
READ
But this was only a fulfillment of what was proclaimed to Mary and Joseph
The angel sent by God to Mary and Joseph, both received a message, both were told about the Son they would have and the mission he would accomplish on this earth
“God is with us”
God would come down in human form, and dwell among us, he would come in form where we could see, touch, and experience God in a whole new way
He would not only dwell among us, he would be the one who would take away our sins
Not merely cover our sin, but wipe them away once and for all
he would bring us into a right relationship with him
He would become our peace and our protector
We would no longer walk in fear and darkness, but we would walk in light and freedom
The message to Mary was one in which proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, the one who would dwell with him people, and set up his kingdom, the one who would reign with them provide them with the hope they were waiting for.
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
In both messages God was fulfilling what he promised would take place
In both cases God was and continues to be faithful to do what he says he would do
In this story, in this message to both Mary and Joseph, God shows himself worthy to be worshipped
For in it, the story of our salvation story begins, and begins with a babe.
But the story doesn't stop there, in every encounter by all those who encounter our King, find themselves worshipping him AS THE KING OF ALL KINGS
Around the world, men began to see the signs of God invading our world and they came from afar to worship this king of Kings
The wisemen from the east, whether it be three or more, we really dont know, but what we do know is that God begins to reveal in their hearts the coming of the King, the one who would right the wrong of this world, the promise king
They came for one purpose, to worship him, to show him not only the honor due to him, but the devotion to follow him and dedicate their lives to his mission
Or The shepherds who find themselves in the field by night, who are captared by the awe inspireing light of heaven opened up and the brilliance of God’s light making night as if it were day, with the angels who celebrate the birth of the Christ
They too are overcome with the sense of worship, the angel of heaven, and the common shepherds find themselves overwhelmed by the goodness of God to enter into their presence.
They drop everything they are doing and they run to the place where the babe lay, to do what?
to worship him
What amazes me about this story, is that God came in the form of a babe, in way that brought both the common man, the wise man, the royal, and the poor to place where they could access God in the place they found themselves in.
They simply could come and worship him
His entrance in this world was like our entrance into this world
Signifying that all are welcome and all have access to the king of kings
He takes us where we are
and makes a way for us to come to the Father
in our pride
not through the means of this world, but through him
in our hurts
This season promises so much, but with it, it leaves us wanting for so much more
in our tradg
Yet with Christ, he comes, he fills, he provides, and we leave satisfied in him
As we come this more morning, as we conspire together to regain this holiday for what it is truly about, where are we in our worship of him?
Do we find ourselves honoring God with our lives
Are we devoting our lives to his mission of making him to know to the world around us.
Are we worshipping him in a way in which he is worthy to be worshipped?
As you leave here today, the best way to worship God fully, is to get to know the gift giver.
the book of Luke has 24 chapters, 24 chapters that explain the gospel, not only how the gospel leads us to Christ, but the gospel that impacts our life on a daily basis.
My encouragement is this, read one chapter a day from the gospel of Luke as a family