Purification and Submission for Worship, Part 2

Introduction

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 6108 From His Hand

6108 From His Hand

I will not take that bitter thrust

Which rent my heart today

As coming from an earthly soul—

Though it was meant that way.

But I will look beyond the tool,

Because my life is planned;

I take the cup My Father gives—

I take it from His hand.

He knows, and even thus allows,

These little things that irk.

I trust His wisdom and His love,

Let patience have her work.

Though human means have brought the sting,

I firmly take this stand:

My loving Father holds the cup,

I take it from His hand.

Now those who watch may wonder why

These things do not disturb.

I look right past the instrument

And see my Lord superb.

The trials which would lay me low

Must pass through His command;

He holds the outstretched cup to me

I take it from His hand.

—Mrs. Ray Mercer

This is worship.

This is submission

This is trust

This is faith

This is pleasing to God.

This is worship.

If we are to live a lifestyle of worship to our awe inspiring God, this is the kind of faith and trust we are to live with. This is submission at its finest display by the power of the Spirit that makes a life worshipful in all its beings and doings.

Big Idea: Biblical worship requires our purification and submission.

Saw last week from the opening verses of Genesis that biblical worship requires purification.

Today, we will see the second requirement. Submission

Sermon Body

Big Idea: Biblical worship requires our purification and submission.

Biblical worship requires submission – Genesis 35:5-15

a. Defined - A humble attitude where obedience is rendered within a relationship; whether it be to God, authorities or other people at work, in the church, in marriage or in the family.

b. (From Biblical Priorities Series and Mutual Submission Sermon) What is submission?

i. Submitting – Verb, Present, Passive, Participle:

ὑποτάσσω hypotassō place or arrange under

[5718] ὑποτάσσω hypotassō 38x or arrange under; to subordinate, 1 Cor. 15:27; to bring under influence, Rom 8:20; pass. to be subordinated, 1 Cor. 14:32; to be brought under a state or influence, Rom 8:20; mid. to submit one’s self, render obedience, be submissive, Lk 2:51; 10:17 [5293] See (be) subject; submit.

MCEDONTW

ii. Willingly, voluntarily, joyfully, subordinating myself, my wants, my needs, my wishes to place someone else in a place of value and honor over me.

iii. Yielding in love….

iv. Andy Stanley…”Leveraging all the power, time, assets, energy and resources at my disposal for the benefit of others.” (context family)

c. Submission is a willing surrender and acquiescence to the will and desire of another.

d. Notice Israel and how this submission looks for him in this text…

5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. [1]

These verses reveal three ways in particular that Israel submitted to God (and worshipped him in so doing) and by examining them, we will see three ways in which we must submit to God in our lifestyle of worship.

Israel submitted to God’s authority and power over his choices, purposes, and will.

He did this by his Obedience to God’s will by following the command to arise and go to Bethel and dwell there

He recognized and accepted God’s rightful place to rule, to reign, to “call the shots,” to dictate the way things are to be.

Consider these beautiful words in Isaiah 46:8-11

English Standard Version Chapter 46

8  “Remember this and stand firm,

recall it to mind, you transgressors,

9  remember the former things of old;

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

10  declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

11  calling a bird of prey from the east,

the man of my counsel from a far country.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;

I have purposed, and I will do it.

There is none like me....I declare the beginning from the end…My counsel will stand…I will accomplish my purpose…I have spoken, I will bring it to pass. I have purposed, and I will do it. PERIOD.

Submission the commands and will of God is worship in that it recognizes and accepts HIS RIGHT TO BE GOD, to be the authority.

E.G. - Steven Curtis Chapman…You are God and I am Not.

Listen to one more out of Jeremiah 10:6-10

English Standard Version Chapter 10

6  There is none like you, O LORD;

you are great, and your name is great in might.

7  Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?

For this is your due;

for among all the wise ones of the nations

and in all their kingdoms

there is none like you.

8  They are both stupid and foolish;

the instruction of idols is but wood!

9  Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,

and gold from Uphaz.

They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;

their clothing is violet and purple;

they are all the work of skilled men.

10  But the LORD is the true God;

he is the living God and the everlasting King.

At his wrath the earth quakes,

and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

There is none like God, none who compare, none who compete. His praises and glory alone merit acknowledgment. All else are foolish, stupid.

Worship requires submission to the RIGHT and AUTHORITY of God alone to fashion and shape the way life is to be.

Israel submitted to this authority and right when he allowed God to instruct his steps.

We worship God when we recognize His right and authority to govern our steps and when we humbly and joyfully embrace that authority in obedience.

This is a problem for our society today. We do not like to recognize authority.

Disney movie several years ago (targeting our young people), Lemonade Mouth, one of the dominate messages…Question authority.

Not new to us as a society or people, but it is becoming a louder message. AND I GET IT, human authority is flawed and riddled with sinful intent and it is not always bad thing to exercise discernment and wisdom, but those distinctions are not made in the message being declared in “question authority.”

Parental authority, church authority, educational authority, governmental authority, is all being challenged, questioned and encouraged to be bucked. The adversary is seeking to strip these authorities, placed by God, of their power so that the only authority left is SELF. And when SELF is the final standing authority in ones life, chaos will ensue.

If we desire to worship God, we must acknowledge and accept his right to rule as God and dictate the very course of our lives.

Israel submitted to God’s power and authority over values and beauty itself.

Genesis 35:6-7

English Standard Version Chapter 35

6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.

He submitted to God’s power and authority over values and beauty itself by his worship. Worship, by its very nature is submission. It is an acknowledgement of something, someone greater than oneself; of something better than you worthy of recognition and praise.

To worship something is to recognize its value and worth outweighs that of yourself. You don’t worship things that you view to be lesser than yourself. You worship things that you deem to be of greater value and worth than yourself.

Israel’s worship of God is a submission to the greater and grander glory, value, worth, beauty of the God who has called him, chosen him, and blessed him.

Consider the following....

Psalm 71:17-21

English Standard Version Psalm 71

17  O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

18  So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,

your power to all those to come.

19  Your righteousness, O God,

reaches the high heavens.

You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you?

20  You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

will revive me again;

from the depths of the earth

you will bring me up again.

21  You will increase my greatness

and comfort me again.

Exodus 15:1-18

English Standard Version Chapter 15

The Song of Moses

15 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,

“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2  The LORD is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3  The LORD is a man of war;

the LORD is his name.

4  “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,

and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

5  The floods covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

6  Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power,

your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

7  In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;

you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.

8  At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;

the floods stood up in a heap;

the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.

9  The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.

I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’

10  You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11  “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

12  You stretched out your right hand;

the earth swallowed them.

13  “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;

you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

14  The peoples have heard; they tremble;

pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

15  Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;

trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;

all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

16  Terror and dread fall upon them;

because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,

till your people, O LORD, pass by,

till the people pass by whom you have purchased.

17  You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,

the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode,

the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.

18  The LORD will reign forever and ever.”

The song of Moses heralds and proclaims the value and worth of God FAR above all else! It is an acknowledgement of his grandiose glory and majesty!

Psalm 89:5-18 carries this refrain on and on

English Standard Version Psalm 89

5  Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6  For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,

7  a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,

and awesome above all who are around him?

8  O LORD God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O LORD,

with your faithfulness all around you?

9  You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, you still them.

10  You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

11  The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;

the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

12  The north and the south, you have created them;

Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

13  You have a mighty arm;

strong is your hand, high your right hand.

14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

15  Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,

16  who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

17  For you are the glory of their strength;

by your favor our horn is exalted.

18  For our shield belongs to the LORD,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Point is, scripture after scripture is filled with these refrains and explosions of praise and worship at the transcendent (to use a word from last week) glory and majesty, value and worth of God that FAR exceeds anything or anyone in this created realm.

Biblical worship requires a submission to the value and worth of God as exceeding anything else we know in this life.

When we submit to his standard, to what he calls and deems beautiful and reject all he does not call beautiful, when we allow HIM to set the standard and conduct ourselves accordingly, we worship.

He submitted to God’s power and authority of his identity, once again, by embracing and accepting the name change, from Jacob to Israel.

Genesis 35:9–15 ESV

God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Israel, for a second time, embraced the change of his name and in so doing recognized the power, authority of God over his identity and purpose.

This is really a key and critical truth for our lives. If we fail to recognize God’s right to own and dictate our identity and purpose; if we fail to look to Him for our identity and purpose, we will have no other choice but to look elsewhere and EVERYWHERE else will fall short.

Isaiah 29:15-16

Romans 9:19-24

God is the potter. We are the Clay

God is the maker. We are the made

God is the creator, we are the created

God is the designer, we are the designed.

God is the orderer, we are the ordered.

God is the shaper, we are the shaped.

Who are we, as the created, the made, the designed, the ordered, the shaped to tell THE MAKER, SHAPER, DESIGNER, what is best, what we are good for, what we are to be used for, what our purpose and place is?

Do you see the arrogance and foolhardiness in attempting such a feat?

Biblical worship requires submission to the power and authority of God’s rightful place to determine our identity and purpose. It is a humble acceptance of this right and an embracing of it.

I do not have time this morning to go deeply into it, but consider this morning, what scriptures says about our identity in Christ.

ASK and ALLOW FOR RESPONSE…what does scripture say about our identity in Him?

Servants

Friends

Sons of God

Heirs of God

Coheirs with Christ

Body of Christ

Bride of Christ

Slaves of God

Freed from sin

Indwelt by the Spirit

Secure in Him

Loved of God

Cherished of God

Biblical worship requires submission to the authority of God to decide where truth identity and purpose belong. Biblical worship acknowledges and joyful accepts his determination.

h. Worship, in all its plethora of manifestations requires submission.

Submission reveals the extend of trust and confidence you have in the one to whom you are submitting.

It reveals the depth of value and worth you ascribe to that one.

This is especially true when we submit to an evil earthly authority (when not asking us to sin) and we do not want to. We submit to them, so long as they are not asking us to sin, because God commands us to. We show our level of trust and devotion to God when we submit to our earthly authority when everything in us does not want to. We do not do it for the earthly authority but for the heavenly one. It is incredibly worshipful to God when we do so despite not liking it, not enjoy it, or even when it is to our detriment.

In fact, I submit to you, without a humble submissive heart to our great God, nothing you do in the name of worship is truly worship if a humble and submissive heart is absent.

i. Listen to the familiar words of James 4:6-10

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. [2]

j. Words and actions that would please the Lord, that would be glorifying to Him MUST originate from and proceed forth from a humble heart. Other less and God stands opposed to it and will bring you low in order to exalt you in humility.

k. Worship is a lifestyle that should be exemplified in everything we do. But for it to be worship, it must flow from humble and submissive hearts to the authority and person of God.

For Israel…worship marked his departure to Laban’s home.

Worship now marks his transition home. The man returning to Canaan is a very different man from the one that left all those years ago.

Such is the power of God at work in our lives.

As we prepare for the shift to Joseph, let’s tidy up a few details given to us at the end of chapter 35 and in chapter 36.

Rachel Dies – Genesis 35:16-22

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. [3]

· Rachel dies in childbirth, giving birth to Benjamin

· She is buried on their way to Bethlehem (Ephrath)

· Reuben slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah

· This later would return to Reuben’s shame. Later when Israel is passing his blessings down, upon his deathbed, Reuben is denied because of his fornication.

Israel is ill and dying. He calls his sons together (this is after they have been reunited in Egypt and Joseph is in power in Egypt, and blesses them.

49 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

2 “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob,

listen to Israel your father.

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,

preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,

because you went up to your father’s bed;

then you defiled it—he went up to my couch! [4]

1 Chronicles 5:1-2

Descendants of Reuben

5 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; 2 though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),[5]

· His birthright and blessing was taken away and given to Joseph because of this sin.

· Not much of that is said here, but looking ahead and elsewhere we learn that this sin came with its own set of consequences. f

The Sons of Israel – Genesis 35:22-26

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. [6]

Review/reminder of his sons is given. Important because they become the 12 tribes of Israel, this sets the stage for all of history that follows as much becomes of these men and their families.

Isaac Dies – Genesis 35:27-29

27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. [7]

Clearly, back when Jacob deceived his father, his years were not nearly as short as he had thought.

Given his blindness and poor health, it seems he lived a long time in poor health, but he lived a long time after that.

Esau’s Descendants – Genesis 36:1-43

Genealogies are important as they trace families and descendents through numerous years. Scripture keeps a meticulous record in order to show the progression of the coming of the Messiah as promised as well as to show the connection between groups and nations throughout history. It is important to know and understand these genealogies.

I will not take the time to read through this today but it is here for our record and our information and through it we can trace the nations of the world and better understand the dynamics of world events because of having this information.

Conclusion

Big Idea: Biblical worship requires our purification and submission.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 6112 What—Where—When

6112 What—Where—When

“The last words of Richard Baxter, the famous English Puritan divine, author of the celebrated work The Saint’s Everlasting Rest, and the man “who preached as a dying man to dying men,” were these: “Lord, what Thou wilt, where Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt.” ”

—Ministers’ Research Service

This attitude is the epitome of humility, of submission....the very heart that exudes worship while it is present.

God has done a wondrous work in Israel’s life. He has taken him from a man who worshipped and pursued his own interests to a man who first and foremost worships the God of heaven.

Is he perfect? No.

But he is new, he is different.

The mark of God on his life is evidenced in his commitment to purity and submission in his worship of God.

As we grow together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God, I pray that the same is true of our lives as well. May purity and submission mark our hearts and lives to His glory.

Application and Discussion Questions

1. Why is it accurate to say that we are worshippers at heart and that we will always worship something? Why are we worshippers at the core?

a. We were created to be so. God created us with a heart to worship. Sin has distorted and perverted it, but we were created to worship.

b. As long as there is something greater than us in existence, we will be worshippers. As long as we are NOT the greatest thing to exist, we will also look to something else to worship. We were created to look for beauty and glory. Sin twists it so that we often look for it in ourselves but we are always on the look for that which holds beauty and significance for us. There is plenty outside of ourselves to find it in and sin tempts us to look within to find it. Ultimately, only God holds it, but it is there.

2. In what other way(s), besides the examples Pastor Mike gave, is worship displayed as a lifestyle? In what way(s) does your life reflect a lifestyle of worship?

3. What does your life exude (“reak”) of? What lasting impression are you leaving on all who come into contact with you?

4. Why do we often attach spiritual significance to locations/events in our life? Is there benefit or harm in doing so?

a. There are often key moments in our lives in which God does a significant work in our spiritual growth. The place, circumstance, or time of that work takes on special significance in light of that critical moment in our lives. The location, sights, sounds, etc of that event/location/circumstance conjure up the memories and sensations of that moment and it holds special meaning for us.

b. We do this, because we were created as emotional, feeling beings. The location itself does not hold any significant power or physical benefit, but it becomes tied and linked to our emotional and spiritual being so that it forever more becomes significant to us.

c. It can be harmful if we attach too much significance to it and begin to worship and honor it more than the God who worked in our hearts in and through that location/event.

d. It can be helpful in that it can be a significant point to return to for increased sensitivity and intimacy with God. It can be a prompter, motivator, and reminder that continues to stimulate us towards God and love for Him.

5. Why does worship require purification?

a. A heart that is divided in its affections, is a heart that is not committed and faithful.

b. God requires a heart of complete devotion. And he has the right to demand it as our creator as the THE ULTIMATE good in the universe.

c. God does not share his glory. For our hearts to be divided, is to minimize God and in effect declare that he is not enough to satisfy us and that we need something more. This shames God and make less of Him.

d. Therefore, if we are to worship well and purely, we must put aside all competing idols that attract our worship and look to God alone.

6. What does your life need to be purified of to cleanse and enrich your lifestyle of worship to God?

7. How do you balance the equally true realities of God’s transcendence and His immanence? How do these realities affect and shape your everyday lives?

a. You approach Him from BOTH points of view. Each circumstance and event in our lives will invoke one or both of these realities.

b. E.G. – A tragedy strikes. A child does unexpectedly and tragically. Honoring his transcendence takes the appearance of humble acceptance and submission to His will as King of all and Lord of creation….while at the same time….his immanence takes the appearance of running into His open arms to find comfort and strength to walk the road of grief and sorrow.

c. E.G. – Facing down temptation, his transcendence takes the appearance of humbling obeying His commands and rejecting the enticement to sin, humbly acknowledging His right to make the rules. His immanence takes the appearance of approaching his throne of mercy to find help in our time of need, of taking refuge in the fortress He is for us for protection from our adversary.

8. What dangers do you run into if you being to emphasis one over the other?

a. Transcendence – God becomes distant, aloof, uncaring, cold, unrelatable.

b. Immanence – His divinity, kingship, authority, might, power, and holiness may be diminished and we do not hold in the high regard that he merits and deserves.

9. Read James 4:6-10. What is the natural enemy of worship according to these verses?

a. Pride

10. In what way(s) is humility and submissiveness a necessary and essential component for worship? Why will worship be absent if humility and submissiveness are absent?

a. Worship, by its very nature, is acknowledging the worth, value, and/or the superiority of another.

b. Pride, rebellion blocks that acknowledgement something or someone greater than ourselves exists. When this is blocked, worship is not possible.

11. How do we cultivate humble hearts?

a. Pray

b. Spend much time in word, reading, memorizing, meditating

c. Be accountable to others

d. Stay connected to the body

e. Surround self with godly, mature men and women of God.

f. Live at the foot of the cross

g. Preach the gospel to yourself daily.