Worship

Today is a gorgeous day after an all day Saturday rain.

Braden was sick with fever today and yesterday with a lump/bump on the back of his head.
Did he fall and if he did, when - while he was sleeping or playing?
Did a tick bite him?
Or did a spider bite?
Could it be the dreaded 'bull's eye' of Lyme's disease?
We are trusting God for wisdom and healing.
Won't you pray with us?
So Braden and I stayed home while the others went to church and listened to 2 sermons on Cd's. All credits of this article go to Brother Ledford in the sermon message.


Part 1:

Exodus 3

What is worship?
As a noun it means great honor and respect
giving worth to something - 'worthship' in Old English.
The Greek word for worship 'proskuneo'.
It means to prostrate oneself in homage, to bow down, to crouch, to fall down flat, obeisance, due reverence - Genesis 22:5 - to kiss like a dog licking his master's hand

When we truly worship God, we place Him as Supreme in our lives. We place Him above family, finances, possessions. Colossians 3:5 ............and covetousness which is idolatry. If we covet something or someone, we are placing them above God. When we truly worship God, there is no room for covetousness.

Covetousness is like saying that God can't take care of me. I want something bigger and better - I'm not content with what God has given me. To say THAT car, THAT wife, THAT husband, what You gave me isn't good enough, that's covetousness. That attitude will drive you to place money before God. Money is more valuable than what God thinks, that's covetousness.

Moses saw God who is invisible. By faith, he saw God! Hebrews 11:27
That caused Moses to live life the way he did.

Worship will REVOLUTIONIZE your life. It will turn your life upside down, inside out, and change it for the better!

Moses' life had been marked by providence since his birth, but now his life is marked by God's presence once he begins to worship. Once the burning bush experience happens, Moses' life is marked by God's presence not just providence.

Is it ever too late to begin to worship God?
Moses' was in the backside of the desert, the prestige of the palace was gone! He was a very educated man. Life had passed him by - he was 80 years old.

Then Moses had a revelation of God at the burning bush that changed his life forever. The burning bush experience was a crossroads in his life.

v.5 Moses had a reverential fear of God! He hid his face.
Are you afraid of God? He is not the old man upstairs. He is not the grandfather upstairs. No, he isn't. HE IS GOD! He is higher and greater than anything you have imagined and we OUGHT to be afraid of Him! We need to have a holy reverential fear that causes us to honor and fear Him. Love and reverential fear work together.

There's a lot of calloused curiosity. Not everyone is changed for the better like Moses at the burning bush. Some become hard and calloused like Pharaoh by his own choice. He absolutely would not worship. We can be guilty of the same thing and remain unchanged and it is dangerous. It is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

Our problems are not over when we worship God. When you walk out in the world, the devil's fury is leashed on you and you are refined in the furnace of affliction. God's people have problems just like other people have problems. But when we truly worship, our problems become small in comparison.

Moses spent the rest of his life listening to the people's problems and gripes. It wasn't over when he was at the burning bush. But the glory brought him through. If you worship God, it will bring you through. Moses had more problems than I ever care to think. Ours are small in comparison. Worship brought him through. Worship kept him from losing his mind.

Opportunities began to open up for Moses and they will for us. Worship is our highest calling! Speaking at the White House is very small in comparison to falling on your face and worshipping God. The little trip to the White House is nothing.

What is your mission? Is life worth living? Does it get monotonous? If God gave you a job for Him, it gives you significance. You may be thinking, 'I wish I was important. Nobody thinks I'm significant.' Do you worship God? If I worship God, He's the One who gives significance. It doesn't matter if my name is never broadcast or in the newspaper.

Who or what is your God today?

We need to worship and we don't do enough of it.

Napoleon Bonaparte said, "If Socrates would come in the room, we should rise and do him honor. But if Jesus Christ would come into the room, we should fall down on our knees and worship Him."

To Jesus alone we bow the knee. Jesus alone is worthy of us bowing the knee.

Some of you have chosen money as your God. Are you living under it's dictates? You cheat on taxes so you can have more of your god. You will lie to your employer so you can more of your god. You will deceive stores and restaurants so that you can have more of your deity. The SABBATH means nothing if you can just have more of your god. Money, more money please! People's feelings mean nothing if you can just have more of your deity. That is idolatry - worshipping money.

Some have chosen other gods such as sports, sports figures, heroes, peers, position, popularity, entertainment, stars of entertainment (if I could just get close to Michael Jackson,etc.). It might come down to your house if I just knew the names. Pop stars - you have chosen to bow to the altar of these gods, death instead of life, darkness instead of light, temporal instead of eternal.

Story:
Erwin Lutzer quoted James Michener, writing in his book, The Source, tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer living about 2200 B.C. He worshiped two gods, one a god of death, the other a goddess of fertility. One day, the temple priests tell Urbaal to bring his young son to the temple for sacrifice--if he wants good crops. Urbaal obeys, and on the appointed day drags his wife and boy to the scene of the boy's "religious execution" by fire to the god of death. After the sacrifice of Urbaal's boy the several others, the priests announce that one of the fathers will spend next week in the temple, with a new temple prostitute. Urbaal's wife is stunned as she notices a desire written more intensely across his face than she had seen before, and she in overwhelmed to see him eagerly lunge forward when his name is called. The ceremony over, she walks out of the temple with her head swimming, concluding that "if he had different gods, he would have been a different man."

If you had a different God, you would be a different person!
If you're not worshiping God, you are worshipping something.

Leonard Revenhill quoted:
Prayer is preoccupation with my needs;
Praise is preoccupation with my blessings;
Worship is preoccupation with God Himself.

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Part 2:

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship You.

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship You

I want you more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship You

You're my friend and You are my brother
Even though you are a King
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship You.

Prayer:
"Our heavenly Father, we are so unworthy to come into Your holy presence. I pray Lord that You would develop in my heart that spirit of awe of God. We have the Bible constantly with us. Our homes have several copies of Thy Word Lord, and it's easy if we're not careful that we take You for granted, Your presence, Your Word . I pray that You will stir our hearts - stir us. Awaken in us a new desire to worship and know You better, to love You better and to have true revival. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Reread story and quote in part 1.
If you will worship Jehovah, you will be a different person.

Can you and I get preoccupied with God?
I have never met someone so preoccupied with God that he is of no value to this earth, but I have met a load of people who are preoccupied with this earth and they're no good for heaven. And ultimately, they're of no value to this world.

Cabot said, "Worship renews the spirit as sleep renews the body".

Carlyle said, "The man who does not habitually worship is but a pair of spectacles behind which there is no eye".

After the burning bush experience, Moses spent the rest of his life in worship.

Abraham took the worship of Jehovah God very seriously.
If we would take God that serious, we would have a real revival.
Hebrews 11:8
Abraham showed faith by obedience.

1. Worshippers obey God! Anything short of obedience is not true worship. Anything less than obedience is hypocrisy because worshippers obey God!

Abraham was a wealthy man from Ur of the Chaldees. God loves to save wealthy people and use them. But they have to have the same attitude as Abraham's - everything is God's. 'You're going to mess me up if you make me move.' Abraham didn't have that attitude. God sent him under sealed orders.

Worshippers obey God. What do you want me to do, God? That is a true worshipper!

Search the Scriptures. Worshippers are obedient on Sunday, on Monday whether the boss is looking or not, on Tuesday whether the teacher is looking or not, on Wednesday whether your companion is looking or not, on Thursday whether the IRS is knows what your doing or not, every day of the week, worshippers OBEY God.

Abraham was called to go. God's not finished calling people. The Holy Spirit is still speaking, but are we listening

The will of God is an adventure, a delight, and even a cross sometimes.

Do we have the picture of the cross? The cross is dying to what I want. A person on a cross has no control of his future. Jesus is saying, "Follow me, take up your cross. If you don't, you're not fit for the kingdom. Present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE" - dead to the world, my desires, my ambitions. My ambitions come under the servant of God's will.

We don't have more blessing in our lives because we don't have obedience in our lives. We're doing things that hurt our conscience, we're walking the the semi-shade of darkness, and we're wondering why we're not blessed. God can't bless us if we are not obedient to the will of God.

'Lord, I'm gonna do what I want to do.' If after searching the Word and you realize the preacher was telling the truth, you can argue with God all you want, but you will be a loser if you don't obey. You can resist God's will and refuse to become a worshipper, but you will be a loser for not being a worshipper.

God wants you as a worshipper, but worshippers OBEY. It's the nature of worship. It's a spirit of subservience and obedience. Man, we don't like that.

Have you been listening to the health care debate? Our country has been murdering babies for years. I don't know the number but we're somewhere around 50 million babies that have been murdered. I can't stomach that. This is what's happening now and people are mad and ready to fight. 'You can kill our babies, but don't you touch my pocketbook and my health.' That's the attitude of this country.

2. Worshippers are content in the will of God, even when it's difficult, strange, or uncomfortable. You may not immediately be content, you may have to learn it.

David Livingstone tells how he was chased up a small tree and besieged by
lions.The tree was so small that he was barely out of reach of the lions. They
would stand on their back feet and roar and shake the little tree and he could
feel the hot breath of the lions as they sawed him. But he states, 'I had a good
night and felt happier and safer in that little tree besieged by lions in the
jungles of Africa in the will of God than I would have been out of the will of
God in England'.

You may say, "I'm afraid what God will do to me, I'm afraid what God will say, where he'll send me, what He'll want me to be."

I tell you, "The SAFEST happiest place in all the world is right smack dab in the center of the will of God. There's nothing better than that!"

Abraham was content to go from place to place. He was content to dwell in tents. Camping out if fine for a little while, but after awhile I want to get home, take a shower, sit down at a regular table, but I don't want camping full time. But you may feel differently than me.

Abraham's wealth would have allowed him to live in a palace. He had 318 servants who were able to fight, besides all his other servants.
Abraham offered up Isaac.

3. Worshippers are tested and tried people. Ishmael was not in the will of God. That caused a lot of trouble. God told Abraham to offer his only son. God was testing Abraham. Worshippers WILL BE TESTED! God will say, "Did you really, really mean it?" There was nothing Abraham would not do for God.

We can talk a good talk and there is a multitude of pious sounding people across our land whose obedience is worse than King Saul who was obedient 90% of the time, but the Lord was disgusted with him!

Is God first in your life? You will be tested.

Abraham looked for a city. God enabled him to see the picture of here and hereafter. That's the problem with most people. They don't see the big picture. I wish that God would help us see the big picture. Every day of our lives we should be looking for the city that Abraham was looking for.

John on the Isle of Patmos saw that city. Listen to the city that John saw - Revelation 21, 22:1-5

4. Are you a worshipper of God? Are you looking for that city? This is that city. Let's get our minds fixed on what God is preparing and dream less about the things of time, dream less about material things, hold lightly to the things around us, and let's press toward the city

Like Abraham perhaps leaning on his staff and going around Canaan and telling his grandsons, "One more time boys. I'm looking for a city. I saw it. I had a clear vision of it and I don't know exactly where it is, but I'm looking for it and one of these days I'm gong to live there. This tent will be folded up and I won't follow the sheep, the camels, and the oxen. That's all gonna be over. I'm gonna live in that city of God one of these days."

Are you looking for a city like that today or are you contented with low life living here on earth?

Jehovah is still looking for worshippers who will see the big picture and will live every single day of their earthly sojourn with heaven in view.

And then Brother Ledford read this legend:

The Swan and the Crane
Author Unknown

There is an old legend of a swan and a crane. A
beautiful swan alighted by the banks of the water in
which a crane was
wading about seeking snails. For a
few moments the crane viewed the swan in
stupid
wonder and then inquired: "Where do you come
from?"
"I come
from heaven!" replied the swan.
"And where is heaven?" asked the crane.
"Heaven!" said the swan, "Heaven! Have you
never heard of heaven?" And
the beautiful bird went
on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City. She
told of streets of gold, and the gates and walls made
of precious
stones; of the river of life, pure as crystal,
upon whose banks is the tree
whose leaves shall be
for the healing of the nations. In eloquent terms the
swan sought to describe the hosts who live in the
other world, but
without arousing the slightest interest
on the part of the crane.
Finally the crane asked: "Are there any snails
there?"
"Snails!"
repeated the swan; "no! Of course there
are not."
"Then," said the
crane, as it continued its search
along the slimy banks of the pool, "you
can have your
heaven. I want snails!"
Why do we hold on so tightly to
what we are
familiar with? The things of heaven are so much
superior;
but we would hate to give up our "snails."
Lord, help us to desire the
things of heaven.

The pastor continued, "I can't tell you how desperate I feel at times because I give that same message, and I hear it - oh, maybe not verbalized, but acted upon. 'Heaven. You can have your heaven. I want the low life. I want the things of time.' "

How about you? "ARE YOU A WORSHIPPER?"
"Oh, yes, preacher."
No, I said, "ARE YOU A WORSHIPPER?"
Anybody can say it, but do we do it?

I'm asking myself, 'Do I worship God?'
If we do, it will revolutionize us like it did Moses, like it did Abraham.

WORSHIP WILL REVOLUTIONIZE OUR LIVING!