Song-"Let the Worshippers Arise"
Prayer-"Help us to be a people who are quick to worship and slow to make requests. Teach us the desire for your presence."
Pastor Frank held up a $10 bill and asked if anyone had a $1 bill that they'd want to exchange for it. My son, Freeman, ran up and made the exchange. Pastor Frank used that illustration to explain how we can exchange a spirit of heaviness ($1) for a garment of praise ($10). What God gives us in exchange is so much greater than what we hang on to. We can exchange our broken heart for healing; our captivity for His liberty; our mourning for His comfort; our ashes for His beauty; and our mourning for His oil of joy. (Isaiah 61)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We shared in communion.
"Communion is the common union of us and Jesus Christ."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Esther prepared herself for the King for a year. There came a time when her people were in danger. She had a need for an entire nation. She approached the King and he asked her what he could do for her. Three times, he asked her, and he would have given her up to half of his kingdom. What will Jesus say to us, if we prepare ourselves to worship Him for who He is and not for what He can give us? Will He ask us what He can do for us even as we worship Him?
There came a time that Esther's King wanted to honor Mordecai. He asked the question, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Oh, that God would ask that about us. Oh that His royal robe that He Himself has worn be placed upon us and His royal crest be placed on our heads. Oh, that we would ride on His white horse. And Oh, to be one that He would delight to honor. Worship Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sermon Title-"What goes up?"
Taken from Leviticus 6:8-13-The Lord spoke to Moses and told him to command Aaron and his sons in regard to the law of the burnt offering. The fire should be burning on the altar day and night. It should never go out. They were to burn their sacrifice on the fire. Then they were to take up the ashes and put them beside the altar. After taking off their priestly garments, they were to carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. The priest should burn wood on the altar every morning and then lay the burnt offering on it.
Three times, God told Moses, "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it should never go out." (The fire on the altar lasted almost 900 years. The reason it went out was because of the Babylonian Captivity. There was sin in the camp and God raised up another nation to take His children into captivity.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#1-What goes up must never go out.
If our spiritual fire has gone out, it is our fault. It is our responsibility to keep the fire going. If we have no fire in our lives or in the church, it is because there is sin in the camp. We've exchanged the fire of God for something else. When the fire goes out in our home, we've exchanged it for something else. The children of Israel exchanged the hot fire of God for the cold idols made of stone. They exchanged the greatest value for a much lesser value.When they stopped obeying God, an enemy came in and put their fire out.
If you put the tabernacle of worship in the right place, in the right way, with God's instructions intact, He has promised to fill it with His Shekinah Glory, even in the midst of your wilderness.
'Would you restore our hunger for you, Jesus. God bring back Your altar."
#2-Burn all of the offering on the fire.
You can't straddle the fence. Give God all of your sacrificial offering. He has cleansed our sin-not in part, but the whole. If God cleanses all our sins and heals all of our diseases, why should He demand less than our all.
Total consumption-Be consumed by His fire. We've been built for the heavenlies.
Some of your discouragement and heaviness is because you only come once a week to church to worship. Worship Him on Monday, Tuesday, Wed, etc. Bring your daily fires and join them with the fires of your brothers and sisters on Sunday. Have a bonfire.
Exchange the normal reaction to things with worship.
Worship instead of worry.
Worship instead of complain.
Worship instead of being afraid.
Shovel out the hindrances.(Bitterness, jealousy, fear, etc.)
Shovel out the ashes and take them outside the camp.
He gives beauty for ashes. Don't exchange your heaviness for more heaviness. Don't exchange your guilt for bitterness. Don't exchange one sin for another sin that doesn't seem as bad.
#3-Use only good wood for your fire.
How about I get rid of some TV stuff so I have more time to study the Word?
Our fires are going out because we haven't furnished it with good wood.
Good wood will make our fire burn brighter.
Don't let your fire go out.
Pray without ceasing. Live a life of prayer.
Worshipping the King is your number one need.
"Ministry for me fails when I think that God is more interested in the ministry than the man. God does not call me Pastor Frank."
It's not about what you or can't do or how you feel. He's interested in you.
He is so much greater than any need we have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God, show us what it looks like when you
place your glory and honor on someone's life.
It will happen to those who surrender everything to be consumed by God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer-"Press our ear right next to your lips so we can hear Your voice.
Cause us to do what You've created us to do...Make me a worshipper...Let us hear the sound of rain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week, our church is focusing on worshipping God rather than petitioning Him. A number of people are fasting a meal each day and we want to keep the fire going on the altar with our worship and come together next Sunday to burn our fires and worship Him together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I, for one, am prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. I read some classic literature last week. It was a children's book; a summary of several of this particular writer's greatest works. It was supposedly good literature, and since I somehow missed out on my education in regard to this writer, I thought it was time that I learned a thing or two. It was full of deception and murder and tragedy. It wasn't good wood. It muddled me. The next day, when I went to read my Bible, I couldn't even focus. I couldn't understand. I didn't feel close to God at all. I read and re-read the verses, trying to blow on the coals of my fire to make it burn brighter; blowing too hard. And then, God in His mercy, blew on my feeble coals with His gentle breath, and brought back the flame. I felt His face next to mine; His mouth blowing softly and full of invitation. I thought, 'Merciful, Merciful God. Can it be that you desire my friendship even more than I desire Yours?'
How quickly, He restored the joy of His word and opened my understanding. How quickly, He ignited my smoking flax. How quickly He assured me of His never wandering presence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything we do-every book we read, every show we watch, every influence we allow in our life-feeds or dampens our fire.
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see...
Oh, be careful little ears what you hear...
Oh, be careful little hands, which piece of wood you pick up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments:
Post a Comment