Created for Worship (Part 2 & 3) Pastor John Koe 22


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Created for Worship (Part 2 & 3) Pastor John Koe 22 April 2016 1. Our Identity as Royal Priests Regardless of our profession, everything that we do now is as part of this royal priesthood. We have to understand and live out of this mentality, knowing that whether we are pastors or entrepreneurs or housewives, we are all full-time priests who minister to our King. 1 Pet 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

2. Thanksgiving, Praise, and Worship Thanksgiving is when we respond to things God does. When God heals our child, for instance, we thank Him. Praise is our celebration of His character. When Pastor John’s son was saved from drowning, he praised Him for being his Father, for being faithful to their family, and for being their protector. A key principle to learn here: what He does is always meant to lead us into a deeper understanding of who He is. Do not simply stay in the outer place of thanksgiving; enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Ps 100:4

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

Worship is the giving of ourselves to Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Just as a married couple gives of themselves to each other on their wedding day, worship is the prelude to intimacy. Ps 103:7

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

People often doubt God in the midst of trials because they don't know His goodness and love toward them. Like the Israelites, they can rejoice only to the degree that they perceive He is good. The truth is that we become a lot more stable in our walk with God when we, like Moses, know His ways.

3. The Levites: The Envy of Israel Israel was intended to be a nation of priests. God chose Israel to worship Him, that they would reveal to the world the blessedness of a people in love with Him – and what His intention was for them all. Unfortunately, the Israelites rejected this call. Perceiving God to be a fearsome character who would strike them dead if they ever put a single toe out of line, they asked for laws to live by rather than draw near to Him and hear His voice. So God turned instead to the Levites, who then became the envied tribe. They were the ones given the privilege to worship God as their life calling – and they experienced the supernatural more than any other tribe. God’s heart? He wanted the rest of Israel to come into the realization that the privilege offered to the Levites actually belonged to all of them. The same privilege has been extended to us today. Every testimony of God’s love toward us is an invitation to know Him more, that we would experience His goodness in every area of our lives.

4. Worship = Sacrifice In the Hebrew mind, worship is akin to sacrifice. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his precious, longed-for son, He never mentioned the word “worship” to Abraham. Yet Abraham instinctively understood it to be worship (Gen 22:1-5). David expressed a similar sentiment to Araunah when he said that he would not offer sacrifices to his Lord which cost him nothing (2 Sam 24:24). And the wise men, discerning that the baby Messiah had been born, travelled a long way to worship Him. How did they worship Him? They brought gifts – and very expensive gifts at that (Matt 2:11)! This is the concept the Hebrew mind understood: we worship because we’re grateful to God, and we want to offer Him a sacrifice that rightly expresses how we feel about Him. To the degree that we are intimately acquainted with His affections toward us, we will worship Him. Worship is living our lives in sacrifice to Him. Whatever we do as worship unto Him, we are bringing His presence into that area of our lives. When we tithe, we tithe the amount in sacrifice to Him, bringing His presence into our finances. When we lift our kids up to Him, we are setting our kids apart for His glory and bringing His presence into their lives. When we do our jobs as worship unto the Lord, we bring His presence into our work. No wonder He exhorts us to live our whole lives as worship unto Him! In living sacrificially unto Him, we give ourselves to Him just as He gives Himself to us.

Questions 1. Read Psalm 103:7. Take a moment and think about one thing you are thankful to Him for. Then think about what this shows you about the heart of God. 2. Worship is the giving of ourselves to Him; it is also the prelude to intimacy. But if two people keep certain things hidden from each other, it’d be hard for them to have the kind of deep intimacy God has always intended for us to enjoy! Think about one area of your life that you’ve kept from God. Why do you think that’s the case? Prayer Points 1. Darkness and light cannot co-exist. Whenever Love (1 Jn 4:16-18) steps into a situation, He casts out all fear. Pray for Petra Church to experience His perfect love, that we would walk as Love did. 2. Pray for a greater revelation of the Father’s heart toward us.