Get Ready

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Get Ready – To Worship . . . Heb 12:28-29 7/13/2017 Ushers . . . Bibles (upstairs & in live feed rm) Today, we find ourselves on the last message in our Get Ready series We’ve covered a lot of ground over the 6 wks of this series to help us Get Ready for living our lives daily for Christ; Making His name famous; and Honoring him And as we come to this last message, it will serve as sort of the top of an umbrella with the other 5 messages being the spokes that come out from it - As we’re challenged to Get Ready to Worship! B/c if we’re worshipping Christ then the other things we’ve talked about will flow out from that So, let’s read the passage --, Heb 12:28-29 together to see where we’re heading 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Before we dive into these verses, I want to take a few minutes to review where we’ve been; To be reminded of the whole picture B/c we don’t want these critical principles of living our lives for Christ to go in one ear and out the other; Without applying them to our lives; That would be useless So back at the beginning of July, we started with . . . Get Ready to Reach Out – Nu 16 If you are going to Reach Out, you need to Take Notice of the needs around you  Which should lead you to Plead for God’s Mercy on behalf of others And beyond just taking notice, We should get involved and Prepare to Take Risks  And any time you get involved Expect to Make Sacrifices And finally, we need to Respond with Urgency; & get ready to be blessed Get Ready to Serve – Neh 1-4 As we talked about serving; We made some ministry commitments together I will not ignore the need to serve I will do whatever it takes to serve  Changing attitude and priorities  Overcoming obstacles  Being Flexible  Working hard I will always fulfill my role in serving  Ministry is for team players, not lone rangers or prima donnas I will not quit in the face of opposition Get Ready to Grow – Eph 4 Pastor Douglas challenged us to Grow . . . In your work of Ministry In Unity In Maturity (discipline, experience, time, community) In Discernment Get Ready to Love – Lev 19 There’s no chance of relationship apart from Grace  5 Reasons to forgive w/a key one being that God forgives you as you forgive others; Remember w/out resentment

2 There’s no depth of relationship apart from Truth  Grace alone makes for a shallow relationship; Truth alone makes for an abusive one But grace with truth makes for a deep one There’s no desire for relationship apart from Respect There’s no genuine relationship apart from Justice  We can have a genuine relationship with God only because justice was served in the death of Christ for our sins There’s no enduring relationship apart from Love  To love your neighbor as your self is to want the same things to the same degree for others, as you do yourself Get Ready to Go – Ps 96 and 3 John Last week Pastor Mike challenged us about Going – Missions Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t  God is seeking worshippers and until there are people from every tribe, tongue and nation – missions will continue Missions is For Everyone . . . because Some are Called to Go and The Rest are Called to Send Having covered all of that, there’s that umbrella principle of Worship that we need to get after, if we are going to be in a good place for those other principles to flow out of Throughout Scripture we see that worship is both the obligation and the privilege of honoring God because you love him It’s the expression of your love for, and adoration of God; IOW Worship is our response to God for who He is and what He has done in our lives It’s an obligation because he deserves it; And it’s a privilege because we don’t deserve to worship This passage in Hebrews is telling us that . . .God is worthy of our worship because he’s going to preserve his kingdom (his compassionate rule & reign over those who are saved) while everything else is destroyed Heb 12:28-29 helps us understand what our worship should be like And it starts with your heart, your attitude, So . . . GET READY TO WORSHIP . . . WITH AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE 28 let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken We come to worship with a lot of things on our hearts and minds, but one thing that we routinely leave out is gratitude for our salvation Especially, if you’ve been walking with Christ for a while; Which is one reason why it’s so great to rejoice with others who are getting baptized and sharing their story of salvation – b/c it helps to remind us of ours We forget that it’s our salvation – the fact that God saves us from the consequences of our sin, to a life forever with him through faith in the death of Christ on our behalf – that allows us to enter the throne of grace with confidence, and worship with our lives in the first place Did you catch that phrase? Worship with our lives! So often, we think of worship as only an event at church or singing but it’s much more than that Listen to some other ways that worship is described:

3 Bob Kauflin in his book, Worship Matters says “Worship that pleases God is not restricted to certain actions, forms, or rituals. Those were meant to encourage & express a LIFE devoted to honoring God in ALL respects.” “There’s no spiritual & physical distinctions in our lives. EVERY moment is an opportunity to worship God” Rm 12:1 – connects worship to all of life when it says to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice . . . which is your spiritual worship” We worship God with our lives! And we can do that because of the salvation that God has offered and provided But your gratitude shouldn’t stop there Gratitude should define your worship at ALL times – good and bad That’s why Job could say – The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21) So does an attitude of gratitude describe your life of worship? Some of you might say – yes; absolutely; God is so good If that’s you, let it overflow! Let your praises be heard Others of you might be thinking – “Absolutely not. My life is falling apart and frankly, I don’t really care anymore, let alone being thankful in worship.” Listen, listen, if that’s you, – healing and peace and rest for your soul starts by expressing thanks to God for saving you If you have nothing else to thank God for – thank him for your salvation “God, it’s pretty bad right now in my life; I know you know that; And I don’t have much else to say except thank you for saving me.” That’s it That’s where worship starts, but that’s not where it stops 28 let us be grateful . . . and thus (IOW with this attitude of gratitude) . . . let us offer to God acceptable worship Acceptable worship holds nothing back – God is looking for you to worship him . . . WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE All your time, all your talent, all your treasure . . . your whole life and everything about it should be a continuous expression of worship to God 1 Cor 10:31, makes it very clear that “whether you eat or drink, or WHATEVER you do, do all to the glory of God” Does that mean we all have to quit our jobs and live in a monastery? NO! Worshipping with everything you have means . . . Always using your talent to accomplish good, while acknowledging that God gave it to you in the first place – that’s an act of worship Faithfully and regularly giving a tithe (a tenth) of your income to your local church – that’s an act of worship Managing all that God has entrusted to you (time, talent, and treasure) for his purposes giving sacrificially at times, as God prompts you Whether time, talent, treasure, or praise – your whole life should be one great big service of worship; An unbroken, continuous act of worship

4 Sometimes that’s exclusive of everything else – like your personal time with God, or our corporate times together as a church body We focus everything we have (praise, time, attention, hearts), exclusively, on God, and God alone Does that mean you’ve stopped worshipping if your attention is not exclusively devoted to God like on Sunday mornings? No Most of the time, worship is the underlying motive of your heart while you give your attention to the things of life – work, family, relationships, etc. So much that you desire to honor and glorify God with all you do in life; It’s worship That’s how your whole life can and should be one great big continuous act of worship That’s how you worship with everything you have It’s not about how much time, talent, treasure you have to give It’s that you give, and give it all, without hesitation; Holding nothing back What you have to offer may be a trickle, or a flood You may come in here on Sunday morning, w/your cup running over with God’s goodness in your life – and flood him in songs of praise with all your being Or, you may come in as empty as can be with barely of drop of emotional strength, spiritual passion, or praise – and let it trickle out The point is – it doesn’t matter what you have to give; It’s that you give it, and give it all That’s acceptable worship with everything you have Get ready to worship with an attitude of gratitude, with everything you have, and . . . WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT v28b-29 – let us offer acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire One of the risks in our day and age is approaching God too casually in worship Too often we treat corporate worship on Sunday mornings like it’s an easy come, easy go sort of thing; Take it or leave it; Come or not; No big deal We treat church like a buffet – taking what we want and walking away from the rest We’re too casual when . . . + We walk in having thought nothing about worship until the music starts + We’ve done next to nothing to prepare our hearts to enter into the presence of God – having pure hearts is the furthest thing from our minds + We’ve lost sight of the truth that God is . . . Overwhelming in his holiness; Awesome in his majesty; Consuming in his character We need to re-gain a bit of the perspective the ancient Israelites had Listen to their experience at the base of Mt Sinai – Ex 19:9, 12, 16-19; 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke

5 because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. And you’re already in Heb 12 – Look at v21 where Moses is described referring to this event; 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” They had no problem approaching God with the utmost respect – they were scared to death of him, and rightfully so His presence on that mountain was literally a consuming fire And if not for the blood of Jesus, it still is for us! Our worship has become so casual because we’ve made God so common I have news for you –  A consuming fire is not common  A holiness that demanded the life of those who approached, is not common  A power that preserves our life when everything else is shaken/removed, is not common  A love that lays down its life for others who don’t deserve it, is not common We need to worship with the utmost respect That doesn’t mean all stuffy and funeral like It means joyfully offering all that we have with an attitude of gratitude (pause) We’re going to close our service just slightly different than we normally do, to help us get in the mindset of joyfully offering all that we have with an attitude of gratitude toward the God of the universe – The God who is described as “I am who I am” In a few seconds I’ll pray for our offering and we’ll sing “Great Are You Lord” like we really mean it!; Then we’ll hear & participate in some Scripture reading before closing with the song “1,000 Tongues” And if those two songs and the scripture we will hear, don’t get your spiritual blood pumping then you may just need to check for a spiritual pulse at all Let’s pray: Lord, show yourself to us, reveal yourself to us in the everydayness of life. Remind us once again of your greatness and strengthen us to not only worship you with our very lives but to live for you as we walk with Christ. And use our tithes and offerings now that we give to you

6 Scripture Readings: Rev 15:3-4 (worship team member ready) 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! 4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” Ps 135:1-3 (worship team member ready) 1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, 2 who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant! 1 Chron 16:27-29 (worship team member ready) 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. 28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; Rev 5:11-13 (congregation read) 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Close: Welcome Packet & Step 1 at Guest Central We’d love to connect w/you for about 10 minutes & also bring us your filled out register page and we have a gift for you Back to School Block Party We would love for you to join us for this all church / all neighborhood event on Friday, Aug. 25; 5-8pm. Invite a friend to join you for a super night of free food, games & fun! We could also use your help to setup from 2-5pm on that Friday or to help run a game for part of the night Just see me before you leave so I can get your name if you can help Thank you to those who served at our Soccer Camp this past week It went so smooth and we saw a handful of kids from the neighborhood along with friends of kids from the church Fill Up invite cards – this is our next sermon series to invite people to for next week The ushers will be handing out invite cards as you leave and you can grab more at Welcome Center in lobby You Are Loved