Prepared for a purpose - Part 1

PURIFIES US.

PURIFIES US.

PROTECTS US.

PREPARES US FOR A PURPOSE.

(Recap) THE PRESCRIPTION FOR THE HEART.

THE SOLUTION TO MAN’S HEART PROBLEM IS GOD'S WORD (a large dose regularly)

TO PRAISE.

TO PRAY.

TO PROCLAIM (PREACH/WITNESS).

THE TONGUE IS PREPARED FOR A PURPOSE.

THE PURPOSE OF THE TONGUE IS TO PRAISE THE LORD

Psalm 34:1&2. I will extol the Lord at all times;     His praise will always be on my lips.

Praise involves our lips but not only our lips it involves our lives. IF OUR HEARTS ARE PURIFIED OUR LIVES WILL CHANGE IN EVERY AREA NOT JUST OUR SPEECH

PREPARED FOR A PURPOSE (PART 1)

AS WE HEARD LAST WEEK, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LORD AND NOT ABOUT US.

IF YOU WANT SOME EMOTIONAL HIGH OR TO SHOWCASE YOUR DANCING SKILLS,

GO TO A ROCK CONCERT.

THEN YOU CAN HAVE THE LIGHTS AND THE SMOKE MACHINE THROWN IN TO GIVE YOU MORE GOOSEBUMPS.

YOU COULD EVEN JUST VISIT A MEGA CHURCH.

Are we in danger of turning worship into a flashy concert? Of watering down the message so that nobody is offended and forgetting the simplicity of the Gospel?

I grew up with a preacher’s kid. He was a fake following in the footsteps of his flimflamming father who did a great Vegas-style act at the grand piano.

Both papa and son could turn on the tears and put on a fantastic show. The boy did a spectacular display of repentance and sorrow each year at our summer camp’s final-night altar call. He craved the spotlight. Moments after his public mea culpas he’d be back to his crass self, wanting to know if I’d scored with my girlfriend, claiming he was going to sneak away with his latest blonde during the baptismal service.

Privately, he and his dad were cynical and profane. But my childhood buddy has gone on to minister to a glittery mega-church much applauded in his denomination, a church distinguished by flash and showmanship and big attendance numbers – very much in the footsteps of his late father.

A few weeks ago, my friend’s son took his own life. It didn’t make the headlines like another mega-church preacher’s son’s suicide out in California.

But I wish I had taken time with my friend’s boy. I wondered if he was ever exposed to the true gospel of Christ’s self-denying love.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH CHURCH TODAY?

Amos 5:23.

Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. I am not listening.

Standing (Psalm33:8)

Lifting your hands (Psalm 134:2)

Clapping (Psalm 47:1)

Bowing (Psalm 95:6)

Kneeling (Philippians 2:10)

Dancing (Psalm 149:3)

Musical instruments (Psalm 33:3)

Silence (Psalm46:10)

Weeping (Nehemiah 8:10)

Laughter (Psalm126:2)

MOST IMPORTANTLY WORSHIP IS ABOUT THE HEART

Falling prostrate (Revelation 4:10)

Singing (Ephesians 5:19)

Shouting (Psalm 47:1)

Giving (Psalm 96:8)

Matthew 2:9-11. (THE MAGI)

 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Note that part of their worship was giving!

Matthew 2:1-2. (THE MAGI)

 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.

Imagine the distance that these men travelled to come and worship Jesus.

David makiyi and his wife were walking 45km to church and back and we have been able to send them the money to buy themselves bicycles to get to church and back thanks to all who donated. Some of us can’t even get into a car and turn a key.

What do you think pleases the Lord more and brings him more glory?

The person sitting in church who cycled 45 km to praise and worship and bring their offering and to hear God’s Word after spending time preparing their hearts in prayer and laying their worldly cares at his feet?

Or the one sitting in church thinking, “Why on earth did I get out of bed early when I could have slept late after all my favourite TV viewing last night. It would have been much better than driving all the way to church just to get another rebuke from the pastor, I really should find another church that is more fun, and the pastor doesn’t make me feel bad all the time.”

I HAVE MINISTERED RECENTLY ON THE FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS AND HOW GOD WANTS OUR BEST

EVEN THE ACT OF GIVING HAS BEEN CORRUPTED AND TURNED INTO A GET RICH SCHEME.

GAVIN IS MINISTERING ON STEWARDSHIP.

SO, DO WE JUST STOP GIVING? NO

John 4:19-24.

Sir, the woman said, I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. Woman, Jesus replied, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

Hebrews 12:28‭-‬29.

 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our God is a consuming fire.

(TAKE TIME TO READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER)

Let us look at GOD’S WORD so that we can begin to grasp a bit of who it is that we are worshiping, we may not fully grasp or understand the greatness:

of God’s power and love or our sin with our human limitations, but THE WORD OF GOD is the best place to start.

Psalm 103:10-12. (God’s love) He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

BUT YOU DON’T GET TO KNOW GOD BY FOCUSING ON ONE ASPECT OF HIS CHARACTER

Realizing the greatness of God’s power.

Realizing the greatness of our sin.

Realizing the greatness of God’s love.

Psalm 46:8-10.

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

PRAISE AND WORSHIP IS NOT JUST SOME CHURCH SERVICE ACTIVITY

Psalm 145:9-12 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.  All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your: might,  so that all people may know of your mighty acts.

(Are you testifying to God's mighty acts?)

PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD - LIKE ISAIAH

Isaiah 6:1-6.  

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;  the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the

King, the Lord Almighty.”

Isaiah 6:6-8.   

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!

God can quicken our tongue, but first he must quieten our tongue.

Like Isaiah he needs to reveal his glory, we need to have a glimpse of who he is, and then when we have seen him, we can be sent.

We have been saved and sanctified to be sent.

When the Lord says like he said to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send”, we like Isaiah can say, “Here I am lord: here I am lord send me”

The Lord has also quickened my tongue.

But firstly, he had to quieten my tongue.

It was quietened last year by a stroke.

AND

Now more recently

It was quietened with a mouth full of sores

As I was finalizing the preparation for this sermon during the week, I said to Bev that I have told the Lord that I am not worthy to preach this message today, but the Lord has touched my lips, my mouth ulcers are all gone.

Just like he restored my speech after my stroke, and I have the privilege of telling of his mighty acts, which I do whenever I get the opportunity, together with handing out a tract.

It is not something I always did before and now I do it regularly.

You may say that you haven’t been sent but all of us as his disciples have been sent.

We are saved and sanctified to be sent (Not to sit).

MARK16:15. Jesus said “go into all the world and preach the gospel”

AND PREPARED TO PREACH (NOT TO PARK IN A PEW) AND OUR PREACHING IS NOT JUST ABOUT PROCLAMATION BUT TO PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH

WE ARE PURIFIED, PROTECTED

You may say that you haven’t had your tongue touched with a coal from God’s altar, but if so:

Why not? At Pentecost [Acts: 1]

The disciples tongues were quickened when tongues of fire came down upon them and Peter said that the promise was not only for them but for as many as the Lord shall call” (that is you and me).

We need some Holy Ghost boldness.

Don’t always focus on the speaking in tongues.

God quickens our tongues to speak in English

to praise his name and to preach the gospel.

Acts 4:29-31. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak YOUR WORD with great boldness. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke THE WORD OF GOD boldly.

We are emboldened to witness and preach in our native tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:18-19 (tongues have their place)

 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.  But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Acts 1:8. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.

We Are Empowered To Be Witnesses.

Let us look at the Song of Moses as recorded in scripture and see what it says about the character of God

Exodus 15:1-18 (ESV)

 

Exodus 15:1-18 (ESV) 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. 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. The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. 

Exodus 15:1-18 (ESV) Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of Your majesty, You overthrow your adversaries; You send out Your fury; it consumes them like stubble. 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. 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.’ You blew with Your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Exodus 15:1-18 (ESV) cont. Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; You have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 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. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,”

He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

The God of gods.

He is not some invented politically correct god that has to be concerned that the UN doesn't approve of him drowning a whole lot of Egyptians, and he does not have to worry that Greenpeace may be upset that he drowned a whole lot of horses or that he changed the weather pattern to separated the sea(disturbing the marine life) the fact that we even have to draw attention to things like this shows what a foolish world we live in (a world that does not know God).

He is a God who hates sin so much that he crushed his only begotten Son to pay its penalty.

But we have trivialized sin

Drunkenness is a night out with the boys.

Sexual immorality is having a fling.

Adultery is having an affair. It all sounds so harmless.

Homosexuality is just been born different.

Murdering our unborn children is a woman’s reproductive rights.

Rebellious children are just hyperactive.

And you are just a bad parent who gave them too much processed foods and fizzy drinks. And don’t abuse them by spanking them.

Like Job can we say today, “Lord my ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

God grant us the grace that he doesn’t have to allow the stripping away of our comforts and crutches before our eyes are opened and we like Job repent in dust and ashes.

We are not worshipping some dead prophet in a tomb; we are worshipping the risen saviour who has been given a name that is above every name - that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess.

Just because there is abuse in a certain area, does not mean that we throw it out. Rather let’s get back to the heart of worship (it’s all about you Jesus).

Let’s start giving and worshipping the way we should.

In Luther’s day, congregational singing had fallen away and he reinstated it.

1 Peter 2:9.

But you are a chosen people, a royal

priesthood, a Holy nation, God’s special

possession, that you may Declare the praises

Of him who called you out of darkness into his

wonderful light.

Psalm 34 :1-13. I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

There certainly is a place for corporate praise but it does not negate the privilege of private praise and worship which is part of our intimacy with the Lord in the closet and giving testimony to others inside and outside of the church to the greatness of our God.

Satan has corrupted praise and worship, because it is part of our armoury against him.

Song: (my weapon is a melody)

Psalm 32:7. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

David knew the power of true worship

(the Psalms are evidence of that).

Satan has corrupted worship. He even tried to get Jesus in his incarnation as a man to worship him.

Matthew4::8-10.   Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their Splendour. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. (1st command)

Listen to Gavin’s ministry on the Sons of God (Part 2) to see more of how SATAN and the fallen angels who have been given rule over the earth have corrupted worship to draw it to themselves.

It may help you understand more why the rest of the nation's hate ISRAEL which is the only nation that was not allotted to the rule of a fallen angel, but to Michael the archangel himself

(The hatred of Israel is not just an Arab thing; it is Satanically driven)

Satan and the fallen angels want man’s worship, and go to great lengths to get us to not worship God.

One of Satan’s strategies is to afflict us as he afflicted Job, hoping that we will curse God.

But God reminded Job of his power.

Job didn’t have the advantage of looking back to Calvary and so to be made aware of the awesomeness of his sin and the awesomeness of God’s love, yet he still repented in dust and ashes. What excuse do we have?

Jesus chose the way of the cross and not Satan’s temptation.

Revelation 11:15-16. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.

May Calvary silence our mouths in awe, and then may it open them in worship.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS SON.

But we so sinned that our GOD had to become like us and pay the price of sin so that we could become like him the shepherd became a sheep so that he could die for all of us who like sheep had gone astray and when he was shorn, he did not open his mouth,

To echo the sentiments of Spurgeon: How could he love so intensely those who love so lukewarmly?

Two things are vital in the proclamation of the gospel.

We need to be made aware of the greatness of our sin.

2) We need to be made aware of the greatness of God’s love.

(A look at Calvary will do both)

John Newton wrote that wonderful hymn:

Amazing Grace

He said the following:

“Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great saviour.”

And that’s the whole gospel.

The enormity of God’s love:

draws the interest of the angels.

confused Satan and the fallen rulers of this world. (In inciting the crowds to crucify Jesus they did not thwart God’s plans they fulfilled them.)

1 Peter 1:3-12. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

OUR SUFFERING CAN RESULT IN JESUS BEING GLORIFIED - IF WE DON’T GIVE UP

1 Peter 1:3-12. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,  trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION AMAZES THE ANGELS,WHAT DOES IT DO FOR YOU?

1 Corinthians 2:6-8.

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

John 17:1-5.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.  Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

JESUS IS NOT CALLING US TO DO SOMETHING THAT HE HIMSELF HASN’T DONE

Remember Lynne’s devotional about the piccolo player in the orchestra.

The cross did not stop Jesus and his apostles from playing their part in God’s orchestra,

What has it taken to silence you?

Some trouble at work or at home, a bout of sickness and suddenly you throw in the towel.

What excuse will we give for our slothful worship:

when we sit with daniel one day in glory and this man, who continued to worship even when he faced the lions den,

who only had the predictions of the prophets about our suffering saviour

unlike us:

Who can read about their fulfilment in the New Testament scriptures, written by eye–witnesses many of whom paid for their testimony with their own lives.

What will we do in heaven If we see Job, or Shadrach Meshach and Abednego coming along?

Or any of the faith worthies from Hebrews 11?

We will have to run and hide…(imagine our excuses to them for our sloth)

“Oh, but Job it was so tough to serve the lord in the 21st century. My boss was nasty to me,”

REALIZED THE GREATNESS OF GOD’S POWER.

REALIZED THE GREATNESS OF OUR SIN.

REALIZED THE GREATNESS OF GOD’S LOVE.

No wonder Muslims don’t take us seriously, because we don’t take our Lord and Saviour seriously, they pray 5 times a day and pay thousands to go all the way to Mecca and throw some stones at a rock, and worship their dead false prophet - who spent his life chopping off people’s heads. And they buy our churches that lie empty and turn them into mosques or Muslim schools! What an embarrassment we are to our King and our God.

Lord, make me an instrument of worship

As I said last week”

I may not be able to play an instrument of worship anymore, but I want to be an instrument of worship.

If you do, then sing this with me from your heart.