Part 5: Unashamed, Undaunted and Unstoppable! Part 5 The Function and Power of Spiritual Coverings

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1 Part 5: Unashamed, Undaunted and Unstoppable! Texts: Psalm 65:11 (NLT) - You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. Haggai 2:18-19 (KJV) - Consider now from this day and upward, [19] from this day will I bless you! Numbers 19:14-15 (NKJV) - This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; [15] and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. Part 5 The Function and Power of Spiritual Coverings A. Worship Coverings, one of the eight Spiritual Coverings in this series, is part of Ministry Coverings. 1. It's important to understand Coverings so that when a seismic shift occurs, such as what we're experiencing at CT, those who are under that covering are sure to feel the effects. 2. Worship Coverings allow access to the Glory Dimension where the miraculous and supernatural occur. B. What is perfect worship? Can it be found on earth? 1. Because we live in a fallen world, almost all that we see on earth reflects imperfection, including our worship. 2. Obviously, perfect worship can only be found in Heaven, the only perfect place. So, let's examine worship in Heaven for a better understanding.

2 a. Revelation 7:9-12 (NKJV) - After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" b. The Greek word for all nations is ethnicities. c. The Greek word for tribes is families or clans, which would include all ages. d. The Greek word for people is cultures or social groupings. e. The Greek word for tongues is languages, but it includes more than just speech. Have you considered that music is a language? Some even refer to it as the international language. 3. Perfect worship is when people of all ethnicities, families, social and cultural groups, and languages join together in worship. a. God created everything to be in harmony. Like a gigantic orchestra comprised of millions of different instruments, each contributes to a symphonic masterpiece as earth worships its Creator. b. What would happen if we could go beyond all our presuppositions, prejudices and thoughts and just worship together? c. This is why Paul constantly reminded that if each of us is a part of Christ's body, we are all important! d. The problem is that young people want to stay with their little group, the older folk with those their age, and the prophets, teachers, and social groups in their circles of influence. e. Let me explain why we should lay aside our differences and worship together on Sunday mornings as God's Body : f. Psalm 148:1-14 (NLT) - Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! [2] Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! [3] Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! [4] Praise him, skies

3 above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds! [5] Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being. [6] He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. [7] Praise the LORD from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, [8] fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, [9] mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, [10] wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, [11] kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, [12] young men and young women, old men and children. [13] Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! [14] He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord! 4. God did not create us alike. Since each person is unique and different, worshiping Him together creates a beautiful symphony of praise. a. This is why God hates division. When hatred or strife divides us, part of God's orchestra is playing in a different key than the others. b. What if those who play the percussion instruments decided to leave the group and do their own thing? Or the brass and strings pulled away to begin a group of their own? It would create confusion. c. That's why Satan loves division; it disrupts the harmony of earth worshiping its Creator. d. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV) - Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. e. Matthew 12:25 (NKJV) - Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

4 f. Division can undermine an Apostolic House (church) the same as a marriage, a family, company, or nation. 5. Worship joins us together like nothing else! A.W. Tozer made this remarkable statement about unity: "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers meet together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship" (The Pursuit of God). 6. This concept can be illustrated by asking several people seated in different sections of the congregation to approach the pulpit, as though it was God's throne. Notice what happens: while coming from different locations, they automatically draw close together as they approach the throne. a. This is why we gather at church to worship and focus upon God. b. There has always been far more unity among members of a church than in politics, the economy, sports, or education. c. Whether you're a Democrat, Republican or Independent, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Hispanic, Asian, Anglo or Black, male or female, young or old, when you come into the House of God, your personal agenda must yield to the higher purpose of worshiping our Savior. 7. Paul taught this powerful Kingdom principle in his epistle to the Galatians: unity begins by focusing on God and drawing nearer to Him, rather than focusing on what divides us. a. Galatians 3:26-29 (NKJV) - For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for

5 you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ s, then you are Abraham s seed, and heirs according to the promise. b. Obviously, those who were Greek or Jewish before coming to Christ were still Greek or Jewish. If you're a male or female before being saved, it does not change your gender. c. As God's sons and daughters, the key to receiving the promises of Abraham is to submit to His higher calling. 8. Paul wrote the same message to believers in Ephesus: a. Ephesians 4:12-13 (NKJV) - Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace... (13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 9. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." a. The point of his statement was this: be careful or you will become the very thing you hate! C. Worship not only gives God the glory He deserves, it also keeps us strong and draws us closer to Him. 1. In a world filled with opposition, problems, and temptation, worship causes us to remain joyful, victorious, and experience God's divine favor. 2. How easy it is to suppose that those who aren't as close to God as they should be are not entitled to worship. a. I've known legalistic pastors (who apparently have misunderstood the powerful effects of worship upon the worshiper) who declare that a person should not be allowed to worship if their life is out of order. b. Such judgment is not only terribly harsh and humiliating, it's also why many have left the church, never to return. 3. Even more important, refusing to allow people to worship is simply not biblical.

6 a. Mark 5:6 (NKJV) - When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. b. Arriving at the shores of Gadera, Jesus was met by a miserable captive with so many demons, he had been named Legion. c. But as soon as this tortured demoniac saw Jesus, he ran to Him, bowed down, and worshiped. The man who had terrorized villages near Gadera was certainly not an exemplary citizen. Yet, when he came to worship, Jesus did not refuse him. Sincere worship resulted in freedom and deliverance! d. To experience transformation, you must go beyond Thanksgiving and Praise into Worship. 4. In Luke 4:8 (NKJV), Jesus commanded, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" 5. By refusing to abandon his personal agenda and worship God, the heavenly angelic choir director became the devil. D. Why would anyone choose not to worship? 1. When our thoughts and actions become carnal, worldly desires and agendas affect our passion for God. 2. How do we overcome our carnality and reignite our passion? a. Do not yield to fleshly desires. b. When we lay those things aside and worship God, we enter the Most Holy Place behind the veil. c. That's what happened to the demoniac. When he began to worship Jesus, he was instantly delivered and set free. 3. Rather than allowing our feelings of condemnation to keep us from God, like the demoniac, we should run to Him and worship! It's the best way to overcome our faults and failures. We all need God's grace because, the truth is, none of us are perfect. 4. Joke: The Office Fan

7 Did you hear about the guy who died and went to Heaven? St. Peter escorted him through the pearly gates and down a long hallway filled with clocks, each moving at a different speed. The man asked what the clocks were for and St. Peter replied that they all represented a person's life. Everyone has a clock, Peter explained, and each time they sin, the hands of the clock make a complete rotation. One clock that was barely moving was Billy Graham's clock. Another that seemed to be stalled was Mother Teresa's clock. The man asked, "Do you mind if I see my clock?" St. Peter said, "Not at all! Come with me. We keep your clock in the office and use it as a fan." If you are struggling, don't stay away from God. You belong in the office as close to Him as you can get!