WORSHIPING A PERSONAL GOD BEYOND THE CORPORATE GATHERING

Transcription

1 WORSHIPING A PERSONAL GOD BEYOND THE CORPORATE GATHERING ELDER JOHN TOLBERT HAWAII DISTRICT COUNCIL - FALL SESSION 2017 BISHOP A. GLENN BRADY - DIOCESAN OCTOBER 11, 2017

2 OBJECTIVE: The Necessity of Corporate Worship Understanding the Personal Perspective How to Position Ourselves to Worship a Personal God

3 PERSONAL GOD There is a place for corporate worship. However corporate worship does not replace your personal time with the Lord. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. -Heb 10:25

4 We know and Worship the Creator and Savior. BUT have we spent enough time explaining the personal side of God? Have we made God so big in our minds that it has hindered our relationship with Him? By seeing Him from a personal-relational perspective, are we disrespecting or minimizing his power?

5 When we look at the word personal it can be defined as: existing as a self-aware entity, not as an abstraction or an impersonal force.

6 John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave God initiated the first step in building the personal relationship with us. His love for His creation is so strong that He has built a bridge to bring us back to be with Him eternally.

7 John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (KJV) I John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

8 So this proves that God loves us, but how does this relate to Him being a personal God?

9 How do I build a life of worship that positions me to communing with a personal God? This template is found in the word of God in Exodus 25.

10 Exodus 25 1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, 6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

11 The Tabernacle gave us a template in setting up our daily communion with God. I Corinthians 9: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

12 Tabernacle: A moveable tent that provided a temporary worship dwelling in the wilderness. Its mobility was teaching the former slave in essence how to walk with God. For the New Testament believer, the tabernacle is not a structure but is contained within us and is wherever we are. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Rev. 21:3

13 The Brazen Altar: Placed near the entrance where the sacrifice was made to make atonement for one s sins.

14 The Laver: A basin which everyone used on the path to worship in order to purify. The purification washes away the residue of sin where the atonement was just made.

15 Table of Shewbread and the Lampstand: The priest was to eat from the 2 loaves placed on the table. The priest knew that it represented more than bread but the necessity of spiritual nutrition. The word of the Lord is a necessary form of daily worship that we must consume. John 6:35 - bread of life. The Lampstand refers to the illumination that comes to us through His word that we must consume.

16 Altar of Incense: The was a recipe that was prepared with specific instructions from the Lord that was to be burned at this altar. This incense was not to be used for any other purpose but to worship the Lord. 2 Corinthians 2:15-17King James Version (KJV) 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

17 The Altar of Incense cont d: 2 Corinthians 2:15-17 Message Bible: In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No but at least we don t take God s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.

18 The Veil:The Veil: The veil separated the holy of holies from the rest of the worship area. The veil was rent from the top to the bottom signifying the God has opened the way, thru Jesus, to us being in direct contact with God himself. Making this relationship personal among all who come to Him.

19 The Ark of the Covenant: This was kept in the holiest part of the tabernacle. The contents within the ark represented God s covenant with his people.

20 The contents of the Ark served as a reminder concerning the potential of what God could do AND has done. (Aaron s rod that budded, the manna, etc) How many have walked away from the Lord because they felt he was no longer concerned about them and things we no longer being done for them? How long have we practiced misguided worship?

21 The Mercy Seat: It was the lid of the Ark. This is where God would meet His people with forgiveness.

22 The Mercy Seat cont d: In the New Testament Jesus becomes the mercy seat. He meets us at the place of our inadequacies and lifts us into the glory of His fulfilling purpose in our lives as we walk with Him in worship.

23 To Summarize, this is what worship looks like when using the Tabernacle as a guide

24 Tabernacle: You Brazen Laver: ou must be available to present your body as a living sacrifice. Laver: Repentance (daily) Shewbread/Lampstand: The Word provide sustenance and light Altar of Incense: Prayer and Praise with clean hands(daily) The Veil: the above is the approach. Now, commune with your God The Ark: The presence of God Guard it continually. Protect it by censoring you gates or spiritual access points (eye, ear, mouth) The Mercy Seat: Rejoice in His Mercy. He longs to meet you exactly where you are.

25 Go commune with the God that longs to commune with You.