South Texas Bible Ministry Training Center n THE. 311 Prayer and Worship Week 2 Ricky Joseph, Ph.D.
The Invitation to Worship Revelation 4:1-2 1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. Reading this passage. Where is your focus?
The Prophetic Picture of Worship John falls before the glorified Christ in worship The Church is called to hear what the Spirit is saying: as a worshipful response to the present word of Christ to His people Martyred souls gone before us into glory are heard calling from heaven s altar of worship to the Most High The Church, delivered from out of the great Tribulation, is heard extolling God and the Lamb before His throne The dynamic power residual in the cumulative worship and prayers before the throne is witnessed as it prompts God s acts of judgment The contrast to worship that honors God is seen as the text reveals the destiny of destruction coming upon those who worship demons and idols Worship thunders from heaven as the last trumpet is sounded; Worship appears to play a partnering role in God s economy, seeming to ignite a release on earth of those things ordained in heaven
The Arrival of the Lamb Just as the Creator Father is extolled at the beginning of the text, the exaltation of the Redeemer s Son begins as those around the throne sing, Your are worthy and have redeemed us to God by Your blood Revelations 5: 1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
John Beholds Worship at the Throne John is seeing creatures at worship almost immediately following earth s creation He is hearing praise to God moments following the majesty of the Almighty s spangling the heavens with the stars, and What he describes of the consummate crescendo of worship yet to be realized is an extension of worship into which we are moving presently
The Absence of Worship Why worship becomes distorted, confused or trivialized Why worship sometimes becomes a show a performance taken over by once-sincere leaders who, like Lucifer, have become blind to the folly of preoccupation with their own achievement in leading worship. Why worship is too seldom allowed to invade Church life and becomes packaged in ways that assure human control, rather than sensitive companionship with the Holy Spirit Why worship, when it is embraced biblically in an incarnation of the truth of the Word is the key that will unlock healthy personal life and service for anyone, and release dynamic breakthroughs of evangelism and spiritual growth in any congregation
God s Will Barricaded 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 But then, an elder speaks: Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and loose its seven seals
What is John Witnessing The full spectrum of all redemptive history, beginning with Jesus Christ s return to heaven at the time of His ascension. Yet at the same time, he is used by the Holy Spirit to present us with a full spectrum of heaven s worship from the creation of all things to the consummation of all things on this planet.
Why Worship for the Lamb Jesus now arrives in heaven, returning to the eternal glory, mission accomplished! His presence here, depicted and lauded as the victorious Lamb, shows us worship extending from that moment until the last trump is sounded and the ultimate triumph realized His presence here declares that the price of salvation for humankind is paid in full, His provision for their justification and sanctification is secured His dominion shown here over all powers of hell and every force of evil makes it possible for human vessels to be cleansed of their filth and sin and be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that He can commission a people for His purpose
The Reward of Worship Heaven s crescendo of praise rises in the atmosphere of A revealed, victorious Savior A certain engagement of the ongoing struggle between the Truth and the liar, the Savior and the thief, the Living God and the evil one The Holy Spirit s Call today is: A call to Spirit-filled worship A call to spiritual warfare A call to steadfast commitment beyond the paraphernalia and excitement of a worship renewal
Worship is God s gift for you Not God worshiping man, but God designing worship as a means for His beloved creatures to know Him, to enter into the abundance of His fulfilling and fruitful purpose for us. And to find the high delight of His realized will for us, in us and through us
The Reward of Worship Revelations 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
Connecting With the statement, God is Love signifies that above everything else this is who God is. Through worshiping God, you will be progressively liberated from yourself. By worshiping Him, you are also being brought to a place of intimate relationship one of knowing, understanding, and walking with God.
God s Intention for Your Worship I want you to know where My focus is: My will, My interests, My power, My purposes, My commandments, plans and objectives are never about Me. They are about you: They are all targeted for your blessing, your fulfillment, your fruitfulness and your realizing My purpose in creating you. And the reason I have given My ways of worship to you is this So that by those means you might Come up from where you are, and enter into all I have for you
A Picture of Two-Edged Truth God s desire for our worship is not wrapped in mystery. From creation, honoring God and His ways was essential in order that life, productivity and ongoing joy-filled purpose might be realized. The goal of bringing each of us through the doorway of redemptive worship by drawing us back to Himself through His Son, Jesus, was always and still is one thing: to bring to our lives all the benediction that our Loving Father God wanted us each to have in the first place.
God s Invitation in Worship How to see the unfolding of His purpose for us How to grow unto maturity as reborn children of His How to walk by faith when blindsided by life in a broken world How to overcome the adversary of our souls How to rise above the gravity pull of our yettainted humanity
John s Circumstance: A Trumpet Call to Transcend After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. Revelation 4:1-2
A Vision of Victory First: I saw a throne Second: John sees those who are worshiping around the throne. They are worshiping the One who is the Creator, the One who is able to take nothing and bring about anything that is needed Third, the rainbow is the reminder of a promise that extends beyond everything that looks as though it is ruined and will never be restored. Yet God s promise to Noah was that the catastrophic events of the flood would never happen again.
The Victory is for Us The message that cycles over and over again in the book of Revelation is that while the world will always seek to limit and oppose you, and while Satan will always confront you with the ferocity that only hell can muster beyond it all, Jesus is Lord and He dwells in you. In Him we have the ultimate victory and that victory may be applied here and now by our worship
A Declaration of Victory Jesus I come with gratitude. Thank You for the hope of Your help as I step through the door that is open to me my doorway into the presence of the Father. Thank You for the confidence that His creative power and Your redemptive ability are able to deal with whatever obstacles are confronting me right now
The Substance of Worship Because Israel s historic quest is parallel to all human endeavor our lifelong pursuit of fulfillment, purpose and meaning that this link between glory (experiencing excellence in life) and worship (relating to the One who is the giver of life) is so essential to our understanding. It distills most simply in a succession of statements illustrated in the story of Ichabod.
A Measure of the Time A time of confusion A time of rebellion by God s earthly priesthood A time of subjection to the hands of the enemy A time of dark circumstances
The True Value of Worship True worship takes place when we declare the Lord s worth: When we come before Him to honor His character When we come before Him with humility When we open as children to the truth of His Word We most honor the God who created us and the Lord Jesus who redeemed us when we ascribe the right value to Him
The Transforming Power of Worship 2 Corinthians 3:17-18New King James Version (NKJV) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Renewing Our Perception of Worship As worshiping congregations or as worshiping individuals, we need to be renewed regularly in our perception of God s purpose in calling us to worship or Like Eli and his sons we might find ourselves in the midst of a God-setting, yet yield to an indulgence of ourselves rather than be shaped by His transforming Spirit
Consider Consider what may happen as you and I open ourselves to the Holy Spirit s conviction, correction, refocusing and refreshing regarding worship. The transformation brought about by the weight of God s glory will leave the mark of His presence on all of us!
Getting to the Heart of Worship John 4:23 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. What kind of worship is God actually looking for? What type of worship honors God? What is it, theologically speaking, that actually makes worship worshipful to God
Cerebral vs. Visceral The mind and not the heart Objective analysis of God s revealed Person, nature and attributes Worthy worship essentially constitutes our reciting this information back to Him. Focus on mind s ideas about God, rather than the heart s hunger for Him overlooks the truth worship is actually a gift from God to us, more than one of ours to Him He is more interested in helping us than we are capable of interpreting Him.
Mind is not Synonyms with Spirit The heart is a more likely cnadidate to answer to the meaning of worshiping in spirit In truth is a companion phrase, indicating the active participation of the intellect as the second component depending on the heart s fullest release in worship first. Job 11:7 Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
What kind of worship does God prefer from us? His Word indicates that He is not looking for something brilliant, but something broken: The sacrifice of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart these, O God, You will not despise Psalm 51:17 Only the spiritual capacities of the worshiping heart will suffice
Essence of Worship The chief end of man is to love God and to enjoy Him forever This anticipated joy is not reserved solely for the future life, for Peter says: 1 Peter 1:8-9 8 whom having not seen [a] you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls.
Are we Worthy The worship God most welcomes is neigher essentially nor primarily intellectual (through it is certainly not unintelligent God s primary focus is giving us access to worship Him is to provide an exposure and experience intended for our benefit, not His (though it is unquestionable He delights in our coming to Him)
Worship that God welcomes and honors Worship that treasures His presence Worship that humbles the heart Worship that sacrifices and expects something from God Worship that extends God s love by every means
Worship That Treasures His Presence Exodus 33:13-15 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people. 14 And He said, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. 15 Then he said to Him, If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pttlsx6zxio
Worship That Humbles the Heart Matthew 18:3-5 & 10 3 and said, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. 10 Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Worship that Sacrifices and then Expects Malachi 3:10-12 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the LORD of hosts; 12 And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land, Says the LORD of hosts.
Worship that Extends God s Love Forgiveness toward others with peacemaking and reconciling efforts evident in our day-to-day agenda for living Gracious, lifestyle evangelism characterizing our conduct and communication Unselfish, servant-minded availability to assist in human need seen in a heart of care for victims of neglect and injustice, nourished by a merciful mind-set toward those whose cheapened values reveal their blindness
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing It is far easier to realize in a congregation where the pastors, elders, singers and musicians commit to worship as the first priority When that unified commitment to worship is made, everything else will fall into place, without power struggles, without competition and with a fluidity of all parties gifts being actuated with wisdom and anointing.