Part 32: FULL! Part 5 Transferring the Glory Texts: 1 Chronicles 16:1-2, 7-15 (NKJV) - So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. [2] And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD [7] On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: [8] Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! [9] Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! [10] Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! [11] Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! [12] REMEMBER His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, [13] O seed of Israel His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones! [14] He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. [15] REMEMBER His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations. The Worshiper s Heart A. The above verses are a psalm (song) written by King David. 1. On the day David brought the Ark of God s Presence to Mt. Zion, he sang this song he had composed especially for this auspicious
occasion. Over and over again, this psalm stresses the importance of personal devotion and worship an attitude of thanksgiving and a desire to praise and worship God for all His wondrous works. 2. David was such a true worshiper, he loved and treasured the Presence of God. Never again did he want Israel to drift away from God. As Israel s leader, he understood the terrible tragedy of three generations of young people having no contact with the Presence of God for the past 70 years, He realized the severe harm it had inflicted on their values and the great loss they had suffered for not worshiping and enjoying God s favor. 3. One of the single most important lessons I have ever learned is that God s presence and His favor go together. A worshiper who hungers for Him will not only encounter His Presence, but will also experience His divine favor! 4. Israel was continually urged to remember God s covenant and what He had done for them. But David also understood that God s Presence would not remain among those who did not value it. In essence, his psalm was warning the people against losing their heart of worship: a. 1 Chronicles 16:29-30 (NKJV) - Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! [30] Tremble before Him, all the earth. 5. Not only did David look at the past, where their nation had come from, but he looked forward with great excitement for what was about to happen. 6. This psalm was a reminder of what Israel had experienced during the last 70 years without the Ark of God s Presence. Because they
had taken Him for granted, the nation had suffered the humiliation of being defeated in battle, losing the Ark of God s Presence to the enemy, and the embarrassment of having their Ark placed in the temple of a pagan god. But even greater was the shame of allowing it to remain in the house of Abinadab for 70 years. No one in their nation had hungered for the Ark to be returned until David became king. 7. When Israel finally had a king who desired the return of God s Presence, the people had drifted so far away, they had forgotten the protocols for handling the Ark. Then followed the horror of Uzzah s death when he attempted to steady the Ark. Having become so familiar with the Ark, he no longer honored God s sacred Presence. 8. David s message was to keep a heart of devotion and remember our God. Give Him the worship He deserves so that His divine Presence will never again be lost. That message is vital for us, as well. B. For God s Presence to remain in our lives, we must remember all He has done for us and maintain our devotion for Him. 1. David was also feeling great excitement for what was about to happen when God s Presence would be restored to His rightful place of honor. Rather than placing the Ark of the Covenant behind the veil, he chose to surround it with 288 worshipers who would continually lift their voices in praise, 24 hours a day. 2. While this is not a new worship song, most of us have heard The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman from the late 1990 s. There is a story behind this song that I learned only recently. It was actually
born during a period of apathy in worship at Soul Survivor, Matt s home church in Watford, England. Great Britain has contributed much to the current worship revival, but at this time, Redman s congregation was struggling to find meaningful worship. There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing, he recalls. He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season and just gather together with our voices. His point was that we had lost our way in worship. The way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away. Reminding his church family that they should be producers of worship not just consumers, Pastor Mike Pilavachi asked the congregation, When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God? Matt says the question initially led to an embarrassing silence. But eventually, the people encountered God in a fresh way by breaking forth into acapella songs and heartfelt prayers. Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and that He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter the circumstance or setting. The lyrics of The Heart of Worship simply describe what can happen: When the music fades All is stripped away And I simply come Longing just to bring Something that's of worth That will bless Your heart
I'll bring You more than a song For a song in itself Is not what You have required You search much deeper within Through the way things appear You're looking into my heart. I'm coming back to the heart of worship And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it When it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus. Redman remembers quickly writing the song in his bedroom soon after the church s journey together. For a time, it became an international anthem; yet few people realize the story behind it. Matt viewed the words as his personal, subjective response to what he was learning about worship. When he shared The Heart of Worship with Pastor Pilavachi, he suggested a few small adjustments in the lyrics so the members could also connect to its message in worship. Matt says he is amazed at how God has taken this song around the world for His purposes; but it almost didn t go any further than my bedroom. Something happens when the people of God gather together and truly offer praises, while in His Presence. 3. We must never forget that it s a heart of worship that attracts God s Presence. When you enter into worship, your face is not only turned toward God, but His face is turned toward you!
In a number of similar studies, science has found that when two lovers stare into each other s eyes for three minutes, their heart rates begin to synchronize and beat together. Worship is meant to connect us to God as we behold His beauty. But according to those same studies, it also causes our hearts to synchronize with the heart of God. In fact, our desires and thoughts become more like His. Worship becomes difficult when you fail to regularly give Him your heart and live according to His ways. Since nothing is greater than being in His Presence, life becomes easier for the worshiper. C. In the last few weeks, we ve been on a journey with the Presence of God as it moved from place to place in the Old Testament. 1. One thing we ve learned for certain is that God s Presence moves from one place to another. The Book of Genesis is often misquoted by those who say that the Spirit of God walked with Adam in the garden. That is not what it says at all. The Voice of the Lord walked with Adam in the garden which means that His Voice moves! a. Genesis 3:8 (KJV) - And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. 2. God may speak a truth to you today; then a little later, illuminate and emphasize another truth that s important to know. a. Isaiah 28:10 (NKJV) - For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. 3. Even a casual look at church history makes us realize that God has progressively led His people into greater understanding about His
truth and nature. At Wittenberg, Germany, God caused a simple truth to come alive for Martin Luther: The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). Then another revelation about sanctification was burned into the heart of John Wesley. Next, the importance of communion and baptism by immersion were re-emphasized as important teachings of scripture. The voice of God then traveled to yet another revelation of scripture when He poured out His Spirit at Azusa Street. Hundreds of millions of believers are now baptized with the Holy Spirit. Just as technology expands and knowledge increases, even so does our understanding of God s Word. 4. The mistake many have made and even entire denominations is failing to move when the Voice moves. People (and churches) can become stuck where God was. That s also why so many denominations exist. God s people must continually pursue Him. One thing we have learned in this study is to be where God is, not where He was! 5. As Israel grew as a nation, we have seen how the Ark of God, which symbolizes the Presence of God, moved from one place to the next. When Israel settled in the Promised Land, the Ark moved from Bethel to Shiloh, and then to Ebenezer where it was captured by the Philistines. It was returned to Israel seven months later to the people of Beth-Shemesh. Finally, David moved the Ark to the house of Obed-edom and then to Mt. Zion. When Solomon finished constructing his magnificent temple, the Ark was moved there. D. Why did Israel lose the Ark of God s Presence?
1. The main reason for Israel losing the Ark was failing to worship from the heart. Every believer should be aware of this especially as we near Christmas. Israel certainly didn t lose God s Presence because He decided to leave. That s one thing He will never do! Nor did it happen overnight. God remained faithful to His people and didn t go anywhere! They had slowly drifted away. 2. God had asked Israel to set aside eight holy day feasts during the year. For three of those events, they had to travel to Jerusalem. Of course, the Sabbath meal was to be observed every week. 3. Each feast had a particular purpose for helping Israel stay close to God as they built their lives, families, and careers in the Promised Land. Observing these feasts was like a reset button to help them renew their focus and prevent them from drifting away from God. 4. So, why did Israel lose God s Presence and the Ark? They failed to seriously consider what God had asked them to observe and to remember. And that is so easy to do. We can lose our heart of devotion by failing to do the things that matter most! 5. These are the holy days that were meant to keep each Israelite s personal experience with God alive, vibrant and fresh: a. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Passover, was meant to commemorate God delivering them from Egypt. b. The Feast of Pentecost celebrated God giving them the Torah or Divine Law. c. The Feast of Tabernacles reminded them to give God thanks for leading them through the wilderness and to re-live those experiences. 6. How often do we take time to say: Thank You, Lord, for saving me. Or, Thank You for the truths You have shown us in Your
Word. Do we thank Him for being so faithful in all those situations that we could never have survived without His help? David said, Let s remember! He knew what had happened when Israel forgot so many important things: they lost their heart of worship and the Presence of God! 7. How easily do we imitate Israel. A heart of worship can become so indifferent when we focus on unnecessary things. We must never allow our worship to lose its meaning! E. Christmas is an obvious example of how the enemy tries to distract us. 1. Christianity s observance of the most holy day of the year all but leaves Christ out of His own birthday. 2. Did you hear about the school principal in Omaha, Nebraska who announced that candy canes would not be allowed on the school grounds? Her reason: the J stood for Jesus, and they certainly wouldn t want that at a public school, would they! 3. Or how about saying the politically correct holiday tree since Christmas tree has the word Christ in it or the movement that opposes manger scenes. Even Santa was caught in the cross-hairs this week. Some think he should be gender-fluid and no longer thought of as a he. 4. We Christians shake our heads in disgust; but why do we allow this foolishness to continue? We keep thinking that if we let them have their way by giving a little here and a little there, the enemy will be satisfied. But he never will. I actually came to the conclusion years ago that religious holidays have been intertwined with so much tradition, they have lost their meaning. And I don t think I m wrong for feeling that way! The world s treatment of both Christmas and
Easter certainly made that a plausible deduction. Both holidays are all about commercial sales. You know... Jingle bells, Christmas sales, to the mall we go; having fun, the money s gone, and Visa we all owe, HEY! 5. Observing how the world has made both of Christianity s most important holy days into their biggest commercial events of the year was bad enough. But watching how Christians and the church deal with Christmas and Easter reinforces that belief. On Easter, everyone shows up at church like it was their annual go to church and do your religious obligation thing day. The small church I attended as a child was the very opposite. Hardly anyone went to church on those two Sundays. The rest of the year, it was at least three-fourths empty. The explanation I always heard was that Christmas was meant for family. But that s only partially true. Let s not forget that first and foremost, it s about Jesus birth! 6. The truth is that even in Christian circles, the Christmas season is one of the least spiritually focused times of the year. Caught up in the mad rush to buy the latest toys, styles and gadgets, most believers spend hardly any time thinking about God. They spend even less time considering the incredible and profoundly emotional meaning behind the miracle of Christmas. So for me, our relationship with God seems to be more of a distraction at Christmas and Easter than a time to refocus on Him. These are certainly not special times to worship. So, I basically did what many others do. I smiled through both days, enjoyed spending time with the family, ate more than I should have, waited for it all to be over, and then started another diet right after the New Year.
7. However, I ve come to feel very strongly in the opposite way. If these events are meant to keep our personal faith alive, we should treasure them. I ve decided to fight the impulse of yielding to the crass commercialization of this holiday and tune in to what it was really supposed to be. 8. A few years ago when we started having Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, our church members were shocked! And when Christmas was on Sunday a couple years ago, many churches in our city decided not to have church. The staff asked if we should have church or cancel the services like others were doing. I said, We re having church! It s Jesus birthday! Are we going to skip going to God s House just because Christmas is on a Sunday? If there was ever a day we should worship, it s on Christ s Birthday! I determined that if no one else was at church but me and the staff, we would come to worship and give thanks for all He has done and for sending Christ to be born in Bethlehem s manger. 9. The truth is, I m quite certain that when early believers began to observe days of remembrance for these most important events, they became holy days. That s what the word holiday means: combining holy and day into one word. To be sure, when either of these two holidays began, there were no shopping malls! F. As we enter the Christmas season and prepare to relocate from this place that we love, I encourage you to not only remember the meaning of this season, but what God means to each of us ALL THE TIME! 1. Remember: the heart and purpose of worship is all about Him! Every day of our lives, it s about Him.
2. We were created to worship and bring Him Glory, especially at this time of the year. Think of the wonder and awe of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. The God of Glory and Creator of the universe, born in a stable and laid in a manger, came to live with us and take away our sins. 3. Christmas should be a holy, worshipful season; a time of intense appreciation and devotion for what God has done for us. 4. As the year ends, we are in a seven week period of breakthroughs. C l a i m y o u r s t o d a y!