1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,600 Please meet me in your Bibles in Revelation chapter 5. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:08,480 And we're going to begin by reading verse 8 down to verse 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:23,050 14. The Word of God tells us here in 4 00:00:23,050 --> 00:00:27,290 verse 8 of chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation. 5 00:00:28,290 --> 00:00:30,610 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living 6 00:00:30,610 --> 00:00:35,450 creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each 7 00:00:35,450 --> 00:00:40,040 holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the 8 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,960 prayers of the Saints. And they sang a new song, 9 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,480 saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its 10 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:50,000 seals. For you were slain, and by your 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,200 blood you ransomed people for God, from every tribe and 12 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,640 language and people and nation. And you have made them a Kingdom 13 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,160 and priest to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. 14 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,200 Then I looked and I heard around the throne and the living 15 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,960 creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering 16 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:15,440 myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud 17 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,840 voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and 18 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:24,760 wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. 19 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,280 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under 20 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,480 the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying to 21 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:36,480 him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and 22 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,640 honor and glory and might, forever and ever. 23 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,960 And the four living creatures said, Amen. 24 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,480 And the elders fell down and worshipped. 25 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,480 Father, we ask that you teach us about worship. 26 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:57,920 Guide us, lead us and make us true worshippers, for this is 27 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,480 what you are looking for. We trust that you will do that. 28 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,640 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 29 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,200 The main thought of this final section in Revelation chapter 5 30 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:17,360 is worship. It's the very last word found in 31 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,240 the very last part of chapter 5. Look at it again in verse 14. 32 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:24,880 And the four living creatures said Amen. 33 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,760 And the elders fell down and worshipped. 34 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,280 I'm aware that last week you heard from Pastor Benda's 35 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,200 message and in that message included a few very important 36 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,080 thoughts pertaining to worship and what true worship entails. 37 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,080 And I believe in God's Providence. 38 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,400 He wants us to explore this further. 39 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,880 You know, in the Book of Revelation, the word worship or 40 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:55,520 worshipping appears around 22 times. 41 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:01,760 I don't know about you, but that reflects how Christ wants us to 42 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,240 really meditate and understand the importance of worship, 43 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,200 considering the fact that this is the final book of the Bible. 44 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:14,000 So here you and I are in the final book of Scripture, and 45 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:19,200 what you find repeated among many things is worship, Worship, 46 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:24,360 worship, worship, worship. So with this in mind, we're 47 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,600 going to begin by answering a very simple yet imperative 48 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:33,080 question. What is worship and following 49 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:38,240 that, what does it mean to truly worship God? 50 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:45,360 I think a helpful place to start is to understand the definition 51 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,520 of the most commonly used word for worship in the New 52 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,200 Testament. It is a word prosecenaeo. 53 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,640 Prosecenaeo is the most common word for worship in the Greek, 54 00:03:55,640 --> 00:04:02,720 and what it means is very simple to kiss toward, not as an act of 55 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:08,280 affection or endearment merely, but as a token of reverence, as 56 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:13,280 a symbol of allegiance. A very familiar illustration 57 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,320 might be what you would find commonly in history when 58 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,720 somebody would approach royalty in ancient times. 59 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,760 They would bow down and they would kiss their hand or even 60 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:29,440 kiss their feet to express their honor and devotion toward the 61 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,960 king. And so with this word, proscaneo 62 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,680 is also the posture of bending down, sometimes even prostrating 63 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:38,840 yourself. And that's why some people are 64 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:42,560 more comfortable of defining this word as to bend down. 65 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,760 So if we work with that definition, then we have our 66 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:48,600 understanding of what worship means. 67 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:54,000 It is a visible outward expression of 1's honor and 68 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,720 devotion towards someone, and I think that's what most 69 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,720 Christians believe worship to be. 70 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:08,560 But we run into a problem. The problem, which is a good 71 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:13,120 problem, is found in Jesus teaching because he deepens and 72 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,640 he challenges our understanding of worship. 73 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,960 If worship is purely just me externally demonstrating 74 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,120 something of appreciation or allegiance, then how do we make 75 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,320 sense of Jesus's words and Matthew and turn with me there? 76 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:34,880 Chapter 15, verse 8 and 9. You know this very well, where 77 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,760 Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and he tells them in 78 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,960 Matthew 15-8 and nine, this people honors me with their 79 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,240 lips, but their heart is far from me. 80 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:51,520 In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the 81 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:58,640 commandments of men. Notice that Jesus is confirming 82 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,800 that the spiritual leaders of his day honored God with their 83 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:05,480 lips. Would you agree that that is a 84 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,120 very clear demonstration of outward honor? 85 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,200 Yes, it is. It's audible. 86 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,280 It's it's visible, It's seen, it's heard. 87 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:18,440 They honor me with their lists. Well, isn't that worship? 88 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,640 Well, no, he clarifies, and he actually denounces it as vain 89 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:26,920 worship. How? 90 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,280 One crucial reason, the outward expression did not match an 91 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,760 inward conviction. It's as simple as that. 92 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,240 That's why he says, but their heart is far from me. 93 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:45,800 So based on this, worship according to our Lord Jesus is 94 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:50,400 far greater than bodily postures, is far greater than 95 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,840 external acts. It's more than just audible 96 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:57,680 expressions. Worship includes those displays 97 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:03,240 of reverence and adoration. But that's not the essence. 98 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,200 The essence of true worship is a matter of the heart. 99 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:13,280 It is an inner experience. It is an inner reality. 100 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:19,080 Christ is not after our lips saying things if our hearts 101 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,640 don't believe them. Christ is not looking for us to 102 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,480 bend our knees of our hearts are not completely surrendered. 103 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,480 Christ is not satisfied with you and I offering acts of devotion 104 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,400 and even expressions of adoration weekly in a designated 105 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,040 location. If we don't carry that 106 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,440 allegiance and that affection in our hearts outside of those 107 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:49,120 meetings, what worship is according to Jesus is an inward 108 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:55,680 delight in God that recognizes Him as supreme over all things. 109 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:00,400 That's true worship. And Jesus Christ elaborates on 110 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,280 this another very famous passage, and we'll turn them 111 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,400 together in John chapter 4. And notice what he says here in 112 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,040 verse 23 and 24. But the hour's coming, and now 113 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,360 is here, when the true worshippers will worship the 114 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,720 Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such 115 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:22,480 people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who 116 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,280 worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. 117 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:29,880 This sounds almost cryptic to some people. 118 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,880 What does it mean that God is looking after those who worship 119 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,200 in spirit and truth? Here's the essence of what 120 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:41,120 Christ is getting at. True worship is informed by the 121 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:46,200 truth of who God is, it must be informed by who God truly is, 122 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:53,480 and it must impact and influence the deepest part of who you are, 123 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:59,160 your spirit. So true worship includes being 124 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:05,240 informed by who God truly is and that impacting my spirit, the 125 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:10,040 deepest part of who I am. Listen carefully now. 126 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:17,480 If I am familiar with truth, divine truth, but it does not 127 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:22,800 affect my spirit, it will never lead to true worship. 128 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:29,600 And if I have ideas and conceptions about God, but they 129 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:34,720 are not grounded in truth, no matter how strongly I feel about 130 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,760 those perceptions, no matter how much passion is behind them, it 131 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,440 will not lead to true worship either. 132 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:47,520 It needs to be informed by the truth, and it must impact the 133 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,600 deepest part of who I am. That's true worship. 134 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:58,320 Let me say it one more time. True worship is a heartfelt 135 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:03,520 response to the truth of who God is, one that continually 136 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:10,200 recognizes with absolute delight that God is supremely better, 137 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:15,320 more glorious, more satisfying than anything else. 138 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:21,920 And once that conviction is settled in your heart, the Lord 139 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:26,120 in His grace gives us guidance of how we can then express that 140 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,760 worship in a way that further glorifies Him. 141 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:40,000 So if I bend down, if I serve, if I sing, if I do anything but 142 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:44,960 my heart is not impacted or impressed or is convinced or 143 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:48,480 settled that He is indeed supreme over all things. 144 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:52,120 It's vain worship. Do you see? 145 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:55,680 This is what Christ is truly after. 146 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,680 And I want to bring this up to you because what we find in the 147 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:03,720 text that we read in the opening of this message, I trust, is a 148 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:08,120 wonderful example of how we can now then offer worship to God 149 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:13,320 once it is chained around your heart and you're convinced He is 150 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,240 above all things. We now receive instruction even 151 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,800 in the passage that we just read, how then we can worship 152 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,120 Him. Here's the message today I want 153 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:27,080 to present to you three ways that we can worship the Lamb who 154 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:31,960 is Jesus. Three ways, because we have an 155 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,840 example laid out by us and for us with the worshippers who are 156 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,320 in heaven. So let's come back to our text 157 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,720 in Revelation 5, and the main focus will be verse eight. 158 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,040 Look at it again. And when he had taken the 159 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:51,440 scroll, that being Jesus, the four living creatures and the 24 160 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:57,000 elders fell down before the Lamb highlight that they first fell 161 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,640 down. Following that, we're told that 162 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:05,200 each was holding a what a harp. I wonder what that means? 163 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:11,040 And finally, golden bowls full of incense, which are the 164 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:12,840 prayers of the Saints right there. 165 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:17,440 You know what I see three ways I can worship Jesus after I 166 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,040 determined He is my All in all in here. 167 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:24,160 More importantly, I can express it in these ways. 168 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,200 In fact, I must express them in these ways. 169 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:32,000 Three ways #1 the way that I am called to worship Jesus Christ 170 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:39,000 is with my body, with my body. That's symbolized here by the 171 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,440 fact that these elders with the four living creatures fell down 172 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,720 before the Lamb. You know what's so interesting? 173 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,720 The four living creatures and these elders who fall down 174 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,720 demonstrate something that you find most commonly in the Book 175 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:58,720 of Revelation and the Gospels. In other words, for creatures 176 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:03,360 and for humans to fall down before Jesus appears the most in 177 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,680 the four Gospels and the final text of Holy Scripture. 178 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,400 Why do you think that is? Why do you think that the most 179 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,880 frequent records of this response to Jesus is in those 180 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,560 two places? Because Christ is most visible. 181 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:26,280 His presence is most real in the Gospels as He took on flesh, and 182 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,160 here as we find Him in heaven in glory. 183 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,760 His purity and His power demands such a response. 184 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,560 The weightiness of His glory even in His humanity called for 185 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:44,440 people to helplessly fall down before Him. 186 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:50,800 But that bodily response is not emphasized in the Epistles. 187 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,280 There is a different thing that is stress concerning our worship 188 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,640 with our bodies, and this is something that is familiar to 189 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,600 you. The priority that is placed on 190 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,240 these physical frames and how they should respond to the glory 191 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:10,680 of who Jesus is, is in practical holiness. 192 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,520 Practical holiness. Not to say that I can't express 193 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:20,200 my worship by bending down or even laying on my face, but 194 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:25,800 that's not the mandatory posture in the letters to the churches. 195 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:31,440 You know what it is your body in holiness. 196 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,200 Paul tells us in First Corinthians 624, You were bought 197 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:42,880 at a price. So glorify God in your body, in 198 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,880 my body. And the Bible can't be any more 199 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,920 clear than that. When Christ redeemed you and he 200 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:53,000 paid a price for you, what's included in that ransom is your 201 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,080 body. Every part of it belongs to Him. 202 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:02,520 He owns your body, not just your soul, not just your spirit, your 203 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:06,400 body. I'm sure you're like me and 204 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,040 wondering, I've never doubted that. 205 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,440 But what does it look like for my body to worship Him? 206 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,320 What does that look like? And I believe it means two 207 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,440 things. It includes what you do with 208 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:26,320 this body and what you don't do. 2 main categories that you find 209 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:29,160 throughout the Bible. How I glorify and worship God 210 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,240 with this body is what I do with it and what I don't do. 211 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,040 It's positive and it is negative. 212 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,800 It advances and then it refrains. 213 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:42,440 There's offense and there's defense. 214 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:49,040 There's go and there's no. And let me give you an example 215 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,400 of that dual emphasis in the New Testament. 216 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,880 Let's go to the book of James. Let's go to chapter 1 and let's 217 00:15:54,880 --> 00:16:08,360 look at one verse, James 127. James says in chapter 1, verse 218 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,200 27, religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father 219 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:17,480 is this to visit orphans and widows and their affliction and 220 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,720 to keep oneself unstained from the world. 221 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:24,120 Do you see the positive and the negative? 222 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:26,560 You see the offense and the defense. 223 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:32,040 You see the go and the no. So here's what this means. 224 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:34,520 We're after this right? Pure religion, pure worship, 225 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,560 glorifying God in a pure way. According to James, whenever I 226 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:44,080 sacrifice my time, my energy, my focus, waking up early, for 227 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:48,840 example, earlier than usual, traveling longer than I prefer, 228 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,960 attending to somebody else's needs, even at the expense of my 229 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,840 own, every time I do that in the name of Christ, in service to 230 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,800 others, that's worship. That's worship. 231 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,920 An example that James gives us is this. 232 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:11,000 Picking up your feet, choosing rather to go outside instead of 233 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:17,200 lounging at home, maybe even putting in your hands a plate of 234 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:21,560 food or some take out that you buy with your hard earned money 235 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,599 so that you can spend the evening visiting a lonely widow 236 00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:29,560 or an overlooked orphan. When you do that, my brother and 237 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,320 my sister, according to James, you're worshipping. 238 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,760 But this is not the only thing. It's not just in what we do. 239 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,640 And again, this is just one example of many ways that we can 240 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:46,320 worship by what we do. It's also in what we reject and 241 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,200 to keep oneself unstained from the world. 242 00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:53,440 I'm not sure if you've ever seen it this way, but every time you 243 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:59,280 and I deny the temptation to indulge the flesh or to conform 244 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:04,000 to the patterns of the world, that also to God is worship. 245 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:09,920 So when I'm with a group of people and a name comes up and 246 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,280 that person is not in that circle and there begins to be 247 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,360 backbiting and the tearing of that person's reputation. 248 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:19,120 And here I am now, because it's a consensus. 249 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,720 Everybody's saying the same thing and sharing the goods. 250 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,800 And I feel that urge to to say something or make a comment or 251 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,080 contribute my own silly observation about a person's 252 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,080 person's way of life that that really may not even be true to 253 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:37,080 begin with. But I choose to instead reject 254 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,720 it and keep my mouth shut, or even more than that, speak up to 255 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:42,800 their defense. That's worship. 256 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:48,680 That's worship. Or when I have been tired after 257 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:53,840 a long days of work and my mind now is being pulled by the ropes 258 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:57,720 of lust to imagine things and fantasize things that I 259 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:01,080 shouldn't be fantasizing about. And I begin to now come up with 260 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:04,720 a personal appointment with my screen to visit websites that I 261 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,600 shouldn't be visiting. And instead I canceled that 262 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,520 appointment. That's worship. 263 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:16,200 That's worship. Or here I am now on a Saturday 264 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:18,720 evening, no plans. There was no clean up day at 265 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:23,560 church, no basketball event, no volleyball, no BBQ, no nothing. 266 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,080 My phone is quiet. But hey, I get a text from some 267 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:28,040 friends, family friends actually, but they don't know 268 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,160 Christ. And they say, what are you doing 269 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:31,440 tonight? Let's go to this place. 270 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,160 And you just read the name and you Google the maps and you see 271 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:34,480 it. OK? 272 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:36,440 This is not a place that's going to help my testimony. 273 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,200 If anybody finds me there, that's going to be trouble. 274 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,800 And surely there's going to be opportunity to sin there more 275 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:50,320 than if I stay home. And So what you do instead, 276 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,840 though you're bored out of your mind, you kindly decline. 277 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:56,400 And more than that, you say you listen. 278 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:58,440 Since you reached out to me, what are you doing? 279 00:19:58,440 --> 00:19:59,760 Tomorrow, let's go to church together. 280 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,560 That's worship. That's worship. 281 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:06,400 And here's what that means for you and I. 282 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:12,080 That true worship toward Jesus Christ is totally achievable by 283 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:17,880 any of us. Common acts, small sacrifices, 284 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,320 private appointments, visitations. 285 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,640 A simple call to encourage a weary soul. 286 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:29,440 Things that you don't think are really impactful or monumental, 287 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,200 like denying thoughts and denying actions and refraining 288 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,480 yourself from evil, wicked company. 289 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:38,640 All of that is worship and it's achievable. 290 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:44,440 Can you imagine? So we fall down, yes, not 291 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,680 physically, but even, as we heard last week, internally. 292 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:53,320 I surrender my body by what I do and by what I don't do. 293 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:57,640 That's a fragrance to Jesus. But we move on. 294 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,880 We come back to Revelation 5A and what do we see? 295 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,880 That they didn't just fall down before the Lamb. 296 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:08,400 They were each holding a harp. Now there is no need to over 297 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,400 spiritualize. There is no need to allegorize 298 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,440 this detail. Remember, context is king. 299 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:18,560 Context will keep you safe. Every time you see the word harp 300 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,840 mentioned in the Book of Revelation, every single time 301 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,760 it's accompanied by singing. It's here in Revelation 58. 302 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:29,280 You find in Revelation 14 two, Revelation 15 two, Whenever a 303 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:33,320 harp appears, right after, there's going to be some 304 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,520 singing. So what do we find here? 305 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:42,760 It's so obvious that Christ is worshipped in our praise. 306 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:47,600 Christ is worshipped in our heartfelt singing. 307 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,160 Not just our bodily sacrifice, but what we do with our lips. 308 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:55,120 And here's the part that moved me the most about this detail. 309 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:02,520 How many of them held harps? Each of them, every single one 310 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,560 in attendance had a harp. And I don't think it means that 311 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,240 every single one of them were musically gifted. 312 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,920 This is symbolic. What it does mean is that every 313 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:12,880 single one we're called to praise. 314 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:16,280 It wasn't optional. Praise is not optional. 315 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:19,400 We're all called to it. But my person, I know your 316 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,320 personality. It's OK, I'll tell you. 317 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,880 The Spirit will help you because Christ is worshipped when you 318 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,320 praise. Now here's so something so 319 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,000 significant. We can spend a great time 320 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,600 exploring this, but I want to offer one reason, just one 321 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,320 simple reason why praise is a glorifying form of worship. 322 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:39,880 What is it about praise that Christ wants for us? 323 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:41,280 To me we sang it. Praise the Lord. 324 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:42,720 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. 325 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:43,760 You find it throughout the Bible. 326 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:50,080 But why does he want it? Because it publicly acknowledges 327 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,120 God. This is just one reason. 328 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:54,440 There are many reasons why we praise, but let me give you one. 329 00:22:54,960 --> 00:23:02,200 It publicly acknowledges God as the source of all good with 330 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:06,600 passion and joy. It's a testimony. 331 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,880 You are testifying. And we went to James, right? 332 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:18,320 Let's go to James again. Look at James 5, James 5, verse 333 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:22,400 13. James, as he's wrapping up his 334 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,760 epistle, gives some final exhortations to different 335 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:29,840 members of the churches who might have different heart 336 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,280 conditions, and he gives words of wisdom by the Spirit. 337 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:35,680 Notice what he says in this one verse. 338 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:39,120 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. 339 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:45,320 Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 340 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:52,600 Two questions I have. Why does James exhort Christians 341 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:57,080 who are suffering to pray? Because there's a tempting 342 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,600 alternative. When we're suffering, what is it 343 00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:08,360 to complain, to murmur, to maybe even contemplate vengeance? 344 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:15,120 Depending on the source of your pain, it's easily possible for 345 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,000 those who are enduring any kind of affliction to preoccupy their 346 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,640 efforts and their energy. Their knee jerk reaction is to 347 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:29,760 spew out all their problems to another or even to themselves. 348 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,640 And genius saying no, no, reserve that energy and go 349 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,560 before God. Pour that out before the Lord. 350 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,320 OK, that's settled. Why does he tell those who are 351 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,000 cheerful? Now, what does he mean by 352 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,400 cheerful? The context suggests those who 353 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,240 are not weighed down by discouragement, those who are 354 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,760 not trying to fight off anxiety, those who are essentially happy, 355 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,680 those that you would ask, how are things going in your life? 356 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:58,600 Wonderful. I mean, no matter what sphere, 357 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,720 look at it, everything seems to be going smooth there. 358 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,480 There's so much ease. It's, it's wonderful, it's 359 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:06,160 great. Those kind of Christians, why 360 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,720 does he tell them to sing praise? 361 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,240 You know why? Because in the same way that 362 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,440 those who are suffering will forget God in prayer, those who 363 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,840 are cheerful tend to forget God in their happiness. 364 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:26,400 And so you need to praise when you're cheerful. 365 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:28,480 What does that mean? Here's what it means. 366 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,400 Praise repositions us every single time. 367 00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:37,400 Praise has the ability, because it's designed by God, to give 368 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:39,960 Him the ultimate credit for whatever good that you are 369 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:45,680 enjoying in that season. Praise points your heart toward 370 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:50,240 heaven. Now one might say this, and I 371 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:55,520 can see why somebody might ask or wonder, well, can I just give 372 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:57,760 God glory and thanks in plain speech? 373 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:01,320 Thank you, Lord, for all the good that I am enjoying. 374 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:04,680 I recognize that you are the one who authored all of this. 375 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:06,960 Can I just do that? You can't do that. 376 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,600 But there's something unique about praise. 377 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:20,600 It weaves melody, it weaves rhythm into your words, and it 378 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:25,880 has a way of reorienting your emotions so that they are now 379 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:28,760 targeting the Lord and giving it towards God. 380 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:32,360 It brings the cheerfulness to its rightful place. 381 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:36,280 That's what praise has the ability to do, more than just 382 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,880 simple words. It caused you to tap into 383 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,800 something deeper in the human heart, the human experience, and 384 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,400 it associates the joy and the delight with beauty, melody and 385 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,800 rhythm and says, Oh Lord, you are the one. 386 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,960 All these good feelings that I'm feeling, it sanctifies your 387 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,400 emotions. All the things that you're 388 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,440 knowing here, all the things that make your step lighter, all 389 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:01,280 the things that make your day easier. 390 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:04,160 What praise does, it gathers all that up and says this is because 391 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:12,160 of God, this is because of him. Praise contains the power to 392 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:17,720 take all the cheerfulness that you are knowing and to lay it at 393 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,880 the foot of God's throne and saying this is because of you. 394 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,520 Now, we would make a great mistake if we think that James 395 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:27,120 is teaching that we can only offer praise when you're in a 396 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:30,880 good mood. Anyone cheerful, sing praise. 397 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:33,520 If you're not cheerful, well, you don't have to sing. 398 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,160 You think that's what James really saying? 399 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,520 Absolutely not. Scripture would tell us 400 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,040 otherwise. All he's doing here is simply 401 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,960 addressing those who might miss the opportunity to worship God, 402 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:51,040 especially when all is well. So those who may be in a 403 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,840 cheerful state and not know, how do I give glory to God in this 404 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:55,680 way? James says. 405 00:27:55,680 --> 00:28:01,080 Sing praise, be intentional, come ready to offer that 406 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,360 sacrifice, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 407 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,800 And perhaps you're somebody who's convinced that praise 408 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,000 isn't really all that important, or again, like I said earlier, 409 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,320 doesn't really fit your personality well. 410 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:17,680 If you're serious about worshipping God, I trust, and I 411 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,200 charge you actually, to ask God to see the wisdom, the beauty, 412 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,600 and the honor that comes from giving him praise. 413 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:28,760 Each one of these creatures and elders held harps in their 414 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,920 hands. One more thing, we worship God 415 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,160 with our bodies. We worship God with our praise. 416 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,440 Lastly, we worship God with our prayers. 417 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,280 Not only were there harps, but lastly in verse 8 and golden 418 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:46,440 bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the Saints. 419 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,520 This part minister to me deeply. Do you know why? 420 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,760 Because if you've ever doubted that your prayers are 421 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,960 significant. If you've ever feared that your 422 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:03,520 prayers go unheard, look where they find themselves. 423 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,480 Look what happens with your prayers. 424 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:14,040 Be set free from those lies. God collects every supplication, 425 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:19,160 every intercession, every utterance of Thanksgiving, and 426 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:24,240 places them in golden bowls. Where? 427 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:28,600 In the backroom? No, near His throne. 428 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:33,680 It's a perfume to him. It's an aroma to him. 429 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,080 What is your prayers? Now, here's what's amazing. 430 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:39,280 He doesn't say the prayers of world leaders. 431 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:43,560 He doesn't say the prayers of influential thinkers. 432 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,360 He doesn't even limit it to prayers of those ministers who 433 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:51,480 shaped and redirected nations. What does it say in verse 8? 434 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:58,400 The prayers of the Saints. That includes the weakest of the 435 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:04,160 Saints, the feeblest of the Saints, dare I say even the 436 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:08,960 inconsistent St. All the Saints who had enough 437 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,040 faith to believe that God hears them when they cry out them. 438 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:17,400 God bottles up those prayers and he blends them in these golden 439 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,000 bowls and he keeps them there with high honor. 440 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:22,200 And that's really the take away from this. 441 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:26,360 No matter what you think about prayer, if you think it's 442 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:30,000 important or not, whatever your deep understanding of it is in 443 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,960 Scripture, here's one thing that you can leave with. 444 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:35,760 God honors our prayers. God is pleased with our prayers. 445 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:39,640 It brings the light to Him. Or else why use this kind of 446 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:44,400 imagery? Now, if prayer is an act of 447 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:50,360 worship, how does that work? If this scene again demonstrates 448 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,360 robust worship, how does prayer fit into that? 449 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:56,400 And I want to present you at least two ways. 450 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:01,400 First, prayer has been given by God to make communion with God 451 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,800 possible. It's only through prayer. 452 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:06,280 I said this so many times before. 453 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:08,640 When you look at the Tabernacle with all the different 454 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:13,240 furnishings in it, the closest article to the glory of God 455 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,400 behind that veil is the altar of incense. 456 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,680 There's so many things that means, but one practical point 457 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,480 is this. The closest that you can get to 458 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:29,880 God is in prayer, and prayer has been given by God to make 459 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:31,920 communion with him. Though yes, on this side of 460 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:34,920 eternity it's invisible, it's still very much real. 461 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:41,480 Prayer says, Lord, my heart yearns for fellowship with you. 462 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,680 And if you've given me prayer as the doorway to know the closest 463 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:50,280 communion with you, then I will designate time. 464 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:53,240 I will get away from all distractions and I will sit at 465 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,800 your feet and I will open my heart in my mouth and pray, 466 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,600 believing and showing you that I want to be with you more than 467 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:08,760 anything else. So prayer is worship in that it 468 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:14,680 demonstrates to God that you truly want to know Him, not just 469 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,320 theologically but experientially, not just with 470 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,440 head knowledge and head pursuit, but heart knowledge and heart 471 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:25,040 pursuit prayer. But secondly, the way prayer 472 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:31,120 becomes worship is that it invites God to intervene in such 473 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:34,600 a way that the testimony it would produce would grant him 474 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,920 greater glory. Prayer is the invitation of 475 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:42,440 God's intervention into my situation. 476 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:46,800 That's what prayer is, and that's what we find here with 477 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,880 these prayers that are symbolized as incense. 478 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,280 It's not the last time it shows up in Revelation. 479 00:32:53,880 --> 00:33:00,080 Go to Revelation 8. Notice where they reappear in 480 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,200 Revelation 8, verse 3 and verse 5. 481 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,720 What to verse 5? Notice what John describes. 482 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,520 And another Angel came and stood at the altar with a golden 483 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:14,040 censor, and he was given much incense to offer with the 484 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:19,080 prayers of all the Saints on the golden altar before the throne. 485 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:23,520 And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the Saints 486 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,880 rose before God from the hand of the Angel. 487 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,360 Then the Angel took the sensor and filled it with fire from the 488 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:35,320 altar and threw it on the earth. And there were peels of Thunder, 489 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:38,080 rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. 490 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:41,120 So much can be said about this. We're approaching Revelation 8. 491 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,160 I'll keep the extra Jesus for that someday. 492 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:47,440 Here's the main take away. The prayers of God's people that 493 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,920 were stored in heaven don't stay there. 494 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:57,920 God gathers them and he returns them to the earth fulfilled. 495 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,520 That's what happens to your prayers and mine. 496 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,800 As beautiful as it is to imagine that my prayers go up to heaven 497 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,760 and God gathers them and collects them into golden bowls 498 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:13,080 of incense as a sweet smelling aroma, the principle is here 499 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:17,120 that he can't take those prayers and launch them right back into 500 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:20,639 the world in a way where when you witness the answer, you go, 501 00:34:20,639 --> 00:34:22,639 this is God. This isn't coincidence and 502 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:27,080 nobody can argue. Prayers are designed to come 503 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,159 back into the world and make such a mark that God would 504 00:34:30,159 --> 00:34:32,360 receive glory from it. Do you remember what Paul told 505 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,679 the Corinthians when he beckoned them to pray for him and his 506 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:37,239 ministry team? Let me remind you, in 2nd 507 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:43,080 Corinthians 111, you also must help us by prayer so that many 508 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:47,520 will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us 509 00:34:47,679 --> 00:34:52,159 through the prayers of many. Oh, Church of Corinth, pray. 510 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,040 And I said this before too. The Corinthians, were they like 511 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:56,480 the most exemplary of Christians? 512 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:03,280 You thought whatever church you were a part of had issues. 513 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,400 This church had problems and yet Paul the apostle says, would you 514 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,400 guys pray for me? Why would he say that unless he 515 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:12,080 believed that God would even hear their prayers? 516 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:15,520 Pray. Why? 517 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,360 What's what's Paul's heart? Yeah, I want to be delivered 518 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:21,720 from this, but pray so that many will give thanks on our behalf 519 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:24,120 as a result of the prayers of many. 520 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:26,160 I want God to be glorified and answered. 521 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:27,600 Prayer. That's how it becomes worship. 522 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:30,600 It becomes worship when I commune with him and God says, 523 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:33,840 like Paul, behold, he is praying. 524 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,640 And it also becomes worship because it's an invitation for 525 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:39,720 God to crash into the world and for people to say there is a 526 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:42,960 living God and he answers prayer. 527 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:44,920 Let me give you a final thought before we conclude here. 528 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:51,320 As precious as individual prayers are to God, as personal 529 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,800 communion is a calling for each of us, the Bible doesn't say in 530 00:35:54,800 --> 00:36:00,360 Revelation 5A that those bowls had the prayers of the Saint or 531 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:08,040 a St. the Saints, plural. There's something especially 532 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:14,800 special when we give our prayers to God as a church, when we 533 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:22,360 combine our voices together and cry out to the Lord that to him 534 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,800 is a sweet aroma with all our backgrounds and all their 535 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,080 different testimony. And this is just real. 536 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:32,400 All their different ages, right? All their different history with 537 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:34,320 God. When we when we come 538 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:38,880 collectively and designate time to now unify our voice and bring 539 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:43,120 it before him, I see something here that's especially special 540 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:46,200 to God. So how do we worship God as a 541 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,200 church? Not just on Sunday for an hour 542 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,840 and a half, two hours. You can come on Wednesday too. 543 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:53,560 And that also becomes worship to him. 544 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:55,680 With one voice, we glorify the Lord. 545 00:36:55,960 --> 00:37:00,400 The prayers of the Saints. Yes, this means the prayers of 546 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,720 the Saints throughout history, but also I'm sure, means the 547 00:37:03,720 --> 00:37:06,880 prayers of God's people when we come and combine our voices 548 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,360 together. Why do we worship? 549 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:13,480 You just heard three ways of how we can worship, but is there any 550 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,960 indication of why? What should stimulate me to 551 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:20,880 worship with my body, to worship in my praise, to worship in my 552 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:24,960 prayers? Revelation 59 and 10, they sang 553 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,760 a new song saying where they are you to take the scroll to open 554 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,240 its seals. For you are slain, and by your 555 00:37:30,240 --> 00:37:33,760 blood you ransom people for God from every tribe and language 556 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,120 and people and nation, and you've made them a Kingdom and 557 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:38,640 priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. 558 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:39,280 Why? Why? 559 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:44,640 Why? Because he died because he shed 560 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:49,040 his blood. Why should I give up my body, my 561 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,640 rights, my impulses? Why should I consecrate that to 562 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:52,160 the Lord? Both. 563 00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:55,000 Both positively negative. Because He bought your body. 564 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,520 Why should I praise? How can I praise when my faith 565 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:06,000 is clouded by unbelief? When I'm trying to weather this 566 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:09,080 tornado of turbulence and trials? 567 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:11,000 Well, let me give you one reason to praise. 568 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:16,360 He died for you. He forgave every wicked thing 569 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:20,320 that you've ever done. Well, why should I pray? 570 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:24,040 How can I pray? What can motivate me to actually 571 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:26,520 make time for that? Well, do you realize the high 572 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:28,760 price that he paid to make communion possible? 573 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:35,400 That God, because of His Son, makes your heart his new home. 574 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,880 And now no matter where you are, you can pause and you can give 575 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:43,000 intentionality to your communication with Christ and He 576 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,000 hears you as though he was face to face. 577 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:49,760 Why not pray when he shed his blood to ransom people for God 578 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:51,680 and he did. It doesn't discriminate. 579 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:54,920 Every tribe, every language, people and nation. 580 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:58,560 No matter where you're from or what you've done, He's purchased 581 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:01,080 you. Surely he deserves my body, my 582 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:07,640 praise, my prayers. I don't know if you caught this, 583 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:11,760 but in closing here, there is actually an order of worship 584 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:14,880 that's laid out. Did you notice it? 585 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:18,760 There's actually a pattern of concentric circles of worship 586 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,400 described in this chapter. Look at it again with me in 587 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:23,760 verse 8. And when he had taken the 588 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:28,120 scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell 589 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:29,280 down before the Lamb. Pause. 590 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:30,880 Who? Who are we seeing falling down 591 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:33,920 before the Lamb, the four living creatures, and the 24 elders? 592 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,280 But it doesn't stop there. You come down to verse 11. 593 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:39,080 What do you find? John says. 594 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,240 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living 595 00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:45,480 creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering 596 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:47,720 myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. 597 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:53,320 Now we go from the elders, the creatures, to innumerable angels 598 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:55,200 who are now joining them in worship. 599 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,200 Does it end there? It doesn't. 600 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:02,680 Verse 13. And I heard every creature in 601 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:07,680 heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and 602 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,520 all that is in them saying to him who sits on the throne into 603 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:11,840 the Lamb. Pause. 604 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:13,960 Show me in the Bible where Jesus is worshipped. 605 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:20,400 Right here. Jesus is an exalted, created 606 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,040 being. Millions believe that. 607 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:25,880 Oh really? So why isn't He on the side of 608 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:29,160 creation, worshipping God? Why is He on the side of the 609 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:31,480 throne being worshipped by every creature? 610 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:37,600 Remember that? Remember that to Him who sits on 611 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:41,360 the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and 612 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:45,080 might, forever and ever. Jesus Christ is being worshipped 613 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:48,600 by who now? Absolutely every living thing 614 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:53,000 that has breath. What's the point of this 615 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,040 observation? Well, the obvious 1 is that He 616 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:59,000 is worthy of such worship and he will receive all honor. 617 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:02,000 Here's the practical inspiration. 618 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:04,440 What happens with worship in the scene? 619 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:06,720 Is it growing or is it diminishing? 620 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:08,880 It's growing. Is it for you? 621 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,160 Is worship with my body growing? Is it becoming stronger? 622 00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:22,040 Is it becoming weaker? Is my praise becoming more 623 00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:26,760 authentic or more artificial? Is my prayer life deepening or 624 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,360 am I drifting further from intimacy with God as it is 625 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:32,800 growing here? Apply it to your life, my dear 626 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,560 brother and sister, and ask yourself this. 627 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:39,920 Is worship growing or is it weakening? 628 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:45,840 Is it permeating more and more of my life for other things 629 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:49,200 being worshipped more and more instead of Christ? 630 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:54,040 The instruction here has made it grow. 631 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:58,080 May it take over every part of who you are. 632 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,520 You know one of the most fascinating things about the 633 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:03,200 Christian life among the hundreds of things that we can 634 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:04,600 talk about. Can I leave you with one? 635 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:11,960 God says your body is a temple. Your body is a temple. 636 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:14,640 What happened? The temple worship. 637 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,080 When do you ever escape your body? 638 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:20,480 You don't until you die. You know what that means? 639 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:23,520 If my body is a temple, then I'm called to give worship all the 640 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:27,360 time. How well you heard it. 641 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:33,520 I hope by what I do, but I don't do with opportunities to praise, 642 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:37,200 especially when I'm cheerful. I'm not going to forget God as 643 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:40,280 the source of my gladness and my prayers. 644 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:43,840 Oh Lord, if you treasure my prayers in this way, then let me 645 00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:45,960 offer it up to you. I want to express that I love 646 00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:47,720 you and I adore you. I want to fellowship with you 647 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,480 and Lord, here's this problem, here's this need, here's the 648 00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:51,720 situation. There's a way. 649 00:42:51,720 --> 00:42:54,520 We're child, there's my church. I'm going to pray and ask that 650 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:57,560 you come through so that when you do, you're glorified and you 651 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,320 are worshiped. May we worship. 652 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:02,480 Lord, We thank you for the service. 653 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:08,600 We thank you that the Father is seeking after such worshippers, 654 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:12,240 and Lord, we praise you that in this church there are many who 655 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:16,360 worship in spirit and truth. May it be a growing reality in 656 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,840 each of our lives. Help us worship You, Lord. 657 00:43:21,720 --> 00:43:25,080 Help us imitate this site that we just witnessed in heaven. 658 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:30,320 We love you with all of our hearts, and Lord, before any 659 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:33,400 external act, we want it to be more true in our hearts. 660 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,880 Inspire it within the Lord so that it would be real when 661 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:40,280 people see and hear it. And when you see and hear it, 662 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:44,800 more importantly, we give you thanks and we worship you in 663 00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:50,200 Jesus name, Amen. Let's stand and let's fulfill #2 664 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:54,200 Let's praise him. Let's praise him.