Quantcast
TRUE HEART
AUTHOR: Ellison, Robert Edwards
PUBLISHED ON: April 7, 2003
DOC SOURCE: CCN
PUBLISHED IN: Sermons

 
  TRUE HEART

Reverend Robert Edwards Ellison

  First Baptist Church. Manchester, Coonecticut

    Western Connecticut Baptist Association
      Baptist Convention of New England
  Southern Baptist Convention

If you long for that close, intimate walk with the Lord–that
awareness of His presence in your life daily–God desires for you to
have that, right now; and, right now, God wants to hear, your own
voice speak, your understanding of the needs of your life–He said,
“be anxious for nothing, but in all things, by prayer and
supplication, make your requests known, with thanksgiving unto the
Lord.”

Father, it is a good thing to offer praise and thanksgiving
to you, and with our lips and with our heart, we thank you–and we
praise you. Father, we are before you, with thankful hearts: your
goodness and your mercy have followed us all the days of our life;
and we are grateful for all the prayers that you have answered, for
the meeting of our needs, both physically and spiritually–your
faithfulness to us and your patience with us–we thank you and we
praise you and we give you glory!

Father, there are those of our church family that are sick
at home, or in the hospital; Lord, some of them are in critical
condition, battling for their very lives–and we want to join our
prayers with their prayers and the prayers of their families–and
ask you to touch them and to heal them and to raise them up! We
pray, O God, that you would be truly glorified in this, and we ask
you to bring to pass their healing, in Jesus’ name!

Father, I want to pray for everyone in the sound of my voice,
[and those who read these words,] that are not saved. Lord, you said,
“what shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and lose his
own soul.” O God, I pray for everyone–who does not know Jesus as
Savior and Lord, that they’d not go another day without turning from
their sins and inviting Christ into their life!

I thank you, Father, that you want all men to be saved–all
women to be saved–and to come to the knowledge of the Truth. Grant
it, Lord, in Jesus’ name! I pray for Christians who are discouraged,
and the backsliden–who have drifted away from you–I pray, O God,
in Jesus’ name, you would draw them back to yourself!

Father, you care–and Lord, I pray you would speak to us at
our point of need–show us what you want us to do and give us the
faith and the obedience and the will to do it! Lord, I pray that
you’d meet the needs of your people today, even as they cry out in a
spirit of faith and in prayer.

Father, I want to pray that you would teach us: how to
worship you; that you would teach us how to worship Jesus Christ,
for we know that when we worship you, that is when your presence is
communicated and an awareness of your presence comes to us–and so,
Lord, teach us today–how to worship you, in Jesus’ name!  AMEN.

Take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John, the fourth
chapter. We’ll begin at verse 19 through verse 23.

If there are two things that I could teach you to do–and
know that you understood them, they would be as follows:

1. How to worship
and,    2. How to pray.

Now I know that prayer and worship are all a part of the
same experience; however, you can pray–without ever worshipping
God! ….what is the whole purpose of all this? To teach you, how,
to worship God. The disciples asked Jesus, ‘teach us to pray,’ and
He taught them. I believe we need to be taught ‘HOW To Worship God,’
and I believe the Word of God teaches us HOW to worship Him.

I know in my own life, as I began to put these truths into
practice, it has changed my worship of God and has helped me,
spiritually.

Notice in John 4:19, that Jesus speaks about this matter of
worship. He has been talking to a woman at the well; He has told her
all about her past and she realizes that she is having a supernatural
conversation here with Jesus Christ; this woman, says to Jesus:
“Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on
this mountain and the Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where
one ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, the hour is coming, when you will
neither worship on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem; worship the
Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship;
for salvation is of the Jews.”  Now, verse 23: “But the hour is
coming and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit, and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship
Him.” God is spirit and those that worship Him, must worship Him,
in spirit and in truth.

    WORSHIP IS THE KEY TO KNOWING, TO LOVING AND TO SERVING GOD!

Do you remember when the devil tried to get Jesus to worship
him? Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said,
“I will give these to you, Jesus, if you will worship me.” 
Jesus answered him, and said, “It is written you shall worship the
Lord, your God and Him only shall you serve!”

  YOU SERVE WHO YOU WORSHIP!         

Jesus knew that. The devil knew that he could give Jesus
the kingdoms of the world and if Jesus worshipped him, he would have
Jesus. Did you know, you serve who you worship?…and the key to
knowing God and to loving God and to serving God–is to worshiping
the Father and the Son, Jesus–in spirit and in truth! It makes
sense to me, that those of us who are created, would worship the
Creator!

Do you know why worship is so important?–because, IT IS IN
THE PROCESS OF BEING WORSHIPED THAT GOD MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO US!

You say, ‘I want Jesus to be real to me; I want the Father
to be real to me; I want Jesus to be real to me!’

IT IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING WORSHIPED THAT GOD MAKES HIMSELF REAL–     
THAT JESUS MAKES HIMSELF REAL–TO YOU AND TO ME!

There are two principles of worshiping God with a true heart.     
Turn to Revelation, chapter 4, and let’s look carefully on how to
worship Jesus. I know this is right, because it is the pattern given
here in the Word of God, but you’re going to have a time set aside
when you get alone with God, to worship Him. That’s most of our
problem: we get up in a hurry and we go to bed in a hurry:

    WE’VE SCHEDULED GOD OUT OF OUR LIVES!

I’m telling you, my friend, your schedule will be a whole
lot better, if you begin today, worshiping the Living God!

The reason that the church today is moving along WITHOUT
POWER, the reason today that the church is in a SPIRITUAL RUT, the
reason today we’ve LOST THE REALITY OF GOD, is because:
WE HAVE CEASED TO WORSHIP HIM, THE WAY WE SHOULD!

If the only time you set apart, to worship God is at 10:30
on Sunday morning–your Christian life–is an ABSOLUTE FARCE–before
Almighty God!–you see, we’re to WORSHIP HIM, EVERY DAY! We’re to
worship the Father! We’re the worship Jesus!–for IT IS WHEN
WE WORSHIP HIM, THAT GOD MAKES HIMSELF REAL, in our lives!
     
I’m telling you there is time in your life EVERY morning,
for you to set apart, to worship Him; for when you worship Him,
He will order your day, and He will direct your schedule.

You say, brother Rob: ‘I meet myself coming and going; it
seems like I’m wasting time and energy; it seems like I take two
steps forward and three steps backward.”

Would you listen to me? If you want your life to be ordered
aright, if you want your steps to be directed by the Lord; I want to
say to you: YOU BEGIN YOUR DAY WORSHIPING THE LIVING GOD!

Did you know everything in your spiritual life, flows out of
worship? In Revelation chapter 4, we found out that the first step
in worship is–SURRENDER. You CANNOT worship God; You CANNOT worship
Jesus–UNLESS–you’re surrendered to Him!  It’s found in Revelation
4:10; that we see this matter: everytime it says “they worshipped
the Lord”–they ‘fell on their faces, before Him.’

We read in Revelation, chapter 4, verse 10: “The twenty-four
elders,” {that represents all Christians, of all ages} “fell down
before Him, who sits on the throne and worshiped Him, who lives
forever and ever.”  ‘Falling down before Him,’ means, that you
ALWAYS BEGIN IN SURRENDER: SURRENDER OF YOUR LIFE, TO THE FATHER!

Look at Revelation, chapter 5, verse 8. Once again, it says
that they worshipped Him, but you notice that they always began by
falling down before Him: Revelation chapter 5, verse 8: “Now when He
had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb,” and in verse 9, it says, “They
sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy!” Again, they are falling
down and they are worshipping Him.

Let me ask you a few questions:

    ARE YOU SURRENDERED TO THE FATHER?

ARE YOU SURRENDERED TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

IS THERE ONE AREA OF YOUR LIFE, THAT YOU WILL NOT LET HIM
BE THE SOVEREIGN LORD AND MASTER AND KING, TO RULE OVER?

Our entire relationship with the Father and with the Son,
begins with surrender. ALL worship begins, with ‘falling on our
faces,’ before Him; it’s called: SURRENDER.

Look at Revelation, chapter 5, verse 14. Again, we see them
worshipping the Lord and it says here, “and the four living
creatures, said, ‘Amen.’….and there are those ‘twenty-four elders,’
again–that represents us–“and the twenty-four elders fell down and
worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.”

    HOW MANY TIMES DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY IT, FOR US TO GET IT?

  ALL WORSHIP OF THE FATHER, ALL WORSHIP OF JESUS, BEGINS WITH
  SURRENDER! 
 
God says it one more time, so we’d be sure we’d get it: look at
chapter 7, verse 11 of the book of Revelation: “And the angels stood
around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures”
–here it is–“fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped
God!”

Have you presented your body as a living sacrifice? Have you
yielded your soul and spirit to the Lord?–your life in the home;
your life in the church; your life in the world?–I mean, your
spiritual life, your social life,–I mean, have you brought it ALL,
and said, ‘O God, I fall down before You! I surrender!  I SURRENDER!’

All worship begins in surrender. Then the second principle
worship is found in Revelation 4:10: [they] “cast their crowns before
the throne.”  A crown, gives glory and honor and power to the one
who wears it; a crown draws attention to the one who has it on.

Here you see the four and twenty elders and they have their
crowns on; and those crowns speak of their glory and their honor
and their power; but, those four and twenty elders, (who represent
you and me,) they fall on their faces before the throne, before the
Father–and before the Lamb–and they take off their crowns, which
speaks of their glory, and their honor, and their power–and they
cast them before the throne of the Father–cast them before the
throne of the Lamb–and look at what they say, in chapter 4,
verse 11: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are and were created.”

They have taken their crowns off; they say, ‘we don’t
deserve any glory, or any honor, or any power–and they take those
crowns, and they put them before Him, and say, “You alone, are
worthy of glory and honor and power!”

True worship. True worship: it’s when we desire His glory and His
honor and His power! WE CAST OUR GLORY AND HONOR ASIDE!  Yet, 
you see–that’s what men live for today–the secular man or woman–
the man or woman WITHOUT CHRIST; they say, ‘O, if I can get some
glory, if I can get some honor, if I can get some power…’
The world is mad for glory, honor and power; but we say: NO!
We say, ‘I surrender to the Father; I surrender to the Lamb
and I cast my crown at His feet!

I believe that worship not only involves surrender, and the
seeking of His glory; but, I believe that worship involves coming
before Him, with a true heart. Let me read you a verse of scripture:
find the book of Genesis, chapter 6, verse 5–okay?

Now the Bible speaks about the fact that worship not only
involves surrender–worship not only involves a seeking of His
glory–but we’re to draw near to God, with a true heart.
You say, ‘Now, brother Rob, I want to draw near to God, with a true
heart.’ What is a TRUE HEART ? 

Let me give you a scripture: Hebrews 10:19; listen to what
it says: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest
by the blood of Jesus, we come into God’s presence.” Now listen,
this is important–we come into God’s presence, not because of our
goodness, not because of our merit, not because of our righteousness,
not because of our works. None of these would never get us into
His presence! Therefore,  HOW DO WE GET INTO HIS PRESENCE?

Again, I’m reading Hebrews 10:19, listen: “Therefore,
brethren, having boldness, to enter the holiest by the blood of
Jesus…”

THROUGH THE PERFECT SACRIFICE OF JESUS, WE ENTER HIS PRESENCE!

Now, how do we draw near to God?…listen to this:

Hebrews 10:22, just listen: “Let us draw near, with a true heart,
with full assurance of faith.”

We honor God with our lips–hear me–but WE WORSHIP WITH OUR
HEART; and that’s why He said, ‘draw near, with a true heart!’
In fact, on one occasion, Jesus blasted–he really hit a difficult
blow to the pharisees–you know why?–because they were honoring God
with their lips, but their heart was far from Him.

Listen to what Jesus said to them, in Matthew 15, He says,
“Hypocrites, well did Isaiah say concerning you; this people draw
near to me with their mouth, they honor me with their lips, but
their heart is far from me.”

Oh, it is alright to honor Him with our lips; but–listen
to me–WE ARE TO WORSHIP HIM, WITH OUR HEARTS !

You say, brother Rob, ‘what does it mean to worship God,
with a true heart?’

Well, you’ve got to understand what the heart is. I mean,
what is the heart?–when it says, ‘draw near with a true heart.’
If we’re to draw near with our heart–if we’re to worship with our
heart–WHAT IS OUR HEART?

I want you to know that it’s NOT that physical organ, that
is pumping blood through our bodies, right now; it’s NOT that
physical organ that supplies the oxygen and food and all that to our
brain… NO !

Let me show you what the heart is. In Genesis, chapter 6–you
have the first time that the word, ‘heart,’ is ever mentioned in the
Bible; it tells us two things in Genesis 6, about the heart. First of
all, it tell us our heart, is our INTELLECT; OUR ABILITY TO THINK.

We read in Genesis 6:5: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts of his
heart…” so, we realize that the heart of man–your heart–and my
heart–is, first of all, INTELLECT; it is our mind; we can think. 

Secondly, our heart is not only made up of intellect: THINKING;
but it is made up of EMOTIONS–look at verse 6: “And the Lord was sorry,
that He had made man on the earth”–listen at this–“He was grieved in
His heart.”  Hey–grief, is an emotion–so we find that “every thought
of his heart was evil,” so the word, ‘thought,’ is, the heart, which
involves, intellect, our thinking. “He was grieved in his heart…”
our heart involves emotions: FEELING.

Turn to Genesis chapter 8, verse 21; and you’ll see that the
third aspect of the heart–is a WILL, or CHOOSING. “And the Lord
smelled a soothing aroma, then the Lord said, in His heart: “I WILL
NEVER AGAIN CURSE THE GROUND FOR MAN’S SAKE;” and, notice in the next
sentence, “NOR WILL I DESTROY EVERY LIVING THING.” We are to draw near
to God; we’re to worship with a true heart–and your heart is your
INTELLECT–your heart is your EMOTIONS–your heart is your WILL:
THINKING, FEELING, and CHOOSING.

Now let me show you what it means–HOW you worship God with
a true heart. Turn to Genesis chapter 22, and I want to show you an
example, of how you worship God, with a true heart.

You see, if there were two things I could teach you–one
would be, how to pray–and the other would be, how to worship: for
worship and prayer are inseparable. I am telling you: SATAN AND ALL
THE HOSTS OF HELL CANNOT SHAKE A MAN OR A WOMAN, WHO KNOWS HOW TO
WORSHIP GOD!

I want you to hear me on that; I’m telling you I don’t care
WHAT comes against you–I don’t care WHAT comes against you, if you
know how to worship God, if you know how to worship the Lamb that is
on the throne–I am saying to you: NOTHING can shake a man, NOTHING
can shake a woman–I’m talking about for any length of time, who
have worshiped the Father–and worshiped the Lamb!

    WORSHIP DEFIES ALL THE ASSAULT OF THE ENEMY!

      O GOD! TEACH US HOW TO WORSHIP YOU! —
      TEACH US HOW TO WORSHIP THE LAMB OF GOD,
    WHO IS UPON THE THRONE!

This whole passage in Genesis 22, about  Abraham offering up
Issac, is about worship. In fact, this is the first time, the word,
‘worship,’ is ever mentioned in the Bible! I want you to notice, in
verse 5, where Abraham is ready to offer up Issac on the altar,
and I want you to notice what Abraham says.

Abraham said to his young men (there were two men with him
and Issac)–“Abraham said to his young men: “stay here with the
donkey and the lad and I will go yonder and–tell me what the word
is–WORSHIP,–and we’ll come back to you.”
 
You know what had happened. God had told Abraham to do many
things,–the God that was unknown to Abraham,–now listen–Abraham
was an idolater, Abraham didn’t know the true and living God–
but, one day, Jehovah, the Great I AM, went to Abraham and said,
“Abraham, take your family, leave Ur of the Chaldees, and I want you
to go to a land that I’m going to show you. God didn’t tell Abraham
where it was, but, Abraham went home and told his wife, Sarah, and
said, “look, the Living God has spoken to me, He has told us to leave
Ur of the Chaldees and that He was going to take us to a land that we
didn’t know, and that He was going to make of us a great nation.”

Abraham packed up his family and left. Abraham had done a
lot of things God told him to do; I’m telling you–Abraham had made
right choices, he had done what God said; but, then one day, the
final test came to Abraham: God had told Abraham He was going to
give him a son and that he was going to be a ‘miracle child,’ born
to Sarah, when she was a hundred years old; Issac was going to be a
child of promise–and through Issac, all the nations were going to
be blessed.

Then one day, the God who had led Abraham, came to Abraham,
and said, “Abraham, take Issac up on Mount Moriah and you offer him
as a sacrifice to me.”  The story goes on to tell us how Abraham went
and took Issac, to Mount Moriah and put him on the altar and raised
the knife.

Now I want to show you how Abraham worshiped God with a true
heart. The first thing involved was his intellect, look at verse 2:
“Then He said, take your son, your only son whom you love, go to the
land of Moriah, offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains of which I shall tell you.”

The first thing Abraham had to do was this: he had to worship
God with his intellect. Do you know why?–because what God had asked
him to do made absolutely no sense: for Abraham knew that God would
raise Isaac from the dead, if Issac was going to be the son of
promise–if the nations were going to be blessed; it violated all of
Abraham’s intellect–to offer Issac up on the altar! Abraham had to
take his understanding,–are you listening?–he had to take his
UNDERSTANDING, he had to take his INTELLECT,–he had to take his
HEART,–and offer it up to God–in SURRENDER!

One of the greatest hindances that you and I have to
worshiping God with a true heart is that,

WE HAVE NOT YET LEARNED TO TRUST HIM, WHEN WE DON’T UNDERSTAND!

Friend, God is going to let you get to the place that
intellectually, you don’t just understand; and, when you’re in the
place that you don’t understand–you  will either surrender your
intellect and worship God, or you hold on to it, and  you won’t
worship God.

Abraham didn’t understand; but I’m telling you he had a true
heart. He said, ‘God, I don’t understand, but I give my intellect to
you; I surrender my mind to you.’ The Bible says, in Proverbs 3:5:
“Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, lean not to your own–what?–
UNDERSTANDING.”

Folks, I’ve got a lot of unanswered questions; I really have
a lot of unanswered questions,–I’ll be truthful with you: I have
many things in my life that I don’t understand. I could stand right
here and say, ‘let me tell you what’s going on right here…I don’t
understand that;’ I could point out this or that situation, and say,
‘that absolutely defies my intellect; I don’t just understand the
ways of God, in this thing;’ –but, that when you worship God–
especially when THE WHYS far outweigh the answers; that’s when you
say, ‘God, I don’t understand; but, I’m going to fall on my face
before you, in surrender; I’m going to cast my crowns at your feet;
and, I’m going to trust you, Lord!’ THAT’S WORSHIP!

I want you to notice the second thing about Abraham–a true
heart not only involves intellect–he surrendered his intellect:
he didn’t understand, but he trusted and obeyed God. Secondly, it
involves his EMOTIONS. I want you to look at verse 2: “Then He said,
take now your son, your only son Issac–look at the next words–WHO
YOU–what?–LOVE.” 

Let me tell you what I think happened to Abraham. He got up
on Mount Moriah–Issac had already been asking Him some questions–
‘Dad! I see the wood. I see the fire. “Where’s the sacrifice?’
Abraham said to Issac, ‘God will provide the sacrifice;’ but,
Abraham didn’t know how God was going to do it.

Abraham got up on Mount Moriah, and he started building an
altar; and every stick he put on that altar, he said, ‘God, I don’t
understand this; why are you asking me to offer up Issac?
I know you’ll raise him up, Lord; but, what’s the use in it?’
I believe his INTELLECT was absolutely being surrendered; I think
every stone he put in that altar–a tear, wet that stone–because,
HE LOVED ISSAC; and I believe he wept at the very thought of Issac’s
death; that altar wasn’t only an altar for Issac–it was an altar
for Abraham’s emotions; he had to surrender his emotions, to God!

    IT’S EASY TO FOLLOW JESUS WHEN YOUR EMOTIONS ARE GOOD;
  IT IS DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW JESUS WHEN YOUR EMOTIONS ARE BAD.
 
Do you know the real test of your worship: it’s not when
you understand; but, it’s when you don’t understand, and still
surrender! The real test of your worship is not when you feel
everything feels just right; the real test of your worship is when
your emotions are crying out the other way, but you put them on the
altar of God!

Notice what else Abraham did: look down at it in Genesis
22:10: “And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife,
to slay his son” –knowing God would taise him up–yes!–but, still
he surrendered his WILL!

You know, I want to tell you when you worship God–it’s
simply this matter of surrender; we fall on our faces before Him:
that is surrender. We cast our crowns before His throne: that’s
saying, ‘we want all glory and honor and power, to go to you, and
go to Jesus,’ and then, you come before God with a true heart.
If you understand, you worship Him; if you don’t understand,
you still worship Him! If you feel it, you worship Him!
If your emotions are going crazy: you still worship Him!–and you
come to God with your will.

Abraham didn’t argue with God. The Bible says, in verse 3,
he rose up early the next morning, saddled the donkey, and headed
for the mountain; Abraham didn’t call a prayer meeting to decide
whether or not he was going to obey God–he had heard from God;
I’m telling you: he obeyed God!

You know I want to worship God. If I’m going to overcome
the world, the flesh and the devil–if you’re going to overcome the
world, the flesh and the devil–if all of this that comes at us in
this life–I’m telling you, folks–if we’re going to be overcomers:

WE HAVE GOT TO LEARN TO WORSHIP GOD! 

WE CAN! Everyday, we can fall on our faces before Him–the
Lamb on the throne–and surrender! Everyday we can say, ‘Lord Jesus,
today I just want your glory–I just want your honor–here’s my
crown, I just want your power; and Lord, today I bring my intellect,
my emotions and my will and I surrender them to you, and I want to
worship you with a true heart! Now when you have done that, guess
what you can do: you can worship God!–and let me tell you, there is
an act of worship. Turn back over to Revelation, let me show you
now–and you can just start doing this–you’re surrendered; you’ve
cast your crowns before Him; your mind, emotions and will are
surrendered to Him–and so you say.  ‘ Now I’m just going to worship God;
I’m just going to worship the Lamb: Jesus!’

Notice what they do in Revelation, chapter 4: they just worship!
They’ve already surrendered, sought His glory; and so you go into verse
11 and you worship the Father, and it’s good:

    “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power.”

What are they worshipping Him for? As Creator! “You created all
things, by your will they exist and were created.”

Once you’ve surrendered, and cast your crowns and your heart
is yielded before Him, do you know what you need to do?

You need to worship the Father.

Let me tell you a good way to worship the Father.
Can I tell you how to do it?

Use the Psalms. Let me give you an example, you’re
worshipping Him, and you say,

‘well, Lord, O Lord, our Lord: How excellent is thy name in
all the earth;’

and you just worship  Him…and you say,

‘O God, the heavens are clothed with your majesty; and
blessings and glory and honor to you for you are all powerful–
you are all knowing–you are all seeing, and ever present!
O, blessings, and glory and honor to you, Father in heaven, because
you are holy, holy, holy!–is the Lord of Hosts!  O, we worship You,
from everlasting to everlasting!–YOU ARE GOD!–AND YOU NEVER CHANGE!’
 
…it’s called WORSHIPING Him! …but, you say to me, ‘Brother Rob,
it sounds to me like you get preoccupied with God.’

  THAT’S EXACYLY WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!

–preoccupied with Him! 

Oh, you worship Him: ‘You are worthy; you are worthy!’
      Turn to Psalm 147. Are you with God in the morning?–now hear me–
      you’re with God in the morning–you fell on your face before Him
      spiritually; you’ve surrendered; you’ve cast your crown before His
      throne; you only want His glory–and, as far as you know, you’re with
      a true heart before Him, or you say, ‘God give me a true heart:
      all my intellect, all my emotions, and all my will surrendered to you.’
      and then you’re just going to worship God, and so you say, 
      ‘I think I will just turn over Psalm 147, and I’ll worship Him!’

You start in verse 1, and you say, “Praise the Lord! It is
      good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is
      comely;’ ‘God, I praising you because the Lord builds up Jerusalem–
      you gather together the outcasts of Israel; you heal the broken-
      hearted and bind up their wounds! I worship you, O God, for you count
      the number of the stars–and you call them by name! Great is the Lord
      and mighty in power and His understanding is infinite!’

      …it’s called WORSHIPPING God;
that’s all the Psalms are for:
to help you to WORSHIP GOD.

You not only worship the Father–but, you also worship
      ‘the Lamb:’ JESUS! You worship the LAMB OF GOD.

Let me show you what I love; turn back over to Revelation,
      chapter 5. You actually worship Him, after you’ve surrendered and
      cast your crowns before His throne and your heart is true before Him;
      you just begin to praise the Father for whatever He brings to your
      mind. Would you like to know one good way to praise Him–to worship
      Him? Praise Him for His names:

‘Blessing, glory and honor, for you are Jehovah-Jireh:
the Lord, who provides my every need! Blessing, glory and
honor to you, O God, for you are Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord,
who is my peace! Blessing, glory and honor to you, Father,
for you are Jehovah-Nesi: the Lord my banner!–the One who
fights for me!’

      You praise Him for His Holy names!

‘O, blessing, glory and honor, to you, O God, for you are
Jehovah-Rohi: the Lord is my Shepard!’

Let me tell you, friend, when you worship Him, it is THEN,
      that He makes His presence known, and is REAL, to you. Look over in
      Revelation, chapter 5 and notice how they worshipped Jesus–the Lamb.

In verse 8, “the four living creatures and the twenty-four
      elders fell down before the throne and they sang a new song;” and
      look how they just began to worship Jesus now: “You are worthy to take
      the scroll ” –verse 9– “to open the seals, for You were slain;” and
      they began to worship Him because of His redemption: “You have
      redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tongue, tribe and
      nation,–made us kings and priests to God,–and we shall reign on
      earth.”

Look down in verse 11–the crowd’s growing–and they’ve all
      surrendered–they’ve all cast their crowns before Him–they’re before
      God with  a true heart–and they’re worshipping the Lamb, and it says,
      in verse 12–THEY SANG WITHN A LOUD VOICE!

      This pleases Jesus, when you say this: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was
      slain–to receive glory, to receive power and riches, and wisdom and
      strength and honor and glory and blessing,”  and on and on, you go.       

It’s wonderful to worship the Lamb; let me tell you how you
      can do that sometimes: you say,

  ‘I want to worship You, O precious Lamb of God;’

      –and then you go over to Hebrews 1, and you say,

‘I worship you, Jesus, for you are the express image of
His person; You are the brightness of God’s glory, who,
by Yourself, had purged our sins; You sat down down at
the right hand of the throne of God!

O precious Lamb of God, I worship you, because you are the
express image of the invisible God.

I worship you, Lamb of God, for in You dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily and we are complete, in You.’

      You just begin to worship Him as the Lamb of God–your Mediator–your
      Advocate–your Great High Priest, your Head and your Judge.

ALL OF YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE EVOLVES AROUND WORSHIP!

You fall on your face before Him–[SURRENDER]–you cast your
      crowns before His throne–you want His glory and, then, with a true
      heart: with your intellect, your emotions and your will surrendered
      to Him–listen to me–then–you offer up worship to the Father;
      just whatever the Spirit of God brings to your mind, and you worship
      Him; and then you offer up worship to the Lamb–whatever the Spirit
      of God–and you’ll be amazed how God will bring you things about
      Jesus to worship Him about–and to praise Him; but, in order to
      worship God: you have to get alone with Him; and I want to close by
      saying this:

     
  IF YOU’RE TIRED OF GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS;
 
  IF YOU’RE TIRED OF GOD NOT BEING REAL TO YOU;
 
      IF YOU’RE TIRED OF BEING ‘BEAT-UP’
    BY THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL,

    AND YOU WANT GOD TO LIFT YOU TO A NEW LEVEL SPIRITUALLY–

      then I want to tell you:
   
YOU…START…WORSHIPPING…GOD!

Doc Viewed 7051 times

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.