Thursday March 16 2017  WHY WERE YOU BORN?

A few weeks ago I received a letter with an interesting question.  The young person writing the letter questioned, “Why does God want us to worship Him?”

The next morning I was at the gym and wanted to listen to a sermon from Southland Christian Church in Kentucky but I had already listened to over nine years worth of sermons since visiting this church last April.  I had no more new sermons to listen to as I was up to date on those currently recorded.  So I scrolled down, asking God what He wanted me to learn that day.  And the sermon I refer to in this blog is the one that surfaced.  It is so like God to bring up that exact sermon because it was pertinent to the question I had received in the mail the prior afternoon.  Since that time I have been listening the sermon over and over.  Each time I receive new insight, understanding, and revelation through the words presented by Jon Weece 

The following blog is a recap of a sermon I have listened to online.  Directions for navigating to the series on the web will follow this blog.  Some of blog is quoted verbatim.  In essence I am sharing Jon Weece’s sermon as if it were a book report.   

I hope this “report” will whet your appetite to listen to this sermon, as well as many of the other sermons available on the website.  Open your heart to receive the spoken words.  When I discovered this site I felt as if I had opened a treasure chest. All five sermons in this series are excellent.

I hope you enjoy my “book report” in its condensed version.

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Have  you ever been asked the question: “Why were you born?”. 

Why is it important to know?

What is your purpose in life?

The sermon I listened to is about this very topic.  Why are we born?  The speaker was once asked that question for an assignment when he was in grade school.  When he stood up in front of the class to deliver his oral report he said, “I was born to worship”.

As an adult speaker he still agrees with that assumption.  His premise is that everybody worships something.  He was told as a young child that “giving worship was nothing more than giving praise where praise is due”.

Following are the synonyms for worship: adoration, love, reverence, respect, devotion, veneration, and adore.

In reference to the above synonyms given for worship I agree with Pastor Weece that we as a human race all take part in worshipping some “one” or some “thing”. Since I am most familiar with the lifestyle of our own country I will focus on where we as a nation seem to focus our worship.  Popular culture seems to hold the most prestige; rock stars, movie stars, sports, and music.  

God, Who created all things and for Whom all things were created, where does He come into the scheme of worship?  And why does God want us to worship Him?

When we worship God what does it do for God?  What does it do for us?

Following are four points from the sermon regarding why we worship God.

 

“WHEN WE WORSHIP IT ELEVATES US.”

Regardless of our reality down here on earth it does not adversely affect what is happening in heaven.  Worship allows us to reach the throne of God and receive a touch from heaven.  “Worship ELEVATES us” because WE reach upward to God.

 

“WORSHIP CENTERS US.”

Worship allows us to look above the highest position here on earth; above all men, all palaces, all earthly thrones, and to be aware that there is a higher infinite being who is God.  John Weece quotes: “When we see God we are left speechless and fearless.”  When we worship we come to a place of connection with God and all our earthly concerns assume their proper size.  Worship allows us to experience God in a way that “allows us to see God for who He is and how powerful He is and how good He is and how benevolent He is”.  It reminds us that God sees everything, knows everything, and is omnipresent; He is everywhere at once.

“God reigns and rules from a perpetual posture of goodness.    He always has your best interest in mind  and when we worship Him we are always ELEVATED and CENTERED on that reality.  When we worship we are aware of that reality.” 

 

“WORSHIP DISPLACES US.”

When we realize who God is and that the fact that He is the center of the universe that He created, is when we understand worship. “We bow because worship happens when we elevate our hearts above our heads.”  When we realize who God IS and that we are not the center of the universe, it affects our hearts.  It is when we realize who God is and who we are not, it will change how we worship and how we live.

 

Revelation 4: 8b-11  New International Version

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’^[b]

who was, and is, and is to come.”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

 

“WORSHIP UNITES US.”

Revelation 5:11-13 New International Version

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power,
forever and ever!”

¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

All creation is united around one reality and that is worshipping its creator.  We were alienated because of sin in the garden and now must work to love one another.  There is tension and misunderstanding between people and nations.  God’s original order was disrupted when sin entered the world and we have earthquakes and other global catastrophes.

Only worship reunites us with our creator as God originally planned.  The songs we sing in worship to the Lord are like a map leading us to his throne room.  God has placed music within us and it is through this music of worship that we once again connect with Him.

Words from this song of long ago speak loudly of what worship accomplishes.

 

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.”

 

“When you realize that the God of the universe came down off of His throne and gave His life up for you, you’ll want to give your life back.  That’s the gift.  We call that worship. Praising somebody who is worthy of being praised… That’s why I am here.  That’s why I was born.”

 

TO WHOM PRAISE IS DUE

Kathleen Martens

March 16, 2017

http://www.visionsofpoetry.com

 

God in His magnificence

Came down from His throne.

He offered a gift

Like none ever known.

 

He breached the chasm

That sin had displaced,

Allowing us once again

To meet face to face.

 

And while on earth

We are justified,

Cleansed by His blood

Death to defy.

 

Only the God of heaven

Could our breach sanctify

And only by His blood

Was our heart purified.

 

God who created

All heaven and earth,

Even the universe

By Him was birthed.

 

And through our worship

We are touched by glory.

When we bow at His throne

We are part of His story.

 

God’s power exceeds

Our finite mind,

And our praise due Him

Because He’s one of a kind!

 

No other power on heaven or earth

Could do what God’s done

By making life possible

Through the gift of His Son.

 

More than anything else

He desires our fraternity

That we will live forever

With Him in eternity.

 

So we glorify God

Because he loves me and you

And we worship by giving praise

To Whom Praise is due.

 

Thank You God for the question I received that gave me so much thought as to why we worship You.

Thank You for guiding me to the words I need to hear.

Thank You for the seeking hearts of young people.

Thank You Lord for loving each one of us enough to die that our sins would be forgiven.

Thank You for Your beautiful creations of earth and sky.

Thank You for the gift of life.

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.

 

Quotation marks are direct quotes from the sermon by Jon Weese unless otherwise noted.  However, I give credit to Jon Weese for the message this blog portrays.  This is just a tip of the iceburg as to what the entire sermon contained.  Do yourself a favor and listen for yourself.

To listen to the sermon go to: www.southlandchristian.org

Click on TEACHING

Click on PAST SERIES

Scroll down

Click on OLDER SERIES

Continue scrolling down (by clicking on OLDER SERIES)

It is about three scrolls down and you will come to a series titled UP THERE DOWN HERE.

Click on UP THERE DOWN HERE

Click on sermon: WORSHIPING GOD WHOLE HEARTEDLY

 

You might want to add this website to your home screen if you have a smart phone.  It is great listening, anytime, day or night!