The message from today at NRN - Living a Life of Worship

Pt. 4  Living A Life of Worship

 Living a Life of Worship

INTRO: Worship is the Hebrew word “shachah” (“a” as in Fa ther and “ch” as in Christ) It means to prostrate oneself or to bow down. In the Old Testament it is a common word used to come before God in worship to honor Him.  The English word means to look at someone’s worth-ship. To worship God is to give full respect and honor for who He is. 

Worship is not a product or an experience. It is a verb. Worship is a way of life not an experience or an event.

We become like what we worship. If we:
a. Worship possessions…become a materialistic person.
b. Worship money… become a greedy person.
c. Worship Sex… become a lustful person.
d. Worship Power… become a corrupt person. But…
e. Worship Jesus… become a Christ like person

Today, I want to remind us that The Word of God gives to us the guide to a life of worship. Worship is the reason this day of corporate worship is the foundation on which the other six rest.

Here is our text for today:    

Wake up! Zion, wake up! Dress yourself with strength as if it were your clothes. Holy city of Jerusalem, put on your clothes of glory. Those who haven’t been circumcised will never enter you again. Neither will those who are “unclean.” Get up, Jerusalem! Shake off your dust. Take your place on your throne. Captured people of Zion, remove the chains from your neck.                                                       Isaiah 52:1-2

 o ALERTNESS  - BE ALERT!

                  Wake up! Zion, wake up!                        Isaiah 52:1a

This is God speaking to a people who were going to be taken captive – but at this time free – but preparing them for the time they will not worship in Jerusalem.  Notice what the people had said to God previously:

Wake up, arm of the Lord! Wake up! Dress yourself with strength as if it were your clothes! Wake up, just as you did in the past.  Wake up, as you did long ago.                                                                           Isaiah 51:9a

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

                                                                              Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

Here is an example from the life of Jesus:

Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” So he got up and rebuked    the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?”   Mark 4: 37-40 (NET)

A person who gathers crops in summer is wise. But a person who sleeps at harvest time brings shame.                                          Proverbs 10:5

God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble.                                                 Psalm 46:1

o  ATTIRE

 Holy city of Jerusalem, put on your clothes of glory.                                                                                                   Isaiah 52:1b

There may be something in your spiritual closet that doesn’t look good on you.  Your Best Friend can say things to you about your clothes. Our Best Friend – the Holy Spirit – may point out things that don’t look good on us. Put on CHRIST!    Clean out the closet.   Are you weary? Put on the armor of God!

Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world. So put on all of God’s armor. Evil days will come. But you will be able to stand up to anything. 

And after you have done everything you can, you will still be standing. So remain strong in the faith. Put the belt of truth around your waist. Put the armor of godliness on your chest. Wear on your feet what will prepare you to tell the good news of peace. Also, pick up the shield of faith. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Put on the helmet of salvation. And take the sword of the Holy Spirit. The sword is God’s word. At all times, pray by the power of the Spirit. Pray all kinds of prayers. Be watchful, so that you can pray. Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.                                   Ephesians 6:12-18

 As you are clothed by the Holy Spirit – how are you to conduct your life of worship?  Here is what the Apostle Paul said the church at Colossae – located about 100 miles from Ephesus. Paul was addressing a culture that believed what a person believed had no direct relationship with how they behaved. Read these words carefully about living a life of worship: 

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

 Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe.  Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.                                   Colossians 3:1- 17 (Msg)

o ACCESS

Those who haven’t been circumcised will never enter you again. Neither will those who are “unclean.” Get up, Jerusalem! Shake off your dust. Take your place on your throne. Captured people of Zion, remove the chains from your neck.                                                  Isaiah 52:2

This may be viewed as a promise – I think it may be a point of fact.

It’s time to change the access code of our life and put up a DO NOT ENTER sign – KEEP OUT!  Negativity – Fear – Worry -   My holiness – my worship is too important to let things into my life.

Be on your guard. Remain strong in the faith. Be brave. Be loving in everything you do.                                             1 Corinthians 16:13-14

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.     Philippians 4:7 (NASB)

PRAYER: Lord, You are my Lord and King. I worship You and I praise You for there is none like You.  Thank you Lord that you have clothed me with gladness whenever I feel hopeless. You heal me when I am in despair. You build me up when I am weak in my soul. Thank you Lord that I do not need to live in sadness, depression, or hurt- because You are my redeemer. I put my trust in You and desire to worship you with all my life and glorify Your name as Lord of all! May my life be my worship My life be my song May I praise You my Savior All the day long From the sun in its rising To the night when it falls May my life be my worship! May I live to your praise Oh God.     AMEN