Title Blessing of Worship [Ex 20:18-24]
Contents The blessing of worship [Ex 20:18-24]
Why did God create humans? If you look closely at the entire Bible, it is to serve God. That is, to worship God. A person who does not worship is a rebel against God and a person who rebels against God. Those who do not know how to worship God have lost neither meaning nor value to live. Because those who do not know how to worship are cut off from God. Today we must realize that worship is the most important part of our lives.
In Goethe's 'Faust', 'Why does life exist? Who am I?' No matter how much I think about who I am, why I live, and where I am going, I can't get a clear answer. During the one-hour worship service, it is revealed that the thought of dying has changed to the thought of living. Worship turns death into life. Please believe that when you worship God, your empty heart will be filled with abundant grace, overflowing with joy and hope.
So what is worship?
First, it is to serve the God who created and chose mankind.
According to the book of Exodus, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and the purpose of bringing them out is not so that they can enjoy freedom and peace and live a comfortable life free from Pharaoh's oppression. The Bible says many times that it is to worship God and serve God. “After you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). “Let my people go. They will keep a feast before me in the wilderness.” (Exodus 5:1) “Let my people go. They will serve me in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16).
When the Israelites left Egypt and worshiped God on Mount Sinai, God was present in them. “The people saw thunder and lightning and the sound of trumpets and smoke from the mountains. They stood afar off, trembling when they saw it” (verse 18), where the thunder symbolizes 'God's holiness', the lightning symbolizes 'God's righteous judgment', the sound of a trumpet symbolizes the 'power of God's word,' and the mountain The smoke symbolizes 'the glory of God'. God creates human beings and chooses to serve God, that is, to those who worship Him, He is present in His great image.
Second, we give what we have received from God.
In Greek, ‘worship’ means to offer. “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). I know some people are worshippers. So, when I ask, ‘Deacon, where are you going?’, the answer is ‘I am going to worship.’ Worship is about giving, not seeing.
We must worship God with all our heart, body, time, and devotion before God. So, when we worship, we must offer in spirit and truth (John 4:23), and we must offer sacrifices. And when offering sacrifices, you must offer them with faith. If you give in faith, it can't be that happy and good. But if you don't have faith, you don't know why giving is so precious. Sacrifice is the seed of blessing. So God told me not to show me empty handed (Ex 23:15), and also not to give stingy or compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Also, when you worship God with faith, you become a great glory to God and a blessing to yourself. “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than that of Cain, and he received evidence that he was righteous, because God testified of the gift. He is dead, but by his faith he speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).
Third, it is meeting God.
When we worship, we meet God. In John 4:23, we read, “The hour is coming, and now is, when those who truly worship the Father will worship in spirit and truth. The Father is looking for those who worship him like this.” God is looking for worshipers. In verse 24 of today's text, it says, "I will come and bless you wherever I do my name." Wherever we worship, God descends.
Some people pray as a representative prayer, saying, 'God, I am very afraid that only people will gather here and then part.' Why do you pray like this? We must believe in God's promises and pray. Since you said that you are coming to the place of worship, we praise God who has come among us. We thank the Lord for coming among us. Glory be to the Lord who has come to us.’ We should pray like this.
Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” Those who earnestly seek God will find God.
There is a huge spiritual difference between those who worship and those who do not. Moses went up to Mount Sinai and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. However, when the people at the bottom of the mountain saw that Moses was slow to come down from the mountain, they asked Aaron to make a god to lead us, and they made a golden calf and offered sacrifices saying it was the god who brought them out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 32:1-6). ). God told Moses that he would destroy his people. In this way, those who worship God receive the illumination of the Holy Spirit and their faces become radiant, but those who do not worship God are far from God and lead a corrupt and depraved life.
Even today, for those who worship God, God illuminates the light of life, the light of the Holy Spirit, the light of the Word, and the light of glory in their hearts, so that a more beautiful and shining life is achieved. People with a stuffy heart say, 'Oh, my heart is stuffy'. It is frustrating because there is no light from the Holy Spirit. Those who have been illuminated by the Holy Spirit through worshiping God live in hymns with peace like a river, joy springing up like a spring, and love as wide as the sea.
Fourth, it is the act of receiving blessings from God.
God always blesses those who worship. “Build me an altar of earth and offer your burnt offerings and peace offerings on it, of your sheep and oxen. Wherever I do my name, I will come and bless you” (verse 24). Of course, we do not worship with the desire to receive blessings. When you glorify God, you automatically receive blessings. I hope that all of you who worship God believe that you are receiving infinite blessings right now.
When Abraham obeyed God's word and worshiped God wherever he went, God led him to a prosperous path, made his name great, and made him a source of blessings (Genesis 12:1,2). ).
There was an incident a few years ago when a ship capsized on the west coast, killing all 300 precious people who went fishing. At that time, a certain high-ranking official and wife were going to go together, but when I looked at the date, it was the day my husband was baptized, and my wife said, ‘Honey, this is the day we promised God. It's a day when God blesses you. It is the day you will be baptized.’ He told me that he should never go, so he did not go and was baptized. On that day, my husband heard the news of the accident through breaking news, and realized God's love and said that God saved us. Always, whatever we do, do not put my own will first, but think first of whether this work is in accordance with God's will or glorify God, and believe that God will give us better things every day if we do our work.
Sunday worship saves the spirit as well as the body. Make yourself prosperous, your family prosperous, and your children prosper. And I hope that those who keep Sunday and worship before God believe that all of their lives are guaranteed by God.
Dear saints, Worship is serving God who created and chosen mankind, offering what we have received from God, meeting God, and receiving blessings from God. By realizing the preciousness of worship and worshiping in spirit and truth, you will be illuminated by the Holy Spirit, overflowing with emotion and joy, and receive all the blessings God has promised you, such as spiritual blessings, health blessings, wealth, and prosperity. I bless you in the name of Jesus.