ENTERING INTO HEAVENLY WORSHIP-4
Summer Series “Growing in Worship”
Rev. Kevin L. Baker
INTRO
John Wesley was about 21 years of age when he went to Oxford University. He came from a Christian home, and he was gifted with a keen mind and good looks. Yet in those days he was a bit snobbish and sarcastic. One night, however, something happened that set in motion a change in Wesley's heart. While speaking with a porter, he discovered that the poor fellow had only one coat and lived in such impoverished conditions that he didn't even have a bed. Yet he was an unusually happy person , filled with gratitude to God. Wesley, being immature, thoughtlessly joked about the man's misfortunes. "And what else do you thank God for?" he said with a touch of sarcasm. The porter smiled, and in the spirit of meekness replied with joy, "I thank Him that He has given me my life and being, a heart to love Him, and above all a constant desire to serve Him!" Deeply moved, Wesley recognized that this man knew the meaning of true thankfulness.
Many years later, in 1791, John Wesley lay on his deathbed at the age of 88. Those who gathered around him realized how well he had learned the lesson of praising God in every circumstance. Despite Wesley's extreme weakness, he began singing the hymn, "I'll Praise My Maker While I've Breath."
· Today, I pray we all find the same revelation of worship as Wesley and become a people of praise.
· We are in week six of our summer sermon series on worship, we have progressed to the point of talking about the Kyrie and the time of praise and worship songs in our service of divine worship every Sunday.
· We have learned that Worship begins in heaven. The summary New Testament passage on heavenly worship is Hebrews 8:1-6. (show this on the PowerPoint). http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb.%208:1-6;&version=31;
· Here Jesus Christ is described as the High Priest, seated at the right hand of God, Who has accomplished salvation and reconciliation through His mediation.
· Verse 2 says that this High Priest has another role also. He is the Liturgist (the word is leitourgos) of the sanctuary.
· Jesus Christ Himself is the Liturgist, and this liturgy takes place in the "sanctuary of the true tabernacle" which is in Heaven before the throne of God.
· Verses 4 and 5 say that worship on earth is patterned after that in Heaven. This is described in verse 6 as the "more excellent liturgy" which He has obtained because He is the mediator of "a better covenant".
· The teaching is quite clear — liturgical worship is not optional. Rather, it is normative for Christians. Worship on earth, then, is to be an extension, a reflection, of that in the Kingdom.
· It is to be a window to heaven. Christian believers cannot decide that this or that is unnecessary and disposable because it is not contemporary or is not in vogue.
· The obligation is to follow and to serve God, to accept His Word of revelation. This is the guardianship of Tradition in the life of the Church; to remain true to the faith as revealed, as it was in the beginning.
· Now, as we get back into our study of Entering Heavenly Worship, have moved beyond the entrance into God’s presence now, and if you have missed the five lessons that preceded this, please check out our web site to catch up.
I. THE KYRIE ELEISON
· Kyrie Eleison (Greek for "Lord have mercy")is a very old, even pre-Christian, expression used constantly in all Christian liturgies first seen in the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
· It is the prayer for mercy found in Luke 18:9-14.
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
· Traditionally, each line was sung three times. The three lines each sung three times is an allusion to the trinity.
· After our corporate and individual confession of sin together as a body, and the comforting words of assurance of God’s forgiveness the Kyrie song is raised as a petition, according to the Great Reformer John Calvin, “for help in order to live according to the obligations of God's covenant” law which we have hard as a summary or in the full Decalogue of the Ten Commandments.
· We have been forgiven, so Lord have mercy to help us live your law.
· The Kyrie occurs frequently in the Scriptures, both in the OT and NT. It is the prayer of the whole congregation - the sinners cry for mercy to the Triune God. Here all express their helplessness because of sin, their complete dependence on God’s saving mercy. It should therefore be sung slowly and quietly.
II. WORSHIP IN SONG
· After we have ascended into heaven and entered the presence of God, been forgiven of our sins, and prayed for God to help us live holy lives by keeping his law, we begin to celebrate the presence of God’s Kingdom in our midst.
· What we call in evangelical terms “praise and worship”.”
· When you have experienced what Jesus has accomplished for you in salvation and know Jesus, the cry of your heart is to worship him.
· This time of the service is a time of spontaneous praise and celebration!
· One pastor was asked "Why is music important in corporate worship?"
While music is a powerful feature of worship, I think the discussion could easily be broadened to include the arts in general. The arts--music, icons, graphics, paintings, drama, atmospherics (candles, incense, lighting), etc. all have a way of bypassing the rational faculties and moving the heart, emotions, and other senses. If the Christian experience can be broken down into components I would suggest that Stephen Land's categories are the best I have seen: orthodoxy (right doctrine), orthoproxy (right practice) and orthopathy (right emotional response). Music has a way of tapping into the passions of our heart and spirit
According to Paul in 1 Cor. 14:26, in the context of the service of corporate worship:
26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
· The liturgy of worship is the fireplace that the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in. The liturgy gives us borders to keep holy fire from becoming wildfire, but yet, a cold fireplace is not what worship is supposed to be either. In the time of spontaneous praise we often see the gifts of the Spirit.
· Fire in the fireplace is the kind of worship St. Paul describes in 1 Cor. 12-14. He talks about the church at worship and how spiritual gifts are manifest as fire in the fireplace of the liturgy.
· In a few weeks I will take an entire day to talk about the dynamic of the spontaneous move of the Holy Spirt’s gifts in worship. For now, let me say this: When it comes to revelations, tongues, and the move of the gifts, I would want you to bring anything you think God wants to do to me.
· I am the overseer and leader of worship, and responsible to the Bishop for all done here.
· I prefer to not release people to prophesy at will until I have seen a proven ministry under authority. Some people with agendas are known to come into a church as guests and take over the service with prophetic words. They are vagabonds and usually operating under a Jezebel spirit as deceivers. HERE IN OUR CHURCH, THERE ARE SEVERAL I HAVE TOTAL FAITH IN THEIR PROPHETIC GIFTS TO SPEAK AT WILL. ALL OUR LEADERS AND MUSICIANS.
· Also, remember, when talked about the language of worship, we talked about how we use body language to worship with all of our strength; our physical being.
1 Chronicles 16:23
Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
1 Chronicles 25:1
David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of
Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps,
lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:
Psalm 47:1
[ For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. ] Clap
your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
2 Samuel 6:14
David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might,
Psalm 95:6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our
Maker;
CONCLUSION
Ji Packer said, “To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity "glorifying God" or "giving glory to God," and views it as the ultimate end, and from one point of view, the whole duty of man (Ps. 29:2; 96:6; 1 Cor. 10:31).”
· May this be our goal and prayer as a Church here at St. Patrick’s. How many of you are willing to make glorifying God in all of your life your goal? How many look forward to coming here each week to meet with God’s people to glorify him and praise him together?
· Then Lord, on those who have made you their desire, I pray for you to pour out your Spirit on them to give then the anointing to do it!