INSIGHT
 

   When Jacob was fleeing to Haran because he was afraid of Esau,  (Gen. 27:41-45) he stopped to rest in a certain place because it was sundown. Before the dream, the place had only been a stopping place reached by sunset, but when he awoke it had become a holy place.

 

“Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it! ... How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen. 28:16-17 NRSV).

 

   The holy presence of God had penetrated into ordinary (profane) space in a way which had aroused the  awareness Jacob. This experience transformed Jacob into a God-fearing man, concerned with pleasing God and not himself.

 

   “The sacred (holy) and profane are united in the experience of worship. The English word worship was originally spelled "worthship" and means to acknowledge the worth of the person or object worshipped. We should acknowledge God's worth in spirit (in contrast to material ways) and in truth (in contrast to falsehood).”

                                    ¾Holman Bible Dictionary

 

    There are several Greek words that are translated as worship in English. The one that captures the kind of worship God seeks in John 4:23 is proskuneo.  The word is derived from two Greek words that depict the image of a dog licking its Master’s hand.  This imagery reveals the attitude necessary to worship God. He seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

 

   Worship-centered living is the conviction of knowing Who is Lord of your life. You show this by your dealings with people, responsibilities and relationships. Stewardship, timeliness and accountability are qualities that are also affected when you live a transformed life---------> your spiritual act of worship! Rom 12:1-2
The Life in Christ
Worship-Centered Living

Key Text:                 Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

Theme:

In order for you to be able to worship God in a manner that is pleasing to Him you must allow for transformation to happen by the renewing of your mind through the Holy Spirit. Conformity to the world does not allow you to judge what God’s will is. In order to live a worship-centered life your mind and thoughts must be yielding to God’s Word. Your life and actions must be pliable to God’s will. Your goals, wishes and dreams must be in accordance with God’s will.  Without being deeply rooted in the word and  without a strong conviction and commitment to be transformed by the Spirit in order to please your Lord, there is no worship taking place in your life!

 

Application:

Here are some practical suggestions:

1. Pray daily to God! Be open about the areas in your life that need to change. Ask for wisdom and willingness on your part to allow God to change you.

2. Let God communicate with you! Read the Word often, as if God is speaking directly with you because He is! Take what you read as His advice, personally applicable to your life!

3. Seek and Take Advice! When your brothers/sisters advise you take it as a godly thing. The Lord is answering your sincere prayers! Don’t treat with contempt their advice!

 

 May the Lord richly bless you!

 

Sermon Outline

Worship-Centered Living

 

I. The Transforming Mind¾Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-2

 

      1. Your Spiritual act of worship

          a. The offering of your body.

          b. Needs to be a holy body, pleasing to God.

      2. How you offer your body as a living sacrifice?

          a. Be effective & productive

          e. Put to work the abilities God has given you

      3. To offer your body your mind must be transformed

 

II. The Upward call¾Spiritual Maturity

Hebrews 5:12-14; 6:1-13

 

   1. What milk accomplishes

   2. What solid food accomplishes

   3. The Lord expects productivity and usefulness

       a. Worship-centered living allows for a

       transformation that expresses itself as productivity

       b. Maturity is the attitude that allows that

         transformation to take place and glorify God

 

III. The Elements of Fruitful Growth

2 Peter 1:3-11

 

  1. These elements are given to us by divine power

  2. We can choose to put them to use or bury them

  3. In increasing measure, they make you useful and

      productive!

  4. Your knowledge of the Bible is to be put into action!

 

IV. Conclusion: The example of Josiah

2 Chronicles 34, 35

 

  1. Josiah did not conform to evil practices

  2. Josiah reformed and transformed

  3. His life was worship-centered

  4. He regarded with reverence the Laws of God

  5. He was a man of action

  6. He turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and

     strength¾2 Kings 23:25
Small Group Study

Warm-up:

Look at the people in your class. Focus on the person to your left. If you know them well list the talents you see God has given them.

 

See To It                       Matthew 25:14-30            

 

1. Who is the Master (the man who went on a journey)? Who are the slaves?

 

2. What did he entrust to the slaves? How did he distribute his wealth? Why wasn’t the wealth evenly distributed? v.15

 

3. When did the slave who received the five talents put the talents to work? What did the third slave do?

 

4. From verse 21, why the Master call his slave good and faithful? What did he mean by faithful? Why do you suppose that he treated the second slave the same way?

 

5. The third slave had a certain attitude about the Master. What attitude do you suppose this was, in light of what he told his Master? Did the first two slaves need to come up with some excuse when they presented their talents to their Master?

 

6. How did the Master respond to each of the three slaves? What was the justification given in the parable for each response?

 

Seeing It Closer:

 

1. Are you eager to multiply the gifts God has given to you?

 

2. Do you battle with any negative attitudes that have at times prevented your fruitfulness in the Lord? (I.e. not trusting, lack of faith, worrying, negativity, etc.)

 

3. Are you eager to enter into the joy of your Master?

 

Getting To It:

 

Reflect on how you are preparing yourself for the daily challenges that you face. Do you seek to live a worship-centered life? Are you awaiting your Master’s return?

 

This week's Quiet Times:

Worship-Centered Living

 

MONDAY

In order to take a good look into your life, to see if you are allowing transformation (maturity) to take place, we are going to look into four parables that illustrate worship-centered living. The first one is in Luke 12:42-48. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Look up the word shrewd in a good dictionary. How can you justify the definitions of the word shrewd in light of what the faithful and good manager does? What has this kind of manager been put in charge of (v. 42)? What do you think the food represents? What else is this kind of manager put in charge of (v.44)? Could it possibly mean material possessions? Notice that verses 46 & 47 depict the manager that is unfruitful and unproductive (unfaithful). What are some characteristics of this manager? Does he manage God’s blessings well? How about the way he treats his brethren? What will be the end for this manager? From verse 47, what does the manager have to know? You, being the manager, how are you going to know your Master’s will? God expects you to be fruitful with what He has given you. BELIEVE AND BE TRANSFORMED! Write Psalm 29:2 on an index card and memorize it. Are you mismanaging some blessing God has given to you? Don't be surprised if it is taken away unless you have a change of heart!

 

TUESDAY

The parable of the talents and the parable of the minas are very similar, yet teach two different viewpoints you need to have about the spiritual supplies God has blessed you with. Read Luke 19:12-27. To each servant the Lord gives one mina, totaling ten. A mina is a Greek monetary unit, equivalent to a three month salary. What is the commission given by the nobleman to his servants in verse 13?  What was the response of his subjects? Could it be that they didn’t  want to work hard? Could it be that they didn’t want to earn their responsibility? There were at least two servants that didn’t respond negatively. Describe what these servants did. What do you think their attitude was? Look at the Master’s response. What does he call the servants who earned more from the solitary mina they were given? Notice he describes them as trustworthy! (Look up trustworthy in a good dictionary) What does He call the servant who just simply returned the mina? What was the attitude of this servant? Are you expected to produce, or what? Write Psalm 100:2 on an index card and memorize it.

               

WEDNESDAY

The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30. Notice that each slave receives talents according to his/her abilities, in contrast to the parable of the minas in which each servant receives the same amount. This could be that the mina stands for the life which God gives each of us to live, where the talents represent the gifts/abilities that God gives each of us and make each of us different. In tonight’s class you will discuss this parable extensively. For now, meditate on the abilities you know you posses.  Think about the blessings God has granted to you. Make a list of them and next to them write how you are worshipping God with this ability/gift (could be a material gift (possession). Do you realize that depending on how you manage these things that God could take them away from you or put you in charge of more things and/or bless you with more (better) abilities? Do you believe this? Don’t you know that what the Lord has given is holy?! (Even the relationships He allows you to have!) Don't treat them with contempt! Write Psalm 99:9 on an index card and memorize it.

 

THURSDAY

The parable of the sower focuses more on the maturity aspect of growth. The same also applies to the previous parables. Without the desire to grow and mature in and through God’s Spirit you couldn’t be a good manager in the affairs of God. Read Luke 8:4-15. Four soils are described. One was able to be fruitful. If you were the farmer, would you be pleased with soil that does not bring forth a crop? Why not? What would you do with the thorns? What kind of soil are you? If you are doing this study you probably are not the path. If you have received the word with joy you are one of the last three soils. If you are not deeply rooted in the Word and/or are worried by the things of the world (not trusting in God) then you are not the good soil. What three things characterize the good soil? The seed on good soil lets the Word change and mature them so they can produce! Write Luke 8:15  on an index card and memorize it.

 

FRIDAY

Let’s look at Josiah for a minute. Let’s examine his attitude. He was a man who worshipped God with all his heart, soul and strength. You will be reading from 2 Chronicles 34 & 35. According to verse 2 in chapter 34, did Josiah seek to follow his own way, or the ways of his father?  According to verse three, what caused Josiah to begin reform throughout Judah and Jerusalem?  What was Josiah’s response when he heard the Word of God (v.19)? What was God’s response (v.27)? From verses 31-33, would you say that Josiah was a lazy servant of God? Do you think that his convictions were heard throughout the kingdom? Do you think that he let worldly ways influence him?  What kind of revival happened due to renewed commitment? (35:18)?  Did the people miss him when he died (35:24,25)? What kind of mindset did this servant have? Do you think he put his talents (mina) to work?  Write 2 Kings 23:25 on an index card and memorize it.