I. We bear witness to hope that is within.
I Peter 3:15
1Pet. 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
II. We bear witness to the Lord who gives us hope.
1Pet. 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
III. We bear witness to the Lord, so that the hearers might be granted repentance.
2Tim. 2:24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
2Tim. 2:25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
IV. We bear witness, stimulated and empowered by the Spirit of Christ.
Acts 1:6 ¶ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
…church historian Kenneth Scott Latourette:
"the primary change agents in the spread of faith...were the men and women who earned their livelihood in some purely secular manner, and spoke of their faith to those whom they met in this natural fashion."
--Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity,
Volume I: The First Five Centuries, 116.,
Recovering from a serious illness, Phillips Brooks refused to receive any visitors, even his closest friends.
When the agnostic Robert Ingersoll called, however, the bishop did not turn him away. Ingersoll, conscious of the privilege, was curious to know the reason behind it.
Said the bishop, "I feel confident of seeing my friends in the next world, but this may be my last chance of seeing you."
--Phillips Brooks (1835-93), US Episcopal bishop—Massachusetts (b.1835-d.1893).
The Little, Brown Book of Ancedotes edited by Clifton Fadiman
Showing posts with label Vision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vision. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Vision For Worship 24 February 08 notes
A few comments…
1. Tabernacle, feast of Tabernacles.
Tabernacles—in the wilderness, God dwelt with men-- “TABERNACLE”
Feast of Tabernacles—built outdoor tents, to commemorates God’s preservation when they were vulnerable in the wilderness
Temple—recently lost it’s appeal because God was no longer visibly present; rebuilt by Herod the Great as a political claim, overshadowed by cultic traditions that obscured God.
Now, the Temple is a shadow of Jesus!
Davis, John D., Westminster Dictionary
Bronze altar
fire continually burned, sacrifices evening & morning
Laver
water to wash hands and feet before entering
Screen
Table of the Bread of the Presence
12 loaves of bread, eaten by Levites
God sustains life with its necessities
Lampstand burned continually
Altar of incense-- (Ex. 30:1-10), symbolical of the adoration of God by His
people cleansed of sin
Veil
Holy Place
Holy of Holies
Ark--tablets, manna, Aaron’s rod
…God’s majesty is displayed in the grandeur required of His sanctuary. His holiness is expressed in the restrictions on access to His sanctuary. The divinely ordained sacrificial system shows that people can approach Yahweh only on the terms He appoints, and only as provision has been made to atone for sin.
But the central theme of the tabernacle accounts remains Yahweh’s desire to dwell with His people. Here the tabernacle takes its place in the unfolding drama of the Bible as a whole. Humanity’s unrestricted communion with God is forfeited by sin (Gen.3). The tabernacle testifies, however, to God’s continuing desire to commune with His people. Yet the communion made possible by divine grace and appointment in the tabernacle is in constant jeopardy because of human impurity and guilt. In the NT the theme is carried further. The language of the tabernacle is used to show how the Word of God became incarnate and ‘dwelt’ among us (Jn., 1:14). The consummation of the dine plan will be reached when the ‘dwelling [lit. ‘tent’] of God is with men’ (Rev. 21:3).
2. They were terrified by Jesus…
God the Father: Shut up and listen!
Silence is a skill we don’t have.
In each Gospel account, the disciples are terrified, afraid. [Mark 9; Luke 9]
Brightness in all accounts.
* If we are not terrified, we are merely singing, not worshiping.
Isaiah—his terror was responded to with ‘I’ll clean up Isaiah.”
Matthew—Jesus came and touched them, get up and don’t be afraid.
About their wanting to build tabernacles; Jesus said
NOT YET, THREE WORSHIPERS is not enough.
3. Drowsy disciples almost missed the sight of Jesus in all his beauty.
A little more detail in Luke…
Luke 9:32 Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.
They were sleepy! Similar to the Garden drowsiness later.
Drowsy worshipers???
4. The impact of worship…What if we lived this out?
Lyrics would matter to us, melodies & harmonies would serve as delightful ways to float those words to the ears of God. We would be on a constant quest to say more clearly how great our God is, a constant search for new harmonies to reflect our corporate delight in Him.
Mercy, justice, delight, and joy would pervade all of Hamilton, a holy city, full of people whose joy would be undaunted. A place where merely uttering the Name of God would bring joy and laughter, music and dancing. A community with a passion for work and development of our garden.
5. Worship for those who don’t…
John Piper
The reason man was created in the beginning and the reason the church is being recreated in the end is for the worship of God. Missions therefore is neither God's primary end nor the primary end of the church. It is a means to the primary end of worship. Missions exists because worship doesn't. There will be no missions in the age to come. Worship will be our life. Missions is not our ultimate goal. It is a means to our goal.
6. Gospel—how is it that we can see God and not be afraid!
Awestruck, reverent, terrified, welcomed.
Heb. 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Heb. 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1. Tabernacle, feast of Tabernacles.
Tabernacles—in the wilderness, God dwelt with men-- “TABERNACLE”
Feast of Tabernacles—built outdoor tents, to commemorates God’s preservation when they were vulnerable in the wilderness
Temple—recently lost it’s appeal because God was no longer visibly present; rebuilt by Herod the Great as a political claim, overshadowed by cultic traditions that obscured God.
Now, the Temple is a shadow of Jesus!
Davis, John D., Westminster Dictionary
Bronze altar
fire continually burned, sacrifices evening & morning
Laver
water to wash hands and feet before entering
Screen
Table of the Bread of the Presence
12 loaves of bread, eaten by Levites
God sustains life with its necessities
Lampstand burned continually
Altar of incense-- (Ex. 30:1-10), symbolical of the adoration of God by His
people cleansed of sin
Veil
Holy Place
Holy of Holies
Ark--tablets, manna, Aaron’s rod
…God’s majesty is displayed in the grandeur required of His sanctuary. His holiness is expressed in the restrictions on access to His sanctuary. The divinely ordained sacrificial system shows that people can approach Yahweh only on the terms He appoints, and only as provision has been made to atone for sin.
But the central theme of the tabernacle accounts remains Yahweh’s desire to dwell with His people. Here the tabernacle takes its place in the unfolding drama of the Bible as a whole. Humanity’s unrestricted communion with God is forfeited by sin (Gen.3). The tabernacle testifies, however, to God’s continuing desire to commune with His people. Yet the communion made possible by divine grace and appointment in the tabernacle is in constant jeopardy because of human impurity and guilt. In the NT the theme is carried further. The language of the tabernacle is used to show how the Word of God became incarnate and ‘dwelt’ among us (Jn., 1:14). The consummation of the dine plan will be reached when the ‘dwelling [lit. ‘tent’] of God is with men’ (Rev. 21:3).
2. They were terrified by Jesus…
God the Father: Shut up and listen!
Silence is a skill we don’t have.
In each Gospel account, the disciples are terrified, afraid. [Mark 9; Luke 9]
Brightness in all accounts.
* If we are not terrified, we are merely singing, not worshiping.
Isaiah—his terror was responded to with ‘I’ll clean up Isaiah.”
Matthew—Jesus came and touched them, get up and don’t be afraid.
About their wanting to build tabernacles; Jesus said
NOT YET, THREE WORSHIPERS is not enough.
3. Drowsy disciples almost missed the sight of Jesus in all his beauty.
A little more detail in Luke…
Luke 9:32 Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.
They were sleepy! Similar to the Garden drowsiness later.
Drowsy worshipers???
4. The impact of worship…What if we lived this out?
Lyrics would matter to us, melodies & harmonies would serve as delightful ways to float those words to the ears of God. We would be on a constant quest to say more clearly how great our God is, a constant search for new harmonies to reflect our corporate delight in Him.
Mercy, justice, delight, and joy would pervade all of Hamilton, a holy city, full of people whose joy would be undaunted. A place where merely uttering the Name of God would bring joy and laughter, music and dancing. A community with a passion for work and development of our garden.
5. Worship for those who don’t…
John Piper
The reason man was created in the beginning and the reason the church is being recreated in the end is for the worship of God. Missions therefore is neither God's primary end nor the primary end of the church. It is a means to the primary end of worship. Missions exists because worship doesn't. There will be no missions in the age to come. Worship will be our life. Missions is not our ultimate goal. It is a means to our goal.
6. Gospel—how is it that we can see God and not be afraid!
Awestruck, reverent, terrified, welcomed.
Heb. 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Heb. 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
