Unashamed Adoration

Unashamed Adoration: Who Is Getting The Glory?

Going Vertical Series

Preaching Passage: Selected Scripture

Subject: Praise

Theme: Unashamed and unhindered Praise and Adoration

INTRO: The modern church experience is designed to be palatable because we have lost the ability to be powerful!

·      So much of the worship experience is designed to entertain instead of impacting broken lives that need an answer for their dilemma.

·      What would happen if we returned church services back to a “white-hot” experience where God is actually active and doing something?

·      We are mot looking for a few excited people on the front row so that everyone on the back row and talk them. New Harvest Assembly of God seeks to have a room filled with “white-hot” worshippers that engage in unceasing praise.

·      We need to turn a corner right and right now – stop having worship that is nothing more than a “Shoulders-up” experience! God-knowledge is important! But it is time to for you to allow a “God-experience” to come upon you as Hosea declared; “…let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is as sure as the dawn, he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth” [Hosea 6:3 ESV].

·      Praise is not just performing for him, but it is the Lord leaning into the experience to love us back and manifest his glory among. Worshipping the Almighty without emotion should be as repulsive as a passionless interaction between significant human beings.

o   My wife does not want a formula from me – she wants my passion for her.

·      The fact that you and I are made in His image is not what moves God. God is moved when his creation starts engaging him passionately and with heart-emotions – loving Him and Him loving us back with manifest glory!

Explanation

·      Hosea 6:3 “Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is as sure as the dawn, he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

o   Notice two perspectives in this one verse: (1) note the repeating of “know.” (2) The Lord’s coming to us is as sure as the dawning of light piercing the darkness and as the coming of rain.

o   The contextual point for Hosea was to call the nation to repentance. The good news that the Lord’s return to them – manifested glory returning – was sure as the dawn and spring rain.

·      In the context of realizing that we are in a situation that we cannot fix and cannot change we have confidence in God’s glory coming down to do what we cannot do and fix what we have messed up.

·      Let us use Hosea’s message as a springboard to return to unashamed adoration that consists of four realities that we will explore in selected scripture.

1.     Reality #1 – Go Vertical – Psalm 96:1-6

a.     “Sing to the Lord…” is repeated three times in two verses. Becoming a vertical church that allows the manifested glory of God to become front and center requires that we learn to start singing “to the Lord” instead of singing about the Lord.

                                               i.     Don’t send me hate emails about great songs that testify about the goodness of the Lord

                                              ii.     My point is in reaching for the manifested glory of God is to sing to the audience of one –sing to Him!

b.     Singing about someone assumes they are not present even though they just walked into the room. We greet the one who we were just discussing. We don’t ignore their presence by talking past them –we now speak to them.

c.      When we come to church we come to speak to the one who can transform. We have that confidence because he will come as surely as the dawn of light from a dark night and as fresh spring rain that brings back to life.

2.     Reality #2 – Simple – Isa 6:3; Revelation 4:11; 5:13

a.     “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory;” “Worthy are, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power;” “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

b.     The power of these verses lie within their simplicity. I believe that the God of the vertical church has a worship preference – SIMPLE! I know there are great songs filled with awesome theology. Yes I love those songs. But can we be honest with ourselves for just a moment. In the brokenness of your need deep theological songs is not what you gravitate too.

c.      I do not know if God prefers classical over hip-hop. Surely He would have let us know. The heart’s cry for help is not complex – it is nothing more than Oh God help me!

3.     Reality #3 – Emotive – Psalm 136

a.     “His love endures forever…” is repeated 26 times. There is something to be said about “spirit worship” – worship that stirs the soul!

b.     When you worship intellectually you can choose to check out. But when emotional expressions are brought into the picture, the whole person is drawn into the moment. The Lord is not just leaning back and enjoying the moment – but He is leaning into the moment as though He draws near to us.

c.      Understand that passionless/emotionless engagement with God is repulsive. You do not love your spouse from the neck up – you love your mate with the total person. We are not serving a “neck-up” type of God. God is not looking or a formula, he is looking for total emotional involvement.

4.     Reality #4 – Physical – Selected Scriptures

a.     The biblical injunction to love the Lord your God with all your strength requires more than formulas.

b.     VOICE: “I love the Lord, because he hears me” [Psa 116:1]. This means that David raised his voice and used volume in communicating with the Lord. Psalm 78:23; “My lips shout for joy, when I sing praises to you.”

c.      EYES: “TO you I lift my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens” [Psa. 123:1]

d.     HEAD: “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” [Psa. 3:3]

e.     HANDS: “Clap your hands all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” [Psa. 47:1]

f.      LEGS: “Come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker!” [Psa. 95:6]

g.     FEET: 2 Samuel 6:14 – David danced

CONCLUSION

·      What is that you need God to do? Start Directing your praise and your conversation to Him, not past Him as though he is not present.

·      Direct your praise to Him!

·      Get totally involved – Go Vertical, Keep it Simple, Get Emotionally involved, and Get Physical