Sermon Tone Analysis

Ministering to the Lord

Our theme verse for this message is

Where Is The Lord?

We live in a time where many are far from the Lord.

And many say that God doesn’t answer.

Where is the manifestation of the power of God?

But Jesus prayed that we would be one in them in

There was a time in Israel’s history when “the word of Yahweh was rare”, “visions were not widespread”.

You know this account.

Three times the Lord spoke and three times Samuel and three times Samuel went to Eli because in

but them, Samuel recognizes the Lord and responds in

The Lord had been there the whole time, yet Samuel had not known the voice of the Lord.

There was also a time with Jesus disciples where they began to hear the voice of the Lord and this is what was said about our day, the time after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem in

This is the kind of relationship God wants us to have with him.

Is this what we are experiencing?

How Do We Know The Lord?

We may think of God of God the way we think of other people.

We may think of God as far off and detached.

He says he is “discerned clearly” in

We can’t know him if all of our attention is on the things of this world, wealth, status, influence.

He say they, the people of the world, have exchanged the truth for a lie in

But we get a glimpse of God by looking at how they respond to him in heaven in

God is worthy of glory, honor, power.

The truth is, we know the Lord because he wants us to.

He loved us in

There is an old story about President Lincoln - it is said that a very elderly woman made an appointment to see him one afternoon.

As she entered the Presidents office, he arose, and seated her, and asked, “How may I be of service to you madam?”

The little lady said, “Mr.

President, I know you are a busy man.

I have not come to ask you for anything.

I simply came to bring you this box of cookies, for I heard you enjoy them so much.”

A silence followed in which tears overflowed the eyes of the President.

Finally, he raised his head and spoke to the little woman.

“Madam, I thank you for your thoughtful gift.

I am greatly moved by it.

Since I have been President of this country.

thousands of people have come into this office asking for favors and demanding things from me.You are the first person who has ever entered these premises asking no favor, and indeed, bring a gift for me.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Who Are We to God?

We are his people, his inheritance.

And God knows us because we are his creation.

He said it this way in

And he calls them together for a purpose, he formed us for himself.

He made us to make his name known in

What Does God Say About His People?

There are many places where God talks about his people being rebellious or hard hearted but he says it this way here in

We might think about ti this way, we can have a wealth of books and videos and go to every conference, … but these are substitute for the presence of God.

God is the fountain of living water in

God calls us to come to him in

When we come to him, we find rest.

But as Sammy told us a few weeks ago, we are often Martha’s rather than Mary’s.

By nature we are doers and not lovers!

What is Ministering to the Lord?

In Solomon’s day, in 2 Chronicles 5, they built the temple for the Lord, and they put all of the objects of silver and gold, and all the men assembled together, and they brought the ark, and all of the priests that had sanctified themselves.

But it wasn’t until the song was raised that the presence of the Lord came in

We sometimes miss the main point as the children of Israel did when the Lord brought them out of Egypt.

The Lord had said to them in

He said, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.

and the people responded in

but we know that while Moses was on the mountain with God, they made a golden calf, and idol from Egypt and Moses broke the tablet, the commandments.

They not only turned from God, they begged not to hear him.

They separated themselves from him.

It is recorded this way in

But today, we have a different relationship and this is where we begin ministering to the Lord in

He has chosen us.

We are his possession.

We have a purpose, to proclaim his virtues in

Ministering to the Lord is Praise

It is our lips speaking about God in

and we all know

and

and this is about the good and wonderful things that God has done.

Ministering to the Lord is Worship

but how is this different from praise?

David said this, which is a request for God to bless us, and often the way we approach God in

then he also said in

In worship, we love him for who he is and not just what he has done.

In worship, we recognize his attributes and offer ourselves to him.

In worship, we are giving something to God because he is worthy.

Ministering to the Lord is Communion

In any loving relationship there is two way communication.

If our relationship with God is only what we want and only what we have to say about him, we are missing a key part of what God has for us.

There is strength, encouragement, purpose, that come from the mouth of God as we wait and listen for what he has to say.

Are you taking time to hear from God?

Are you waiting for His word? or running in your own strength?

Listen to The Holy Spirit

Being filled with the Spirit has three results in

Psalms and Hymns, praise in your heart ...

Thankfulness ...

Being subject to one another ...

But the real purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives is for us to receive God’s direction, right here, right now as in

Worship comes first.

As they ministered to the Lord … then the Lord showed them the work they were to do.

Give Time to Minister to the Lord

Now is the time for us to seek the Lord first in

Our ministering to the Lord involves more that just thinking.

Our whole being is involved.

It may be bending a knee as Jesus did in

and as Paul did in

It may be lifting our hands