Christmas - COME TO WORSHIP
Come to Worship Christmas • Sermon • Submitted
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COME TO WORSHIP
COME TO WORSHIP
LIFT YOUR HANDS
LIFT YOUR HANDS
Approach Christmas—Birth of our Savior— 3 messages on “come to worship”
2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
NLT
When we lift our hands, it’s an act of Worship
Worship
Worship
The wise men didn’t come to get something from God
People actually believe that God exists for us, that if we just do the right thing –
When we lift our hands is an act of Worship.
if we pray the right prayer, if we act the right way – then God’s got to do whatever we want Him to do.
Western Christianity often puts us at the center - you know that song
“It’s all about ME, Jesus and all this is for ME, as if you should do things my way…”
It’s kind of like He’s a genie.
God is not here for us—We’re here for God!
We are created to glorify Him, to worship Him, to make Him known, and to bring Him honor.
I believe one of the greatest areas that we can improve is learning not just on the weekends, but seven days a week, to be worshipers.
Worship isn’t something we do. A worshiper is who we are. We’re created to worship God from the depths of our hearts.
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God is pleased with our hearts of worship
There are 4 postures of worship, lift our hands * Bring gifts * Pour out heart * Bow knees
Today, I want to start with lifting up our hands before a holy God, in a heart of worship, lifting our hands to God.
What I want to do is explain, why is it the Scripture teaches us to lift our hands to God, and what exactly does it accomplish?
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LIFT YOUR HANDS TO GOD
there are many different way to express yourself in worship
Tim Hawkins * Carry tv, Big screen, Fish was this big, Goal post,
Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 1 Timothy 2:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 NASB
O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help! 2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering. Psalm 141:1-2 NLT
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. Exodus 17:10-11
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Exodus 17:12-13 * Carry tv, Big screen
Fish was this big
Hold my baby—Mofassa, #1, High 5 Jesus, Block the shot, Wash the Window, and to finish it off the big 3 > Village People, Rocky and Touch Down.
#1, High 5 Jesus,, Block the shot
But there is something very importante in this gesture, and we’re going to look at the scriptures and understand that we do something with our hands as a reflection of something in our hearts.
Offering of praise
Offering of praise
Let start with (David in wilderness) this is actually him in a very low point in his life.
1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
(David in wilderness)
V1 - Maybe you might be in a place like Davi was.
Alone and rejected and afraid … it’s the season to be happy but i don’t feel that happy…
Christmas can be like a magnifier what is good can be really good and the hard times can be really really hard.
Can’t experience God’s and not show gratitude.
V2, V3 your love is better than life…
He is in a bad place but he thanks for who he is ,… but he chose to worship and praise
This is an act of worship…
V4 i will lift up my hand.... This is an act of worship…
Reaching out to God
Reaching out to God
Paul was giving Timothy instructions help christians to worship—
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
8 Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.
The Men are the last ones to lift up our hands…
Paul wants the man to set the standers to worship, to show the exemple to their children.
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WHY?
Reaching out to God
Reaching out to God
Why lift hands? God loves when we do.
It’s like when my kids were learning how to walk… they would do the Frankenstein walk. and Hands lifted. DADA!
Dada. Frankenstein walk. Hands lifted.
No loving father would turn from the lifted hands of his child.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8 NAS
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It also can be an
Offering of praise
Offering of praise
1 O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help! 2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
NLT (David—lowest point of life.)
God i’m offering my praise to you… we lift our hands because we are reaching out to him.
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Worship * Reaching out to God * Offering of praise *
Battle
Battle
Amalekites attacked Israelites
Moses said to Joshua—choose some men and go to battle
Tomorrow I’ll stand point on top of the mountain and raise my hands to God.
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
Winning, close, losing.
Winning, close, losing.
Some of you are battling
Here’s the reality: Some of you right now, you’re in a battle, and it feels like you might be losing. It might be time for you to lift up your hands and say, “God, I trust You, no matter what,” to lift up your hands and say, “On my own, I don’t have the ability to get this done, but I seek You. I lift up my hands, and I praise you. In spite of what I see, in spite of what I feel, in spite of what’s going on, I continue to praise You. I lift up my hands, declaring the battle is Yours, God, and I trust in You. I lift up my hands, God, and I declare that, by faith, I believe You are fighting for me, and You are with me. And greater is the One who is in me than the one who is in the world, that no weapon formed against me will prosper, but God is for me, and has plans to bless me. I lift up my hands.”
BUT you can get tired .... Losing—on your own!
12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Not only do you need God—need each other.
That’s why we Worship together—two or three gather
Together we seek God…
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Take a moment—sing—NOT XIAN—sings songs you don’t believe all time.
Taylor Swift—Shake it off!
What does a lifted hand mean, two lifted hands?
Lift hands — throughout history — symbolized 2 things
VICTORY -
VICTORY -
Go crazy at games.
If someone puts a gun to you what do you do? YOU...
SURRENDER
SURRENDER
In the presence of God, it means both, simultaneously.
At the moment that you surrender to Him, you find victory in Him.
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Worshiper is who you are, not what you do.
Worshiper is who you are, not what you do.
God, I pray specifically for those who are worshiping through a battle right now. God, I pray that there would be other brothers and sisters who would help hold up their arms. Give them strength to continue to seek You, to depend on You.
What does a lifted hand mean, two lifted hands?
It means victory, and it means surrender.