Embracing Worship: The Power of Salvation and Praise
Summary
The sermon begins with the pastor emphasizing the importance of worship and praise as the key to living out our salvation. He challenges the congregation to reflect on their priorities and to ensure that their excitement for God matches or surpasses their enthusiasm for worldly achievements. The pastor announces the reintroduction of first Wednesdays dedicated to prayer and praise, encouraging the congregation to actively participate in these gatherings.
The pastor then expresses his prayers for the life group ministries and the congregation's bold witness for Jesus in their lives and families. He assures the congregation of his love for them and encourages them to entrust their needs to God. The pastor refers to verses 15-18, where the apostle Paul expresses his gratitude for the faith and love of the believers. He emphasizes the importance of spiritual eyesight, symbolized by the phrase "eyes of your heart," and uses an analogy to illustrate the difference between seeing with the eyes and seeing with the heart.
The pastor also provides an update on the Proclaim initiative, a spiritual journey the church began to expand their ministry space. He encourages those who have not yet participated to join, as greater participation will allow them to say yes to all the planned initiatives. The pastor emphasizes the incredible value that God places on each individual, pointing to the cross of Jesus Christ as evidence of the immeasurable value that God sees in each person.
The pastor then focuses on the hope of Salvation, the motivation for worshiping God. He emphasizes the majesty and glory of God, who took on human flesh, bore the punishment for our sins, and died a death he did not deserve, so that we could have everlasting life. The pastor encourages the congregation to reflect on their own personal testimonies of how Jesus Christ saved them and to recognize the value that God places on them as His redeemed people.
The sermon concludes with the pastor emphasizing the power of God and its significance in the worship of His people. He highlights that the power of God is so immense that it raised Jesus Christ from the dead, making it the only appropriate response for believers to worship Him. The pastor encourages the congregation to recognize and submit to Jesus as the highest authority in all aspects of their lives. He concludes by highlighting that this power is not only resurrecting and ruling, but also righteous, and that this realization should lead believers to praise and worship God, understanding that nothing is impossible for Him.
Key Takeaways:
- Worship and praise are the key to living out our salvation. We should be as excited about praising God and living out our faith as we are about worldly achievements or successes. ([1:15])
- The importance of spiritual eyesight, symbolized by the phrase "eyes of your heart," is emphasized. This refers to moving from merely seeing with physical eyes to truly experiencing and knowing God in our hearts. ([15:30])
- The hope of Salvation is the motivation for worshiping God. Through Christ, believers have obtained an inheritance and have been predestined according to God's purpose. This saving work of God in Christ Jesus infuses believers with hope and should drive their worship. ([25:45])
- The power of God is so immense that it raised Jesus Christ from the dead, making it the only appropriate response for believers to worship Him. This power also gives Jesus His rightful place of eternal authority on the throne in heaven. ([35:20])
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of moving from simply knowing about God to experiencing His goodness in reality. Worship begins when we stop merely knowing about Jesus and start truly knowing Him. ([45:10])
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Ephesians 1:15-23: "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."
2. John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Observation Questions:
1. What does Paul pray for in Ephesians 1:15-23, and why does he pray for these things?
2. In John 3:16-17, what does it mean that God gave his one and only Son, and what is the purpose of this gift?
Interpretation Questions:
1. What does it mean to have the "eyes of your heart" enlightened, and how does this relate to knowing God better?
2. How does the power of God, as described in Ephesians 1:15-23, relate to the salvation offered through Jesus in John 3:16-17?
Application Questions:
1. How can you actively participate in worship and praise during the week, not just on Sundays or during church gatherings?
2. What is one way you can demonstrate your faith and love for Jesus in your family or community this week?
3. Can you think of a situation where you relied on your physical sight rather than the "eyes of your heart"? How can you change this perspective in the future?
4. How does the understanding of God's immense power, as described in Ephesians 1:15-23, affect your daily life and decisions?
5. Reflecting on John 3:16-17, how can you share the message of God's love and salvation with someone who doesn't know Jesus this week?
Devotional
Day 1: The Joy of Worship and Praise
The essence of our salvation is found in worship and praise. As believers, our excitement for God should match or even surpass our enthusiasm for worldly achievements. This is a call to prioritize our spiritual life and to actively participate in gatherings dedicated to prayer and praise. ([1:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjfE7DlvWgU&t=60s))
Psalm 100:2 - "Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!"
Reflection: How can you incorporate more worship and praise into your daily routine? Can you identify one specific time or activity where you can intentionally focus on praising God?
Day 2: Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart
Spiritual eyesight, symbolized by the phrase "eyes of your heart," is a call to move from merely seeing with physical eyes to truly experiencing and knowing God in our hearts. This is a journey from superficial understanding to deep, personal knowledge of God. ([15:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjfE7DlvWgU&t=915s))
Ephesians 1:18 - "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people."
Reflection: What steps can you take to deepen your understanding of God? Can you identify one area of your spiritual life where you need to "see with the eyes of your heart"?
Day 3: The Hope of Salvation
The hope of Salvation is the motivation for worshiping God. Through Christ, believers have obtained an inheritance and have been predestined according to God's purpose. This saving work of God in Christ Jesus infuses believers with hope and should drive their worship. ([25:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjfE7DlvWgU&t=1530s))
1 Peter 1:3 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
Reflection: How does the hope of salvation influence your worship? Can you think of a specific way to express this hope in your daily life?
Day 4: The Immense Power of God
The power of God is so immense that it raised Jesus Christ from the dead, making it the only appropriate response for believers to worship Him. This power also gives Jesus His rightful place of eternal authority on the throne in heaven. ([35:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjfE7DlvWgU&t=2105s))
Ephesians 1:19-20 - "and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms."
Reflection: How can you acknowledge and submit to the power of God in your daily life? Can you identify one specific area where you need to surrender to His authority?
Day 5: Knowing God in Reality
Moving from simply knowing about God to experiencing His goodness in reality is a crucial step in our spiritual journey. Worship begins when we stop merely knowing about Jesus and start truly knowing Him. ([45:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjfE7DlvWgU&t=2695s))
John 17:3 - "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
Reflection: What steps can you take to move from knowing about God to truly knowing Him? Can you identify one specific way to experience His goodness in your daily life?
Quotes
1. "We are so valued by Jesus that we've been given as an inheritance to express our value and love before God." [49:33]
2. "The scriptures declare that it is a lie that we are worthless. The cross screams of our value and how much we mean to God." [48:32]
3. "True worship is not confined to what we do in church or open praise, although these things are both good. True worship is the acknowledgment of God and all his power and glory in everything we do." [32:07]
4. "The highest form of praise and worship is obedience to him and his word. To do this, we must know God. Worship is to glorify and exalt God, to show our loyalty and admiration to our Father." [32:53]
5. "The key to our living out our Salvation is not to concentrate on changing ourselves but rather to worship God who is the only one capable of changing us." [56:59]
6. "When is the last time you got as excited about praising God and how you're living your life in your best days and in your worst as you did about your team and the big win?" [57:47]
7. "What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the Heavenly places far above all Rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come." [50:30]
8. "Jesus is not a God who is far away, he is the savior who is always near and worship begins when we stop knowing about Jesus and simply start knowing him." [41:42]
9. "Paul says here that seeing with spiritual eyes begins with the remembering of our Salvation...infuses us with the hope of this saving work of God in Christ Jesus." [45:01]
10. "When you reflect upon that it should drive our worship of the God who would give it to you. It's the hope of God for us." [46:22]
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