[podcast]http://www.revkwon.com/podcast/come_worship-pour_your_heart.mp3[/podcast] Three weeks ago we talked about why its important for us to lift up our hands in worship. Then two weeks ago we spoke about why its important for us to kneel down in receiving Jesus. Last week, we spoke of the importance of giving gifts. This week, we want to jump into why implicit in all those things there must be an outpouring of your heart. David writes in Psalm 62:8, Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is?a refuge for us.?Selah We worship God because our hearts want God more than anything else in existence, most of us havent accepted that as our norm and have tried our very best to replace what our heart longs for with anything else. But, Im going to get into that in a minute, but for now we need to set the story of Christmas. Like we did the last three weeks, we must go to Matthew 2. Now?after Jesus was born in?Bethlehem of Judea?in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men?from?the east came to Jerusalem,?saying, Where is he who has been born?king of the Jews? For we saw?his star when it rose?and have come to?worship him. (Matthew 2:1-2) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.??And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures,?they offered him gifts,?gold and frankincense and?myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11) Worship is not simply the act of singing songs on Sunday mornings. Worship is a way of life that embodies reverence toward God through acts and gestures that signify His worth. In the story, the three wisemen weren’t seeking God to see what God can do for them, they were coming to God to worship Him. God is not here us; we are here for God. I want you to see this because I never shared this aspect of the story beforewhy did the wisemen have to go to Jerusalem to ask, where is the king of the Jews? Doesnt that mean at some point they saw the star, but then lost it and then decided in faith to go investigate? Moreover, doesnt it mean that there was some type of intrinsic faith within them to trust that the search for the King of Gods chosen would be well worth the journey and the cost? Let me rephrase it, doesnt it mean that the magi were looking for satisfaction that could not be quenched anywhere else, so they were compelled to search hard for the God to pour themselves out unto as a refuge? It actually does. Before I continue on with the idea that worship is the outpouring of your heart and soul to God, I want to just go over the mythology of the three wisemen. I call it a mythology because I cant confirm nor deny where the exact truth is, nor is the exact truth more important than the message it carries. The Magi, or magicians, are probably a class of priest-politicians, meaning that they were the ones in society that decided in the Persian or Near East empires who would be the next great king. In fact, the magi, as a people group, were most likely the people who was eating with Nebuchadnezzar and Darius that couldnt understand the dreams of the kings. I think this is where it all connects together. I believe that these Persian kings were probably magi, themselves. In fact, the reason they elevated to the level of king was because their ability to master the magi arts and their military prowess. So when Daniel, a Jew comes and masters the art that they have been practicing right away, whatever he was believing in became significant. So we have these magi come from the East to look for the King that will conquer the world. This ideology is what caused the magi to have faith that they had no business in having. Isnt it funny that faith often works best when we have no business in having faith, but, for some reason, God is the only one that sooth the burning within us? When we worship, we are pouring out heart out to God because in doing so, our minds and hearts linger on Gods faithfulness. The Magi, who were of the highest socio-political class were searching for refuge because it was in faith they believed that their hearts would be quelled. This fact should bring you to tears. It should make you look for God because these people who have no reason to believe actually believe in a God that is not their own. It probably blew their minds away when nobody knew that a great king was going to be born. They, themselves, knew that there would be a king from Judah like none have ever reckoned with. They wanted to seek this Kings refuge pre-emptively. They knew from the past history of their world that this God is all powerful and provides a refuge that we can only begin to meditate on. For the Magi who visited Jesus, there was nothing to remember because they werent Jews, nor were they believers. What sets these magi apart from the Israelites was the fact that they knew the past. They knew what God was capable of because they had it recorded in the history of their greatest leaders. Gods faithfulness in the past is written all over history. Just look at all the great societal things that happened as a result of faith in God. The reasons we have hospitals, universities, freedoms, it was all because Jesus faithfully changed how the world would operate. People who have set themselves apart in the world did so in faith, knowing that their actions would one day be the refuge God promises His people. Its in the Bible if you think history is a fabrication. If you think either of those are a fabrication of political minds, then just look at your own life. Jesus Christ saves you when you least deserved or wanted it. God answers your prayers for mercy and grace, you miraculously receive money and are provided for supernaturally. You listen to the radio and you hear a song that was written just for you in the moment. You get a message just for you, you read an Instagram or a twitter that makes you realize that God is doing something if you would only stop for a moment and realize it, you may worship God by pouring out your heart to Him because of His faithfulness. Perhaps you cant remember Gods faithfulness in the past because you only remember a past that is wrought with destruction and turmoil. In fact, you cant remember the very last time a good thing happened to you. You are perpetually broke, you are constantly fighting, youre heart broken by what people do to you. The prophet Jeremiah says this:
19?Remember my affliction and my wanderings, ????the wormwood and?the gall! 20?My soul continually remembers it ????and is bowed down within me. 21?But this I call to mind, ????and?therefore I have hope: 22?The steadfast love of the?Lord?never ceases; ????his mercies never come to an end; 23?they are new?every morning; ????great is your faithfulness. 24?The?Lord?is my portion, says my soul, ????therefore I will hope in him. (Lamentations 3:19-24)
Thats right, when there is nothing left, God is there. Your heart still longs for God. When you were nothing and finding yourself sleeping in the hard place underneath the rock, God loves you still, and your heart knows it. Its why you come to church seeking him. You need to worship Him because of it. You past is the very reason you trust in God, because He was faith and saves you by sending His one and only Son. That is why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. We celebrate Christmas because the wisemen knew and we know that Gods power lay in a manger about to change the world. Nobody had a clue, but the magi knew that when they trust in Gods power for their future, there is nothing that wouldnt be possible. Its beautiful, they came overly excited to say thank you in advance for their future. They pushed through the pain of their long journey and replaced it with praise. This is what we should be doing in worship. We need to pour out our heart, however it is manifestedthrough the lifting of our hands, falling to our knees, offering our gifts to God with everything and all that we have. We need not worry about the future because God is good and He was faithful in the past, and our future in Him is guaranteed by Him. You have medical issues; God can handle it. You have financial issues; God takes care of it. You are rejected, God accepts you. You dont understand, God knows. Are you confused, scared, mad, God responds! Look what the Apostle Paul writes to the church at Colossae: 2?Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.?3?For?you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.?4?When Christ?who is your life?appears, then you also will appear with him?in glory. 16?Let?the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,?singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,?with thankfulness in your hearts to God.?17?And?whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,?giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:2-4, 16-17) When we pour out our hearts to God, we trust in Gods power for our future. Our minds stop worrying about every single day stuff. Our lives begin to reflect what matters to God. We worship God because everything we do becomes of God and grows powerful and incredible through Gods mercy and blessing in the name of Jesus. We worship with an out pouring of our heart because our lives are hidden with Jesus Christ. The magi knew this. This is what they were seeking for, more of Christ in their lives. We need to be looking for the same when we come to worship this holiday season. I want to circle back on the verse that we started with this morning in Psalm 62.
5?For God alone, O?my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6?He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7?On God rests my?salvation and my glory; my mighty rock,?my refuge is God. 8?Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is?a refuge for us.?Selah (Psalm 62:5-8)
We worship because we trust in God at all timesour past, present, and future. We are hidden with Jesus Christ, Gods son and therefore our worship is a function of how we long for God to touch our lives and be in our lives and move our lives in ways that we cannot comprehend. We need to desire God with our hearts open to Him because everything may fall apart, but God remains as our salvation and God will be our glory in 2016. If you remember nothing else from church in 2015, let it be this: God is our refuge and our worship to Him is our refuge. Lets pray.
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