Archive for July, 2007
This excerpt is from a sermon by Dr. Wayne Poplin of Carmel Bapist Church.
As we begin to talk about worship, let’s start with a mind-boggling thought. As we consider our galaxy, just ours, a scientist suggested this analogy. Imagine a perfectly smooth glass pavement on which the finest speck can be seen. Then shrink our sun from 865,00 miles in diameter to only two feet and place a ball on the pavement to represent the sun. Step off 164 feet to represent proportionately the first planet, Mercury, and put down a tiny mustard seed. Go another 120 feet and for Venus put down a BB. Go about 156 feet further and put down a green pea representing earth. Step off about 216 feet and for Mars put down a pinhead. Sprinkle around some fine dust for the asteroids, then go about 1576 feet and put down an orange for Jupiter. After 2000 feet put down a golf ball for Saturn. Now—over 4000 feet, a marble for Uranus. Another 4700 feet and you get to Neptune. Put down a cherry. We have gone 2 ½ miles and haven’t even discussed Pluto. Now on a surface 5 miles across we have a seed, a BB, a pea, pinhead, some dust, an orange, golf ball, marble and a cherry. Guess how far we would have to go on this scale before we could put down another 2-foot ball to represent the nearest star? 6,720 miles before we would arrive at that star. Miles. And that is just the first star among millions in one galaxy. All of these bodies are perfectly synchronized and the most accurate timepiece known to man (Swindol, Come Before Winter, p. 294f.).
It is incredible for me to think that the creator of all that is, chose to step into our existence, on the green pea, and surrender Himself as a sacrifice for my sin! How can we not be consumed by His mercy and grace? To think, we have been invited into His presence to worship Him. Think back and remember the last time you truly worshiped the Lord. As we are created to bring glory and honour to God, His worship is the most important thing we can do. It is our worship of Him that prepares and enables us to do everything else in our lives. So as we worship, we are prepared, we display the character of our God, others are drawn to Him, and we worship, we are prepared, we display the character of our God, others are drawn to Him, and we worship…
How often do we truly encounter God in our worship?
In our day to day lives as we go about doing all the things we need to do for survival, it is easy for me to forget that I am really in the middle of a huge conflict. Things are going well, I get side tracked in everyday living, then theres a small bump in the road. I don’t think anything about it and then theres another one. Then another, and they begin to happen more frequently and its like the Lord has to push me to get my attention and I realize whats going on. Why do I have to get so sidetracked before I open my eyes and see?
We have been called to a warefare and as soldiers we need to be ever alert. There are only 4 positions in war:
- offensive
- defensive
- detente
- retreat
Satan is only concerened when we are in the offensive position. I think about all the talk in our society about tolerance and not wanting to force issues because it make others uncomfortable. We have followed Satan into the valley of Ono to seek detente. However, our enemy will never be satisfied with co-existance. We need to move from the reactionary (defensive) position and stop talking detente and launch a new offensive. Pauls battle language states that our “wrestling is”, not was or will be, but is a continuing factor in our lives as Christians. If we truly believe that we hold the truth… what are we doing?
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