Continuing our discussion of God's Favorite House, based on Acts 15:16 "After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it."
In 1 Chronicles 13, David transported the Ark of the New Covenant. In verse 9, Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark, touching it. "The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the Ark. So he died there before God."
The Ark of the Covenant spent 37 years in the tent tabernacle because God wouldn't let David build the tabernacle he wanted to.
How badly do YOU want to experience God's presence?
What will we do if He quits knocking?
You can't preserve your dignity and experience His deity...
Let go and attract God's attention.
If we want this sanctuary to be God's favorite house, we have to have revival. Let go of the past and experience repentance. Do you genuinely want to stop sinning?
God cannot ignore a contrite heart. Ps. 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..."
David tried to do it, move the Ark, in his own power, his own way - he failed to do it God's way. He moved the Ark by putting it on a cart pulled by oxen. When it was unsteady, Uzzah reached out and touched it to steady it. God struck him down because he touched it. God wanted it moved on the shoulders of priests. So they carried it 7-10 miles by men, not pulled by oxen. They would take six steps, stop and make sacrifices. They did this for the entire 7-10 mile trip. How long do you think it took them to make the trip?
A lot of sweat went into moving the ark. Sweat means transfer of value. We must sweat to earn our income and must be willing to give tithes. 1) work - transfer our efforts and 2) worship - transfer our time.
We need to know WHO God is.
Open the gates of heaven so God's grace will come down on us. Worship is the key component to this.
There are 5 distinct ways to open the gates, to release God's presence in our church:
1. tithes
2. persecution
3. persistence (open, seek, knock)
4. unity
5. worship
What do YOU want in life? in church?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
God's Favorite House - Part 2 (June 20, 2010)
Acts 15:16 "After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it."
Worship when you enter the sanctuary. ENJOY it when you're here.
Ask yourself: would God be pleased with the way I honor Him?
Remember, the Ark of the Covenant had two cherubs, with a mercy seat in the center with the blue flame of God. When people come to your church, do they see a hollow building, or do they see the blue flame of God in the center?
Are we focusing on 'doing' church, instead of God? Are we just checking off a list of things to do when we're here? Are we listening for God to speak to us? Quit waiting on 'good church services' and come to meet God face to face!
Matt. 16:19 says: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven..."
When you let God into your heart, there is a price to pay. Will you let Him in? Or will you wait till later? What if later is too late? What if God quits knocking? Some people wait because they don't want to have an accounting.
Your tears turn on the faucet of God's compassion.
Jesus' visitation did not turn into a habitation.
I'm going to lose my dignity and go after His deity. Leave protocol behind. Give up ALL - for Him. Can you? Will you? Will you DO it?
Would you recognize Jesus if He came by?
God prefers spiritual hunger over spiritual ritual..
Worship when you enter the sanctuary. ENJOY it when you're here.
Ask yourself: would God be pleased with the way I honor Him?
Remember, the Ark of the Covenant had two cherubs, with a mercy seat in the center with the blue flame of God. When people come to your church, do they see a hollow building, or do they see the blue flame of God in the center?
Are we focusing on 'doing' church, instead of God? Are we just checking off a list of things to do when we're here? Are we listening for God to speak to us? Quit waiting on 'good church services' and come to meet God face to face!
Matt. 16:19 says: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven..."
When you let God into your heart, there is a price to pay. Will you let Him in? Or will you wait till later? What if later is too late? What if God quits knocking? Some people wait because they don't want to have an accounting.
Your tears turn on the faucet of God's compassion.
Jesus' visitation did not turn into a habitation.
I'm going to lose my dignity and go after His deity. Leave protocol behind. Give up ALL - for Him. Can you? Will you? Will you DO it?
Would you recognize Jesus if He came by?
God prefers spiritual hunger over spiritual ritual..
Sunday, June 13, 2010
God's Favorite House - Part 1 (June 13, 2010)
Acts 15:16 "After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it."
How can we reach our potential as Christians if we keep God at arm's length?
Are you afraid to let God into your life?
What happens when you get up close and personal with people? You get to know them really well, maybe better than we want them to know us....but how can we be there for them if we don't know them well and allow them to know us well?
Know that ritual and ceremony won't get you into heaven. And that the preacher's job is not to get you into heaven. In Tommy Tenney's book "God's Favorite House" he talks about having a 'favorite' house. Close your eyes and think of your favorite house. What do we think of when we remember that favorite house? Good memories.
In Acts 15:16, God says "I will reveal David's fallen tent." God wants to reveal David's favorite. Houses then had less structure, more events; now houses have more structure, less events. David's tent was his tabernacle. What impresses God and what impresses man are two different things....Men get all attached to the structure, while God wants to be attached to their HEART.
How did David learn how to worship? He spent a lot of time alone with God. He practiced worship.
Intimacy with God will bring about blessing, but just the pursuit, in itself, of blessings brings nothing. David was a 'God-chaser' and he sinned in so many ways. Yet David repented of his sins and sought God.
David's tabernacle was a tent. There were two angels on either side of the ark of the covenant. God hovered in a blue flame between them. A veil surrounded the holy of holies. The ark of the covenant was hidden behind this veil; it was separated by this veil. Remember, that the veil was torn on the day Jesus was crucified.
It took Jesus' death on the cross to remove this division (sin) betweeen us and God.
In David's temple there was no separation, the Ark of the Covenant was right there. And David wanted people to SEE God's blue flame.
An absence of the flame shows there's no fire. Do you have the fire?
Sanctuarys are the most unused room in this country. They are used only 1 hour a week. We spend a lot of time and money to build them, but we don't use them much.
If we want God's attention, if we want God to visit us we need to invite the Holy Spirit in. How do we find that heart of worship? Invite the Holy Spirit into your life. Turn up your flame....
How can we reach our potential as Christians if we keep God at arm's length?
Are you afraid to let God into your life?
What happens when you get up close and personal with people? You get to know them really well, maybe better than we want them to know us....but how can we be there for them if we don't know them well and allow them to know us well?
Know that ritual and ceremony won't get you into heaven. And that the preacher's job is not to get you into heaven. In Tommy Tenney's book "God's Favorite House" he talks about having a 'favorite' house. Close your eyes and think of your favorite house. What do we think of when we remember that favorite house? Good memories.
In Acts 15:16, God says "I will reveal David's fallen tent." God wants to reveal David's favorite. Houses then had less structure, more events; now houses have more structure, less events. David's tent was his tabernacle. What impresses God and what impresses man are two different things....Men get all attached to the structure, while God wants to be attached to their HEART.
How did David learn how to worship? He spent a lot of time alone with God. He practiced worship.
Intimacy with God will bring about blessing, but just the pursuit, in itself, of blessings brings nothing. David was a 'God-chaser' and he sinned in so many ways. Yet David repented of his sins and sought God.
David's tabernacle was a tent. There were two angels on either side of the ark of the covenant. God hovered in a blue flame between them. A veil surrounded the holy of holies. The ark of the covenant was hidden behind this veil; it was separated by this veil. Remember, that the veil was torn on the day Jesus was crucified.
It took Jesus' death on the cross to remove this division (sin) betweeen us and God.
In David's temple there was no separation, the Ark of the Covenant was right there. And David wanted people to SEE God's blue flame.
An absence of the flame shows there's no fire. Do you have the fire?
Sanctuarys are the most unused room in this country. They are used only 1 hour a week. We spend a lot of time and money to build them, but we don't use them much.
If we want God's attention, if we want God to visit us we need to invite the Holy Spirit in. How do we find that heart of worship? Invite the Holy Spirit into your life. Turn up your flame....
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sermon Series: God's Favorite House
Link to sermon:
Sermon series based on the book God's Favorite House by Tommy Tenney
View book at:
http://tinyurl.com/2b6yrmt
This book can be purchased at Amazon.com
Sermon series based on the book God's Favorite House by Tommy Tenney
View book at:
http://tinyurl.com/2b6yrmt
This book can be purchased at Amazon.com
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