What Have We Forgotten About Worship? Isaiah 12:5

Few of us think much about worship.

Worship may be one of the most important things we do, yet we do not realize how much is implied in the simple act, or how many truths we are expressing. Could it be that worship is the very point of it all?

"Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world." Isaiah 12:5.

SING

Singing is often thought of as a form of entertainment and an art form, but here it is an act of celebration. When you sing to someone you honor them and are showing that you value them.  When you sing the national anthem of your country you are celebrating, honoring, and declaring your relationship to your country.

HAS DONE

God has done many wonderful and blessed things in each of our lives. He has given us life and a measure of health and a measure of prosperity. Without focusing on the past we want to remember that we are in debt to the past mercies and glories of God. We should reflect on the great things he has done for us each as individuals and as a community.

GLORIOUS THINGS

His greatest blessing is that he sent his only unique son to be the sacrifice for our sin and pay our debt before his holy justice.

LET THIS BE KNOWN

The verse suggests that worship is a proactive act of proclaiming. We should not be silent, it is just wrong. God has done so much good for each of us we have a moral obligation to communicate to one another. For example, if we were publishing an article we would credit sources or if we were producing a movie we would list the names of all those who supported the project. How much more should we give God the credit that is His for what He has done in our lives?

ALL THE WORLD

This verse starts with a singular voice as if it was speaking to an individual, (the command to sing), and we experience scripture speaking to us individually because it is living, but the verse moves to a sense of the plurality in declaring to the world the deeds of the Lord.

First, we are singing to the Lord, then we are giving testimony to those around us. His greatness, grace, and mercy are worthy of telling to the nations. He is worthy of global praise.

Many faiths are obedient to the command to spread the Good News to the nations. Of course, we want to spread His kingdom and see souls rescued from the bondage and judgment of sin. Part of spreading the kingdom is spreading the worship.

Let us all follow that model of giving God private personal worship personally and then faithfully declaring to others his glorious deeds.

To learn how you may know God and find eternal life follow THIS LINK.
(c)Adron Dozat 4/14/16

When Should a Humble Person Talk About Themselves? Psalm 107:2

People of faith value humility and don't feel it right to talk about their experiences, but is that what the Bible teaches? The answer is in Psalm 107:2.

"Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe." Psalm 107:2

REDEEMED
To redeem something is to buy it back. It means to pay the price to get something or someone released. When you come to God, you are redeemed from the demands of justice against your sins.

This word is in the past tense. These redeemed are already redeemed; they are not hoping for salvation someday but have already received salvation.

OF THE LORD
We are not able to be our own redeemer from sin and its judgment since even our most righteous deeds are contaminated and not good enough to pay for sin, but God is righteous and is able to make redemption a reality for anyone who receives it. Since he has become our redeemer, he claims ownership of the redeemed. He says we are his, and the foe has no claim on us.

TELL THEIR STORY
The testimony of those who have been freed from sin is powerful enough to change the world. People need what the redeemed have: healing, restoration, salvation, forgiveness, and love. When we tell our story, we are the light they need.

The telling of the story of God's deliverance is an act of worship since it acknowledges who he is and what he has done. It is also an act of gratitude and should be proclaimed with thankfulness.

FOE
The context of the verse discusses historical events and cultural experiences of ancient times, but it applies perfectly to our lives today. We have a foe in sin. Sin has put us in bondage and corrupted our world. Sin brings us into judgment since it must be punished, but Our Lord has paid the bondage price in his own blood by his death and has taken our punishment. He has freed us and called us his own.

LET THE REDEEMED TELL
The Lord's redeemed have a wonderful message of light and hope, and we should encourage each other to tell it to this dark and needy world.

If you are uncertain that you are redeemed by the Lord, click here to read my other blog about salvation.

(c) Adron Dozat 10/26/14