1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast and I wanted to 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. 4 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: I'm excited. I'm expecting God because he spoke to me 7 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: as I was preparing this message. And we're gonna start 8 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: in First Peter, chapter two, verse five, and it says this, 9 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 1: you also, like living stones are being built into a 10 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices 11 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Let me read that 12 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: one more time. First Peter says, you also, like living 13 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: stones are being built into a spiritual house to be 14 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 1: a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through 15 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. And so today I want to talk about 16 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: acceptable sacrifices, acceptable sacrifices. Let's pray. Lord, I just come 17 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: to you right now. We just thank you for the 18 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: promise that when your word goes forth, that it will 19 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: never return void. And I thank you God for what 20 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: you've shown me, help me to communicate it with clarity 21 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: and with power. Lord, and I pray that something eternal 22 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,479 Speaker 1: will happen in all of our hearts as we seek 23 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: your face today in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, thank 24 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: you worship team. Don't we have the greatest worship teams 25 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: serving at every campus, not just out on tour, but 26 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: every single location. All right, before we begin, I got 27 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: to tell you about something in our family called the 28 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: big fish moment. And so the big fish moment stands 29 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: for an uncontrollable emotional outburst. And if you don't know, 30 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: I'm the dad of three little girls. I have twins 31 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: that are ten, and I have my youngest daughter is five. 32 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: And you would think that something that deals with volatile 33 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: emotions would have originated with one of my three daughters, 34 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: But it did not. It started with one of the 35 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: adults in my family. So fifteen years ago, two thousand 36 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: and three, I'm taking my then girlfriend, Ferris, who's my 37 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: wife now, taking her to see a movie called big Fish. 38 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: Has anyone seen this movie? All right, not a ton 39 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: of you, But I was taking her to see this 40 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,359 Speaker 1: movie and I had, if I'm being honest, some ulterior 41 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: motives because I knew it had a sad ending, and 42 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: I thought this was gonna be my chance to kind 43 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: of comfort her at the end in the theater. All 44 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: Holy Spirit approved. But I had everything planned out. And 45 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: we get in the theater and it's building up. I 46 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: can feel that the emotions are building, and it hits 47 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: the scene where the main character's walking down this grassy 48 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: null on something sad is about to happen, and I'm 49 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: getting ready and I'm about to kind of move my 50 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: arm over and I look over and Ferris is just 51 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: stone cold, like no emotion, and then something funny happens. 52 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: My chin starts to quiver a little bit. I'm like, 53 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: that's that's odd. And then one tear starts to fall 54 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: down my cheek, and the next thing I know, I 55 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: am just ugly crying in this theater, like the kind 56 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: of crying that's not signed. It's very, very noisy, and 57 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: I'm like rocking back and forth. I can't look at Ferris. 58 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: I can't. We have to stay to the whole theater. 59 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: It's cleared out, and so we're walking out to the 60 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: car and in the parking lot, I feel like, okay, 61 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: maybe I can try to tell her what's going on? 62 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: And I try to say, hey, you know he was 63 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:19,399 Speaker 1: going down the grassy k hoole, and then I start 64 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:21,920 Speaker 1: crying again. And I swear to you it was a 65 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: twenty minute drive to drop her off at her house, 66 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: and I cried the entire way to drop her off. 67 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: So the next morning I call I feel like a fool, 68 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: I'm an idiot, and I call her up. I'm like, Ferris, 69 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: I don't know what happened last night. She goes, can 70 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: you explain why it got to you so much? I 71 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: was like, well, you know that one part on the 72 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: grassy knoll, and then like the floodgates opened again, somebody 73 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: over here just lost all respects for me. But I 74 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: made a vow in that moment that I was never 75 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: going to watch Big Fish ever again. And I was 76 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: strong and resolute with that vow. And couple of weeks 77 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: ago and that is when my loving wife, my carrying 78 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: just amazing wife, she went behind my back and she 79 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: betrayed me. Y'all, we have this rule in our house 80 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: that if our kids read a book that then a 81 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:16,039 Speaker 1: movie's made based on the book, they can watch the movie. 82 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: And so my kids have heard these stories they've heard 83 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: the legend, and so Firist behind my back got the 84 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: girls to start reading Big Fish at night, and I 85 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: didn't find out until about three nights in like Ferris, 86 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: what are you doing? And so they were committed to 87 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: reading the book, though because not out of their love 88 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: for literature, not out of their love for learning. They 89 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: wanted to see their dad cry like a little girl. 90 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 1: So about three weeks ago, I get the call that 91 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: i'd been dreading. The call that triggered me, and that's 92 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: when Adley says, Daddy, when you get home tonight, we're 93 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: watching Big Fish. And I was terrified, but I showed up. 94 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: It's like, Okay, I'm gonna do it. I'm not gonna cry. 95 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna cry. I still had a blanket to 96 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: hide behind just in case. But for the first hour 97 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: and fifty five minutes Strong and my kids didn't even 98 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: watch the movie. They just watched me the whole time. 99 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: But then he hit that grassy knoll and I cried, 100 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: just like it was fifteen years ago. My kids were 101 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: loving it. I was embarrassed. I didn't feel like much 102 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: of a man in that moment. And once again, my 103 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: loving wife shows how much he loves me by getting 104 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: the phone out and videoing me. And because I love 105 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 1: y'all so much, because I'm committed to preaching this word 106 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: that God gave me, I'm gonna show y'all just a 107 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: little glimpse. Now. Granted I've wiped off most of the tears, 108 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: but I want you to see the difference and emotional 109 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 1: composure between me, a forty two year old man, and 110 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: my ten year old twins. So take a look at 111 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: this cry again. Let me talk about it. Sick, What 112 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: got you then? Well? Made those tears come? That was 113 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: sitting she was crying with me in the background. He's sick. 114 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: What made those tears come. It's crazy to me though, 115 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: that these are the people my family, that are closer 116 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: to me than anyone else on the planet. And I 117 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: still was ashamed of how I felt. I didn't want 118 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: them to know what I was really feeling in that moment. 119 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 1: I mean, I kind of get it. Fifteen years ago, 120 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,280 Speaker 1: I didn't want my girlfriend to know that she was 121 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: dating a guy who cried more than her. But this 122 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: is this is my family. Like, why am I ashamed 123 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: of how I feel? And I think that's actually a 124 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: pattern in my life and I think all of us 125 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: can relate to that that sometimes it is so hard 126 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: to be honest with other people about what's truly going 127 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: on inside of us, because we feel like if they 128 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: really knew the truth, they wouldn't love us anymore, they 129 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't respect us, maybe they wouldn't trust us. Maybe everyone 130 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: would leave us if they really knew how messed up 131 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: and how screwed up and how confused and how we 132 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: don't have anything together. People really knew the truth about us, 133 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: and so we hide it and we put up walls. 134 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 1: And then it gets really messed up when we begin 135 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: to project the same fears and those same insecurities onto 136 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: how God views us. And yes, we know intellectually that 137 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: God knows everything, but we start to believe the lie 138 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: that if God really knew this about me, maybe his 139 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: grace couldn't cover that, and we begin to put up 140 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: these walls. And it really shows up for me when 141 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: I come into worship, because I walk through these doors 142 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: and a lot of times I'll disqualify myself from being 143 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: in the presence of God before I even sing the 144 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: first song. And maybe you've experienced the same thing. You 145 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: feel like you have to show up and you have 146 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: to look the part, and you have to have the 147 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: perfect smile, and you have to have the right attitude, 148 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: never mind the fact that your attitude just went out 149 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: the window just trying to get your kids here on 150 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: time and checked in. But all you're thinking about is 151 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: the things you've done this week and how you feel 152 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: in that moment. And you come in here and you 153 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: feel completely unworthy to worship. You feel completely disqualified, and 154 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: you don't feel like singing these songs because the only 155 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: thing you feel are the weight of your inadequacies, the 156 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: weight of your insecurities. And how are you supposed to 157 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: worship when you feel like that? And one of my 158 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: favorite songs off of the album we just released is 159 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: called Hallelujah here below. It's what the album is named after. 160 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: And there's a lyric in that song that has helped 161 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: me so much, and it says, we're an altar of 162 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: broken stones, which you delight in the offering. And so 163 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: that's based on a passage where God told Moses to 164 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: build an altar of unhewn stones. Those are stones that 165 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: were jagged, they wouldn't cut to fit together perfectly. But 166 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: God was saying, hey, worship me in a place of imperfection. 167 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: And so the whole theme of that song, the whole 168 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 1: theme of this album is that God doesn't want us 169 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: to hide our brokenness from him. We can actually build 170 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: an altar in the midst of imperfection. And so that 171 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:46,840 Speaker 1: verse I read earlier from one Peter continues that theme 172 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: where it says, you also, like living stones are being 173 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 1: built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, 174 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So 175 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: now we're not just building an altar with unhuman stones. 176 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: We are the altar. We are the unhuman stones that 177 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: the living stones that come together where the spirit of 178 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: God dwells. We're the body of Christ. We are the altar. 179 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 1: But what has been really messing me up lately is 180 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: this question, if I am an alter, how come sometimes 181 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: I don't feel like worshiping. You would think an alter 182 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: that was designed for worship, what would feel like worshiping? 183 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: And you know a lot of times I don't feel 184 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: that way. And if I'm the worship pastor, I have 185 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: to imagine that maybe you feel the same way, And 186 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: I want to know how to do what First, Peter 187 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: says where it says, offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. 188 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: I want to bring God acceptable sacrifices, but a lot 189 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: of times my sacrifices don't feel very acceptable. Have you 190 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 1: ever felt that way? So I just started to dig 191 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: into God's word, not to prepare a sermon, but to 192 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: help me to try to figure this out. And so 193 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: there was a phrase in there it says, we're a 194 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: holy priesthood. So I started looking through the Old Testament 195 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: and looking at the priesthood and the Levites, and they're 196 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: the closest things that we get to worship leaders in 197 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: the Old Testament, and they were to minister in the 198 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: Temple of the Lord and the presence of the Ark. 199 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,319 Speaker 1: And this is where Israel, the nation of Israel, made 200 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: their sacrifices of worship, these acceptable sacrifices. And so I 201 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: wanted to see was there something about how they honored 202 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: God through their worship that made those sacrifices acceptable. And 203 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,680 Speaker 1: so here in first Chronicles, this is David giving them 204 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: instructions on how to minister in the Temple of the Lord. 205 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: This is right before the temple was about to be built. 206 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,680 Speaker 1: And so we'll spend some time in this text today 207 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: it's chapter twenty three, and it says the duty of 208 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants and the service 209 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: of the temple of the Lord. To be in charge 210 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,199 Speaker 1: of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all 211 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 1: sacred things, and the performance of other duties at the 212 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: House of God. They were in charge of the bread 213 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: set out on the table, the special flour for the 214 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 1: grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeat, the baking 215 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. 216 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:01,560 Speaker 1: They were also to stand every morning to think and 217 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: praise the Lord. They were to do the same in 218 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,960 Speaker 1: the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord, 219 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: on the sabbaths, at the new moon feast, and at 220 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,680 Speaker 1: the appointed festivals. And they were to serve before the 221 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: Lord regularly, in the proper number and in the way 222 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 1: prescribed for them. So in this passage, I think we 223 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: see three different ways that the Levites honored God in 224 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: their worship, honored God in the place where sacrifices were made. 225 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: And let me get this out of the way. The 226 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: sacrifices they were talking about were animal sacrifices, God no 227 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,560 Speaker 1: longer requires that of us, because as followers of Christ, 228 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: the one and only sacrifice has already been made. But 229 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: I still think there's something we can learn about as 230 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: followers of Jesus, how do we bring God worship that 231 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 1: he's pleased with? And so let's look at three things 232 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: that we can learn about how the Levites brought acceptable 233 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,200 Speaker 1: sacrifices to God. And the first was they honored the 234 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: Lord with their priority. So write that down if you're 235 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:58,080 Speaker 1: a note taker priority, because the most striking thing to 236 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: me reading this passage at first was just the time 237 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: commitment involved. Look at verse thirty again. It says they 238 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: were to stand every morning to think and praise the Lord. 239 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: They were to do the same in the evening. So 240 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: that's a huge commitment of time every single morning, every 241 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: single night, every single day. And I know for a 242 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: lot of us it can be a win just to 243 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: get to church twice a month. No judgment there, We're 244 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: really glad that you're here. We'd like for you to 245 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: be here a little bit more, but we'll celebrate that win. 246 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: But they were worshiping twice a day, every single day. 247 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 1: It was a commitment of time. It was a commitment 248 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 1: to precision and process, because verse thirty one says the 249 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,679 Speaker 1: Levites were to serve before the Lord regularly, in the 250 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: proper number and in the way prescribed for them, So 251 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: there was an order to it. That's what priority is. 252 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:43,600 Speaker 1: It's ordering your life consistently around your values. So it 253 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: didn't matter if they wanted to sing in the morning, 254 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: they showed up, they sang. It didn't matter if they 255 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: were in a bad mood at night, they showed up 256 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: and they sang. It didn't matter if they felt like it. 257 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: They were in their post ready to worship. But I 258 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: have to wonder if sometimes the Levites felt the same 259 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: way we do, that they just weren't feeling it. And 260 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: if they weren't feeling it, I wonder if they wondered 261 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: if it was truly worship, if maybe it was a 262 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: little forced, if maybe it was a little legalistic, because 263 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: I felt that way growing up. I grew up past 264 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: My granddad was a pastor and my dad was the 265 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,679 Speaker 1: music minister at our church. My mom played the organ. 266 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 1: It was like a real family affair there. But I 267 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 1: was at church every single time the doors were open, 268 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 1: and that's how I grew up, and I didn't have 269 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: a choice in the matter. I was always there. And 270 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: what I found is when I got to college, I 271 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: started to rebel against some of that consistency because I 272 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: thought it was legalistic. I was like, you know, I 273 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:37,679 Speaker 1: don't have to read my Bible every day if I'm 274 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: not feeling it. God wouldn't want that. Or I don't 275 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:41,959 Speaker 1: have to be in church every time the doors are open, 276 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:43,719 Speaker 1: because it needs to you know, it needs to be 277 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 1: an overflow of my heart. And so I rebelled against 278 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: what I thought was legalism, and I found that in 279 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: running from legalism, I was actually running from discipline. And 280 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: those two were not the same thing. They can look 281 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 1: the same, but they can have different motives. Legalism is 282 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 1: doing something out of fear of man. It's out of 283 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: a fear of trying to prove something to somebody else. 284 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: It's trying to avoid punishment. Discipline is pursuing God, being 285 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: passionate for God based on our priorities. Legalism is a 286 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: bad thing that can lead to a lot of destructive habits. 287 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: Discipline is one of the things I admire most about 288 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: the people that I look up to, like Pastor Steve, 289 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: when he's one of the most disciplined people that I 290 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: know because his discipline is based around the right priorities. 291 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: So for me now on this side of life, I'm 292 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: so grateful for my parents discipline who said, you're going 293 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: to be in the house of God. We're going to 294 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: be in the House of God no matter what, because 295 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: it's important to us. And as a kid, whether I 296 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: wanted to admit it or not, I noticed that and 297 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: I knew if it was going to be between, you know, 298 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: being in worship or basketball practice, they were going to be. 299 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: They were going to pick church. And some of that 300 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: was to save me from embarrassment at basketball, and they 301 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: were good parents, but I knew that it was important 302 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: to them, and it grew to be important to me 303 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: because even when I was in church and I didn't 304 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: want to be there, the consistency of that is when 305 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: God began to speak to me and God began to 306 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: become real in my life because I was in position 307 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: and I was in my post. And so that means 308 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 1: for worship, when you show up even when you sing, 309 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: and when you show up to worship when you don't 310 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: feel it, that's not fake, that's being faithful. There is 311 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: a promise that when you show up. That's so freeing 312 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: to me that if I can come here, even if 313 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: I don't feel it, God's going to honor the fact 314 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: that we're here and that we're drawing near to Him. 315 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: Because there's a promise in James four. Come near to 316 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: God and He will come near to you. And I 317 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: love that promise because it's not just for the mountaintop peaks, 318 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: the high points of your life. That promise is for 319 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: the valley. It's for the times when you feel so 320 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: weak that you barely even made it into church and 321 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: made it into your seat. But God sees the fact 322 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: that you're drawing near to Him, and He will draw 323 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: near to you. And that became so real to me. 324 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: About two years ago, we were in a series in 325 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: our church called Beyond. How many of you were here 326 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: for that series? It was an end of the year 327 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: vision series, And if I'm being honest, that time of 328 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: my life was one of the most difficult struggles I've 329 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: ever had with anxiety. You may not know this, but 330 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 1: two of my daughters have different special needs. My youngest, Sydney, 331 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: she has something called cystic fibrosis, and I was really 332 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: wrestling with anxiety because any cold could send her to 333 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: the hospital for a week. It was the realization that 334 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: I was actually older than her life expectancy is. It 335 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: was the pressure of having to feel strong for my family, 336 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: and I didn't want to let anybody else know because 337 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: I'm the worship pastor. I'm supposed to be the faith guy, 338 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: and so I hid that struggle from other people. I 339 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: hit it from God. I was also dealing with some insecurity. 340 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: You know, am I smart enough to lead a worship 341 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: team like this? And all of that combined to make 342 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: me feel very, very distant from the Lord, and I 343 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: couldn't hear God's voice. And I remember it was in 344 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:07,159 Speaker 1: that series Pastor preached a message called There's More to 345 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: the Story. And so I was in my usual Saturday 346 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: night post, my Saturday night position up here on the 347 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,439 Speaker 1: third row by the aisle, and this is the part 348 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 1: where I get to sit next to my lovely wife. 349 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: Everyone said hey to Faris, and I was in this seat. 350 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: Pastor's preaching There's more to the story, and he said 351 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: something to the effect of, you know, many of you 352 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: want to give up on your story because the chapter 353 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 1: is hard, but don't judge your story by the chapter. 354 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,240 Speaker 1: And in that moment, God spoke to me so clearly. 355 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: You know that if you've ever experienced it, it wasn't audible, 356 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 1: but in my heart he said, all the chapters of 357 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: joy and the chapters of breakthrough that you want to experience, 358 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,000 Speaker 1: you have to go through this chapter of trial first. 359 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 1: But all of it is a part of the beautiful 360 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: story that I'm telling through your life. Don't give up 361 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: on the story because the chapter is hard. And maybe 362 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: that's the word God has for some of you today. 363 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: You're in a very, very difficult chapter, but that chapter 364 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: does not define the story of what God is doing 365 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:17,840 Speaker 1: through your life. Do not give up. And I wish 366 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: I could say that everything changed in that moment. It didn't. 367 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:23,919 Speaker 1: But what it was it was a spiritual anchor. It 368 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,159 Speaker 1: was a turning point that began a process of healing 369 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: in my life. And I would have missed it if 370 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: I wasn't in this seat that Saturday night. I know 371 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: some of you are like, well, you're on staff, You're 372 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: paid to be in that seat. Besides the fact that 373 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 1: this is way more than a job to me, this 374 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: is my life, this is my calling. The principle holds 375 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: true regardless. There are some things that God wants to 376 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: speak in your life in a sermon in four weeks 377 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: that Pastor Steven's going to preach that. It's the word 378 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: that you're desperately going to need to cling to a 379 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: year from now in a trial that's not even on 380 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 1: your radar. God wants to give you that wisdom. He 381 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:03,439 Speaker 1: wants to give you that strength. But if you're not 382 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,040 Speaker 1: in position in that seat to hear it, you may 383 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: miss out. Do not forfeit the strength God wants to 384 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: give you because of misaligned priorities. That's why discipline, that's 385 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: why priority is so important. To be in the House 386 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: of God on a consistent basis for worship, he will 387 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,719 Speaker 1: draw near to you. Second thing we see in this 388 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: passage is how the Levites honored God with their perspective. 389 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: JJ henmy the shirt. I need jaw to help settle 390 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: a marital dispute for me. Going to take a poll 391 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: in the room. If you're on another campus, you can 392 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: vote on social media. We'll see who wins this in 393 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,879 Speaker 1: the end. Is this a men's shirt or a women's shirt. 394 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: If you think it's a men's shirt, raise your hand. 395 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: If you think it's a women's shirt, raise your hand. Oh, 396 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 1: overwhelmingly women's in this. That does not help me. So 397 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago, I came home from work 398 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,119 Speaker 1: and I just had one of those days where I 399 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,679 Speaker 1: felt like I was just killing it, like everything went well. 400 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: I couldn't wait to tell my wife about it. And 401 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: I walked in the door and Ferris says, first thing, 402 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,639 Speaker 1: why are you wearing my shirt? I was like, Ferris, 403 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,919 Speaker 1: this is not your shirt. This is my shirt. I 404 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: clearly like got it off of the drying rack next 405 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: to all my other clothes. She said, no, this is 406 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: a women's shirt that I bought from H and M 407 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: in the women's section. Look at how the sleeves roll 408 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: up all Ohio. So we had a healthy debate on it. 409 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,719 Speaker 1: I wasn't backing down. I said, you know, I was 410 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: in meetings with a lot of our worship leaders today. 411 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: They're all fairly fashionable people. They would have told me 412 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 1: if I was wearing a women's shirt. We agreed to disagree. 413 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: I stubbornly wore it out to dinner that night. But 414 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: the next day I had a meeting with the whole 415 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: worship team, so I brought it in because I was 416 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 1: going to prove my point I was like, men's shirt 417 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: or women's shirt. They all raise their hand for women's shirt, 418 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: and Jenna and Tiffany, two of our ship leaders, said, 419 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: we have that exact same shirt from H and M. 420 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: And I got a little upset because I saw the 421 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 1: two of them the day before when I was wearing 422 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: the shirt, and nobody said anything to me. So the 423 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,199 Speaker 1: moral of that story is nobody will look out for 424 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: you but yourself. So remember that. But I stared at 425 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,560 Speaker 1: myself in the mirror wearing the shirt, and I didn't 426 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,400 Speaker 1: realize I was wearing a women's shirt. How many times 427 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: are we looking at something and staring at something so 428 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: close and we still have no clue what we're actually 429 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: looking at. I think it happens way more than we think. 430 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: Let's look at this chapter of this passage from First 431 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: Chronicles again, verse twenty eight. It says the duty of 432 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: the levites was to help Aaron's descendants in the service 433 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: of the temple of the Lord, to be in charge 434 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,400 Speaker 1: of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all 435 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: sacred things, and the performance of other duties at the 436 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 1: House of God. They were in charge of the bread 437 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: set out on the table, the special flour for the 438 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 1: grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking 439 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 1: and the mixing, and all measurements of and size. So 440 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: when I first read that, that to me looked like 441 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: a list of chores. To the Levites, it looked like worship. 442 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,399 Speaker 1: I think the sound of worship that rose to Heaven 443 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:16,720 Speaker 1: and the temple wasn't just the sound of people singing. 444 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: Wasn't just the sound of harps. I think it was 445 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: also the sound of people sweeping those side rooms. I 446 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 1: think it was also the sound of pots and pans 447 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: clanging together to make sure the bread was made just right. 448 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: And what I'm learning more and more is that some 449 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: of the things that look the least worshipful to me 450 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 1: are actually the most worshipful to God. I believe there's 451 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,640 Speaker 1: some of you here, somebody at our Gaston campus right now. 452 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: You feel like no one notices the little things that 453 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,359 Speaker 1: you're doing to serve God. And God wants you to 454 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: know that He notices, He sees that, and that is 455 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: a beautiful act of worship unto Him, and it is 456 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: more worshipful than any notes that you could sing on 457 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,199 Speaker 1: the stage. You know, the Levites, they didn't audition to 458 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,120 Speaker 1: be on the worship team and just get thrown over 459 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: to the cooking team. Know all of this was worshipful 460 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 1: under God. The way they measured everything just right, the 461 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: way they prepared the bread, the way they served in 462 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: the side rooms. And we have people serving in side 463 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,719 Speaker 1: rooms at every single location in high schools and here 464 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: at Valentine and at a theater and uptown, and you're 465 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,959 Speaker 1: serving in these side rooms making sure that the stage 466 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,440 Speaker 1: is set for our kids and E kids to experience 467 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: the power and the grace and the love of Jesus. 468 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: And so I just want to tell all you volunteers 469 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: who are doing that you need to buy some jeans 470 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 1: with holes in them, because you look like a worship 471 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: leader to God. You're every bit of worship leader as 472 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: anybody who stands on the stage. I actually don't know 473 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: if it'd be smart for you to dress like john 474 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:45,080 Speaker 1: sour worship leaders. Maybe we should just dress our band 475 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:47,200 Speaker 1: up and have them all wear E Kids shirts, because 476 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 1: that's what worship looks like in the side of God. 477 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: Some of you need to recategorize the things that you're doing. 478 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: And you think it's just a chore, You think it's 479 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:57,919 Speaker 1: just a task. You think it's just a job, and 480 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: God saying no, this is worship. You are leading other 481 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: people into the presence of God as you bring your 482 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,199 Speaker 1: gift to Him. First Corinth, the Intensus. So whether you 483 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all for 484 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: the glory of God. There's so much power when we 485 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: begin to recategorize and look at things differently, because when 486 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: you begin to look at what you're doing and the 487 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 1: way you serve as worship, you begin to go into 488 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: it with a little more expectation for God to move 489 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: and for God to use you, and for God to speak. 490 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 1: And you don't have to have a seminary degree to 491 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: be used by God. You just have to show up 492 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 1: and say yes. And all of that is worship. And 493 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: the reason I know that Elevation Church is a worshiping 494 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 1: church isn't because of the worship albums. It isn't because 495 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: of how loud we sing. It's because of how faithful 496 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 1: you serve at every location. So can we thank God 497 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: for all the worshippers we have at our church? You 498 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: thank God for you. What would you do differently if 499 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: you saw it differently, if you saw it as worship? 500 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: All right? The final thing we can see from this 501 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:06,960 Speaker 1: passage is the levite zonder God through their posture, through 502 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 1: their posture. I'm just going to fess up. I have 503 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:13,080 Speaker 1: terrible posture. I have very very bad posture. A slouch, 504 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,199 Speaker 1: especially if I'm sitting down on a couch. I like 505 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,399 Speaker 1: kind of slouch back, and I'll kick my feet up 506 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: on a table usually because my feet can't touch the ground. 507 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: But but Schunk's corb, but our CFO, his office is 508 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 1: next to mine at church, and he loves just to collect. 509 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 1: He has a folder on his phone of just embarrassing 510 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: Wade pictures or videos, and so sometimes he'll catch me 511 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,919 Speaker 1: in my little productivity, bad posture pose, and he'll take 512 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 1: a picture of it. So the other day I looked 513 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: up and I saw him just standing there, and so 514 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: I'm just going to share this picture with you. Just 515 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 1: that's when I'm in my zone, y'all. That's when I'm 516 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: getting stuff done. You can take that down, bad idea 517 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 1: to share that. I know my posture is bad. No, 518 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,760 Speaker 1: that's not good for my neck. Posture is important. I 519 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:07,120 Speaker 1: also think posture is important in worship, and we see 520 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: it here. In verse thirty says that they were also 521 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 1: to stand every morning and think and praise the Lord. 522 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:14,959 Speaker 1: So I was wondering, what's the significance of them standing. 523 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: Maybe the Levites were at attention and they were just 524 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: ready to do whatever God said to do. Or maybe 525 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,439 Speaker 1: they knew that they could come boldly into God's presence, 526 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: So maybe that's why they were standing. A few chapters later, though, 527 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: David tells them to bow, and chapter twenty ninety says, 528 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,640 Speaker 1: praise the Lord or God. So they all praise the Lord, 529 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 1: the God of their fathers. They bowed down, prostrating themselves 530 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:38,119 Speaker 1: before the Lord and the King. And so sometimes he 531 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: tells them to stand. Sometimes they're supposed to bow. And 532 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: I know you feel the struggle when you come in 533 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,119 Speaker 1: here too, Church. Should I raise my hands? Should I 534 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:45,679 Speaker 1: kind of have my hands in my pocket? Should I 535 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: do the hold the baby move like one hand in 536 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: my pocket and one hand I'm not fully ready to 537 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: commit yet with both hands. What is the acceptable worship posture? 538 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,119 Speaker 1: And as I was praying and studying this week, I 539 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,320 Speaker 1: think I found it. I found the God sanctioned, God 540 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:06,680 Speaker 1: ordained worship posture. And David talks about it in Psalng 541 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: fifty one, verse sixteen says, you do not delight in sacrifice, 542 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:12,879 Speaker 1: or I would bring it. You do not take pleasure 543 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: in burn offerings. My sacrifice of God is a broken spirit, 544 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,440 Speaker 1: a broken and contrite heart. You God will not despise. 545 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: See the posture God is most concerned about when you 546 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: come into worship isn't something that someone on your road 547 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,120 Speaker 1: can see. It's only something God can see, and only 548 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,920 Speaker 1: something you can recognize. And that is a heart that's 549 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 1: bowed in trust and surrender. See. A broken heart is 550 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 1: a heart that realizes that its only hope is God, 551 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,879 Speaker 1: and so it bows and surrender. A contrite heart realizes 552 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,480 Speaker 1: that I have no strength left. I am weak, but God, 553 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:54,159 Speaker 1: you are my strength. Even a joyful heart bows in 554 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,159 Speaker 1: God's presence because it realizes that every good and perfect 555 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,400 Speaker 1: gift comes from God, and they offer it back up 556 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 1: to It's the posture of our heart. It's the posture 557 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: of our heart that bows down. See you thought God 558 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: despised your brokenness. That's not what that passage says, your brokenness. 559 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: He will never despise. God says, bring your brokenness into 560 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: my presence. It doesn't disqualify you. Bring it. I'll build 561 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 1: an altar in the midst of your brokenness. God wants 562 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: to use the thing that you thought disqualified you from 563 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,919 Speaker 1: His presence. So today, if you have a broken Halleluiah, 564 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: sing it at least it's a hallelujah. If you have 565 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: a broken spirit, bring it to God. He can do miracles, 566 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: He can do wonders with a broken spirit. What God 567 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: won't do is do something with a proud heart, a 568 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 1: heart that thinks it has it all together, a heart 569 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 1: that thinks it doesn't need God. And that is so 570 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,520 Speaker 1: freing for me. I used to think worship was all 571 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: about my perfection, that I had to have the right attitude, 572 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: I had to sing things the right way, I had 573 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: to have had my quiet time this morning. And God 574 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: says worship was never about our perfection. If it was, 575 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: none of us could be in this room, none of 576 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:05,480 Speaker 1: us could sing. God did demand perfection, but we couldn't 577 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 1: meet that standard. Jesus was the only acceptable, the only 578 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: perfect sacrifice when he took up our position on a 579 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 1: cross so that we could take up his position in 580 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: the presence of God in a relationship with God for 581 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 1: all eternities. See, worship is not about our perfection, It's 582 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: about His perfection. And because Jesus was the only, perfect, 583 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: acceptable sacrifice. Now we can bring our broken spirit to 584 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,959 Speaker 1: him and he presents it as acceptable to God. It 585 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: was in First Peter all along it says you're being 586 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, 587 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:43,240 Speaker 1: offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus 588 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: is the acceptable sacrifice. He's the mediator between us and God. 589 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: So we bring him our broken spirit and he presents 590 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 1: it hole to God because of the cross of Jesus Christ, 591 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: and because of the blood that he shed on that cross. 592 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 1: So we can come to God today with our brokenness. 593 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: We can come to God with our pain, and he 594 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: will present it to God and make it whole. And 595 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: so if we recognize Jesus's position in worship as the 596 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: center of our worship, as the acceptable sacrifice, as the mediator, 597 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: the question is will we assume our position in worship? 598 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: Will we bring our whole hearts and bow them down 599 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,160 Speaker 1: before God and surrender, Bring our joy, bring our pain, 600 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: bring our deficiencies, bring our strengths, bring it all our 601 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: hopes and our dreams. Just lay it at the feet 602 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 1: of Jesus and trust and surrender. Will you assume your 603 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:33,800 Speaker 1: position in the House of God on a regular basis, 604 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 1: knowing that this is where God wants to work in 605 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:37,959 Speaker 1: your life, This is where God wants to speak, This 606 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 1: is where God wants to use you as you serve. 607 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 1: Will you just be open handed and say, yes, God, 608 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: I will be used by you because I trust you 609 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: and that is my spiritual act of worship. Well, I 610 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed the podcast today, and if you did, 611 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:53,719 Speaker 1: there are just a couple things I'd love for you 612 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,080 Speaker 1: to do. Number One, subscribe to our show. That way, 613 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,000 Speaker 1: the most recent episode will always be in your fees, 614 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: waiting for you ready when you are. And Secondly, if 615 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: this ministry has impacted you and you'd like to help 616 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,960 Speaker 1: us continue to reach others, you can click the link 617 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,600 Speaker 1: in the description and you can give now and I'll 618 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: see you next time on the Elevation Podcast.