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 Sermon > Sunday Evening Service |
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Title |
God Delights in Praise - Performing Arts Committee |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Psalm 150: 1-6 |
Date |
2011-06-26 |
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Passage
Psalm 150: 1-6
"Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!"
Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has blessed us to have 2011 Performing Arts Committee Devotional Service. I also give thanks to all the devotees who have prepared for this service with all your hearts, minds, and souls.
Dear devotees, today's reading passage Psalm 150 is the zenith and the finale of all Psalms.
It expresses very well we who have breath should praise God with joy and passion at each moment.
We have to raise our voice and dance with joy every moment of our lives and give glory to God with all kinds of musical instruments.
King David understood this will of God very well. During his reign, there were 4,000 men who ministered with song among 38,000 Levites who were serving God.
David divided those who had talents into 24 divisions to have them praise God in the early morning and evening.
When the country was restructuring the organization after the Exile, the singers were set apart to perform their duties.
1 Chronicles 9:33 says, "Now these are the singers, heads of fathers' households of the Levites, who lived in the chambers of the temple free from other service; for they were engaged in their work day and night."
We can see that those who ministered with songs kept themselves holy, communicated with God deeply, and fulfilled their duties with all their might.
The Performing Arts Committee was organized to give God the Creator the most glorious praises that we can offer on this earth.
You have heard and learned so much as to what kinds of things you should have to be able to offer God-pleasing praises.
It is that you should not just praise with beautiful voices and motions but you have to offer holy aroma with your heart.
But, because of lust and greed that hindered you from cutting off the worldly things, up until now many of you have not been able to offer that aroma that God wants.
God does not want an aroma that is mixed with the worldly things. For this reason He purified the Performing Arts Committee and is leading you so that you can offer up good aroma.
He led you in a way that you do not suffer from the valueless and perishing worldly things any more, and you happily march towards eternal things.
Moreover, now He has let us perform with heavenly music and dances on this earth with the songs directly given by God.
These praises are pleasing in God's sight and they also give great joy to the church members.
The beautiful and pure aroma of praises that gives glory to God will also fill the believers with the fullness and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
You have received such precious grace for you have become holy instruments in praising God.
So, through this message, I hope you will reaffirm your determination once again to devote yourselves.
In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will all offer up pure and holy aroma to God who delights in praising.
[Main] Dear devotees,
In order to offer up God-pleasing praises, first of all, you must have determination.
You might have taken in fleshly things before, but now you've turned back and now seek spiritual things.
Your hearts were renewed through repentance, and you've received power and strength to march towards New Jerusalem.
So, you need to have determination to never take in flesh again, and you will become chaste children of God.
You have to reaffirm your determination not to look at the world again but to go into spirit and become a God-pleasing child.
You shouldn't just vaguely think you will do better. You should have specific plans to maintain your determination.
For example, suppose a student who is not studying hard made up his mind to study hard and get into a good college.
Here, he should not just vaguely decide that he will get into a good college.
He has to have the specific plans to check on himself until he achieves his goal.
For example, he should have plans like, "I will not meet with the friends I hang out to play games. I will get rid of my Play Station, cartoons, and TV. I will memorize 50 English words and finish at least 5 pages of the Math book every day." With such a plan he can check on himself.
If he did not keep his plan, he has to check why he didn't keep it and make proper provisions so he can keep them in the future.
Back when I was a student, if I didn't keep my plan, I skipped a meal to engrave it on my heart.
I cast away changing mind and kept my determination even by punishing myself.
I gave you the example of studying, but in casting away flesh and going into spirit, you need to have specific plans, too.
For example, there are many categories in the New Jerusalem movement.
They are things like, 'Do not see or hear the worldly things that you used to enjoy.' 'Fill up your time of prayer unceasingly.' 'Memorize a verse and read a chapter of the Bible.' You can check yourself against these categories as to whether you are keeping your mind.
I believe you began this new year 2011 with a renewed heart.
You made up your mind to cast away all the fleshly things that saddened God and caused you to become distanced from Heaven.
You professed that you would pray fervently, beat your 'self' into obedience, and love the Lord only in your march towards Heaven.
Has your determination not been shaken during the first half of this year?
Have you not looked sideways with a desire to take the worldly things again?
It must never happen.
Heaven and Hell surely do exist.
The Lord's coming is so near.
How dreadful it is if you follow the perishing, fleshly things being unable to wait for a little while and receive a shameful salvation!
And what if you fall into Hell?
What God has promised to you is the glory in New Jerusalem that cannot be compared with anything in this world.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."
I hope you will keep your heart until the end with longing for the Lord's appearing and remembering the glory of Heaven that will be revealed before your eyes.
I also hope your determination never again to take in the perishing things will not change.
Dear devotees,
In order to give God-pleasing praises, secondly, you have to fill yourself with spiritual things.
As you made up your mind to cast away flesh and go into spirit, you have to fill your hearts with spiritual things.
Weeding out a field does not mean you can reap the fruit right away.
You also have to plow the hardened land, sow the seeds, and take care of them.
Likewise, now you have to take spiritual things during the time you would take the fleshly things, and you have to re-direct your attention from fleshly things to spiritual things.
The most important thing in filling yourself with spirit is to change your heart with truth.
Some people seem passionate in longing for spirit, but they focus on external things so much that their inner change is slow.
They keep their positions in worship services and prayers with neat and tidy appearances, diligently doing their duties.
They diligently listen to, read, and memorize God's words and follow spiritual persons.
But the more important thing than these outwards deeds is the extent to which you bear the fruit of truth and practice the truth.
For example, a certain person is a very diligent and skillful at different work, so she even takes care of other people's work.
Then, people recognize her as a person of service, and she also thinks of herself as a person of service.
But serving outwardly in this way does not mean she has born the fruit of service.
If she does all the difficult works but others do not recognize her at all but take it for granted, would she feel happy about just the serving?
Would she serve others without a changing attitude even when she is very tired, because she loves other people?
Also, when she serves with love, if others coldly turn down her favor or misunderstand her, wouldn't she be disappointed?
If you bear the fruit of service in your heart, you wouldn't just serve in action. You would seek benefit of others from your heart, and you would want to comfort others' hearts.
Let me give you another example. A certain person always follows the truth and is upright, but she is not really gracious in the sight of other people. So they find it hard to stay close to her.
It is because she gives a hard time to others if they do not practice the truth on the account that she is practicing the truth.
You have to practice the truth uprightly, but at the same time you must not judge others when they don't. You have to understand them and accept them.
You are really practicing the truth only when you can accept others with generosity and love.
When others are well-off and acknowledged, you should be happy and rejoice together from your heart; you should seek others' benefit and pursue peace with everybody with your heart; you should lower and humble yourself and be able to give credit to others, considering everything God's grace. I hope you will bear this kind of fruit of truth in your heart.
If you bear such fruit in your heart, the words on your lips will also be holy.
You will not speak words of untruth, of judgment and condemnation, or slandering, or words that speak ill of others, or words that go beyond your positions, and other evil words.
You will speak words that only strength and comfort others that are gracious and edifying.
I hope you will diligently fill your heart with spiritual things.
In doing so, I hope you will become the light and salt everywhere and give glory to God.
Dear devotees,
In order to give God-pleasing praises, thirdly, you must not forget the grace you received.
Not just you devotees, but all the believers here have received such great grace.
How many testimonies do you now have since you came to this church; testimonies of receiving the Holy Spirit, and receiving healings and answers to your prayers?
You gained peace of mind and hope of Heaven that you cannot get anywhere in this world.
Especially last year, when you had the chance of repentance, you must have professed with tears that you wanted to pay back the grace of God with your whole life.
Especially you Performing Artists have received much greater grace just by having the duty to praise God.
God delights in praises, and for this reason He loves you and considers you more valuable than what you deserve just because you are singing praises.
Also, you are loved by the church, the shepherd, and the church members.
I hope you will never forget this grace.
You should offer thanks without ceasing and offer praises to God with new aroma of thanks all the time.
You should always think about the ways to please God and to become strength to the church and the shepherd and to pay back the love of the church members.
You must not change your attitude in fulfilling your duties, either.
Your passion must not cool down.
The apostle Paul was faithful until his death, but he never thought like, "I deserve to be complemented because I have offered myself to God so much."
He never thought he wanted to take a rest since he had worked so hard and borne so much fruit.
Even when he was severely beaten and imprisoned, he only praised God for the grace of salvation.
His passion became increasingly greater, and he worked with all his life until the last moment.
He only gave thanks even to the last moment, even as he walked into the place of execution.
He was just overwhelmed by the fact that as a foremost of sinners like him he became an apostle of the Lord and received the glory of being a martyr.
You should also have the same kind of thanks in your heart.
You should make professions like, "I was such a trivial person, I was nothing, but I was saved by the grace of the Father and the Lord.
I had to die in this perishing world being stained by sins, but I encountered a precious church and precious shepherd and heard the gospel of holiness.
Furthermore, I have such a precious duty of praising God. I receive love I could not imagine. I thank God I have become a precious person to stand on this holy altar.
I will fulfill my duty with all my life until the Lord comes back and give glory to God with all my heart, mind, and strength." I hope such profession will always be there in you.
I urge you to pay back the grace of God with your unchanging faithfulness until the moment you praise God in front of the throne of God.
Conclusion
Dear devotees and other members,
Isaiah 43:21 says, "The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise."
Not just the singers and performers, but we were all made to give glory to God and praise Him.
If we know this will of God, our lives will be full of praises, and we will understand the value of praising ministry.
Today, as the world is increasingly full of sins, many churches get stained by darkness, being unable to discern between flesh and spirit.
Lascivious music and dances of the world penetrate into churches disguising themselves as praises.
Our church never accepts such things.
We will only give God holy and pure aroma that pleases God.
Since you belong to this Performing Arts Committee, you should not still love the world or dwell in flesh.
Even if you put on splendid dresses, sing with beautiful voices, or dance beautifully and skillfully, God does not accept praises of flesh.
Such things can not touch the believers nor are they stored up as heavenly rewards.
In this end time where the flows of flesh and spirit are split, such praises of flesh will only become extinct.
I hope you will make up your mind once again to cut off the fleshly things, fill your heart with spiritual things, and remember the grace of God.
I urge you to dwell only in the light wherever you go, having the sense of duty that you are carrying out holy duties of praising God.
In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that, you will quickly go into spirit and whole spirit, and offer up perfect aroma of praise that delights God. |
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