1 / 41

The Expression of Faith

The Expression of Faith. Hebrews 12:18-24. Why bother?. Why waste an hour Saturday night? Why place my ‘hope’ in God? Why build my life through God? Why ‘endure’ God’s discipline? Why is a decision about God such a big deal?. Why bother? Because God is God!.

gisela-little
Download Presentation

The Expression of Faith

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Expression of Faith Hebrews 12:18-24

  2. Why bother? • Why waste an hour Saturday night? • Why place my ‘hope’ in God? • Why build my life through God? • Why ‘endure’ God’s discipline? • Why is a decision about God such a big deal?

  3. Why bother? Because God is God! See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.“ This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Hebrews 12:25-29

  4. Why bother? Because God is God! Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:25-29

  5. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • God isable to communicate clearly! • His written word is enduring & verifiable. “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  6. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. “For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  7. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • He is the foundation of the universe. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  8. Because God is God… He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing…But you are always the same; you will live forever.” Hebrews 1:10-12 (NLT) • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • He is the foundation of the universe. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  9. Because God is God… He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing…But you are always the same; you will live forever.” Hebrews 1:10-12 (NLT) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NLT) • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • He is the foundation of the universe. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  10. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • Everything else is easily ‘shaken…’ “This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  11. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • Everything else is easily ‘shaken…’ “for our God is a consuming fire.” But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10 (NASB) “This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.” Hebrews 12:25-29

  12. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • Everything else is easily ‘shaken…’ “…all of creation will be shaken and removed…” Hebrews 12:25-29

  13. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • Everything else is easily ‘shaken…’ • God offers lasting stability & a future “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable…” Hebrews 12:25-29

  14. Because God is God… • He deserves our attention. • He will be heard. • He is the only constant in the universe. • Everything else is easily ‘shaken…’ • God offers lasting stability & a future • A response of gratitude is reasonable! Hebrews 12:25-29

  15. …heart-felt gratitude is reasonable! “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;” Hebrews 12:25-29

  16. …heart-felt gratitude is reasonable! • Also called ‘worship’ • ‘λατρεύω – ‘to serve’, ‘offer’, or ‘worship’ • Reverence & awe’ – sincere, amazed… “offer to God an acceptable servicewith reverence and awe;” Hebrews 12:25-29

  17. …heart-felt gratitude is reasonable! • Also called ‘worship’ • Which is expressed as ‘giving’ • Χάρις – Grace (always): a gift. “…let us show gratitude…” Hebrews 12:25-29

  18. …heart-felt gratitude is reasonable! • Also called ‘worship’ • Which is expressed as ‘giving’ • Χάρις – Grace (always): a gift. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Eph. 2:8 (ESV) “…let us show gratitude…” Hebrews 12:25-29

  19. …heart-felt gratitude is reasonable! • Also called ‘worship’ • Which is expressed as ‘giving’ • Χάρις – Grace (always): a gift. “Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:8 (NASB) “…let us show gratitude…”

  20. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does.

  21. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. Every song gives you a little “feel-good” buzz that you prefer to listen to. So when you’re without your music for an extended period of time, that buzz becomes a craving. You become irritated and easily angered for no apparent reason. You start wasting more and more of your time listening to music, getting lost in the rhythm or singing to the lyrics. Next thing you know, hours have gone by while just lounging around with some friends listening to your favorite songs. There’s times when you just can’t stand someone because they listen to music you hate, making you more inclined to hang out with those in similar tastes of music.

  22. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. Every song gives you a little “feel-good” buzz that you prefer to listen to. So when you’re without your music for an extended period of time, that buzz becomes a craving. You become irritated and easily angered for no apparent reason. You start wasting more and more of your time listening to music, getting lost in the rhythm or singing to the lyrics. Next thing you know, hours have gone by while just lounging around with some friends listening to your favorite songs. There’s times when you just can’t stand someone because they listen to music you hate, making you more inclined to hang out with those in similar tastes of music.

  23. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. Every song gives you a little “feel-good” buzz that you prefer to listen to. So when you’re without your music for an extended period of time, that buzz becomes a craving. You become irritated and easily angered for no apparent reason. You start wasting more and more of your time listening to music, getting lost in the rhythm or singing to the lyrics. Next thing you know, hours have gone by while just lounging around with some friends listening to your favorite songs. There’s times when you just can’t stand someone because they listen to music you hate, making you more inclined to hang out with those in similar tastes of music.

  24. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. • NOT a gloomy, dark ‘reverence & awe’. You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.” Hebrews 12:18-21 (NLT)

  25. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. • NOT a gloomy, dark ‘reverence & awe’. • NOTrituals (the ‘worship service’). You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai… Hebrews 12:18-21 (NLT)

  26. ‘Worship’ is… But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. • NOT a gloomy, dark ‘reverence & awe’. • NOTrituals (the ‘worship service’). • Practiced alongside others. Hebrews 12:22-24 (NASB)

  27. ‘Worship’ is… • What God does. • What humans are designed to do. • NOT a gloomy, dark ‘reverence & awe’. • NOTrituals (the ‘worship service’). • Practiced alongside others. • The basis for authenticlove.

  28. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers Remember the prisoners…and those who are ill-treated Marriage is to be held in honor among all… Make sure that your character is free from the love of money Remember those who led you…imitate their faith.

  29. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1

  30. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 • Unacceptable: rituals and formalism “This people draw near with their words and honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me, and their reverence for me consists of tradition learned by rote.” (Isaiah 29:13)

  31. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 • Unacceptable: rituals and formalism “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies . . . Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:21-24)

  32. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 • Unacceptable: rituals and formalism • ‘God in a box’

  33. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 • Unacceptable: rituals and formalism • ‘God in a box’ • ‘I need my songs & rituals to get close…’ • Actually promotes shallow spirituality • A hugeinvestment of resources • Alienates non-Christians

  34. “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” • ‘Acceptable service’ is Hebrews 13 • Unacceptable: rituals and formalism • ‘With reverence and awe’ towardsGod • God is the CENTER of our ‘service’ • The answer to ‘why bother’ ? • The source of motivation & thankfulness

  35. What does it mean:“acceptable service..reverence & awe” ? • Are you thankful? • Or, are you alienated from God? For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:21 (NASB)

  36. What does it mean:“acceptable service..reverence & awe” ? • Are you thankful? • Are you practicing thankfulness? • Or going through the rituals?

  37. What does it mean:“acceptable service..reverence & awe” ? • Are you thankful? • Are you practicing thankfulness? • What receives your ‘reverence & awe’? • ‘things which can be shaken’, or • ‘things which cannot be shaken’

  38. Join Basecamp! http://neoxenos.net Passcode: neoxenos

  39. Join Basecamp! http://neoxenos.net Passcode: neoxenos

  40. Join Basecamp! http://neoxenos.net Passcode: neoxenos

  41. Falling Behind Budget!!

More Related