WORSHIP AND THE EXODUS: UNDERSTANDING WHO GOD IS

1. Lesson 2 for July 9, 2011 WORSHIP AND THE EXODUS: UNDERSTANDING WHO GOD IS

2. THEWAYWEWORSHIP. How should we worship God? Are there right and wrong ways to do it? OURMOTIVATIONTOWORSHIP. Why we worship God? What has God made that motivates us to worship Him? Which is our inner motivation to worship? WHAT WE GAIN WHEN WE WORSHIP. Can we benefit from worship? Does worship improve our spiritual way somehow? By studying the history in Exodus we learn these things in this lesson:

3. THEBURNING BUSH THEWAYWEWORSHIP Moses showed reverence by taking off his shoes and covering his face before the presence of God. We need reverence, fear and respect when we are before God. OURMOTIVATIONTOWORSHIP God showed Moses His plan to free and save Israel by bringing them out of Egypt. Our motivation to worship Him is that He frees us from sin and gives us salvation. WHAT WE GAIN WHEN WE WORSHIP Moses asked God to tell him His Name. God introduced Himself as the Eternal God with His answer (“I AM WHO I AM”). God is willing to answer our questions and clarify our doubts. God shows himself to us and helps us to know Him better through worship.

4. PASSOVER THEWAYWEWORSHIP When the people knew God's plan for saving the firstborn, they bowed down and worshipped Him, showing reverence, fear and gratitude. WHAT WE GAIN WHEN WE WORSHIP OURMOTIVATIONTOWORSHIP Paul said that all who accept the blood of Jesus are God's firstborn: “to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven” (Hebrews, 12: 23) We are firstborn saved by sin death by the death of Jesus. When we worship God thinking about that, we gain the confidence that our names are written in the Book of Life (we have eternal life) The Israelites had to kill a lamb and to strike the lintel and the two doorposts with its blood. The heart of Christian worship is the sacrifice of Jesus who poured his blood to wash away our sins. We apply Jesus' blood over us when we accept Him as our personal Savior.

5. SINAI THEWAYWEWORSHIP “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)” (Hebrews, 12: 18-21) When God showed Himself in such a terrible greatness, He wanted His people to understand that we must come to His presence with reverence. He is powerful, grateful, magnificent and beyond our reach. He defined the way to worship in that moment. God doesn't tolerate that we serve another gods of any kind. He doesn't accept to be worshipped through images or any kind of representation made by human hands.

6. SINAI OURMOTIVATIONTOWORSHIP “He who desires to rise to true greatness must walk humbly before God, not with a forced humility, but with a genuine sense of his own inefficiency and of God’s greatness. He is to strive earnestly to make the soul temple a place where God delights to dwell” (E.G.W., “A call to medical evangelism and health education, cp. 9, “Humility and love”, pg. 46) WHAT WE GAIN WHEN WE WORSHIP The Israelites knew God's will (the Ten Commandments) when they came close to Mount Sinai. Like them, we come to know divine will when we come close to God in worship.

7. THEGOLDENCALF THEWAYWEWORSHIP FALSE WORSHIP It shows noise, dancing, deafening music, shouts, disorder and general chaos. TRUE WORSHIP It shows spiritual songs and psalms, silence, respect and order. OURMOTIVATIONTOWORSHIP FALSE WORSHIP It satisfies our senses and seeks to please oneself. TRUE WORSHIP The most important thing is to please God and follow His principles. WHAT WE GAIN WHEN WE WORSHIP FALSE WORSHIP The Israelites received a death plague after their worship; false worship only brings eternal death. TRUE WORSHIP True worshippers will have life in their relationship with Jesus. Eternal life will be their final reward.

8. SEEINGGOD THEWAYWEWORSHIP Moses requested to see God and he could see His back. It wasn't a presumptuous request, but he came to God with humbleness, faith and submission. OURMOTIVATIONTOWORSHIP “Moses did not make this request from idle curiosity. He had an object in view. He saw that in his own strength he could not do the work of God acceptably. He knew that if he could obtain a clear view of the glory of God, he would be enabled to go forward in his important mission, not in his own strength, but in the strength of the Lord God Almighty. His whole soul was drawn out after God; he longed to know more of Him, that he might feel the divine presence near in every emergency or perplexity. It was not selfishness that led Moses to ask for a sight of the glory of God. His only object was a desire better to honor his Maker” (E.G.W., “In heavenly places”, August 22) Our motivation to worship must be to know God more and to have a stronger relationship with Him. WHAT WE GAIN WHEN WE WORSHIP Moses came out of God's presence with an illuminated face. We will be illuminated with a greater knowledge of God's will when we come to worship Him.

9. We must come before God with reverence, respect, humbleness and gratefulness. We must worship God because: • He ismagnificent. • He freed us from sin. • He givesussalvation. • He diedforus. • We want to know His will. • We want to thank Him and have eternal life. • We want to know God more and to have a strong relationship with Him.