Reverence

Guest (Male): You're just in time for today's Power Walk Ministries broadcast. We're so glad that you've joined us today as Reverend Paul Cannings continues with the series, Living God's Way. In life we look at directions to major household gadgets, appliances, cars, even putting furniture together. When there's a problem, we look to the instruction manual. Well, throughout Scripture, God as our creator has provided all we need to live our lives. One such passage is found in Deuteronomy chapter 12, and Pastor Cannings continues to share what God expects of us in worship. Let's listen.
Dr. Paul Cannings: Why is it such a big deal about giving in the Bible? I know, here goes another preacher talking about giving. I understand. But stick with me for a while. This program doesn't last forever, so give me a minute. Why is this such a big deal about giving? Why does God talk about it so much? When God owns everything and can create something out of nothing, why even talk about giving? What is it that he actually needs that would cause him to constantly bring up throughout the scriptures giving? Look at Jesus Christ in the temple. He is sitting opposite the offering box to make a point with the woman with the mite. Why would he even make that point? Well, folks, there is a reason for this, and it has nothing to do with what he needs, and it has nothing to do with preachers, but it fundamentally has to do with the principles that he's sharing here. The first principle that we found is loyalty. We framed it in respect when we talked about this earlier on Monday. We framed it in respect, but it has to do with loyalty. In other words, he says you cannot worship other idols. You cannot give time to anything that's an idol. We talk about what an idol is. It's not a graven image sitting on your nightstand. An idol is anything I give time, money, and service to more than I would to God. So understand, if we were to ever put even family higher than him, there's an issue. The issue first is dealing with loyalty. Now, the issue then is the nature of worship in verses 4 and 5 where we dealt with this. It's the nature of worship that has to do with an attitude of respecting him as Lord God. That he is the one who, because of a covenant that he has with us, in our case Calvary, we can now experience a relationship with him because of a covenant. Meaning that I've accepted Jesus Christ into my life. I believe he died for my sins and rose from the dead. I've accepted that in my heart. At that point, they're saved. Until that time, they're not. Once that relationship is established, it could go to a friendship, John chapter 15 verse 1 through verse 13. It could go through a friendship because I choose to abide and I choose to surrender my life and I keep doing that, working my salvation out in fear and trembling, because it is he who's within me both to will and to do for his good purpose. So when we have that kind of focus, then he's now God. He now rules. He's not asking for me to consult with him before he makes a decision as to what to do. He's written the Bible ahead of me. Before we were ever born, the Bible is written. And he says everything we need for life and godliness, 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 through verse 4, is in the Bible. Second Timothy chapter 3 verse 17, a man of God will be equipped for every good work through the word of God. Every good work is every good work. So he's not looking for advice from us. So when we bring that attitude to his place that he determines is the place of worship, we discussed that yesterday. Second Corinthians chapter 3 verse 10 through 15, he says, "I'm going to bless you for the quality of your work, not the quantity." And once that is established, then he says you shall come this way. But when you come, I expect you to worship me the way I define worship. And that's where we are in verse 6. This is how I define worship. And immediately he goes right back to the very thing he did with Israel. They come out of Egypt. Let me define worship for you. Exodus, the book of Exodus. Leviticus, the book of worship. Numbers, didn't listen, they wandered. Deuteronomy, 20 and below, let me explain to you how you stay in the promised land and be productive. When they kept ignoring him, the Book of Judges. When they didn't, they're in Babylon for 70 years. So he is saying when you go into the promised land, please remember, just like I took you out of Egypt, caused you to worship me in the wilderness, when you go into the promised land, here is something you must not forsake because this is what for him defines worship. So let's take a look at it. In verse 6 he says, "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings." Now you say, "Okay, this is Old Testament stuff." Hold up a second. Nowhere in here does he mention anything attached to the ceremonial offerings, trespass offering, sin offering. None of these offerings are mentioned. And he is speaking of offerings that has a significance attached to how we give. He's not picking offerings attached to the ceremonial processes that Jesus Christ fulfilled on Calvary's cross as the lamb. Not a lamb, the lamb. He's not doing that. And in this text towards the bottom of verse 1 he says, "Which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it all the days that he live upon the earth." Not upon the promised land, but upon the earth. Because they're going to scatter. It's going to be a church in the New Testament. So none of the ceremonial laws are in this text. What he's dealing with here in verse 6, he says, first is the burnt offering. What is the burnt offering? The burnt offering in the Bible means these several things. It is the animal, every aspect of the animal was used, every part of it. It was a total surrender into the hands of the priest. That animal was surrendered to the hands of the priest and the priest used every bit and piece of that animal. It also has to do not just with surrender, it has to do with total dependency. Now this offering is totally dependent on what the priest is going to do with it. What the priest, following the word of God, is going to do. So a burnt offering is very much in the New Testament attached to us. He says in Romans chapter 12, "Present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy acceptable, this is your reasonable act of worship." So when we come into worship, he's saying first I'm asking about you. That's why you'll find in the Bible it would say lift up holy hands before me. It would talk about the tongue and how we need to control the tongue, the eyes in Matthew chapter 6. We must make these things slaves to righteousness, Romans chapter 6 verse 12 through 14. I must transform my heart towards God. Even when it comes to eating, in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, don't be gluttonous. He would talk about these different things that the Bible addresses attached to presenting my body as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. Renew the mind. The list goes on. Then he talks about how we become a burnt offering before him and that's our reasonable act of worship. And that's the reason why he tells us the day to come worship him. That's the reason why he tells us when you come worship him, Acts chapter 2, this is what you do that I define worship to be. Because I'm bringing myself not to tell anybody what worship is. I'm bringing myself to submit to the full surrender again at the beginning of another week to say this is how I surrender my life to you. That's the first thing about giving. The second thing about giving, he says, is a sacrifice. Meaning when you come to me and you sacrifice yourself to me, I'm not asking you to bring something that's convenient. Watch Abel, watch Abel that made him all excited. When it came to Abel, Abel not just got the best animal, Abel got the fat off the animal. That took a lot of time. And Abel was making a statement with that. That's why you see him talking about the firstlings at the end of this verse. In other words, don't bring me your leftovers. When that's what happened in Malachi and he says, "I'm not talking to you for 400 years," it literally, when he said I'm not talking, it ended on how they were worshipping. It didn't end just on how their lack of obedience. He literally would fire the priests because they will not accept his offering the way he's defining it in chapter 1 of Malachi. I'll fire you. I don't even want you to be in my temple courts. You don't respect what I call worship attached to giving. Not the singing, not the rabbis reading in the outer courts. You don't do what I tell you to do and I want you out of here. So Genesis starts off with worship, Malachi ends with God not speaking for 400 years because they will not do what he says. This is how huge this is to him, folks. He's not impressed with our money. He's not impressed with the degrees we bring in. He's not impressed with how smart we are, or if we have a corner office or drive a Jaguar. Then he says something that we argue about in the evangelical world forever. We argue about this whole thing about tithing. But we'll get to that and work our way through that because I don't necessarily agree with the standard evangelical rule. And he breaks it out here with your tithes and your free will offerings he's going to say. So he defines both. He doesn't say it's one or the other or one goes to the other. So we need to work through that. But we'll do that tomorrow. But the thing we will end in here is he says offer with your hands. Offer it with your hands. That's why at Living Word, I don't want folks walking around in a circle. I don't want the offering plate being passed. None of these things. I said listen, nobody should do a dance for you to bring your check home. You understand the responsibility to bring it home and to respect the effectiveness of your family. This is God's family. It's a surrogate family. If the family broke down, this is a family that he built up. So when you come, why does somebody have to go through all of this stuff to get you to give? No. 1 Corinthians 16. They prepared it and saved it before they got there. Anybody is same thing you see in the Old Testament. When they brought a sacrifice, it was set aside. It was locked in a special cage. And the shepherd slept in the door. That's why Christ would say, "I am the good shepherd." He's going to be the one that is sleeping in the door. He's the sacrifice on Calvary's cross. So please understand, folks. When it comes to worship, the very word worship means his worth-ship, his value. Until we come to worship with this mindset, he is saying we did not have worship. What we had was a singspiration and a sermon that inspired us, but we did not have worship until we say to him, we recognize you as the giver, we're dependent on you to keep doing it, and we respect you for what you're doing, so we're going to make sure we highlight that when we come to you to give you respect which is worship. Because man shall not live by bread alone, man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. I pray that when we go to worship, we do it his way. That's what counts forever. Stay focused.
Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. God so meticulously lays down his expectations for us in worship so we can approach him with the reverence that he deserves. Now, for the copy of this message series, Living God's Way, please log on to powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. Or call us, 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402. And when you reach out to us, another tool you'll find helpful is Pastor Cannings' book, Disciples in the Making, Discipling Believers from Spiritual Infancy to Spiritual Maturity. It's a guide that can also be purchased with a student workbook for yourself or if you wish to disciple others.
Dr. Paul Cannings: Power Walk Ministries is excited to have a partnership with Central Baptist Church and Mars Hill Network for a conference we are doing on September the 19th at 8:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon. The conference cost is minimal. It's $25 that includes lunch. We would love for you to be there and be a part of what God is going to do through this partnership with Central Baptist Church and Mars Hill Network and Power Walk Ministries. It will take place at Central Baptist Church. We would love for you to be there. We need for you to go to the Central Baptist Church website in your Syracuse area or you can go to Power Walk Ministries' website or Mars Hill's website and there will be a link over for you to learn more about the classes that are being offered. We look forward to seeing you. It's going to be an exciting one-day conference where we all learn together for God's glory. Join us September the 19th at Central Baptist Church. See you then.
Guest (Male): That's powerwalkministries.org. Would you consider partnering with us both in prayer as well as through your financial support? You can do so online at powerwalkministries.org or by giving us a call, 281-260-7402. And now let's remember to follow God's plan in worship, recognizing and relinquishing idolatry in our lives as we come in reverence before a holy God.