Download MP3
Scripture:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:3-9)Reflections:
How do you define worship?For many, worship is possible only when one is in a place where it is suitable to do “godly acts”. Worship, for some, is more on the styles of singing and dancing and being in high in emotional atmosphere. But last Sunday we have learned that worship goes beyond what we think and feel. We have learned that Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that it is not a matter of place as what was said in John 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. But rather it pertains to a personal kind of encounter with God.
"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)
In a book entitled “Experience God in Worship”, it says there that “Jesus told us the unchanging standard of acceptable worship for all believers: in Spirit and in truth. Other than that, there’s nowhere we could find in the Bible a very specific type of worship that we are to follow.”
Worship is to be daily and should be a lifestyle for us His children.
In order for us to understand what it is to have a lifestyle of worship, we need to understand some things.
1. Grace
2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
If we notice the word “granted”, in Greek (Strong's Greek 1433) it is translated to as δεδωρημένης (dedōrēmenēs)
To give, grant, donate. Middle voice from doron; to bestow gratuitously.
It pertains that these things that God did was an act of grace. We don’t deserve such kind.
The Ten Commandments that many of us know, pertains to the moral standard of God that shows that humans are not capable to follow them very carefully. Because of this, God’s judgement for us is to be eternally condemned in Hell. But God don’t want us to end up like that. He wanted us to be saved
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
And because of this Jesus was the one who paid our fine (Eternal condemnation). As one famous evangelist, Ray Comfort, is saying: “You broke the Law, Jesus paid your fine” He ransomed His life for you and me. All you need to do is to believe in Him and trust in Him alone.
You need Him because we are sinners and that we need of a Savior.
Sir Phillip yesterday emphasized that “The New Birth is a miracle that God alone brings about. Just as we had nothing to do with our physical birth through our parents, we have nothing to do with our spiritual birth; for it is produced through God by the Holy Spirit.”
The late Dr. Ravi Zacharias once said, “Jesus does not offer to make bad people good but to make dead people alive.”
Jesus is alive in us. He is our life. He is our strength. He is our victory.
2. Good soil bears fruits
Now once we believe and accept Jesus, just as in the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9), our relationship with God results to us being transformed and bearing fruits.This is what Apostle Peter was telling us about in 2 Peter 1:5-7 "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."
These verses tell us that as our faith grows, so is our thirst for God. We become aware of the importance of His Word. As we come to discern what righteousness in God means, we are able to control our desires- desires that have been reoriented by Jesus to focus on Him in every way. Now our walk becomes constant and consistent to His voice. And because of these, our love for the brethren and for those that are not saved increases. A love that is selfless and unconditional. A love that Jesus has shown to you and me up until now.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins (2 Peter 1:8-9)
All the more, the supernatural work of Christ keeps us in moving forward and not backward. There may be tendency for us to stop and rest and catch your breath, but because Jesus lives in us, we continue the race heavenward.
3. Walking letter of God
You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)Our lifestyle of worship eventually becomes evident and is seen by many people. It is not a result of what we did when we accepted Jesus, but rather it is the manifestation of Jesus in us.
A continuous walk in God demands a continuous reliance and submission to Him. It’s a matter of dying to ourselves daily and not being able to feel the knocking of sin in the door of our lives and being made alive in Christ, expecting no other but Him alone- taking control of our lives- mind and heart and soul and strength.
We are the living testimony of God’s transformation. Right understanding of God through His Word and through the indwelling of His Spirit enables us to realize that the things that you’re doing are no longer for your interest but God’s in order for others to enjoy what you’re enjoying right now- freedom from sin, joy and peace in Christ.
Let me end with beautiful quotes from some Christian authors and pastors, all pertaining to life testimonies:
“If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much.” Harry Ironside
“The testimony of the lips indicates the state of the heart.” Harry Ironside
“While we cannot know a person's heart, we can see his light. Allowing sin to go unconfessed can dim God's light and hinder the effectiveness of a life's testimony.” Paul Chappell
Photo by: Jaime Legaspino
Connect With Us