What on Earth Is Going On in Heaven? - Part B

The worship of God throughout the Bible is musical whether they were moving the ark of the covenant during the time David they were dancing before the Lord after the Red Sea episode in Exodus 15 great feast days and festivals of Israel. The wire that was in the temple: sermons and trumpets, even in battle, sometimes music was involved. Has anyone ever told you they're afraid heaven will be boring. Some of us may think it's a silly thing to worry about, but if you ever really stopped to consider what happens in heaven. The most common portrayal of heavenly activities, people sitting around a cloud scrolling hearts which to be honest does sound kind of goal. Well today, here and correctly Skip weekend division Skip Heitzig helps us figure out that there's more than hearts and trumpets going on in heaven now will participate in all but before we start today. We do want to let you know about a timely resource available right now from correctly skip.com questions can be ambushed by supply struggles that feels this into skip.

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Second notice is the position that is assumed worship and from this we derive the principal worship is physical, not just something in the heart. It's also physical but back in chapter 4 verse nine whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. The 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying you are worthy of the Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. And again in chapter 5 verse eight taken the scroll, the four living creatures. The 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Why are they doing this why they falling down because frankly they're awestruck they're awestruck and they're so grateful and the response is physical. They responded as ancient people would respond to royalty. If a king or queen locked in the room are you into the throne room you would always bow you would always get on the needs so worship here is physical 97 times the word worship appears in the Old Testament. I was looking it up and I discovered the normal word used from Hebrew translated worship is the workshop which means to bow down translated worship to bow down. It also is translated to fall also translated to stoop or to do obeisance to its a physical affirmation of honor and authority and respect.

Psalm 95 verse six is one of the most famous one. So, come, let us worship and bow down Shankar now except you have to bow down is not that you're not spiritual as you bow down now these are other expressions as I name them to you that you can do to enhance the physical expression of your worship in the Bible talks about all of these. Another one is the raising of the hands first Timothy chapter 2 verse eight Paul says wherever you assemble. I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God cannot be honest with you the first time I was in the service as a brand-new Christian, I watched people doing this I thought my my my top with CS. What are they doing it so precious. You know what it is when you lift your hands. It's a sign of welcome a child. When a child sees mom or dad to put their hands up like pick me up. I welcome you into my space, my life adults stick out their hand to shake a hand again a sign of welcome. Also, the raising of hands I believe speaks of surrender to the old Westerns come out with your hands up, law enforcement officers still want hands up. They deal with the bad guys is when your hands are up here in surrender mode you can't do anything else when her hands are. You can't text message your friends. You can't write other staff.

Your hands are up yet to be focused another position.

The Bible speaks about his kneeling.

Psalm 95 or six, come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker, like bowing, kneeling, as a sign of humility means I'm preoccupied I'm preoccupied with God. He is my focus. I'm preoccupied with him another expression. The Bible speaks about his dancing. I know some of you dancing was what can be somebody once asked me to Christians dance. My answer will some canned and some can't but say what the Bible says about it. Psalm 149 verse three. Let them praise his name with the dance. This is a mean great. I'm going hip-hop tonight. The ideas in the context of celebration. The great feast of Israel were accompanied by people dancing before the Lord. David danced before the Lord in Exodus 15 Miriam and the women of Israel played the tambourine and danced for the Lord in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 you know it well.

Solomon says there is a time to weep, there's a time to laugh. There is a time to mourn. There's a time to what think you dance right there in the Bible.

Another expression is standing. Psalm 135 praise him, you servants of the Lord who stand in the house of the Lord.

Theirs were in getting it's funny how in the West here in the Western culture we have guarded ourselves so carefully against any physical expression and worship, except for one sitting is acceptable. Yeah I Lord I just like to sit it's comfortable for me. So I think the message could be perhaps it's really all about me.

As long as I'm comfortable instead of preoccupied with him another one. The Bible speaks about is the lifting of the eyes. Psalm 123 undo you. I lift my eyes at as I look up Jesus did this when he prayed he lifted his eyes toward heaven and you I lift up my eyes so you who dwell in the heavens. Guess what I found as I look to the Scripture. Closing your eyes, folding her hand not in the Bible does make it wrong, it just didn't make God stop. Five. That's all there is tremendous freedom in all of this, but these are expressions and the physicality of worship was and is, I believe experienced in heaven. Third thing I'd like you to notice about their worship is the possessions employed in worship. Notice in chapter 5 verse eight. They each have a harp you know harp is a musical instrument.

Again, I will be very honest with the first time I read this I wasn't too excited about it is that my mind went to the picture. Great to be sitting on a cloud with a harp right all day long. Now I don't particularly like to play harp. I don't mind hearing the harp. I love it in the right kinds I really do. I admire a great harpist or cartoonist or whatever it is, the idea for me playing habits like get in and so I studied this and found out that the harp is an ancient trapezoidal instrument with strings that are usually strummed with the pack, so I think in my mind goes to sound like a guitar so heaven sent a little cooler to me right now and I first found that out and then I read this verse in the amplified Bible and read it to you and each one having a harp that is Aleut or a guitar that okay something really cool right about now you bring up a little pickup on it and crank a little, which is my frame of reference is my point. The worship of God throughout the Bible is musical whether they were moving the ark of the covenant during the time David, whether they were dancing before the Lord after the Red Sea episode in Exodus 15 the great feast days and festivals of Israel. The choir was in the temple with musical instruments and trumpets, even in battle. Sometimes music was involved.

Psalm hundred and 50 says praise him with the sound of the trumpet, praise him with stringed instruments and flutes praise him with loud cymbals and with clashing cymbals to worship is musical and I think in heaven would be awesome to be awesome Martin Luther. Sometimes he could say things like nobody else could Martin Luther sit next to theology I give to music. The highest place and honor. Music is the art of the prophets. The only art that can calm the agitations of the soul is one of the most magnificent and delightful presence of God is given. True is in it. We all love music playing when we work were in the car we tap to it. We moved to a tower made to be in heaven. Martin Luther also said this was. This is classic. If any man despise his music as all fanatics do for him. I have no liking for music as a gift and the grace of God, not the invention of man blessed drives out the devil and makes people cheerful, then one forgets all wrath, impurity and other devices of the fourth and final thing and what you notice about the worship in heaven is the kind of praise that is described in worship as you read through this winter read a few verses, just a minute you get the idea that they put their whole being into their whole heart leads me to this statement worship is emotional.

Yes, it's intellectual but that's not all evidence is also emotional. Jesus said the father is looking for worshipers will worship him in spirit and in truth.

Now let let's look at this verse nine and they sang a new song, saying you are worthy to take the scroll and open it seals, for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue people and nation, and it made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth. And then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures elders 10,000×10,000, saying verse 12 the loud voice, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and as such as are in the sea and all that are in them. I heard St. blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. And the four living creatures that a man in the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever, that there there into this. There into this member.

Jesus said love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Report themselves into and I read the word loud here. They worship him with a loud voice seems like to me in the Bible it seems to me the gods and the volume now I don't mean just cranking up the PA.

I mean your own personal they had no PA than just your own voice singing loud. I don't think God into two. The air shout, not to the Lord. I remember I had a camp counselor one time I was involved in the songs they were sitting in the cemetery. Some if God gave you a good voice and use it to praise him. If God gave you a bad voice give it back to him.

You might be saying well I am not a good singer deal with it because all say that to all you nonmusical people. The voice that you have is the voice of the Lord God Almighty gave you and it is an adequate instrument to praise the Lord. The Bible says make a joyful noise. Anybody can be that value to understand what I think it's a noise not a joyful noise nobody around these joyful I give you this instruction. If you don't sing well.

Please sing aloud as will happen is your summary.

Next is nothing but integrate voice again.

I gotta drown the person out and there is this huge anthem of worship sound great to reflect heaven, saying with a loud voice in Isaiah chapter 29 God to the prophet said these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me and the words were going through the motions but there is no emotion when you sing sing like you mean it.

I know people are wired differently. Some are very exuberant and emotional. Others are stoic, almost flat line tonalities the so we are wired differently understand that, but I also hear people use this excuse will are not the emotional type some people to tell me that I know them are not emotional go really but is a couple weeks on the golf course you are really emotional when you hit that great drives like you're only good shot all day.

You are so stoked you jumped up and shouted, not emotional emotional over something and those who are nonemotional when their kids scores a touchdown to get some award they get very emotional. Why is it that this one area. We feel we have to shut it off.

I've been to some sporting events ever been to the pit. When the Lobo score you ever see proximity going to or are given to a concert with the big band and watch the people. Pagans know how to get excited.

So so why do Christians think that enthusiasm about the most were these thing in the universe must somehow be carefully contained think I'd like into that and got his way to Galway to hold on-site way to tell him know you love me good worship. Somebody once said God isn't too excited about secret admirers. So tell him don't be afraid to express not try to make you emotional automatons. I'm just saying. However, you do it.

Put your all into it. Put your max into when you do your getting close to heaven. There's a lot of praise prompters.

There's a lot of things that God allows in our lives and we could look at go.

Thank you Lord.

Praise you Lord I worship you Lord you do that through the day. I would almost guarantee you that by the time we gather corporately going to be exuberant as you learn to make that your lifestyle was a farmer who lived out in the country. He was a believer very simple man. He was visited by a relative of his who is an unbeliever. They sat down. That first evening for a meal at the farmhouse and the believing simple farmer raised his hands and thanked God for the meal and worship the Lord and said amen and afterwards the unbelieving relatives said how old-fashioned no one believes in prayer like that anymore and the farmer humbly acknowledge that he was right that it is old-fashioned and that there even some on his farm that don't praying don't give thanks and the unbeliever lightened up in sickle and who are these wise enlightened ones in the farmer said pigs. So let's get above the level of an animal, and we have been given voices and bodies and spirits to worship and love the Lord with every because he is worthy, we are the redeemed will you don't need to worry about what you do in heaven. Once you get there. The very fact that you get the worship in the presence of Almighty God, that you finally be able to tell them how much you love and adore and face-to-face. Well, that may take up a good chunk of eternity. There were nearly out of time for today but before we go Skip a line you're here to offer some more about making worship, a part of your life like you the title today. What on earth is going on in heaven is wonderful at reliant title very well done my friend so it tells us how important it is to worship the Lord and sincerely praise him for what he is done in and I were going to spend a lot of time doing that which I look forward to some listeners. I think struggle maybe with worship outside of corporate liking others acquire a band or worship team and how do they implement genuine worship in their own lives like a great question and I think that I could even add to that and say that some people are even too excited about corporate worship. I mean you just the desert stand there and look at it and and their observers but they don't enter into it and I've always believed that God isn't too excited about secret admirers.

He likes to be told that he is great to be extolled and to be worshiped and to be praised and so much so that it says he inhabits the praises of his people. That's a profound statement that God is into it that much, so we had to realize that that that worship is going to be the occupation of heaven. When you open up the book of Revelation. You see a lot of that going on and it's it's voice upon voice and it's allowed in its dynamic and according to John, there is nothing that is more spectacular than being in the presence of God.

There's nothing more fascinating in heaven than the person of God, you know, we often think will heaven is good to be where I'm reunited with that and that's true and a wonderful thought and certainly a part of the bliss of eternity, but according to John the most fascinating thing about heaven is going to be that were in the presence of God so it's it's good to reflect on that and to read about that and then I would just say to our audience to get outside of yourself a little because it's really not about you. It really is about God so learned that if you don't know how learn how to describe things to him and tell him things and when your lover somebody you tell them that you can disable.

I told her 20 years ago. I daresay were created for worship. I think Scripture merit sat out that we have this internal need to worship and I will settle for less errors for you rock stars and teams and that were really kind made to be fans, but we should be a fan of the ultimate. The one thing is I remember when we first met and I were dating. I had a problem in this area of knowing how to worship outside of the worship service and I told you I felt so awkward saying, praise the Lord hallelujah because it seemed contrived a member and that you actually told me will just practice you know you said sometimes on your motorcycle. You'll say, praise the Lord, and no one hears it.

But God and that was so practical for me to just kind of in my own space in my own quietness to practice his praises and not feel so silly about it and it just became more and more natural, yet, so how about the challenge of taking the commands of Scripture and trying to practice or implement them at different times. The Bible talks about singing.

The Bible speaks about ascribing in in in vocal same words about raising hands about kneeling about bowing, so why not just try it. If the Bible says to do it.

Why not try to do. Thanks guys. So when you contact us. You can also order a copy of today's message from Skip entitled what on earth is going on in heaven. It's available on CD for just six dollars plus shipping. Or you can order the entire series from the edge of eternity. All 17 messages for only $39 plus shipping.

So give us a call 1-800-922-1888 colitis at the connection. It's PO Box 95707, Albuquerque, NM 87199 Course You Can Also Pl. your order online in the store and connect with him on our next podcast will continue to explore what lies beyond the threshold of death's door. So I hope you can set aside some time to join us during Skip weekend edition presentation of connection so you guys ever changing true ever-changing time