More than words from Pastor Bernie Federmann

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

A Call to All


God calls us to worship Him - it is His call to all. You need not be the best singer, musician nor the most creative. He wants your heart and He wants all you have. May we all respond without reservation to the God who loves us and desires our lives.

Exodus 9:13 & 14
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

Exodus 10: 24 - 29
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD." But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go. Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die." "Just as you say," Moses replied, "I will never appear before you again."

OBSERVATION:
God's heart is for us to worship Him! Worship is the reason He wanted Israel free from captivity. God understood that Israel was far from Him and there were things He would do in them as they came and remembered Him through sacrifice and adoration.
Let my people go!This statement shows God's heart for Israel: They are my people!Even with all that they had done - God still wanted to have relationship with them. God was reminding Pharaoh that they did not belong to him but that they belonged to God.
Let my people go so that they might worship me! This statement shows God's purpose for Israel. He knows the power of worship and the change it brings to lives. It is not a selfish summons (though our God is jealous of worship that is not centered upon Him) but to change the hearts of Israel, to empower them and see them renewed.
When we worship we should offer our best to God.The following from Exodus 10 remind us to give our all to the Lord. (re-read the following)Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind.God wanted Israel to worship Him and Pharaoh agrees to release them - but tells them to leave their herds behind. Our past and our bondages and the powers we battle may let us believe we are free but they will always attempt to hold on and keep us bound. If Israel was to go and worship the Lord they would need to bring the animals to sacrifice and the blood to be poured out. Pharaoh knew clearly that if the animals remained no real worship could take place. Moses responds with a heartfelt statement of giving the best they had to God. We will go and worship and we will not LEAVE A HOOF BEHIND. In other words, we will give all to God and not leave anything out.

APPLICATION:
This passage is a summons to all - we all need to follow the Lord in obedience as Moses did. He was persistent in his approach to Pharaoh and when Pharaoh tried to bargain with him - Moses said, "No way - not a hoof." God deserves our best and we need to respond to His call to come and to worship Him and in so doing we will be free indeed.

John 4:24
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (NIV)


PRAYER:
Lord, give me the courage to give you all I have and not make deals with self, with truth of with those things that stand against you. May my heart be full and surrendered to you without reservation.You are worthy of my heart, my praise, my worship and my all. May you fully be glorified by my life, my family, my church and our endeavors to reach out beyond our walls. AMEN.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pastor B,
Thanks for letting us have a glimpse of how to journal. I continue to struggle w/ the discipline to actually do it every day, but I'm getting better (Praise God!) I pray for all who struggle as I do to find time to expand our knowledge and our relationship with our Lord and Savior. God Bless!

Pastor Bernie Federmann said...

Thanks Todd, we will host some journaling classes soon but keep doing it - it gets easier as you read, pray and write what God gives you. Keep it simple but keep it current and listen for God's heart.
Thanks to you and other posters like Win and David. Great stuff.