SERMON SERIES: “Messages from The Throne Room” Response to Message from Throne Room: “Our First Duty Is Being A Worshipper.”
PRESENTER: Rev. Dr. JoAnne P. King
DATE: January 7, 2024
Praise the Lord Saints and happy New Year. Last Sunday, we covered messages that were received from the Throne Room and given to the high priest Zacharias, his wife Elizabeth and Mary. We also looked at their response(s) to said message(s).
Everyone loves to hear that somebody loves them. Well, God isn’t any different. I don’t think all of us realize that all of life is worship. Everything that we do is supposed to flow out of a heart that loves God above everything else.
If we go to church on Sundays but don’t obey the commands of God, then we’re not worshipping God. Obedience to God is an outward sign of a heart that prizes God above everything else.
Here’s an example of a person trying to face both ways at the same time. Trying to live with one foot in the church and one in the world. They’ve got just enough of the world in them that they can’t be happy in church and just enough Christ in them that they can’t be happy in the world. They’ve become a spiritual schizophrenic, a two-soul person. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind.
David was a perfect example of a worshipper. God said that David was a man after His own heart! Acts 13:22b
Look how David worshipped God as he brings the Ark back to Zion in 2 Samuel 6:12b-23: “So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
“And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
“And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
“So, David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
“And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
“And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
“And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
“And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to everyone a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So, all the people departed everyone to his house.
“Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
“And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.
“And I will yet be more vile than this, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maid servants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor.
“Therefore, Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death.”
If David was a man after God’s own heart and danced and praised God in public with all of his might; doesn’t that tell you that God enjoys worship and was well pleased?
Remember when Queen Elizabeth died and all the pomp and circumstance they had for her funeral. The heads of state of different countries around the world attended her funeral. Remember all of the care that was taken of her crown and any articles used in the work of the throne.
And then when her son was installed as the new King of England. Again, all of the pomp and circumstance around his installation as well as, his Queen. If all of this is done for an earthly king, how much more is it fitting for the King of kings!
Look what king Soloman did in building the Temple for our God since David, his father couldn’t because he had blood on his hands. No expense was spared in building the Temple for God to dwell in. The best of everything was placed in the Temple.
At the dedication of the Temple, king Soloman and all the congregation of Israel were assembled with him before the ark. “They sacrificed sheep and oxen that could not be numbered for the multitude. Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims… There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt” (I Kings 8:5-9).
King Solomon, kneeled before the altar and lifted his hands toward heaven and prayed a prayer that covered every possible situation the Israelites might have happen in any generation, the prayer covered from I Kings 8:15-59, he closed the prayer with: “That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandment as at this day.”
“Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.
“And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.
“And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.
“Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. “And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.” David had made 4,000 instruments to praise the Lord because his mercy endureth forever. The priests sounded the 4,000 trumpets and all Israel stood.
Additionally, “Solomon hallowed the middle court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.”
“Solomon and all of Israel with him kept the feast seven days” (2 Chronicles 7:1-8).
“And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. And God made the following promises to him: “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
“Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
“For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (2 Chronicles 7:12-16).
However, with God there are consequences for disobedience and Solomon and Israel are no exception.
He promised Solomon that if he walked as David his father did and observed His statues and judgments, then He would stablish the throne, saying: “There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.” Just look at those blessings and His presence bestowed on Solomon and the Israelites by God for their worship of Him and the Temple built for Him to dwell in!
Prior to this, God had demonstrated His power by leading the Israelites out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea, and through the wilderness, etc. but there had never been a more visible and up-close display of His glory.
Here come the consequences! “But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them:
“Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
“And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to everyone that passeth by it; so that he shall say, why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house?
“And it shall be answered, because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore, hath he brought all this evil upon them” (2 Chronicles 7:19-22).
You must remember that our God is a holy God and one that must be revered and obeyed. This Temple and the one that Herod built to replace it was destroyed because Israel violated the conditions that God had set. Today, there remains only one wall that surrounded the Temple left as a reminder and Christians, Israelites and other visitors tour and pray at what is now called the “Wailing Wall.”
On the Temple Mount where this Temple once majestically and elegantly stood has been replaced by a Muslim Mosque called the Dome of the Rock built directly above it and the Al Aqsa Mosque a few yards away. This makes the Temple Mount a holy site for the Israelites and the Muslims. However, prophets of God have prophesied that a Third Temple will be built right on that site. With the war in Israel now with Hamas, can this be signaling that we are moving closer to the building of that Temple?
In Revelation 4:1-11, let’s observe what kind of worship God is used to receiving on a daily basis. These are things recorded by the Apostle John. “…And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting clothed in white raiment: and they had on their head crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices; and they were given lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Let’s check the Bible to see what our responses should be to God’s message coming from the Throne Room. Matthew 22:34-40: “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart (all inward affection), and with all thy soul (all consciousness), and with all thy mind (all thoughts). This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
In John 4:23-24, Jesus said: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth.”
The scripture says very plainly that when we worship Him, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. You are not given a choice, it is a command. To worship God, we need to understand what does Biblical worship mean? To worship God is to prize Him above everything else and to honor Him as the Person of highest importance and to act accordingly.
Some people worship their homes, cars, jobs, children, husbands, money and other material possessions. They have placed one or more of the named things above or in front of God. When we love something more than God, we devalue Him. We’re saying that a job, person, possession, or hobby is better than God. This is the opposite of Biblical worship. It’s idolatry.
Remember, the Bible tells us that “we must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” You can’t do that, if you have placed anything or anyone before God. Contrast this statement with the following to see if the following scripture is worshipping God?
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
This scripture makes it plain that they are not worshipping God because their heart is far from Him. That’s why Jesus called these people “white washed tombs.” They looked good on the outside but were dead on the inside.
God said that we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
Worship is special, remember the worship done by David and King Solomon? They spared no expense and worshipped God without restraint and this was in the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit came upon man!
Today, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, surely we can and must worship God with everything that is within us. He wouldn’t have told us to worship Him this way, if we couldn’t!
We have to recognize that we have an enemy out there who wants to stop any worship of God. Satan wants you to worship him.
So, we must be sober when we worship God. What does this mean?
1 Peter 1:13-16 Amp. “So, prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. [Live as obedient children of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation]. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your godly character and moral courage]; because it is written, “You shall be holy (set apart), for I am Holy,”
1 Peter 5:8-9 Amp. “Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world [you do not suffer alone.]”
The enemy will send all kinds of distractions when you are getting ready to worship God. The phone will ring, somebody will ring your doorbell or he will remind you of something that you are supposed to do. That’s why you have to be rooted and immovable as far as his distractions are concerned. Personally, when I am getting ready to worship God, I take the phone off the hook, don’t answer the door, and write down what I had planned to do.
Before you start worshipping the Lord, make sure you have put on the whole Armor of God according to Ephesians 6:13-18 Amp.: “Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].
So, stand firm and hold your ground, HAVING TIGHTENED THE WIDE BAND OF TRUTH (personal integrity, moral courage) AROUND YOUR WAIST AND HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart), and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION (to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].
Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.”
While we are preparing for worshipping our God, we are wearing our full armor of God knowing that the enemy is going to try to stop us. But we are determined to worship our God, and we know that on the left hand, the enemy will try to stop us by using our old desires when we were in the world and things, we know we should not do. However, that won’t stop us because on the right hand, we are sober [steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert.]
As we are worshipping God, He is giving us assignments to do and as we do them, He is blessing us. It is during this time, that our hearing is very keen and we can hear God tell us to pray about a situation or a Saint that is standing in the need of prayer at that moment.
As worshippers, we are praying the Word of God in the Spirit without ceasing to God from a pure heart. We are living holy because He is holy. Worshippers are set apart from the world by their godly character and moral courage.
Saints, as worshippers this is not the time that we pull out some list of things that we want. This is the time that we are pouring all of our love out on Him for who He is and all that He has done for us! God has told us in His Word that He knows what we have need of before we even ask.
Saints, as worshippers we are mindful to always keep that left hand (our old worldly desires) and (things we know we should not do) down and defeated. While championing our right hand that contains all of our Godly traits that guarantees victory over the enemy. In this way, our worship is always pleasing to God which is our first duty.
I have been in church and heard some people say while someone was praising and dancing before the Lord: “It doesn’t take all that!!”
Oh yes it does and then some, because they don’t have a clue why this person is dancing and praising the Lord, or what He has delivered them from.
In conclusion, don’t let anybody or anything stop you from giving God the worship that He is due. Don’t be like the 9 lepers that didn’t return and worship Him for what He had done. Every one of us from the least to the greatest owes God a thank you and that thank you should take the form of worship. You have everything that you need to worship God with on the inside of you, so there is no excuse. Always remember, that Our First Duty Is Being A Worshipper!