Worship Devotional XXVII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 5/30/2020.
Worship Devotional for 5/31/20
~ Pentecost ~
After Jesus ascended to heaven to take His place at the right hand of God's throne, His disciples gathered together to pray in a small upper room. They waited upon the Lord, until one day the Holy Spirit came as promised and filled them. They testified in power, based on the Scriptures, about who Jesus is and what He had done, and the result was that many people were saved and the church established and her mission launched. If we are believers in Christ, then we also are filled with the Holy Spirit. He is God in us. We can confidently pray to the Father and hear Him speak to us by His Spirit. We can say with confidence that we are not alone because of the presence of His Spirit. We are able to grow in our spiritual knowledge and understanding and empowered to do the things that please God by His Spirit. We feel conviction about the things of our flesh that are displeasing to God by the Spirit, who also is working in us to cleanse and sanctify our hearts. With this week's set, we ask God to make us clean and pure and more like Jesus, and to make us more aware of His presence within us, and we praise His name for the life He has given us, all by His Holy Spirit. May He empower us to live fully for the glory of God in everything we do.
Here are the songs:
1) Give Us Clean Hands by Charlie Hall
The selection of this song was inspired by last week's message. Psalm 24:3-6 says:
"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah"
In the book of Genesis, we read about Jacob's life. He had been through some difficult and trying times, such as being in conflict with his brother since before they were even born, or being cheated and lied to multiple times by the man he worked for who would become his father-in-law. And Jacob was not perfect in handling these things either. But Jacob had encountered God. He had heard the voice of God in his dreams, felt His presence, and even wrestled with God. He paid attention and listened to what God was saying to him. As he experienced God's presence, Jacob held onto faith in God's promises. And through the hardships that Jacob was faced with, he turned and sought the face of His God. We also pray that we may live up to Jacob's example — that when hardships come, we would seek God's face and His presence with all our hearts and hold onto faith in His promises. In doing so, God meets us in return and sanctifies us by His Spirit.
2) Holy Spirit by Bryan & Katie Torwalt
This song is simply a prayer that we would become more aware of the presence of God. He is with us as He promised. We have His Spirit living in us. May we turn our eyes to Jesus and realize more fully just how awesome and great He is as we live by His grace and power.
3) Life Defined by Shane & Shane
Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Everyone is searching for some meaning to life. They are looking for what really defines their reality. But without God's Spirit, they are spiritually dead. They don't have the answers they are looking for, not because they haven't learned enough yet, but because they haven't really experienced true life. None of us had either until we believed by God's grace in the name of Jesus Christ. Those who have true faith in the Son of God have died to themselves and to the world and been made truly alive by God's Spirit. We don't have to search desperately to find the meaning of life, because we already have life defined for us by the Holy Spirit! The answers are in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:21:
"For me living is Christ and dying is gain."
Shane Barnard explains more about the heart behind the song here.
4) Alive In Me by JJ Weeks Band
How amazing it is that the One who is always true and righteous and just and full of unfailing love would choose to dwell within us! No matter what we face, whether it be outer circumstances or inner struggles, we can have confidence and strength to stand and overcome. The Spirit of God Himself lives inside of us. In Him we have strength, power, light, love, and life. Rejoice and stand strong as you trust in Him!
Romans 8:8-17:
"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.
So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. All those led by God's Spirit are God's sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children, and if children, also heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ — seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
Scriptures:
Psalm 24
Joel 2 (esp. vv. 12-14 & 28-32)
John 15-16
Acts 1-2
Romans 6-8
Galatians 6:20
Philippians 1:21
As we remember Pentecost and reflect on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, let us remember to stay focused on God's promises and to give our all for His glory every day. We all must bear the burdens of this life, but by the Spirit of God living in us, we can rise up under the weight and overcome, for He will strengthen us and be with us to the end. I look forward to worshipping our great God with you all this week!