Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/March 1-2, 2014

I was made for

THIS!

I was Made for This!Sermon Notes

March 1-2, 2014I. The First Four Hebrew Words for Praise

A. Yadah1. Hands open to God2. When we praise God even in the midst of difficult

circumstances, then we are practicing yadah

B. Towdah1. Hands raised to God2. Towdah was used in times of sacrifice and in agreeing

with God with confession3. I raise my hands to Him when I’m reading or singing

words that I confess as true

C. Barach1. Kneeling before God2. Helps me convey an attitude of

submission and humility

D. Shabach1. To shout to the Lord2. A loud adoration3. There is profound power in

shouting to God to affect a spiritual outcome

II. The Last Three Words of Praise to the LordA. Zamar

1. To worship with song and/or instruments2. Clapping:

Taqa – Literally, “to slap the hands together.” It is the word used in Psalm 47:1.Macha – “To strike the hands together in exaltation.” It’s used in Psalm 98:8 “Let the floods clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12 “The trees of the fields shall clap their hands...”

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Table TalkTeens

Read Mark 12: 41-44“The Widow’s Offering”The treasury was located in the Court of the Women, a place of worship set aside for them because they were restricted from worshiping in the main sanctuary with the men.  Against the wall of this court were 13 trumpet-shaped collection receptacles for receiving worshipers’ freewill offerings and contributions.

Question One:As worshipers of the Lord, what is your freewill offering or contribution?

 Jesus was observing how the crowd was putting their money into the temple treasury.  In contrast with many wealthy people who gave large amounts, one unnamed poor widow gave two lepta (very small copper coins worth a fraction of a penny). Question Two:

Why was the small amount given by the widow so significant in Jesus’ eyes?

 Jesus’ comparison of the percentages contributed by the rich and the poor reminds us that God measures not how much we give, but how much we retain. Question Three:

Describe how you feel when God measures not by the amount we give, but by the amount of our faithfulness.

 The widow had nothing to live on and no one to look after her.  Her concern wasn’t a mortgage payment; it was her next meal.  That’s why the offering was so extraordinary.  The fraction of a cent represented the focus of her life.  It represented not only her faithfulness in helping to provide for God’s work, but also her faith in God to provide for her. Question Four:

As a believer in Jesus, what represents the focus of your life?

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B. Halal1. To rave or boast upon the Lord2. To be clamorously foolish3. The root for “Hallelujah!”

C. Tehillah1. Halah is speaking your praise to the Father2. Tehillah is to sing Halah 3. This is the kind of praise that God inhabits, dwells

or lives in - Psalm 22:34. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (Towdah) and into His

courts with praise (Tehillah) ~Psalm 100:4

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Table TalkElementary

Focus: Great is the LordScripture: Psalm 145: 3

(adapted from Big Book of No Object Talks by Tim Simpson) Day 1 – I’m going to give you a list of things to rate.  I would like for you to show me how great you think these things are by holding up your fingers.  On a scale of 1 to 10, hold up one finger if you think the thing is not great at all and ten fingers if you think the thing is really great!  Rate each item:  doing math problems, going to Disneyland, playing soccer, doing science experiments, watching TV, feeding the dog.  We think a lot things are great.  But the Bible tells us about someone who is greater than all the things we rated as 10.  Psalm 145: 3 says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”  God is greater than we could ever imagine!  He created our world and everything in it! Nothing can compare to God’s greatness. Day 2 – Whenever you see something or hear something that is really great, remember God’s greatness.  His power, His love, and His goodness all rate the highest!  The Bible gives us many different reasons why God is great.  Let’s find some of those reasons.  Read Psalm 145: 8-9.  What words are used to describe God?  What actions of God are described?  What can the people who know about God’s greatness do?  It’s amazing to realize that this great God cares so much about each of us.  We can give Him some great praise! Day 3 – I want you to write a prayer that gives thanks and praise to God for the ways in which He shows greatness.  To begin the prayer, think of a way to complete this sentence, “I’m so glad You made…”  Write the sentence at the top of your paper. Now complete this sentence, “I praise you for…” Lastly, finish your prayer by completing the sentence, “God, You are so…” 

Life Group Questions for March 1-2, 2014

Message = I was Made for This!Ice  Breaker:      Tell  your  favorite  hymn,  worship  song,  or  Psalm.

Read  Mark  12:  28-­‐‑34.

1.  What  do  you  observe  about  this  passage?

2. Why  do  you  think  Jesus  told  the  scribe  he  was  near  the  kingdom,  but  did  not  say  he  had  made  it  into  the  kingdom?

3. If  someone  loves  God  with  their  whole  being,  it  is  evidenced  by  the  way  they  love  others.    As  a  group,  throw  out  some  synonyms  or  phrases  to  help  define  “LOVE.”  

4. Tell  about  a  person  who  has  shown  unconditional  love  to  you.

5. The  Hebrew  word  zamar  tells  us  to  worship  God  with  singing  and  instruments.    Is  listening  to  and  singing  worship  music  a  big  part  of  your  life?    Why  or  why  not?

6. Halal  suggests  that  we  worship  God  with  unbridled  passion.    Are  you  at  the  halal  stage  of  praising  God  with  every  ounce  of  your  being?    Please  explain.    If  you  are  not,  what  holds  you  back?

7. Halah  is  speaking  your  praise  to  the  Father.  Tehillah  is  to  sing  halah.  If  you  express  great  and  extravagant  adoration  to  the  point  of  foolishness  in  the  eyes  of  some  others,  you  are  giving  tehillah  to  the  Father.  This  is  the  kind  of  praise  that  God  inhabits,  dwells  or  lives  in.  Psalm  22:3.  Have  you  ever  been  singing  praises  to  God  and  sensed  His  tangible  presence?

8. Pray  for  one  another.

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Table TalkPreschool & Nursery

Scripture: Psalm 100 Day 1: Read: Psalm 100Have your child(ren) share what they like about each person in their family.  When we praise the Lord, it is a way of making known our feelings for God.  We can say what we like or love about God in so many ways.  Discuss some ways mentioned in the reading. Day 2: Read Psalm 100 againHave your child(ren) share what truths they know about God.  Share some of the following:  He is the creator; He is always with us; He will always love us; He is all-powerful; He sees and knows everything; He has great and wonderful plans for us.  Memory Verse:“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” - Psalm 100: 4 Day 3:As a family, practice learning the seven Hebrew words for praise.  As a family, pray a prayer of praise and thanksgiving, taking turns sharing your love for God.  To God be ALL the glory!  Activity:My favorite:  Turn on your favorite praise music and dance and sing along.  Crank up the praise music and worship Him!

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Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.

LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.

BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:

INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:

ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.

These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.

Enjoy!

Day One1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.

2. Meditate  on  Mark  12:  28-­‐‑32.

3. Go  back  and  read  the  rest  of  Mark  chapter  12.    Who  is  Jesus  talking  to  for  most  of  the  chapter?    How  does  His  audience  shape  what  He  says  in  this  passage?      

Memorize  Mark  12:  29-­‐‑30.

Memorize  Mark  12:  29-­‐‑30  and  Psalm  47:  1.

Memorize  Mark  12:  29-­‐‑30,  Psalm  47:  1,  and                        Psalm  98:  1.

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The final Hebrew word we will study is Tehillah. Joe Burton describes tehillah like this:  halal is speaking your praise to the Father. Tehillah is to sing halal. If you express great and extravagant adoration to the point of foolishness in the eyes of the non-praiser or non-Christian, loudly in song, you are giving tehillah to the Father. This is the kind of praise that God inhabits, dwells or lives in - Psalm 22:3.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (towdah) and into His courts with praise (tehillah) Psalm 100:4. The entrance into the court or His presence is through the gate, towdah - confession. But the perceived manifested presence of the Father is in the court - tehillah.

When Solomon completed all the work for the house of the Lord, the singers and musicians "...were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising (halal) and thanking (yadah) the Lord, and when they lifted their voice with the trumpets and symbols and instruments of music, and praise (halal) the Lord, ... the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." 2 Chronicles 5:1,13,14.

In other words when they gave tehillah, which means to sing halal, the presence of God manifested and filled the Temple. It was while they were ministering, singing and playing music in praise, that God manifested Himself through His glory.

The glory of the Lord is the Holy Spirit. For ...Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Lord (Romans 6:4). And Romans 8:11 says that it was ...the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead. So we understand that the glory of the Lord is the Holy Spirit.  Could it be that if we give tehillah to the Father that He will reveal or manifest Himself so that we perceive His presence? YES!

Day Five

Day Five1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Meditate  on  Psalm  146.

3. Take  time  to  pray  for  God  to  give  you  a  deeper  passion,  devotion,  and  discipline  in  pursuing  Him.          

4. Finish  your  Bible  memorization  today.

Day OneAll the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

II Chronicles 7: 3The Hebrew words for praise are colorful and descriptive. Here, the word for worshiped means to bow down. The word for praise is halal, and means to lift open hands to God. The worship in that first temple was active and participatory. The people bowed, raised hands, shouted, and prostrated themselves before God in awe.

You may say, well then, this is the way the Hebrews worshiped. Does it mean that we have to worship in the same way? The question has merit. Is active, participatory worship cultural or is it something we need to see as pleasing to God and all people groups should do it?

Indeed, the closer you get to the equator, the more rhythmic, dynamic, and excited the ethnic groups are when it comes to praising the Lord. As we get further away from the equator, especially to the north, we find people who are much more subdued and even somber in their praise.

I think both groups can learn from one another. God speaks through cultures. Sometimes worship should be somber, quiet, and meditative. But sometimes those quiet folks need to raise their hands, kneel down in adoration, and even dance with joy before the Lord! All forms are Biblical, not just cultural.

Jesus, You are so worthy of my praise. I kneel before You in adoration. I lift my hands in praise!

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Day Two1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Meditate  on  Mark  12:  28-­‐‑34  again  today.

3. Take  a  few  moments  to  bow  down  before  God  and  ask  Him  for  what  comes  to  mind.    Take  time  to  listen  to  Him.

4. As  you  bow  before  the  Lord,  raise  your  hands  with  palms  open  and  acknowledge  that  God  sees  your  circumstances  and  is  aware  of  your  pain  and  your  heartaches.    Thank  Him  that  He  cares  for  you  as  you  cast  your  worry  upon  Him.

5. Continue  memorizing  and  meditating  on  the  scriptures  for  this  week.

Day FourHalal is to be clamorously foolish. The best way to understand this characteristic of Halal is in relationship to spirituality and non-spirituality. For the things of God are foolishness to the world - read I Corinthians 1:18-25.

Remember when David danced before the Lord? The non-praiser, Michal (David’s wife), saw David leaping and whirling before the Lord and thought he was foolish to the point of despising him in her heart (II Samuel 6:14-16, 20-23).

When we halal, rave or boast upon the Lord, are clamorously foolish before the Lord, we will be foolish in the eyes of the non-praiser and the non-Christian.

One of the best times to do such halal is in our own time with God. In those moments when we don’t even feel like praising Him, we may need to jump up and dance around. It’s like dancing by faith rather than walking by faith. When all around seems to be difficult, choosing to be clamorously foolish before Him may break us loose from our sadness and discouragement.

Halal can be just praising God with all of our might. It can be done with singing, with shouting, with quiet adoration. It is, however, to be done lavishly and with our whole heart. Clapping is encouraged when we praise Him. When we clap for the Lord, it is a response to His goodness and His sweet presence.

Father, with all of my heart, I wish to praise You for who You are. Father, You are kind, gentle, loving, and always patient. I praise You for what You did on the cross for me through Jesus!

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Day TwoSo far, we’ve learned these words from last weekend’s services:Yadah - Hands open, lifted to God. We use yadah when we are praising God despite our circumstances.

Towdah - Hands raised. We use towdah when we are agreeing with God that His word is true. It is also a sign that we have the victory in Christ. Towdah is the universal symbol of surrender. It is surrendering to God’s word and His will. Towdah was used in conjunction with sacrifices. So, in New Testament terms, I raise my hands in agreement with what happened on the cross on my behalf.

Barach - This word literally means to bless. When people practiced it, it was done on their knees as a symbol of submission and humility. We barach the Lord as we humble ourselves before Him in adoration and blessing of His name.

Shabach - To shout to God with great adoration and praise. The Bible commands us to shout to God with all our energy. He is greatly worthy of all our praise!

Today, let’s look at another Hebrew word for praise: Zamar. This word commands us to sing to Him accompanied with music.  In giving praise to the Father we can either speak it or sing it. However, when expressing yadah, towdah, shabach or barach in song, accompanied by instruments, it is described as zamar.

Singing with instrumental music was something the Jews did with great fervor. I believe it is not just because they were a gregarious people. It’s because they worshiped such an awesome God! He deserves all of my worship, including singing!

I encourage you to start a habit if you have not already done so - begin worshiping God with worship music on your car radio and in your free time. Worship Him with music whenever you can do so!

Day Four1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Meditate  on  Psalm  145  again  today.    

3. Bow  down  on  your  knees  if  possible  and  raise  your  hands  as  if  surrendering  to  God.    Tell  Him  that  you  are  His  to  command  today  and  that  you  praise  Him  for  all  He  did  on  the  cross.    Rehearse  with  Him  what  He  did  for  you  when  He  died  for  you.  (He  forgave  your  sins,  made  you  as  righteous  as  Jesus,  declared  you  holy  in  His  eyes,  adopted  you  as  His  child,  etc.)    

4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

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Day Three Day Three1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Mediate  on  Psalm  145.

3. Bring  at  least  three  friends  or  loved  ones  to  the  Lord  and  ask  Him  to  bring  them  to  repentance  and  faith.    Ask  Him  to  show  you  how  you  can  boldly  love  them  and  speak  the  words  of  Jesus  into  their  lives.      

 4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  

week.

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The next Hebrew word for praise is Halal. It’s where we get the term, Hallelujah (praise unto Yahweh).Halal is to rave upon the Lord. It means to be clamorously foolish before the Lord.

In English, when we rave, it’s pretty outlandish. RAVE: to express great [in an extreme degree] or extravagant [spending much more than is necessary; excessive; exceeding the bounds of reason; going beyond what is justifiable; unrestrained] admiration [to regard with wonder, pleasure, approval].

In today’s culture, we rave about two things. First, we love to rave about hedonistic pleasure. There are even outlandish dance parties called, A Rave where people go nuts over the music, the drugs, and the sensuous pleasures of life. We also love to rave about sports. It’s where we get the term, fan. If I am a fan, I’m a fanatic. We believe that being a fanatic about a sports team is perfectly normal.

Yet raving about the Lord of creation, the Lord of my salvation, the most awesome, fearsome, beautiful, loving person in the universe, is somewhat relegated to the weird folks at the church down the road. When we think of raving about the Lord, we tend to relegate that to the snake handlers and chandelier swingers.

Yet, the Bible tells us that raving about the Lord is absolutely normal. Being clamorously foolish about Him is as normal as eating and drinking. It’s what He deserves.

Father, begin to show me when it’s appropriate to be clamorously foolish in my praise. You are so worthy of all that I am!

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