 Okay, welcome back guys. Hope you had a good time, good break, decent break. Some of you didn't go on a break Well, it's fine. I hope everybody online had a good break Cool cool, so we've we've completed chapter four the power of praise It's understanding the power of praise and the expressions of praise and whatnot So now we dive into chapter five chapter five Page 18 We start going a little bit more deeper into understanding what worship is Okay in chapter one It was all about definitions of worship understanding worship at a very basic level Whether we're gonna go dive in a little deeper. You're ready to dive in a little deeper Can we go a little bit more deeper? Can we sorry guys Yeah, it's just Francis's expression of going deeper is amazing. So What lovely Yeah, so chapter five is Simple what is worship? Okay, once again, just to go through the definition dictionary definition of what worship is its intense love or Admiration It's not just love. It's intense love a service showing reverence to express Reverence to have a sense of awe to bow low to Okay, beautiful words isn't it? It's intense love. It's not just love. It's intense. It's The intensity is a little bit more higher. Okay, the service showing a reverence to express reverence and to have a sense of awe To bow low to and then goes on to say worship. I mean, we've learned this worship comes from this Ancient Latin word worth ship, right? You are scribing worth to okay Yogya, that's the Hindi word, isn't it worth is that right worth worthy? I think that's worthy, isn't it? Okay So that's what what all what worship is but Let's begin The first point in what worship is worship is the recognition of who God is okay worship is Recognition okay or recognizing who God is. What is the meaning? You know, this is coming What is the meaning of recognition? Familiar with okay. Thanks, right? Recognizing or recognition What are different ways? How do you recognize something? Hindi what what does it mean? the what? Okay, I Wouldn't know I'm just gonna say agree. I'm gonna trust you And say okay to know okay to right to recognize I Have we built enough rapport where you can recognize my voice? If I was not in the room Really? All right, okay It's so you can recognize a person a voice if they're I mean whoever you are Close to and but you've learned to recognize their voice. I've learned to recognize how they look Right. I'm not gonna look at Prince and it's like hey Francis. They go. No, you look like Francis. No, I'm recognizing it all wrong Right, so that's you are recognizing for the person for who they are right their voice or how they look and whatnot. What else? when you're on a long Road trip and you say I recognize this billboard. I recognize this restaurant I've been here many years ago. You say that isn't it? Like yeah, bro. I recognize this I recognize her. Yeah, I saw her a long time ago So the boys What else to know? Yeah, yeah, so you also says to know yeah Recognize recognized okay, so when someone has done a good work like you appreciate that person, isn't it? Yes, or no, and so you give them a medal of honor or whatever, right? So isn't that also called recognition? Right, you also recognize that person for what they have done Yes, or no what they've accomplished So now when you put it all into this context of worship when we say worship Worship is the recognition of who God is So the question to us Christians or worshipers is first thing Can you recognize God not do you but can you I Started off by saying have we built a relationship enough where you can recognize my voice, right? Yes or no, so have you built a relationship deep enough where you can say that I can recognize God is speaking I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything I'm just this is again a question for you to answer to yourself understood, right? So a worshipper is able to recognize who God is one is for who he is, right? And the other thing I said is for everything that he has done So let's talk about the second part, right? Are you able to recognize God's goodness in your life? Name a few What does that mean I'm asking you to testify Yes, yeah, it's small things. Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, I mean it's a simple things isn't it recognizing who God is. Yeah, sorry go ahead, you know Let's to know him. Yeah Yeah, I mean we can take time and we can all testify, isn't it? And it's all of that is acknowledging and recognizing what God has done For us isn't it for you personally he made it very personal on the cross Right, he died for you. He rose again from the grave for you. Are you able to recognize that? Okay, so a worshipper will can always recognize the presence of God his voice for who he is Okay, let's go to John chapter 21 Thanks Nina Nina says his care and protection provision good health. Yeah Suddenly over the last two years we can all appreciate good health No, since the time code hit In the last two and a half years or two years, I think The number of times I would have said I'm going to pray for you I've said it more than the last 20 years or so So yeah, suddenly we can appreciate good health, you know our health our parents's health a loved one health of our loved ones All of that is recognizing that he's kept us safe. He's provided for us in the times of trouble, right? Okay, so it's John chapter 21. Oops. I forgot to turn Apologies Okay, are we all there in John chapter 21? Okay, I just want to read for us Just Follow me. Okay, John chapter 21 verse one onwards. It says afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples So listen to those words. Okay? afterward Jesus appeared Again, that means he's appeared before Right, he appeared again to his disciples by the sea of Tiberius It happened this way means once upon a time. That's the story there. So Simon Peter Thomas called did a miss Nathaniel from canna in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together verse three I am going out to fish Simon Peter told them and they said we will go with you So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught Nothing early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciple did not realize that it was Jesus Realize or recognize Are you with me? So verse four early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore But the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Okay So some more context for the text that we are reading this at this point in time Jesus has been crucified. He's also been risen from the dead Okay, so he's also met with the disciples before that's where the verse one says he appeared to disciples again But verse four is fascinating when it says the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus I mean Come on come on three and a half years or so you walk with the man You've seen him multiply the food heal the sick raise the dead cleanse the lepers Right fed feed the five thousand four thousand You've seen him walk on the water you've seen him calm the sea You've seen him being crucified You've been with him. You've some of them three of them were in the mount of transfiguration, right? They've been with Jesus with the highs and the lows Like I said, he was their rabbi They were very close with him They walked very close with him the dust that came off his sandals were on their sandals But it says they did not realize that it was Jesus And now he begins to call out to them verse five. He called out to them friends Haven't you any fish? No, they answered He said Throw your net on the other side of the boat and You will find some When they did they were unable to haul the net and because of the large number of fish Are you guys with me so far? Yes Verse seven Then the disciple whom Jesus loved John He said to Peter it is the Lord It is The Lord, okay, I want to just stop there. I want to I don't read what happens after that But what happens after that is amazing So again the context is Jesus is dead in disciples mind Jesus is dead The the one person that they looked up to for three and a half years is gone The one person that they've spent their life day and night They left their families they've walked with him across the nation up and down Jerusalem to Galilee back to Jerusalem north south east west they've walked with him He was their leader and now he is no more and so Peter's reaction is that he is going back to do what he Always knew to do that is Fishing I don't know what the tax collector was doing. He said okay because he said I'm going fishing I'm gonna come with you too Okay Thank God for friends like that. Who's gonna be with you So I'm not trying to accuse Peter here for what I'm saying, but then Peter is in an all-time low. He is depressed He is he's down. He's hit rock bottom and so does most of the disciples So that's the context here and then they're trying to catch fish. They don't recognize Jesus I don't know how that happens and long story short John is nudging Something tells me that John Was a worshipper We'd read it time and time again in his gospel is that he was always the rest himself on his on the bosom of Jesus, right? It would always be right next to him. He will just be there next to him Right in the previous chapter John chapter 20. It says when Mary Magdalene, you know, it's not gonna read the whole thing It says Mary Magdalene come in comes and tells this disciple saying they have taken away my Lord And so Peter and John starts a running to the tomb and then it says the one the one whom Jesus loved He overtook Peter and reached the tomb first John had something about him and out of the four gospels Only John talks about worship Which up to chapter 4 John chapter 4 was 22 onwards. You can read Father seeks worshippers Or with the four gospels Only the gospel of John only John talks about worship And now in the very last chapter Very last chapter of the gospel of John. We see that only of all the disciples that are in the boat He is able to recognize the presence and the voice of Jesus Are you with me? So a worshipper Everybody say worshipper One more time worshipper a worshipper will always Recognize the presence of Jesus. Are you with me? right His voice Everything that he's done for you Who he is if you're able to recognize This about God you are a worshipper. You are on the right track Right are you with me guys? right, so In your notes, it says in the very act of recognition. We do two things identify and Acknowledge identify and Acknowledge, okay, so what does that mean? So it's one thing for me to say, okay, I identify a ring I can look at her and say, okay, this is a ring right and Then it is also possible after identifying. I completely ignore her presence Don't say hi to her don't have a conversation with her and not acknowledge her presence and just move away yes So here worship is saying that you don't recognize recognition or recognizing is two parts you identify But you also acknowledge That someone's presence right There's something about identifying and acknowledging It's we don't write this point is so beautiful and I like this point is God is our father, isn't it? Yes or no, right? He is known us even before he's laid the foundations of the earth that's what the Bible says, isn't it? He called us by name all the days of our life has been predestined preordained By him all the days of our life has been preordained by him even before he laid the foundations of the earth He knew us by name. Yes or no, so he knows everything about us inside out Ball is in our core do we know him I Can testify this as once again, sorry to give a very personal example, but then So I said I have a four-year-old son, right? I was born four years ago. We were some four years ago, okay? so, you know, I I Didn't know it. We didn't know it was him or her but I've seen him From the time he was a dot when we went for the first scan, you know, you can the was it ultrasound scan? Yeah, you can you know from that dot I've known him and I've seen him grow in the womb and I know that he is my son Yes, but my world changed When he recognized that I am his father when he pointed fingers a dad up when that happened It's the best thing ever really. Okay. No, I can die types That's the beauty of us as God's children When we recognize our father He takes great pleasure He smiles he has smiled from like one east to west when we recognize who he is Right with me. So that's what two things are identifying and acknowledge so worship is encountering and acknowledging God's existence just reading off your notes His nature character His majesty greatness goodness in finiteness holiness and love so I want to read that part one more time so worship is Encountering and acknowledging God's existence. Okay, you acknowledge that he exists. He is there right his nature and character His majesty his greatness his goodness his Infiniteness his holiness His love and the list can go on right so the question once again to you all is Are you recognizing all of this about God? Can you recognize all of this about God? Right if you're calling yourself a worshipper, these are the questions that you need to answer yourself Right some 95 or six and seven it says oh come let us worship and bow down Let us kneel before The Lord our maker. What is happening? There's a recognition of God as our creator as our maker, right? Let us worship him because he made us. He's a creator if he's a creator. We are created Right For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 says but without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to God must believe that he is Okay, that he is and That he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him Okay And we've read it quite a we've read a little bit about From revelation and Isaiah what not in the last class, right? Recognizing as holiness So that's the first point guys. It's quite simple and straightforward is worship is Recognizing who God is identifying and acknowledging who God is with me Yep, okay. All right. Those of you online all good The second point is worship is reverence for God worship is Reverence for God. So the note says to river is to regard or treat with adoration and utmost fearful respect Yes, the Lord is our father he calls us his friends He is also the soon and coming king of kings and the Lord of lords Whose eyes are like flames of fire and his feet are like fine brass Okay But I hope you understand the the meaning of the word river or revere is At most respect right and to put it simply utmost and fearful Respect of some five or seven says but as for me I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy in fear of you I will worship toward your holy temple Some 96 verse 9 says or worship the Lord and the beauty of the holiness Trembled before him all the earth We use this word awesome, isn't it? Yeah, everybody say awesome. Yeah, it's the root word meaning of that simply means terror. Okay, so So when when we know That okay, yes, he is our father But he is also the king of all kings. He is the Lord of all Lords he's the ancient of days the Bible says right from everlasting to everlasting He is God. He is eternity right. He is the Alpha. He is the Omega, right? He is omnipresent omniscient all Powerful all knowing all sufficient God Right, he's so powerful and he's so mighty that heaven needs no Sun His the light of his face lights up all of heaven, right? Amen, so when we realize that we are in the presence of this being We need to revert his presence, right Anybody seen this movie called Chronicles of Narnia Chronicles of Narnia. Yeah, it's a nice movie. It's it's from the book CS Lewis has written Yeah, thanks Krisha So it's it's a very nice movie. I You can watch it. So You know, you know, there are three kids in the movie and then there's a beat there are beavers and one of the kid I think oh, sorry for four. Okay, four is yeah So what the youngest one asks? Oh, okay Okay, so the youngest one asks this is a king of this land called Narnia call and the king of that land is a lion And the name of the lion is as lamb As lamb. Yeah So the kid does not know who you know the king is and so he she asks the beaver It's like so who is as land and the beaver says he's a lion And and the for that the kid asks a lion. Is he dangerous? And the beaver says of course, he is dangerous He is a lion and Then he says but he is a good lion, but he's good, right? So our father is good But we should never forget that he is also the lion of the tribe of Judah Yeah, right. So that's the second point is worship is reverence for God acknowledging his presence Revering in his presence coming to his presence with reverence in our hearts Right and the third point Worship is communion with God Worship is Communion with God. Okay. Communion is sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and innermost feelings Worship is going beyond the surface and getting real with God Sharing intimate thoughts and feelings requires a close relationship Intimacy without relationship and intimacy. There is no worship Can I read that last line again without relationship and Intimacy there is no Worship, okay. This is a very important point. I'm gonna keep saying this every point is important But worship is communion with God. Okay, look at that word communion. So many words come from that Okay Come in unity Community right So that's a symbol of us coming together as one right communion So you becoming as one with in your relationship with the other person Holiness okay, everybody say holiness One more time say holiness Holiness is not a result is not a result of cosmetics Okay, what is cosmetic you can't put some makeup and say I'm holy now Can't just wear white shirt and white pant and say I'm holy You know you get what I'm saying Yeah, you can wear all the jewelry you want you can not wear all the jewelry you want Holiness we as human beings have reduced it to such a cheap level. I am using that word cheap. Yeah We've reduced holiness To as a result of cosmetics If I do so and so so and so so and so if I do this if I do that, they don't have beard Apparently, I'm very unholy then so Holiness is not a result of cosmetics. It is a result of communion With God. Are you with me? Right? One of the repeating words or a recurring words is intimacy isn't it When a husband and a wife has been intimate in their relationship Or physically intimate. What is the relation? What is the result or the fruit of their intimacy? Is a child isn't it? Yes or no? So holiness is a fruit. What comes out of your intimate relationship with God, okay, so let's look at that word intimacy. Everybody say intimacy Okay, those online type intimacy in the chat Those in the chat, okay, so look at that word intimacy And you break it down You get this right Into me you see because I show you That's what intimacy is right when you say that I have an intimate relationship With someone and I say intimacy is into me you see Because I show you It gets with me, right? So because I trust you so much I'm going to open up my heart to you. You are going to know the deepest secrets of my heart Because of our relationship, right? And so when God is inviting us to say Commune with me have this intimate relationship with me He's saying I love this line from the Psalms that says search me and Know me and see if there's any Wicked ways or sinful ways in me Even Saman 39 right? Search me and know me. That's what You know, that's what an intimate relationship will do. It will make himself vulnerable and says like, you know what? I trust you so much. It's okay You know, search me and tell me if I'm wrong, right? Tell me if something's wrong with me That's one of the things but it also can mean is like I want to show you something Right. So there are things in our heart that God wants to see and realign recheck Right. I think Matthew chapter 15 verse 16 Not sure guys Matthew chapter one one moment if it's not 12 Yeah, sorry Matthew chapter 15. Oh, yeah, Matthew chapter 15 verse 19 Matthew 15 19 it says for out of the heart come evil thoughts murder adultery sexual immorality theft False testimony slander etc. Etc. Okay Matthew chapter 15 verse 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts Evil thoughts Murder adultery sexual immorality theft false testimonies slander Let's spend the summer sing search me and know me Because my heart is capable of all these things that's just mentioned here Right and realign So remember communion communication right say communication Okay, so when you have a conversation with a person, it's a two-way thing. No, it's not one way Right you speak the other person speaks right so in your communion relationship with God You've opened up your heart. You've invited him to come and realign, you know check your heart But on the other side he also wants to open up his heart with me Okay, I want to show you my heart He takes you in He starts revealing things to you He starts speaking to you What his plan for you is what his purpose for you is Are you with me and that is also worship guys, okay, so it's simple. Um That's the third point. It is communion Um with God. So what are the first three points? What we've covered Worship is first one is recognize recognition recognizing who God is second Reverence for God third. It's communion with God. Yeah, and holiness is a result of communion with him, okay So I just want to just take a couple of minutes and I also want to emphasize about the seriousness of Of holiness and the life of holiness that God is expecting us to live James chapter 4 says draw near to him And he will He will go away from you What draw near to me him and he will draw near to you Okay, so when you when you come closer to someone You're you're going away from some of other things, isn't it? Yes or no So when you're drawing near to God, you're you are drawing away from Sin the ways of the world the things of the world Right and that is also a result of communion. Okay guys, so Let's go to last the last point Uh I mean end with this worship is our response to an encounter with God Okay worship Is our response to an Encounter with God. Okay. Um, someone read Psalm 47 Verse seven, please Psalm 47 verse seven Okay For God is the king of all the earth sing praises with Understanding. Okay. So what is the why is this verse there here? So worship is a response to an encounter With God right so worship in itself is not an encounter worship is a response Okay, when do you respond? What does a response mean if I ask a question you respond Isn't it right? So that's what it is. So worship is a response to an encounter with God So we read that in revelation chapter one Was 12 and 17. Okay, look very quickly because it's in the notes Revelation 1 12 to 17 it says then I turn to see the voice that spoke with me And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands And in the midst of the seven lamp stands One like the son of man clothed with the garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with the golden band his head and hair Were white like wool As white as snow and his eyes like a flame of fire His feet were like fine brass as it refined in a furnace His voice as the sound of many waters He had in his right hand seven stars out of his mouth went a sharp to edged sword And his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength When I saw him encounter And when I saw him Response I fell at his feet as dead Okay, um worship An encounter with an encounter. There is a revelation of who God is You with me? Okay When an encounter happens, there is a revelation of who God is God is okay. So who is what he's done? Let's read Psalm 145 verse 2 and 3 very quickly Because we worship to the degree of our revelation Okay, we worship to the degree of our understanding of the revelation that we've received Thanks. Okay. So, uh, one of the the amplified translation says every day with its new reasons Will I bless you affectionately and gratefully? Okay, I want to read that one more time very slowly says every day With its new reasons, I will bless you affectionately and greatly. Okay. So every day with new reasons Simply means fresh revelations Okay, every day with new reasons that means there has been a new revelation of who God is On that day Are you with me and verse 3 says great is the Lord and highly to be praised and his greatness is so vast and deep as to be Unsearchable right unsearchable gladness or unsearchable greatness is It just simply speaks of his inability To exhaust the revelation of who he is Okay, you can keep searching and searching and searching and searching Like there is no end to his greatness Right and if you remember Isaiah chapter 6 one, uh, one verse says the train of his robe was Filling. Okay. It just didn't say filled It's a present continuous It's just going on and on and on. So that means there is no end to his reign. There is no end to his Greatness, okay, so As worship as a response with an encounter comes a revelation And in the last class I asked you one of the things I was emphasizing is the importance of praising him for who he is Right, we can praise him for so many other things, but we need to praise him for who He is and that needs that comes with a revelation with an encounter Are you with me? So I just want to pause here Um, this is four things right the fourth point is worship is a response to an encounter with god right Worship is a response to an encounter with god. Okay, you can now close your bibles and you can look at me Worship praise and worship is a response to our encounter with god an encounter leads us to a revelation of who he is But what leads us to an encounter What leads us to an encounter? Encounters on golema It's not that Sorry Desire, okay First within yeah, thanks darshan. Yeah, I can take you through like different characters in the bible Uh, one of the examples is from john chapter 20 the previous chapter that we read from john, uh, you can But just to make just to give you two points Two things that simply leads us to an encounter is your hunger and your desperation for him How much how how hungry are you for god? How desperate are you? That means How much are you willing to sacrifice? How desperate are you for him and how faithful are you going to be in your search for him? right So when the journey begins with you Right when you begin to search for him and seek him bible says you seek me and you will find me Right and in that at the point of meeting there is an encounter and encounter leads to a revelation And as a response to that revelation You worship Okay, so I want to stop there guys, uh, and I want you to go back And to meditate and ponder on these points. Will you do that for me? Are you guys do that? Yeah, go back home and ponder and meditate on these words, uh, on these points Okay, we'll stop here and we'll meet again next week. All right. Thanks everyone online also for joining, uh, viku, surya karen good to see you arila Rohit you guys take uh, uh, have a lovely day. I'll see you all next week. Bye. Bye Thanks krisha. Take care. Bye. Bye. Nina