Sunday Sermon — Rev. Dr. Craig Stephans

let us

pray father we pray for your Holy Spirit

to minister to US minister to us your

word your gospel your

presence in Jesus name amen please be

seated I'm going to read a passage from

John's

Revelation and this is from chapter 1

beginning in verse

9 I John your brother and partner in the

tribulation and the kingdom and the

patient endurance that are in Jesus was

on the island of Patmos on account of

the word of God and the testimony of

Jesus I was in the spirit on the Lord's

day and I heard behind behind me a loud

voice like a trumpet saying write what

you seen a book and send it to the seven

churches to Ephesus to Smyrna to

pergamum to thyra to Sardis to

Philadelphia and

toodia then I turned to see the voice

that was speaking to me and on turning I

saw seven golden lampstands and in the

midst of the lampstands one like a son

of man clothed with a long robe and with

a golden sash around his chest the hairs

of his head were white like white wool

like snow his eyes were like flame of

fire his feet were like burnished bronze

refined in a furnace and his voice was

like the Roar of many Waters in his

right hand he held Seven Stars and from

his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword

and his face was like the sun shining in

full strength when I saw him I fell at

his feet as though dead but he laid his

right hand on me saying fear not I am

the first and the last and the living

one I died and behold I am alive forever

more and I have the keys of death and

Hades this is a vision of John the

Beloved disciple who rested his head

upon Jesus's chest at the Last Supper a

man who knew him as well as any man most

likely when he being in Exile on Patmos

because of the word of God facing

oppression and persecution when he sees

a vision of the Risen Christ in glory

and Majesty he falls down as though dead

In Worship in amazement in fear probably

in

trembling and Jesus reaches down and

touches him and lifts him up this is the

response by someone who knew Jesus so

well in the in the world even physically

even saw him after the resurrection knew

he was alive knew he reigned yet went

face to face with the glory with the

power and the love of Jesus he is

overwhelmed later in John's Vision in

chapter 4 and 5 John sees visions of the

throne room of Heaven of God the father

of Jesus in their Heavenly throne room

and I want to read to you just a portion

of what John

sees this is in Revelation 5:

11-13 John says then I looked and I

heard around the throne and the living

creatures and the elders the voice of

many angels numbering myriads of myriads

and thousands of thousands saying with a

loud voice Worthy is the Lamb who was

slain to receive power and wealth and

wisdom and might and honor and glory and

blessing and I heard every creature in

heaven and on Earth and under the Earth

and in the sea and all that is in them

same to him who sits on the throne and

to the L be blessing and honor and glory

and might forever and ever

this is the worship of the Kingdom of

Heaven this is the Eternal worship of

God the father and the son inspired by

the Holy Spirit and empowered by the

Spirit

Worship and reverence and service to God

forever John sees this Vision while the

church is being persecuted and is under

oppression it is the Fulfillment in this

vision of what Paul writes in his letter

to the church in Phil Philippi he writes

of this journey of Jesus and it was read

for us I want to read it again from

Philippians chapter

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

2 beginning in verse 5 to

11 have this mind among yourselves which

is yours in Christ Jesus who though he

was in the form of God did not count

equality with God a thing to be grasped

but emptied himself by taking the form

of a servant being born in likeness of

men and being found in human form he

humbled himself by becoming obedient to

the point of death even death on a cross

therefore God has highly exalted him and

bestowed on him the name that is above

every name so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow in heaven and on

Earth and under the Earth and every

tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father this is

what will be fulfilled in heaven and for

et eternity when Jesus comes in his

power and Glory every knee will bow

before him and every tongue will declare

that he is Lord whether a person has

ever made such a declaration or posture

to Jesus before when Jesus comes in the

glory that John saw we will all know

that he is Lord and that he is king of

kings and at that time Jesus will say to

Those whom he knows who have given their

lives to him who have asked him into

their lives he will

say my son my daughter my servant enter

in to the glory of my father to the

kingdom prepared for you but to those

who do not know him even though at that

time they acknowledge he is Lord he will

say to them depart from me I never knew

you we will all come every person will

come to the knowledge that Jesus Christ

is Lord and will declare it and will

fall on our faces before him in Worship

in

reverence and some that may be the only

time they ever see him

again when Jesus stands before Caiaphas

as was read in the gospel he stands as a

Meek and humble man nothing glorious

about him except his inner character but

he seems like any man

weak and when k this

demands tell me are you the Holy One the

Son of God Jesus

says you have said so but I tell you

from now on you will see the son of man

seated at the right hand of power and

coming on the Clouds Of

Heaven we will see that

event it is coming Jesus now is with the

hosts of

Heaven in heaven on his throne reigning

Caiaphas like all of

us has this temptation to be consumed

with what we see and what we have and

what we feel in this world that comes

from this world and to

reject the one who seems like a mere man

the one who seems weak in his

humility but the truth is that one who

stood before Caiaphas whom was led to

the cross and died he is the Lord of all

and we will all worship

him one

day the Temptation that we face is the

Temptation that Jesus himself faced in

the wilderness when Satan tempted him

and said bow down to me and worship me

and I will give you all of this I will

give you all that you can see and feel

and hold if you will Bow Down and

Worship and serve me and Jesus responded

rebuking him saying it is written from

Deuteronomy 61113

you shall Worship the Lord and him only

shall you

serve despite what he felt and what he

saw and how he was tempted Jesus knew

that there was a God in heaven his

father who reigned over all who is and

was and will always be the only one who

is worthy of worship God the Father the

Son and the Holy Spirit but Jesus there

knew his father alone demanded worship

and he worshiped we we face that

Temptation will we worship only the one

true God and serve him only which is a a

word similar to worship we worship by

bowing down giving reverence submitting

to the one who is greater than us and we

serve him also by yielding our wills and

surrendering ourselves and our lives to

him in the service to which he calls

us will we worship him or will we be

distracted Ed by the sinful nature

ourselves the things of this world and

fall into that trap that so many do that

Caiaphas did that pilate

did and

dismissing what is

unseen for what has been declared that

Jesus Christ the son of God is Lord of

all the father who created all things

who sustains us

is

seeking children Sons and Daughters to

worship Him in spirit and Truth as Jesus

tells the Samaritan woman at the well

these are the worshippers that God is

speaking those who will worship Him in

spirit and Truth he is seeking such

worshippers the mission of our church of

Christ Church Anglican it begins this

way founded in 1733 read Christ Church

Anglican exists to worship Christ and it

goes on from there but I just want to

stick with that Christ Church anglian

exists to worship

Christ and as you all know because

you've probably heard it a hundred times

the church is not the building it's the

people we could say the people of Christ

Church exist to worship Christ you and I

exist to worship Christ the institution

of the church exists to facilitate our

worship of him and to enlarge and

strengthen that worship and to help us

grow the worship of Christ through

evangelism and through bringing others

into the family of

Christ that is our mission and the

pillars of our vision which include

Worship Is How We Live that out through

the multi Myriad means of Grace

that we engage in to Worship the Lord

like what we are doing today the

Anglican tradition is a means of

worshiping the Lord it is a means of

ministering to one another of engaging

in life

together it is a means to worship and

all the elements of our service today

are means to worship Jesus and serve him

and all that we do outside of Sunday

worship even song complin which by the

way is canel tonight due to the no power

our small groups our fellowships they

are all means to worship

Jesus the prophet habc which had a

timely word for us today begins his

brief message to the people of Israel

the people of God it's a three chapter

book of Prophecy I encourage you to read

it um prior to what he said in our

reading today from chapter 3 in chapter

two

verse 20 the prophet says the Lord is in

his holy Temple let all the Earth keep

silence before

him let all the Earth keep silence

before

him the prophet is calling us to

something that I think we all need to

strengthen our worship and service to

God it is times where we stop where we

become still and silent and where we

seek the Lord and meditate on his

sovereignty and allow his sovereignty

and the reality of who he is to sink

into us and for us to press in to him it

doesn't need to be lengthy but I think

we need more pauses where we stop and

meditate and reflect on God's

sovereignty and how he is worthy of our

worship and then go on to praise him and

worship him but the prophet says says

let all the Earth keep silence before

him let all the Earth stop and

acknowledge that he is Lord and then

praise him for who he is and serve him

for who he is and such a timely word as

the prophet goes on um and completes his

prophecy in chapter 3 beginning in verse

17 he says though the Fig Tree should

not blossom nor the fruit beyond the

vines the produce of the olive fail and

the fields yield no food the flock be

cut off from the f and there be no herd

in the

skulls in other words though there is a

hurricane and you have no power and some

things have been damaged and disrupted

and it's really inconvenient and you're

not sure how things will go from

here yet I will rejoice in the Lord I

will take joy in the god of my salvation

God the Lord is my strength he makes my

feet like the deers he makes me tread on

my high

places the prophet was EXP exping

hardship the whole nation was but he

declares that though everything goes

against me and doesn't go my way yet I

will rejoice in God because He Reigns

and is the god of my salvation and he

strengthens me and for us we know that

through him we have eternal life and

will live eternally in a

paradise so we worship him we rejoice in

Him in all of our

circumstances for the promise of God is

this in Isaiah

Isaiah 57:15

57:15 that though he reigns on high he

is present with all who are lowly and

humble when we worship him we enter into

his presence and he enters into ours and

we worship for the sake of worshiping

because he is worthy and we are made and

exist to Worship in the midst of that

worship though we receive His blessings

and his grace and his goodness and his

love so it behooves us to worship

him and to give ourselves in surrender

and worship to him not only here when we

gather together when worship is

facilitated and called for but in all

that we do in our vocations in our

family and our life together Paul puts

it many ways in his different letters

one is in Colossians 3:17 he says

Colossians 3:17

whatever you

do in word or deed do everything in the

name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to

God the Father through him in all that

you do give yourselves to him in worship

it's what we aim to do as a church me as

a pastor and recor the other leaders

father Joe Father Brian our clergy our

deacons our leaders we aim to facilitate

you worshiping the Lord in all that you

do wholeheartedly we aim to help you

recognize that your vocation is an area

to Worship the Lord we aim to help you

recognize that your family is a to

Worship the Lord and that all of that

can lead to when we worship together in

the glory of God and His

Majesty so as our psalmist says in Psalm

n or excuse me Psalm 8 ascribe to the

Lord the honor due unto his name and he

goes on to say bring offerings and come

into His

courts Paul encourages Us in Romans 121

to make ourselves the offering that we

give in worship to the Lord and from

that all else can flow our tithes and

offerings are all part of our worship

our service and Ministry to each other

is all part of our worship because we

give him ourself him who is work and I

praise God and thank God and bless you

that you are here today in the

inconvenience of your lives and the heat

to come and worship the

Lord this is what changes communities

this is what changes lives when people

make a commitment to worship God no

matter what so may God bless you bless

us amen