3.27.2009
Worship in eternity and Eden.
The Bible tells us that Lucifer was the worship leader in heaven. Before our world began, before we had the potential of singing praise to God, Lucifer stood before God and orchestrated the heavenly hosts in songs of praise and worship.
Yet at some point, this angel of light felt the worship directed to God would be better directed to him.
Somehow, he was able to convince 1/3 of the angels to follow him to rule and reign over a small planet, circulating a third rate star in an unremarkable part of the universe.
And so it began.
Lucifer’s name would change to Satan, the devil, the accuser, the serpent…and his goal was to stop any of these bi-nature bipeds from joining the remaining angels in heaven in articulating worship to the God he despised.
After earth was created, his first victory came when he popped the duel questions.
“Did God really say that?”
“What good thing is He hiding?
Underlying those questions was “is God Good…does He do good.”
If the enemy could get mankind to doubt the very goodness of God’s nature and dealings, and then act accordingly it would be game, set, and match. Never again would he have to hear the worship of the Creator come into his created ears.
All the theology, debates, anger, confusion and frustration surrounding religion and Christianity come down to this:
Is God Good…does He do good?
What will you do with that information?
So what happens when their offspring approach God in worship?
That’s next….
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6 comments:
Yes! Can hardly wait for more.
Is God good and what is he hiding from us...people can either approach it from the scarcity mentality or the abundance mentality. Scarcity--God is a stinge (read selfish)and refuses me his abundance of good. Therefore, God is not actually good (for me). With the abundance mentality, comes the assumption of one's own scarcity that can only be mended by God's abundance (metered out tho it may be). No? Yes? What more?
What she talkin about? You lost me on the second half there, Goat.
Ms Goat,
I think the whole debate starts with the question,
"can i do better than God?"
i agree abundance and scarcity are two worldviews (usually held by each spouse), but the first question is will my efforts bring me more life that simply receiveing what God gives those who seek Him.
ps. that is forshadowing.
I'm always a little perplexed by the question: Is God good. I'm more of the persuasion of: Is God REAL? While I hope that he is good, if he is real my perception of his goodness seems a little irrelevant. I thinks sometimes people only want to believe in a GOOD God. But the mercy of God can be so horrific and severe as to almost be cruel. How do you gauge goodness then? If God really actually exists, my smallness is inescapable. So many times I worship God solely out of respect for his position, and I am dumbstruck to bump into his goodness unmerited and great, so broad as to redeem even astounding ugliness.
I think in Eden before they questioned if God was holding out on them they abandoned respect for his position. Even if God had been holding back, if he is actually GOD isn't that his prerogative? Really their response perhaps should have been like Job, "Still I'll trust in Him."
Bethany...
quick note... your point is perfect for our world. But eden never debates the existance of God only His nature. interesting, the serpant never implies God doesn't exist and His power is infinite...
just how His nature effects our life.
but in 2009, yes, we must first articulate why we believe there IS a God.
well...technically, we have to articulate why we believe in the Bible before anything...but that was a sermon from last month.
sean
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