PREACHING OF NOVEMBER 10, 2024:

Pastor Antonio Russo

ADORATION THAT BRINGS GLORY PART 2

Last Sunday, we introduced the theme of worship as a means to manifest the glory of God in our lives. God's glory is both a privilege and a responsibility for us, and if we want it to be revealed among us, we must be ready and prepared. In the times we live in, God desires to visit His people with an even more intense glory, a revival that will culminate in His final revelation. God seeks a people who will worship Him, a community capable of living in constant worship and making His glory the center of their existence. His desire is to visit and dwell among those who are ready to receive Him so that His presence becomes evident in our lives and in the Church. However, to experience this glory, we must avoid bringing a “strange fire” into His presence. In the Book of Leviticus, we find the example of Aaron’s sons, who offered a sacrifice not commanded by God, with a strange fire, and they were consumed. This teaches us that strange fire represents anything God has not commanded, anything that is outside His plan for us. When we move outside of His purposes, we are offering something foreign, and the result is harmful. Sometimes, even when worshiping God, we risk placing ourselves, our needs, and our desires at the center, turning praise into a constant plea for help and bringing only our needs before Him. God alone should occupy the center of worship; as shown in Revelation 4, true worship happens when we give God every space, just as the angels do, declaring “Holy, Holy, Holy. You are worthy, worthy, worthy, Lamb of God.” This scene shows us what it means to put God at the center and how everything else fades before His glory. In our spiritual lives, both individually and as a Church, the level of growth and maturity we can reach depends on our level of worship. Growth is directly related to our ability to worship God, and if we remain stagnant or passive in this, our spiritual growth is also hindered. Authentic worship is therefore a path of growth and transformation that leads us to live “from glory to glory”, as Paul teaches in 2°Corinthians 3:18. Every experience of worship should bring us to a higher level of closeness with Him, drawing us closer to His nature. If we do not grow in worship, we remain spiritually limited, which affects our ability to fully live out His purpose. Worship not only determines our level of growth, but it also influences our level of revelation. Revelation is essential for understanding God's will, and it is directly connected to worship: the more we worship, the more God reveals His plans and solutions for our lives. The word “revelation” literally means “removing the veil”, and many of us face difficult situations without seeing solutions or a way out. However, when we immerse ourselves in true worship, God removes the veil that prevents us from seeing clearly. Think of Hagar’s story in the desert: when, desperate, she cried out to God to save her son Ishmael’s life, God responded by opening her eyes, allowing her to see a well of water right next to her. The solution to her problem was already there, but she didn’t see it until God revealed the answer to her. This is what happens to us too: true worship allows us to see what God has already placed on our path, helping us realize that the solution is often closer than we think. Therefore, revelation cannot exist without continuous worship, for God seeks true worshipers to manifest His truth, and we are called to become such, so that His presence becomes a constant in our lives. Worship is something innate in the human heart because in every man and woman, there is a natural need to worship, but not everyone recognizes God as the object of this worship. Many, in fact, engage in false worship, centering on material things like home, work, or money, unaware that only God is worthy of worship. This is why, in John 4, Jesus taught what it means to be true worshipers, stating that there is true and false worship, and that the object of our worship must be God, for true worshipers will worship the Father “in spirit and in truth”. In the Gospels, Jesus also teaches us: “Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have perfected praise”. Worship is not born with us, but it originates in heaven; it is God Himself who creates it, and it is perfected in imperfect people who have the hearts of little children. This means that worship is perfected in simple and humble hearts, like those of children, who do not complicate their lives with negative thoughts and suspicions, but are pure and ready to forgive. Jesus told us that unless we change and become like little children, we will not see and enter the Kingdom of God. We have also seen how the apostle Paul describes what happens in the life of a true worshiper; in fact, in his letter to the Corinthians, he invites us to reflect on worship as a means of transformation.

2°Corinthians 3:18; 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The entire world has millions of believers, and though we are many, together we reflect something of Christ, for we are united in His body and can manifest who Jesus is in our lives, being transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. This is the purpose of our lives: to become more and more like Jesus, reflecting His image in every aspect of our existence; therefore, let us begin to feel excited and prepare for what God has in store for us. The Bible reveals something very important about this; in fact, in the book of Ezekiel, we read about how worship functioned in the heavens before Lucifer’s fall.

Ezekiel 28:12; 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

This passage refers to Lucifer, describing him at the moment of his creation as one of the three archangels created by God in heaven. Certainly, after his fall, someone else must have taken Lucifer’s place, although we do not have details on this. We do know, however, that worship in David’s life somehow filled what had been interrupted in heaven, as David is called the minstrel, the worshiper, the minstrel of the Lord. The three archangels are Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer: Michael is the archangel of war, the head of heaven's army, while Gabriel is God’s messenger, the one who brings messages from heaven to earth. We recall, for instance, when Mary received a visit from the Archangel Gabriel, who revealed God’s plan for her life, an event that would change not only her life but also that of all humanity. In the “Magnificat”, Mary expresses humility and a need for salvation, acknowledging God as her Savior: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.” Created to worship and lead heavenly music in adoration to God, Lucifer deviated from his role and rebelled; thus, his name, which meant “bearer of light”, was changed to “Satan”, meaning “adversary”, marking also the transformation of his character and purpose. In God’s culture, the name reflects character: when God changes a name, He is transforming a person’s character. For example, Jacob, whose name meant “deceiver”, becomes “Israel”, which means “prince of God”, acknowledging God as the supreme King. Similarly, Saul of Tarsus, whose name indicated greatness and pride, becomes “Paul”, meaning “small”, signifying profound humility after his encounter with God. In both cases, the name change represents an inner transformation and a new identity according to God’s will. Returning to Lucifer’s fall, it reminds us that if we abandon the purpose for which God created us, we too risk corruption. Each of us has a specific role in the body of Christ and must honor it without attempting to perform another’s task, as the Bible uses the image of the body to help us understand that, like hands, eyes, mouths, or feet, we are all members called to play our part. If we leave our place or try to take on a different task from the one to which God has called us, we risk straying from His will, just as Lucifer did when he fell due to his desire to go beyond his role. We speak of worship before Lucifer’s fall because we need to understand how things functioned from the beginning, returning to the “law of the beginning” and the “first things”, as this helps us bring God’s glory to earth through our worship, that which existed from the start.

Ezekiel 28:13; 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Lucifer, created as an angel and bearer of light, was present in Eden, the spiritual dwelling of God’s presence, and it is to that same presence that we too are called to return. The Bible tells us that "God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), and, in the following verse, that the earth was “formless and empty” (Genesis 1:2). God’s creation was perfect, but when Lucifer rebelled and became Satan, he caused confusion and desolation on the earth.

Verse 14; 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Lucifer, anointed and protective cherub, was placed on the Holy Mount of God and walked among the stones of fire. As described in the previous verse, Lucifer was internally formed with musical instruments, and a true orchestra resided in him; when he worshipped, the sound he produced generated a light that made him shine. This teaches us that in Lucifer there were different dimensions of sound created by God, which explains why he was called "Lucifer", meaning "bearer of light". In the natural world, light travels faster than sound, but in spirit and eternity, sound is at the root of light. Being true worshippers transforms us into bearers of light; indeed, Jesus also called us "the light of the world", and, like Moses who, after being in God's presence to receive the Torah, emanated a light so intense that those around him could not look at him, we too, when we worship authentically, emit a light in the spirit. This light is not visible physically, but even if the natural world cannot see it, it shines and testifies of our bond with God. In the spiritual world, the Bible describes three heavens: the atmospheric one, the second heaven dominated by Satan, and the third heaven where God's presence resides; when we walk as true worshippers, the demons living in darkness, seeing the light of God in us, flee, making that moment glorious. Therefore, it is important to be present and attentive during worship moments: arriving late or treating worship time lightly means not giving proper value to God's presence. During services, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is an opportunity to enter His presence, and in those moments we must be ready and dedicated because worship transforms the atmosphere, opens the way for the fruit of the Word in our lives, and therefore, it cannot be rushed or distracted. In Hebrew, the word “yadà” indicates a deep and intimate relationship with God, requiring the necessary time to immerse fully in His presence. We cannot expect to meet God or see His glory in a hurried or superficial relationship. God desires that we dedicate this time to Him in total consecration, without distractions. If we reduce worship to a few minutes, we risk losing the true meaning of our encounter with God. Instead, worship is a time to enjoy His presence, to hear His voice, and to renew our intimacy with Him. The Bible reminds us that all creation praises God; in Psalm 148, it describes how every element, both in heaven and on earth, joins together in a choral praise to Him. When we praise God, we join all creation in His worship, and even the smallest things contribute to this great act of glory. Science has even discovered that every living organism, even plants, emits a sound that translates into praise. Worship is not entertainment; its purpose is to seek God and His presence, and the worship team’s role is to lead people into God’s presence, which is the true goal of worship. We too, as true worshippers, become bearers of divine light through the Holy Spirit, who now lives in us. Satan can no longer know the "new song" reserved only for the children of God, and for this reason, he attacks us. But walking in the Holy Spirit is the way to honor our calling, making the enemy’s attack futile. We cannot truly worship God if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit; He is God Himself in us, and He is the one who teaches us the true sound of heaven. God is changing the sound of the Church and calls us to live this new spiritual rhythm, aligning ourselves with His will so that every time we dedicate ourselves to worship, we enter into a deeper and more sincere relationship with Him. What does true worship create in a Church? It creates the ideal climate, a perfect environment, the right atmosphere, born in the spirit, which determines whether we will have creative miracles or simple healings from a headache.