Know God: Father to Be Honored & Revered

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?” Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’” (Malachi 1:6)

Interesting passage. We always think of the Love of the Father, but we do not always think of the honor and reverence toward the Father. In this passage of the book of Malachi, the Lord rebukes His priests for not showing honor and reverence toward Him as a Father and Master.

There were several areas that He addressed throughout the book of Malachi.

1.  Heart position lacking honor and reverence.
2. Offering the leftover and unwanted portions as tithes and offerings
3. Fully withholding tithes
4.  Forsaking their wives and children, divorce, unfaithfulness in the family.

And there were several promises and consequences if those things changed or did not change.

And the prayers of the priests were not accepted, because these heart positions and actions were not changed. God even said basically in a paraphrase, “I see your tears, but I will pay no attention to them…” because the actions were not reflecting the right heart posture of honor and reverence toward God.

Now, this may seem heavy for many reading it, and it is. But as we looked in the previous session at Hebrews 4 – the loving Father who corrects – this is all the one and same Person, who is doing this. He loves us, but part of His love toward us is pruning and refining us. And if we are submissive and humble ourselves before Him, we will be changed and we will become more like Him – holy as He is holy.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:1-6). If we want to know God, then we must have a healthy fear of Him. This is not the ungodly fear spoken of in I John 4, but the holy, godly, fear of the Lord that shows honor and reverence to Him and is aware that He is much higher and bigger than us.

Scripture: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?” Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’” (Malachi 1:6)

Prayer: Turn this passage into a dialogue with God. Ask Him in your own words if there is any place in your life where you have “despised His name” or have not showed honor and reverence to His name.

Listen: Pause and see if anything comes to your mind. Maybe there is something even from one of the things that God had rebuked the priests for.

Repent (Confess/Turn): If there is anything that comes up in your heart that you feel you have done wrong or that you have not honored the Lord in, then confess that to Him by telling Him and asking Him for forgiveness. Ask Him if there is anything you can do to make it right (for example: paying tithes, restoring relationships with family), etc.

Repentance means to stop going in the direction you are going and completely turn in the opposite direction. So, if you have confessed and repented in an area, then ask the Lord how you can replace that action or heart position with a new one that shows Him honor and reverence.

Write: Write these things down, and keep a record of them. Make concrete goals and action steps and set certain times that you will go back and visit them and realign yourself to them.

David & Ministry to the Lord: Songs of Revelation

David began his ministry to the Lord on the back-hills of Bethlehem with a harp and some sheep. No one saw his ministry at that point, except the Lord, and the lambs. He sang little songs and became a skillful player on the harp--so skillful, in fact, that he was called into the service of the king for his music. Not only was his music good, but it was anointed to drive away evil spirits (I Sam. 16:18-23).

But God saw the heart of David, and raised him up to be king. However, David never lost his heart to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, and dwell in His temple (Ps. 27:4).

David wrote hundreds of songs, as recorded in the book of Psalms. Many of these songs express David’s own emotions and struggles, and many express the emotions and heart of God. Reading the Psalms, one feels as though God was David’s best friend. David left us an example of how to pour out our emotions to God in worship, and receive God’s emotions in their place.

Furthermore, it is amazing the revelations of God David received in the place of worship to our Lord. He saw the beauty of the Lord (Ps. 24, 27); the Crucifixion of Christ (Ps 22), the revelation of the Shepherd (Ps. 23), the Second Coming (Ps. 2, 24, 110), and the restoration of Israel (Ps. 45-48).

Even as in David’s day, it is amazing what can happen when you place an instrument into the hands of a young worshipper and have them sing about truths of God. Revelation will come. The emotions of God will come. The young person will be transformed, and others will be brought into the presence of the Lord.

God, give us young worshippers with a heart like David in this generation!

Releasing a Prophetic Voice: Prophesying the King of Glory

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully...Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. (Psalm 24:3-4, 7)

 

Psalm 24 is one of my favorite psalms. It speaks of the majesty of God and the one who ascends the hill of the Lord to seek His face. The one who ascends His holy hill must have clean hands and a pure heart. They must encounter Him and know His beauty.

The next part of this psalm is amazing. The writer then prophesies to the gates of a city concerning the King of Glory. Out of the place of encounter with the face of God, the writer prophesies for a place to open up to the King of Glory.

The ultimate fulfillment of this psalm is when Jesus returns to Jerusalem and splits the Mount of Olives. The Eastern gate of Jerusalem will open up for the King of Glory—Jesus to enter the city.

However, even though the ultimate fulfillment of this psalm is with the return of Jesus, God wants messengers who do the same thing over cities, regions, and nations now as a token of His coming reign.

God wants prophetic messengers who come before the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart—those who seek His face and His glory alone, and do not lift their souls to idols. As they ascend the hill of the Lord and encounter His beauty in their time with Him, they are captured by His beauty and cannot help but prophesy. These messengers become like Jeremiah who had a fire shut up in his bones. He could not hold it in.

From the place of encounter with the beauty of God, these messengers prophesy the nature of reality of who the King of Glory is in such a way that the gates of cities tremble. They prophesy in songs, in prayers, in preaching, and demonstrations of power, and literally bring glimpses of the coming kingdom down to earth.

The Word of God and the true revelation of the King of Glory shakes an atmosphere and shifts things in the spiritual realm where prophesying not only becomes words—but a prophetic decree. As the decree is released, the very words themselves cause the thing to happen.

God wants messengers who see into the realm of the Spirit and call things forth as though they are—actually releasing heaven on earth in a realm of faith and pointing to the King of glory who now is and is also to come.

Who is this King of Glory? He is the Lord strong and mighty.

Beholding the Beauty of the King of Glory

Jesus is the King of Glory. He is beautiful. So many times, we hear of Him as the Holy, beautiful King, but we have never experienced His beauty and glory.

David sang songs of the beauty of the king. Daniel fell as a dead man. Isaiah fell crying out in repentance & a response of willingness. John was captured into a whole other realm & received revelation of God's plans. Ezekial was taken up in a whirlwind to see visions of God. He sat on the river bank staring for seven days after his revelation.

Elijah was captured in a chariot of fire. John saw an open door & heard a voice like a trumpet. It's not just apocolyptic literature--it's a real place. These were real experiences of the realm of the glory of the Lord.

Seeing this beautiful realm of the King of Glory will capture our hearts in a way that we have never experienced before. We will be willing to go anywhere, say anything, do anything. Seeing His glory is the way to walk in the Fear of the Lord all the days of our lives.

Let a cry arise in your heart like Moses, "Show me your Glory, Lord!" (Ex. 33). Like David, let a cry arise in your heart to see His face (Ps. 27:4-8).

He is the beautiful King of Glory worthy of all our adoration and worship. Let us behold Him in the beauty of His Holiness (Ps. 29).

Heart Response to the King of Glory

Every revelation of God brings about a certain heart response from those who love Him. The revelation of the King of Glory is opened up to those who have clean hands & a pure heart, & have not lifted up their souls to idols (Ps. 24).

When Isaiah saw the King of Glory in His Holy temple, his first cry was that of repentance (Is. 6). He was completely aware of his sin and the sin of his people. He fell on His face & cried out in repentance. The Fear of the Lord fell on Him & he realized his sinfulness. Then, the Lord purified his lips with fire, & he was made clean.

After that, Isaiah's second cry was "Here I am, Send me!" It was in response to the invitation the Lord gave, "Whom shall I send & who shall go for us?" The King of Glory first release the Fear of the Lord, then an invitation into partnership.

The response of Isaiah was first repentance, then a cry to be sent. The revelation of the beauty & holiness of God provoked a response in Isaiah to go anywhere & do anything. He said yes & then the Lord gave Him a very difficult assignment.

He basically said for Isaiah to go tell a people that they were deaf, blind, & dumb, & to prophesy it until everything was destroyed. What an assigment. The only thing that could sustain Isaiah in that assignment was the revelation of the beauty of the King of Glory.

When we get a revelation of God's beauty, we will go anywhere & do anything. We must continue have a heart cry of "Show me Your Glory, Lord!" Only then will our hearts respond in repentance & a willingness to be sent.