Keep Silence before God

Kwing Hung

An old noisy typewriter

Concentration brings silence

1

Proper Attitude in Worship

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

(Psalm 100:2)

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Habakkuk 2:20

“But the LORD is in his holy temple;

let all the earth be silent before him.”

Proper attitude: Keep Silence

Song: “You are standing on holy ground”

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Habakkuk 3:2

“LORD, I have heard of your fame;

I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.

Renew them in our day,

in our time make them known;

in wrath remember mercy.”

An attitude of awe

A faithful and merciful God

Meaning of “worship”

from ancient English meaning worth-ship

• paying respect because of God’s worthiness and dignity

• a worshipful tribute (offering) paid to God

Habakkuk 3:3-4

“His glory covered the heavens

and his praise filled the earth.

His splendour was like the sunrise;

rays flashed from his hand,

where his power was hidden.”

A God of incomparable glory

How do we see God’s glory?

Second Kings 6:15-17

Story: The king of Aram wanted to capture Elisha.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Habakkuk 3:5-6“Plague went before him;

pestilence followed his steps.

He stood, and shook the earth;

he looked, and made the nations tremble.

The ancient mountains crumbled

and the age-old hills collapsed.

His ways are eternal.”

A God of wrathful judgment

Joyful yet Fearful

A paradox

An attitude of reverence

Both Hebrew (yare) and Greek (phobos) means fear

holy fear, awe

Reverence

“Observe my Sabbaths and

have reverence for my sanctuary.”

(Leviticus 19:30)

“worship God acceptably

with reverence and awe,

for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”

(Hebrew 12:28-29)

Keep silence and Sing

Another paradox

An attitude of concentration

God is:

• merciful

• glorious

• wrathful

Like a drama in a theatre

Who are the actors?

• We are the actors

Who is the audience?

• God is the only audience

Who are the observers?

• Angels (First Corinthians 11:10)

Today, we emphasize the joy but forget the fear

2

Sunday School

for High School Students:

My Experience

Our Youth Facing Danger

• Survey on children brought up in evangelical Christian homes

• 80% stopped attending church after entering university

• Why?– youth re-evaluate their beliefs– influenced by secular professors

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Course: Truth in Christianity

{1} Is Christianity truth?

{2} Does God exist?

{3} When did the universe begin?

{4} Did man evolve from apes?

{5} Is the Bible reliable?

{6} Are there errors in the Bible?

Course Topics

{7} Why did God allow evil to exist?

{8} How do we respond to suffering?

{9} Did Jesus exist in history?

{10} Can Jesus’ resurrection be proved?

{11} Is salvation real?

{12} Is Christianity the only true religion?

What I see

Thankful but also disappointed:• poor attendance (parallel class AND

students pulled to help junior Sunday School)

• not punctual= abuse other people’s time

• disinterested (escape if possible)

• disrespectful (bad posture, reading magazines)

Suggestions

• Teachers, make classes more interesting and more relevant

• Parents, be punctual !

• teach junior Sunday School without assistants OR recruit more adults to volunteer

• move the class to tables

3

In worship:

Watch out for your attitude !

What I observed…

Disinterested:

Not attentive, Playing with iphones

Disrespectful:

Reclining on the chair

Chatting, even during prayer time

It is dangerous to be disrespectable to God

Be careful !

God is the audience; He is watching you.

God is a loving God;

But He is also a judging God too.

Ask yourself:

How would you behave if you are attending the coronation ceremony of a king?

Keep Silence !

Worship

with concentration

and

with reverence