"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Hebrews 13:14-16)
A great question for us to consider today is this: Do we believe that Oasis is a vision of God? In other words, we are who we are, where we are, and joined as we are because God has made it so. For me the answer to this question is a firm yes...I do believe that Oasis is a vision of God. I believe we as a church family exist for a very specific reason, namely, to declare the glory of Christ and the sovereignty of God in the theater of our world. John Piper once said of Bethlehem Baptist Church, "We exist as a church because we have caught a glimpse of the infinite greatness and majesty and holiness and justice and wisdom and power and truth and goodness and mercy and love of God." I believe the same to be true of Oasis.
If Oasis is a vision of God then we exist for several purposes. Let me share one of them with you tonight.
Savor God in Worship
In preparing for the work that God has for us this weekend in He Reigns we must spend each day this week savoring God in the act of worship. I'm not talking about merely having God on your mind. I'm talking about being completely engulfed in God's undeniable presence. Savor God's presence. Savor how He moves your heart. Savor his sovereignty. Savor His majesty. Savor His perfection. And then...RESPOND! It is difficult to be engrossed in God and not respond. Let us be as the Hebrews passage above reads. Let us be in continual praise. This is a sacrifice before God. May the fruit of our lips acknowledge God's vast greatness. May songs pour forth from mouths. May prayers roll from our tongues. May we each do more than simply take time to do "this" or "that" in regards to God. May all we do this week be done with great expectancy in our hearts and a profound desire to enjoy giving God the center of our focus and praise. Let our highest joy be found in God's highest praise.
My prayer for us in this is that God would strip us of anything that makes us prideful, boastful, or fearful of responding to Him in the fullness of the praise that we should give the one and only living God. Let us be expectant and savor the full measure of God's greatness as he makes it known to us. Worship Him in spirit and truth with a sacrifice of praise. That is our challenge today, as well as always.
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