[SUB12] ADORAÇÃO INÚTIL - Luciano Subirá

Guys I’m here at the Civic Center, in Curitiba in Parana to bring another word of edification to your heart. We know that the word of God highlights the importance of worship. But in the next few minutes I want to talk to you about an adoration the bible classifies as useless, with no purpose, with no value, no results.

Stay with me and let’s reflect about it. The Lord Jesus, citing the prophet Isaiah, declares, this was registered in Mark 7, at verses 6 and 7, he makes the following affirmation: "this people honor me with their lips, but their heart are far from me. " So the affirmation, or the declaration as we can say, God’s protest through the prophet is: “in vain they worship me.

" It is interesting that the way the Lord deals with it is not classifying it as a false worship, not even saying it isn't adoration, but he says “in vain they worship me. " God recognizes that as worship but he classifies it as a vain worship, like a useless worship, like an adoration that doesn't fulfill its purpose. Something that we must understand regarding God’s calling for our lives to worship him, satan, not only God’s great enemy, but our opposing adversary, when he first receives our inclination to adoration, he will try to prevent us from worshipping, but when he can’t stop us from worshipping, his strategy focus on trying to cancel the effect of our worship so that, even if we continue, advance with the idea of worshiping it won't fulfill its purpose.

And a good example for that classification of useless worship that he tries to prevent and when not to prevent, he tries to cancel can be seen as a interesting typology. The word of God says that Moses goes to Pharaoh with a very clear message. The message was: let my people go so that they may worship me.

Behind that scenario we have a figure of redemption. The nation of Israel’s exit from Egypt is a figure of redemption. We can look to pharaoh as a figure of satan that oppresses and enslaves the people that came to be the people of God just like you and me before encountering Christ.

Colossians 1:13 says that God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness. We were also slaves, we were also under the tyranny of satan and what made the people leave Egypt was that night where Easter was celebrated, the blood of the lamb of Easter was poured. Paul when he writes to the Corinthians he calls Jesus our easter lamb.

Every figure have established a parallel. For example, when the nation of Israel left Egypt and go mount Zion, the declaration God makes about them there is the same declaration that Peter the apostle makes about us, in 1st Peter 2:9, when he says “you are a chosen people, a holy nation, royal priesthood, God’s special possession". So I want to take this parallel.

When Moses arrives with the message “let my people go so they can worship me", he shows the purpose of redemption it is not only to deliver us from slavery but to take us to place of communion and intimacy with God. We can see that the application of redemption in the spiritual sense is not any different. The Bible speaks of Zacarias, John the Baptist’s father, the priest that full of the Holy Spirit prophesied and his declaration was “so that, delivered from the hands of our enemies, we would worship him in holiness and justice all of our days.

" When talking about the redemption that the Messiah would bring and he also shows that purpose, the final outcome is worship. And like worship, I do not only speak of a service we provide, I speak of that place of communion, of intimacy with God. Well, let’s go to the figures.

When Moses, in Exodus 5 gets to pharaoh with a message “let my people go so they can worship me", pharaoh’s first attitude is to go against it, he says: “this people might actually be too idle to be thinking about worship". He says: ˜let’s overload them with work” he doubles their work load. He says “so they won't have time to think about worship.

" The first attitude is: "let's dissuade them from that idea". Although, when he did not succeed, because nor Moses nor the people stepped back, he begins to offer Moses some counterproposals. We have from Exodus 8 to the chapter 10, we have four counterproposals, you can say, that pharaoh did to Moses.

In the first he speaks to Moses: “why lead Egypt? Worship here. " Interesting is that Egypt is a symbol for the world and a place of sin but obviously Moses refuses pharaoh’s counterproposal.

He says: “we'll not do it at Egypt. " Actually, staying at Egypt meant remaining slaves and worship is not for slaves, worship is for the free. But actually this proposition of not leaving Egypt still has a very strong spiritual application for us.

Galatians 1:4 says that Jesus gave himself not only to rescue us, not only to forgive our sins, but the bible says he came to uproot us from this perverse world. " Walking with God means setting apart from this World, it means having to leave Egypt. And let me tell you, when we accept this proposition today not made by a literal or natural pharaoh, but by what it symbolizes, when we fall on satan's bait of believing that we can stay in the world and still worship God, our attitude cancels the true manifestation of this adoration to God.

But Moses didn’t accept that, he said: "no, no one is staying on Egypt", Pharaoh hardens his heart saying: “no one is going anywhere", plagues come according to the manifestation of God’s judgement he softens a little and says “ok then”. In this moment he makes a second counterproposal. What was the second counterproposal?

He says: “you may leave Egypt", but he says “just don't go far away. ” In another words he is saying: "look, it is ok if you leave but let’s not break up completely, stay nearby, keep in touch. ” It's almost like he said: you can leave just don't go away and don't shut down, because I don't want to lose touch with you.

So actually we can say that this second counterproposal is an unfolding of the first. It’s almost like a way of saying: "look, you leave the limits but don't go far, because I don’t want to lose touch with you. " In that moment Moses refuses it once more saying “no way" and we must understand that it is not enough to just leave the world and to remain around.

The Word of God says in the message of Steven, in Acts chapter 7, that some in their heart, speaking of the Israelites, went back to Egypt. They never did in a natural, literal way but in their hearts they did because they missed it. I ask you, have you in any moment, even after you left the world, felt like going back there?

Even not going back you missed it? Because remaining nearby also cancels our adoration. Moses refuses it, more plagues and judgement from God are manifested and then the third counterproposal.

Pharaoh asks Moses: “who is going? " Moses says “what do you mean who is going? Everyone is going.

" Pharaoh says: "no, men can go, but women and children will stay. " Basically what is he saying? If I cannot cancel your worship prisoning you in the consecration ground, keeping you in the world or close to it, the second thing I want to mess up, Pharaoh is saying, is prevent you from worshipping God as a family.

We need to understand God’s calling so that we may worship Him as a family. And I believe that we are living a time where God wants to raise a lot of people that, in the likeness of Joshua, will say: “me and my household will serve the Lord. " People that are deciding to serve the Lord not only alone but saying “it is me and all of my family.

" It is interesting that it looks like each counterproposal Pharaoh makes gets subtler than the first. The first one is shameless: stay on Egypt. The second is "ok, leave but don't go too far.

" This third one is even more subtle, it is like he said: "look, I allow you to worship, if I can't keep you in the world or around it is ok but if I prevent you from worshiping God with your family I’m satisfied. " I want you to understand that God does not only hope you to worship Him in consecration far and away from Egypt but also with all of your house. Because neglecting the involvement of our families in the service and worship to God can also cancel our adoration and what God expects from us.

But it is interesting that there is a fourth counterproposal. This fourth counterproposal of all might be the most subtle, because after more plagues and judgments Pharaoh ends up ceding and says: “it's ok, you don't have to stay at Egypt, it doesn't have to be around, everyone can go but his last declaration is: “but the flocks will stay. " It is interesting that it is in this moment that Moses seems to manifest a even bigger indignation than in the previous counterproposals.

Moses says: “what? How could we go without sacrificing to the Lord our God? " He says: “everyone is going, no one stays at Egypt or around, families are going", but he says “the flocks are going too".

Because we must sacrifice, worship the Lord. " And now Moses includes another element in adoration. I think it is interesting that when we speak of adoration, most of us thinks in the service with lips, that the book of Hebrews calls a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess your name.

But we need to understand that the Word of God speaks of something else than just me and you declare. The message cited by Isaiah, cited by Jesus, speaks that beyond our lips, our heart needs to put up. But this fourth element speaks of a last aspect of worship that is also very important.

It involves adoration with our goods. I know that this is a subject that many don't like to speak about, don't like to talk our comment about it, but the truth is that when you look to the word of God some of the scenes of extravagant worship, like Mary of Bethany, that pours that precious perfume on the Lord, they involve worship with our goods. When the Lord Jesus comes to this world the word of God describes a very interesting scenario, when the shepherds in the field watch a multitude of angels showing up saying “glory to God in the highest and peace to men that He wants well.

" It is interesting that in this moment of the birth of Jesus there is a party that is celebrated with music, with songs, I play that I would pay any ticket value to watch this spectacle, this music. But the adoration Jesus received was not only the song from angels, the Bible speaks of those three mage kings bringing gold, incense and myrrh because the adoration that was offered to Christ at the moment of His birth was not limited only to worship with lips but it also involved worship with goods. There is a mystery behind it, that even though we don't understand that deeply we need to respond to God and also to practice it on this level.

It looks like the last card the devil had on his sleeve, that Pharaoh had on the sleeve was to say: "ok, if I can’t keep you in the world or nearby, the consecration ground compromised, if I can't stop you from worshiping God with your family, the important is that I prevent you in this area" My question is: do you think this last one has no value, to the point that the enemy in another words is saying “I quit fighting for tout consecration, I leave your family alone as long as I prevent you fro worshipping God with your goods. " I believe this is more serious than we have been comprehending, but that God may give us grace to correspond in all of these levels, so that our worship may not at any moment be useless. That you may continue not only worshiping God but with a useful worship, that fulfills its purpose, that is not canceled by the tricks of the Devil.

This is my prayer, this is my sincere desire in the name of Jesus. May the Lord bless you.