The Fall The Fall of Lucifer
We are in a brand new series today called “The Fall”…
It’s October… New York has some of the most beautiful sights during this time of year. With Apple picking and Pumpkin picking… The leaves changing… Apple Cider donuts…
It’s fall in NY…. Its my most favorite time of the year… I love the fall season…
As I was planning this series… I began to think of a different type of fall…
I began to think of all the times I have fallen. First physically… I was an accident prone child… I got hurt a lot… I fell down a bunch…
I also thought about the times that I had fallen emotionally or even spiritually.
This first week we are going to discuss the fall of Lucifer / Satan / The Devil whatever name you have been taught…
Next week we will look at the fall of Mankind… Adam & Eve
The third week will be “The Legends of the Fall”
And the last week of this month a friend of mine from Seattle Washington will be here with us. In Isaiah 14:12 It gives us the details of satans fall. How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.
Look at this… 5 Times Lucifer said “I will”
I will ascend I will raise my throne above the stars of God I will sit enthroned I will ascend above the clouds I will make myself like God
Anyone know the sin that caused Lucifer’s painful separation from heaven?
PRIDE
That’s right… Pride was the issue that caused this Arc Angel… This Cherubim…
The most beautiful creation that God has made to that point in time… Pride caused his fall.
Pride causes us to fall today.
Proverbs16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Haughty spirit just means an arrogant spirit about you… Pride and arrogance leads to a fall….
Watch this in Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Here is what I have found… That Pride is Self Worship
It’s the worship of self….
It is Me-ism
What about me?
Let me ask you a question today… Or shall I say let me give you a scenario and you answer honestly…
Ready?
You are on vacation with a group of friends… you are at the beach… We all want to be at the beach right now… you are at the beach… having a great time… playing some beach volleyball, some are reading books, some are playing in the waves…
The day comes to a close and you all huddle up for a quick group picture…
One friend sets their phone up to auto take the shot…. Count down 5-4-3-2-1 snap… the photo is taken…
You say to your friend airdrop me that pic… They don’t but instead they post it to their own social media page and tag you in it…
You open your social media page….
Who is the first person you look for in the picture?
YourSelf… Correct…
You look for YOU…. To see if you look good…
How do I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I look in this picture?
It’s pride… In its simplest form… That’s pride…
I’m looking out for me… Do I look good…
And It’s self worship…
The worship of ME.
Inside many of us there is this overwhelming need to win… To be right.
It’s the reason you can’t let someone finish a sentence without jumping in…. Because you can guess what they are saying, or you can add to their story… because after all you are smarter than they are…
It’s pride… Pride says…. But I have to cut your story off to say what I want to say or else I’ll forget what I wanted to say in the middle of your story…
We all deal with it…
But the Bible is very careful to tell us that we need to deal with the Pride inside… Because it stops us from real, true worship. But what is real, true worship? And if there is such a thing HOW do I do it?
John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
How do I start true worship in my life?
Pastor Brian can you help answer this question?
Well Pastor Mike I’m glad you asked me…
This can seem like a hard or overwhelming question, but I’m going to give you as many practical steps as possible so you can start true worship in your life.
First we need to - Be intentional.
Worship really needs to be a daily habit… It’s said that to make a habit, you need to have the same routine for 21 days. Now who really knows if that’s true.
But I can tell you from experience that when you focus on one practice for that long it not only becomes a habit it become a part of you.
We need to be clear that worship is more than the songs we sing on Sunday but it’s the way we live our lives.
Now saying that, let’s use music as a primary way to worship each day.
Music is God’s gift for us and it can bring us closer to him even if we don’t feel Him near. Today you are getting a little card with Family Church worship songs on it to help you start true worship in your life.
* HOLD THE CARD HIGH FOR THEM TO SEE*
Not only are these Family Church worship songs but these are songs that I personally worship to through out the week.
I wanna tell you some of my favorites from the list.
Slow: Anything Can Happen Build My Life God I Look To You Holy Spirit Reckless Love
Fast: Alive Endless Praise Freedom God’s Great Dance Floor This is Amazing Grace
Give other references to older songs - How Great Thou Art - Amazing Grace.
I really like all that are in the list.
I encourage you to use these songs on the list as the starting point for a life style of worship. Take the playlist and open apple music or Spotify, YouTube and begin to let these song move you closer to God. I know that the Holy Spirit will minister to you during that time. If you’re not sure when a good time is to worship, I suggest the start of your day. This will set the tone for the rest of your day… Try to set out 15 - 20 min each morning.
Setting time aside to pray and worship should be one of our top priority for us as Christians…
Keep in mind that we should always approach worship with a sincere hearts.
I’v told the worship team before, that your private worship is a reflection of your public worship.
Pride has a way of sneaking up on you. I’ve been known to have pride in the stuff I own and clothes I wear.
*STORY* When is was a little boy I didn’t like getting dirty. I know its weird, for a boy not to like getting messy but that’s just the way God made me.
Whenever something would get on me I would be so upset. My parents would tell me not to worry and that it would come out in the wash.
I heard them say this over and over again, it was embedded in me. That the stain and dirt would come out in the wash.
Well, one time I was all dressed for church. I was rock’n a suite and and staying clean, until I tripped and got dirt on my nice Sunday suite. My Mom wasn’t real happy. I looked up at her and before she could say anything. I said the famous line… Mom don’t worry it will come out in the wash.
To this day I have to tell myself not to worry when something gets on my clothes. Pride can stick on you like a nasty stain.
We know what Pride is Self Worship. So Pastor Mike spoke about Lucifer was all about himself. All about the I and elevating himself above God.
But Jesus! But Jesus! *SAY THIS BIG* He wasn’t about Himself. He was sent to fulfill the plan the Father had for him. Jesus said several times in scripture not my will but your will, in reference to the Father.
Luke 22:42-43 42“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. NAS
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
Jesus, our greatest example of worship gave up His own will and showed us how to worship.
We have to eliminate distractions and put our focus on Jesus.
With as many things pulling for our attention it can be easy not to take the time to worship. One of the most pleasant things someone can hear is their name. I believe that speaking the name of Jesus changes the atmosphere.
The different names that God is called in scripture, can bring healing, it can set us free, it can give us peace.
Here are some names that you can use in your time of worship.
Immanuel – “…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us.’” Is. 7:14
Redeemer – “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
Bread of Life – “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35
Also, there are names we can pull from the Old Testament that we can use in worship.
Jehovah MEANING: Lord, master and relational God
Verse: This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord (Jehovah) God made earth and heaven. Genesis 2:4
Adonai MEANING: Master Over All Verse: O Lord God (Adonai) You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? Deuteronomy 3:24 El Shaddai MEANING: The Almighty Verse: 1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1
In your time of worship you can begin to say these names out loud to build and straighten your faith in Christ.
Mt favorite definition on worship is given by Warren Wiersbe.
“Worship is the believer’s response of all that they are – mind, emotions, will, body – to what God is and says and does” (Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship, pg. 26).
When we take the time and align ourselves with God. Our mind, emotions, will and body. Then we will begin to see the outpouring of God in our Church, in our lives and people will start to notice the difference. You will start to notice the difference.
And God will be glorified!
Let’s pray