Psalm 132:7 (NKJV) Let us go into His tabernacle; let us worship at His footstool.
Just like the three Magi who fell down to worship Jesus, the place of worship is the footstool of the Lord. When we worship, we behold His face and are transformed from glory to glory. We become like Him whom we worship. It is also a place where He speaks to us. Keep your spiritual eyes open and your ears tuned to God, and listen to what the Holy Spirit has to say to you during these intimate moments!
True worship is pouring out our hearts before Him in love, adoration, and reverence. God is pleased if we are determined that we will never enter the house of the Lord without offering Him the deepest expression of our spirit. He delights in those who delight in Him—not merely for what He does, but for who He is.
Worship is soaking in the presence of God when the glory falls—a time between you and God. As a church, we should come prepared for worship and begin to hunger for more of God in our lives. We should enter into worship seeking after God without being affected by the schedule or the next thing we need to do, but simply enjoying and being blessed by His presence and listening to what He has to say to our hearts. Habitual sins can be dealt with effectively in His presence as the chain of bondage breaks away. Sicknesses and pain begin to be healed as the anointing, flowing through the presence of God, moves through the minds and bodies of the people.
Worship is not about us but all about God. We want a real encounter with God in worship, just like the Magi came to look for the King of the Jews and to be in His presence. They weren’t going to leave without seeing Him, even when they found Him to be in a manger.
Matthew 2: 11 (NJKV) And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Magi gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh as an expression of worship. The three gifts are full of Old Testament symbolism: gold is the symbol of royalty or kingship, emphasising that Jesus is a king; frankincense is the symbol of deity because frankincense was part of the special scent burned on the Altar of Incense within the Holy Place and the smoke penetrated into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies, thus frankincense emphasises Jesus is God; myrrh was associated in the Old Testament with death and embalming.
The Magi had the right posture and attitude towards the King. Likewise, we should also have the right posture and attitude when we worship God with our resources. Each Magi arrived with a gift to worship God. They came prepared to worship Him with the gift to honour the King of the Jews. Similarly, we have come to honour our Saviour and Lord of our lives.
Reflection: What would it look like for you to prepare your heart for worship throughout the week—not just when you arrive at church?
Sermon Series: Worshipping the King of Kings
预备好敬拜万王之王
诗篇 132:7 我们要进祂的居所，在祂脚凳前下拜。
正如东方三博士俯伏敬拜耶稣一样，敬拜之地就是主的脚凳。当我们敬拜时，我们仰望祂的面容，便从荣耀到荣耀地被改变，逐渐成为我们所敬拜的那一位的样式。这也是祂向我们说话的地方。在这些亲密的时刻，要保持属灵的眼睛明亮、耳朵敏锐，留心聆听圣灵对你所说的话！
真正的敬拜，是在爱、敬仰与敬畏中向祂倾心吐意。当我们立志不空手进入主的殿，而是献上我们内心最深处的表达时，神就喜悦。祂喜悦那些因祂本身而喜乐的人—不只是因祂所做的事，更是因祂是谁。
敬拜是在神的同在中安静浸泡，当祂的荣耀降临，这是你与神之间的时刻。作为教会，我们应当预备好自己来敬拜，并开始在生命中渴慕更多的神。进入敬拜时，我们要单单寻求祂，不被时间安排或接下来的事情影响，而是单纯地享受祂的同在，在祂里面得着祝福，并聆听祂向我们心里所说的话。惯常的罪可以在祂的同在中被有效对付，捆绑的锁链得以断开；疾病和疼痛也在神同在所带来的恩膏中开始得医治，这恩膏流经人的心思与身体。
敬拜不是关于我们，而是完全关于神。我们渴望在敬拜中真实地遇见神，就像博士们前来寻找犹太人的王，要进入祂的同在。他们并不满足于未见到祂就离开，即使祂是在马槽中，他们也要见祂。
马太福音 2:11 进了房子，看见小孩子和他母亲马利亚，就俯伏拜那小孩子，揭开宝盒，拿黄金、乳香、没药为礼物献给祂。
博士献上黄金、乳香和没药，作为敬拜的表达。这三样礼物充满了旧约的象征意义：黄金象征君王的尊荣，强调耶稣是王；乳香象征神性，因为乳香是圣所香坛上所献的馨香之物，其烟气进入至圣所，达到神的面前，因此强调耶稣是神；没药在旧约中则与死亡和膏抹遗体有关。
博士们以正确的姿态和态度来到王面前。同样地，当我们用我们的资源敬拜神时，也当带着正确的态度。每一位博士都带着礼物来敬拜神，他们预备好礼物来尊荣这位犹太人的王。我们也是如此，来到祂面前，尊荣我们的救主和生命的主。
默想： 在一整周的生活中，你会如何预备自己的心来敬拜，而不仅仅是在来到教会的那一刻？
讲章系列：敬拜万王之王