Yesterday I preached from Malachi 4. Awesome chapter. I talked about what life as God intends it looks like... What God really desires for you. Surprisingly, according to Malachi 4:2 one of the things God wants to do is to set you free from propriety and make it possible for you to DANCE!!!
Here are some of my thoughts straight from the manuscript. (Special thanks to John Piper and his message "The Sun of Righteousness Will Rise" for getting my thoughts going in this direction.)
Malachi 4:2b (NLT), But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.
I really believe that when the “sun of righteousness rises” in your life and you are totally SET FREE out of the prison you’ve lived in for most of your life, you won’t merely walk or run, you will LEAP like a calf just let out of the stall…
I know what some of you are thinking… “Chris, man you don’t know my personality type… I mean, it would be easier for me to speak fluent Russian than for me to leap like a calf…”
LISTEN: I’m not denying that some people have more outward and gregarious personality types that makes it easier for them to leap or dance, while some are introverts and somewhat reserved when it comes to life and worship… I understand that… I really do… I understand, some of you probably feel like: “Chris, I just don’t know if there’s a calf in me…”
Here’s what I believe, “There’s a ‘CALF’ in every believer in this room, and given the right set of circumstances, it will LEAP… You will DANCE…”
In fact, deep down, you really want to…
Some of you have lived your whole life with your “back against the wall.” You’re that guy or gal at the prom or wedding reception and while everyone else is on the dance floor, your back is against the wall… You try to look reserved… You try to look cool… But the truth is, something in you longs to CUT LOOSE…
Why? Here’s one reason: sometimes WORSHIP DEMANDS IT… The best definition for worship I’ve ever read is this:
Worship is responding to all that God is with all that we are!
Sometimes the only way worship can express itself is through DANCE!!! To "leap like a calf."
Here's the example: David was a guy who refused to live with his “back against the wall…” In fact, on one of the greatest days in Israel’s history, when the Ark of God returned to Jerusalem, do you know how David celebrated?
2 Samuel 6:14 says, And David danced before the LORD with all his might…
I love what Eugene Peterson said about this:
“David danced. In God, David had access to life that exceeded his capacity to measure or control. He was on the edge of mystery, of glory, and so he danced.
“When we’re going about our work responsibly and steadily, we walk. But when we’re beside ourselves with love, shaken out of preoccupation with ourselves, we dance.
“David danced. If David had been merely carrying out his religious duties, or conducting a political ceremony, he would have walked in solemn procession before the ark, leading it into Jerusalem with dignity. But this was no duty. He was worshipping, responding to the living God.” So he danced!” ~ Eugene Peterson
A friend of mine sent me this link of a T-mobile promotional filmed at Liverpool Street Station in Great Britain. If you click on the link, watch the video with the public's reaction to the dance... Pretty cool stuff on how infectious dancing can be.
After you watch the entire clip, I think you'll agree... To use Keith Urban's words: Sometimes you gotta dance!
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