We talked about Times, Seasons. Last week we learned about “Tempo” and today I would like to teach this message about Rhythm.
God has a rhythm. Everything has a rhythm. The universe has a rhythm. The planets in our solar system have a rhythm. The earth has a rhythm. The seas have a rhythm. The four seasons have a rhythm. Our bodies have a rhythm. Our heart has a rhythm. Our lungs have a rhythm.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
Example: Have the drummer follow this lead. God says, “Remember my rhythm”. Work six days; on that seventh day rest. Beat the drum hard for six beats then rest. Repeat a few times.
A repeating pattern of stresses, or of the presence or absence of sound, is called rhythm. Morse code works by assigning different letters of the alphabet to different rhythms. Rhythm is marked by the regulated succession of opposite elements. Rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sound and silences are put together to form patterns of sounds, which are repeated to create a rhythm.
A. God created our heartbeat (a heart with built in rhythm)
What is the heart? Most simply, it is the organ that pumps blood through the body. I read recently that physiologically each person’s heartbeat has its own unique pattern. Just as there are no two people exactly alike, no two hearts keep the exact same rhythm. The Bible refers to the heart as the driving will or innermost being.
Just as there are no two identical physiological heartbeats, so it is with how God made our spiritual hearts. Your spiritual heart possesses a unique emotional heartbeat that races when you encounter different cause, activities, subjects or circumstances. Instinctively, it seems there are some things we care deeply about and other things that don’t even turn our heads. Understanding this spiritual heartbeat is a part of the journey God has for us; it helps us understand God’s intention for our lives.
The Bible is full of stories that show how passion stirred calling. Solomon had a heart to be a wise ruler. Moses had a heart for his people. Nehemiah had a heart for Jerusalem. These are simply a few examples among many. What is your passion?
God created our heart and we need to find the right rhythm of our lives. We should discipline ourselves and learn to be in tune with the heartbeat of God.
Heart Rhythm Disorders
The primary function of the heart is to supply blood and nutrients to the body. The regular beating, or contraction, of the heart moves the blood throughout the body. Each heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses traveling through the heart. In the normal heart these electrical impulses occur in regular intervals. When something goes wrong with the heart’s electrical system, the heart does not beat regularly. The irregular beating results in a rhythm disorder, or arrhythmia. Some Christians have spiritual arrhythmia in their lives because of a lack of discipline in prayer.
B. PRAYER is the heartbeat of our FAITH
The Apostle Paul’s command to “pray continually or without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Prayer in Jewish understanding is devotion that is in the heart. In its most basic form, prayer can be understood as pouring your heart out to God.
The Hebrew word for heart is lev (pronounced lay-v, Strong’s #3820). Lev means: inner man, mind, will, heart, and understanding. It speaks of the heart and soul of a man, the seat of our emotions and passions. In Genesis 8:21 we see God speaking “in His heart” and promising never again to curse the ground or destroy everything living again as He did in the flood.
God created our heart to function 24/7 without any conscious thought from us. We don’t will the heart to beat, we don’t beg it to, it simply beats…without ceasing. Similarly, we have burdens that are on our heart they don’t leave our heart just because we are not engaged in some form of prayer. Our loved ones stay on our heart, the concerns remain, the hopes and dreams remain. They are there with each and every beat of our heart.
Prayer is not only about asking…it’s about connecting to God. As we take a mental pause our mind and engage in prayer we can connect with God. This step is vital to our heart because it purposefully focuses our attention on the One who is able and willing to grant our request.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
We need to develop a discipline of prayer in order to understand the rhythm of our God.
C. The rhythm of our hope
1 Thessalonians 1:3 (DBY) remembering unceasingly your work of faith, and labour of love, and enduring constancy of hope, of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;
We can see in this Scripture that these early Christians had an “enduring constancy of hope”. There are famous brands of watches that claim to be durable and reliable.
What is the most precise rhythm device ever made by man? I guess watches are the most reliable rhythm devices. Citizen, Seiko, Casio, etc., fall somewhat below the threshold of desirable dress watches like Omega, Breitling, Baume & Mercier, etc. In April 17, 2005 TAG Heuer released another first at the Baselworld 2005 global watch mecca - the most accurate mechanical timepiece ever crafted, the “Calibre 360” Concept Chronograph. All these rhythm machines are very impressive and can also be very expensive. Man as a fascination for time and about creating perfect and accurate little rhythm machines called watches. My question is about the rhythm of your spiritual heart.
Does your heartbeat lean towards God?
Do you have constancy in your prayer life?
Do you read the Bible and try to listen to God at least 1 day in your busy week?
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
D. The Rhythm of our Brain
Studies of mechanisms in the brain that allow complicated things to happen in a coordinated fashion have produced some of the most spectacular discoveries in neuroscience. Our brain uses different rhythms in order to do complex operations like memorizing or remembering things. Scientists say that rhythms in our brain are key to the learning process. These are called brain waves. We can develop habits that are associated with the rhythm of our brain.
A habit is defined as a recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition. A habit is a learned rhythm of life.
Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We can exchange bad habits by good ones and learn a new rhythm in life. The three most important habits of someone who puts God first are,
Prayer - "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17).
Reading of the Bible - "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11, NIV).
Assembling Together – “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near”(Hebrews 10:25, NLT)
CONCLUSION
How can we listen to God in such a busy world? We need to tune our life with God. Our heartbeat has to synchronize with heartbeat of God.
Discipline is very important if we are going to learn how to have the right rhythm in our spiritual life.
Decide to put God first!
Psalms 119:164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous ordinances.
David praised Him with a rhythm of seven times a day. We all have rhythms and patterns in everything we do. Maybe it’s time to change your heartbeat and start praising seven times a day. Some people drink eight glasses of water every day in order to loose a few pounds. Do you thinks you can pray more, praise more, read more, and come to Church more often? God is waiting for your heartbeat to be syncopated by his Holy Spirit. Just open up your mind and decide to put God first!
ENERGY DRINKS
(Show the energy drink.) This drink has energy in it, and when you drink, it is released into your body. (Take a drink of the energy drink!)
Energy drinks are soft drinks advertised as providing energy to improve physical activity of the drinker, as compared to a typical drink. Rather than providing food energy (as measured in calories), these drinks are designed to increase a user's mental alertness and physical performance by the addition of caffeine, vitamins, and herbal supplements, which may interact to provide a stimulant effect over and above that obtained from caffeine alone. A variety of physiological and psychological effects attributed to energy drinks and/or their ingredients have been investigated.
Energy drinks are typically attractive to young people. Approximately 65% percent of its drinkers are between the ages of 13 and 35 years old.
People buy these drinks to get energized – to think clearer and be perked up – what if you could get that same feeling the natural way and by a spiritual energy boost.
We need to allow the Holy Spirit to energize us God’s way! And we need to ask God to launch us into motion for eternity. We need a higher Rhythm in our spiritual life.
ALTAR CALL
Today I would like to call you to the front and pray for you. I will not give you an energy drink but I do believe that the Holy Spirit wants to energize your spiritual life by elevating your heartbeat. Just tell God that you want to place him first in your life and you will learn a different rhythm in your Spiritual life.
