Sermon Outline By Steve Mays
Where: Faith Baptist Church
When: Feb, 2000
Title: "Are those Holy Hands you're are raising?"

Text: 1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Nehemiah 8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Psalms 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Ge 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

La 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

1791 times you find the hand mentioned in your King James Bible... In the texts we've read God says he wants them lifted...

What does it symbolize?

Surrender - universally this is what raised hands mean..
Submission - I'm yours God
Shortage -- God I'm needy
Service - The hand is symbolic of work. When we lift our hands to God, we are offering ourselves for His service.

We were created to Worship God. But that worship was not to be offered any way we want to offer it. One of the real deceptions of modern Christianity is that we have, (quite ironic) is that we think God is so desperate to be worshipped that He'll take it anyway He can get it... God says we are to worship in the beauty of Holiness.

Rev. 4:11 - Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

So this morning I want to ask two questions...

I.) Have you raised your hands to God?

1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Psalms 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.

You know God wants to be worshipped! He deserves to be worshipped. When was the last time you worshipped God?

Ps 63:3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

We call this service a worship Service and then we don't worship. It's not preference! It's a command!

A. People don't worship because of Pride... What will they say? God is worthy of Worship it's too bad you're so ashamed of HIM!

B. People don't worship because Personality... You're going to have to die to all of that!

1 Corinthians 15:31 ...... I die daily.

Your Flesh hates to worship... Men get up and hunt in 20 degree weather -- no problem

Ladies shop till they drop, listen on the phone till they've got cauliflower ear == no problem..

That suits your flesh fine.. but it hates to worship!

C. People don't worship because of Passionlessness- They just don't love God!

Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

D. People don't worship because of Possessions - Do you possess The Lord Jesus Christ? If He is not yours and you are not His, you'll never worship Him.

Are you saved... If you are you are new! Sin tastes bitter to you.. it's got a horrible after taste.. it's awful!

1 John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1 Psalms 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

II. Are those Holy Hands you're raising?

A. 1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

B. Psalms 26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:

C. Malachi 1:10 .... I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

D. Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

E. Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

The word holy there is only used 8 times - undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing - every moral obligation, pure holy, pious

The Laver. In the court of the Tabernacle there was a laver, bowl containing water, located between the altar of sacrifice and the tent (Ex. 30:18-21; 38:8; 40:7). The priests had to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle (Ex. 30:17-22), symbolizing the truth that Christians must be cleansed daily from sin, or they cannot fellowship with and serve God as priests (Jn. 13:2-10; Ep. 4:1; 5:8; Col. 3:1-12; 1 Pe. 2:10-11; 1 Jn. 1:7-10). The water symbolizes the Word of God (Ps. 119:9; Jn. 15:3; 17:17; Ac. 20:32; Ep. 5:26).

No shame for our sin! Live like the Devil and pretend we are still worshipping! That's why you can come to church and yet it doesn't change a thing around you...

A.) Your Hands are not holy if you don't Witness!

Isaiah 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Ezekiel 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

B.) Your hands are not Holy if they don't do any work for God!

It's a sad hour we live in when most Christians couldn't keep their job if they showed up to Work like they do to Church.. Don't tell me your hands are holy

Nehemiah 3:5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

What a crime against God when the Nobles think they don't have to work! Too Big!

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

C.) Your Hands are not Holy if you don't Tithe

Malachi 3: 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

10% + an offering belongs to God! You mind that and God will bless that in ways you cannot imagine! You don't and God will curse that!

D.) Your hands are not holy if they pick up a phone to call someone to gossip!

E.) Your hands are not holy if thy use the remote to change the TV to something wicked!

F.) Your hands are not holy if they take the radio dial and turn the station to wicked country music and rock music

G.) Your hands are not holy if they open pornography

I have a friend who's dad pastored while he grew up... his dad found one of his dirty Play Boy magazines, when he told me about it he said, "I told him, I ain't doing nothing that the deacon in the church here that I work doesn't do." The father said, "You're lying." The son said, "Ask him..." The father said, "I'll do it for you." The preacher father asked his deacon and the old deacon said, "I just read the articles..." That's hellish..

H.) Your hands are holy if they've been touching some person that you aren't married to..

"Ann Arbor, Mich., Feb. 7 (UPI) - A University of Michigan study indicates living together without benefit of marriage is now the norm in the United States. Cohabitation has gone from involving just 10 percent of households in 1965 to more than 50 percent in 1994."

I.) Your hands are not holy if they've been holding dirty cigarettes

It's a rotten testimony. it stinks, it stains, it soils, it's subordination

(let me say this as well, they'll steal your breath, and make it so you can't praise HIM!)

Lee Roberson asked the fella outside the Church one day who he saw smoking, if he was a teacher in the Church, he said, oh No Dr. Roberson", Dr. Roberson said well you may not have a class in the building that you teach in, but you're teaching all the little kids who see you to smoke...

J.) Your hands are not holy if they touch filthy beer, wine and liquor!

Our Bible condemns the sale of liquor, it condemns looking at wine while it's fermenting.. If you want to drink intoxicating beverages you are NOT right with God... You don't have holy hands.
Proverbs 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Turn over to; 1 Kings 18:17

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

When I preach like this, especially on Sunday morning, the first thing you get accused of is stirring up trouble.... Ahab said to Elijah, why are you troubling Israel? Who's troubling Israel? It's the Devil and sin that's God Israel in Trouble. It's Ahab's idolatry that's got Israel in trouble.

Hey friend, If YOU have dirty hands you are troubling this local church. YOU are going to bring the curse of God down on the church and more particularly your own family... God is sick of it.. You know what I've seen for the last 15 years since I got saved in 1985? People pray for the family to get right then lay out of Church! Nobody is getting right, they are getting meaner and meaner.. There are people here who's kids are going to burn in Hell because you won't get your hands clean.. Aiken brought the accursed thing into the camp and condemned Israel to defeat! After the defeat at Ai, God killed that him and his family...

How many of you have heard of Creflo Dollar, he's a black TV Evangelist, he preaches a prosperity Gospel - But on TV the other day I heard an amazing thing.... Every year at his church he has a 'Get out of the Church Day' - sets aside a day a year for everyone who doesn't like the Church, to leave. We need to decide. We need to make our mind are we really serious about this thing? He runs about 10,000 in his church this morning..

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Conclusion...

Turn with me to Psm. 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Get this.. You are selling the blessing of God! Esau traded God and His blessing for a bowl of Deer Stew. I'm trying to help you..

Life is so short.. People are leaving here fast my friend! There is no time to waste... You cannot got to any public place in normal business hours anywhere and say, "Boy this place smacks of God and His presence..." yet any public place you'd go to would have people in it who would profess to be Christians..

What can we do? Get our hands clean!

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Before we dismiss I want to ask one question... Are your hands holy?

Are you too far gone to let God make your hands, Holy Hands today? Do you even care? When I was lost I didn't care... If you are lost and God's tired of dealing with you, I promise, right this second, YOU DO NOT CARE!



Return to Index