WORSHIP:
GOD’S DESIRE
FOR ALL AGES
Rev. John J. McCave
WORSHIP: GOD’S DESIRE FOR ALL AGES
Copyright © 2006 by John J. McCave
Scripture quotations are taken from both the New American Standard Version and the King James Version of the Bible throughout this study. Any other versions from which quotations are taken are noted. Any explanatory insertions by the author within a scripture verse are enclosed in brackets [ ].
Additional translation sources:
Living Bible
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCave, John J.
Worship: God’s Desire For All Ages
1. Religion
ISBN 0-9722097-0-0
First Printing, January 2006
Christian Outreach Fellowships
355 Coleridge Street, Plainedge, NY 11756, USA
www.ChristianOutreachFellowships.org
Printed in the U.S.A
It is with great thanksgiving and appreciation that I would like to acknowledge the many wonderful people who have worked and have encouraged me in the production of this book.
Rev. Vince Finnegan, my dearest friend and fellow laborer in the Lord, without whose encouragement and support these teachings would never have been set to paper. Rev. Finnegan lovingly offered the expertise of his staff to prepare this work for publication.
Coleen Hayden prepared the layout for this book. Ruth Finnegan designed the cover. Pam Dow typed the original manuscript. Mimi Finnegan helped with editing.
Rev. Marybeth Greifendorf, who was my chief editor, put forth so much heart and hard work into this book.
Also, I owe a great deal to my wonderful wife, Mary, who helped in the editing. Because of her encouragement and love this book could be written.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PREFACE |
— WHO IS THIS GOD THAT WE WORSHIP |
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CHAPTER 1 — THE FOUNDATION OF WORSHIP |
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CHAPTER 2 — THE PLACE OF WORSHIP |
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CHAPTER 3 — ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE OF WORSHIP |
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CHAPTER 4 — A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD |
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CHAPTER 5 — THE SACRIFICE OF HOLY LIVING |
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CHAPTER 6 — THE SACRIFICE OF LOVING SERVICE |
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CHAPTER 7 |
— THE SACRIFICE OF GIVING |
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CHAPTER 8 |
— THE SACRIFICE OF THE FRUIT OF OUR LIPS |
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CHAPTER 9 |
— PRAISE JAH |
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This book is dedicated to my wife, Mary McCave, my helpmate and loving mother of my two children, who has sacrificed so much to allow me to do the work of the ministry.
WHO IS THIS GOD
THAT WE WORSHIP?
The most important subject in the Word of God is that of the worship of God. It is God's desire for all ages. It is that which He asks of us, and that which He deserves.
According to the Scriptures, worship is not merely an activity, but a lifestyle. It is to live in such a way that our whole heart is dedicated to God.
John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God seeks the worship of His people. There is nothing else that He wants from us. He desires this worship from the true worshippers, and we are the true worshipper
Exodus 20:1-5
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God….
In the first and great commandment, God makes it crystal clear that He is the only God who is to be worshipped. No one else is to be before Him. He is the one true God, the only One who deserves the worship of His people. When we put our job, our spouse, our children, or our ministry before God, it is idolatry. He is the One who is to be loved above all others. This is His priority. He laid this out as the first of the great ten commandments that He gave to Israel. He is to be first, and He wants our absolute and complete worship.
We will gain a tremendous perspective in worshipping God when we understand who He is according to the Scriptures. Many people say they believe in God. To most people, however, God is very small. They have a picture of Him as a fluffy old man with whom they can cuddle up. That is not necessarily a terrible picture, but it is not what the Bible communicates to us about God. The quality which is missing is the awe.
We are talking about the Almighty, and if we are to worship Him the way in which He requires, we must understand who He is. Too many Christians take God for granted. He has become just one of the items in our lives—just one of our relationships. He has not held that supreme and untouchable place in our hearts. The more we look at God through the scriptures, the more we will understand His true nature.
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In these verses, the word "God" is the Hebrew word Elohim which means He who willed it to be. "Ohim" means to will, or to oath. This God, Who wants our worship, simply willed existence to be. He said, "Let there be light," and it came into being.
Verses 4-7
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and He said, "Let there be light." Then He put a firmament, or a space, in the middle of the waters. He divided the waters with an expanse, which was like a big bubble.
Verses 8-13
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Elohim simply willed this to be. This word emphasizes the fact that it was according to God’s choosing. It was by the determination of His heart. Nothing else moved Him to do it. Creation was His desire and His work of love.
Verses 14-17
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Our physical universe in this firmament contains the stars which are to give light upon the earth and to be for signs and seasons. This was all by God’s determination. There was not another individual involved.
The detail of this universe is absolutely amazing. Our own earth is just a little speck compared to the rest of the universe. People dedicate their whole lives to learn about it, and they still have not scratched the surface. The beauty, the symmetry, and the absolute mathematical perfection of creation is astounding.
Consider the distance that is involved in this firmament. Scientists have not been able to calculate how big it is because they have not seen the end of it. Distance in the universe is measured in light years. A light year is the distance that it takes a beam of light to travel over a year’s time. One light year is about six trillion miles. It would take 150,000 years to count to six trillion. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. That means in one second, a beam of light would travel about seven times around the earth. It takes eight light minutes for the light of the sun to reach the earth—that is 93,000,000 million miles!
We live in a solar system. It has a sun and nine planets. It takes the light of the sun about 28 minutes to get to the furthest planet. Our solar system is in a galaxy called the Milky Way. It is like a huge plate containing billions of stars. The Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years in diameter, and we live on the corner of it.
If you look up at the sky on a clear evening, you will see a streak of milky clouds. That is our galaxy. It is ten light years across, and 100,000 light years deep. That is just the city we live in. I have a telescope and I can see at least 150 to 200 galaxies that are bigger than ours. One of them is 70 million light years away from us. Scientists estimate that there are as many galaxies as there are stars in the Milky Way. It is incomprehensible. How big is our God? He just willed this to be.
One of the great pleasures I have had is to look at some of the pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. The scientists decided to point it toward a place where they did not believe anything existed, just above the Big Dipper. When they saw some little flickers, they left it for a ten day exposure time on the film. When they developed the film, they saw 1,500 more galaxies. They estimated the distance to be 14 billion light years away.
Who is this God who said, "Let there be light"? He is absolutely awesome and magnificent.
Psalms 19:1-3
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
The Hebrew word for God in this section is El. It stands for His almighty power.
Our sun, which is 93,000,000 miles away, keeps this planet at a perfect temperature with four beautiful seasons. Even with the naked eye, everyone can see the glory of the Almighty God. He is the sovereign Lord, the Creator of all existence.
Isaiah 40:12
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
God measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. It says He meted out, or measured, the heavens with the span. The span is the distance between our thumb and little finger. The furthest object that has ever been seen by man is 14,000,000,000 light years away, and it fits between God’s thumb and His little finger. This is God’s scale of the universe. To Him, the whole universe is not much bigger than a model would be to a six year old child.
Verses 13 and 14
Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counseller hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
Who gave God lessons?
Verses 15-18
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
This refers to the first commandment God gave Israel. He told His people that they were not to make any graven image of heaven above, or of the earth, or of that which is under the earth. It is as if God is saying, "Who are you going to compare Me to?" or "What image are you going to make of Me?"
Verses 19-22
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.
Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
God spread out the galaxies like a curtain. He is more powerful than anything we can possibly comprehend. His perspective of all existence is so much bigger than ours. He is the Lord God Almighty.
Verses 23-25
That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, they shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
When people make an image of God, He is made small. He abhors this because He is brought down to be that image. God does not fit into His own universe. How can a manmade image be likened to Almighty God?
Verses 26 and 27
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
The Scriptures tell us that every hair on our head is numbered. Every time one falls out, God recalculates. He knows everything about us. He knows our hearts and He loves us.
Verses 28-31
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
There is nothing that God will not give us when we wait upon Him. He measures out the universe with a span, between His thumb and His little finger, but He does not live within the span. The physical universe cannot hold Him. He lives in eternity—all the past, present, and future.
Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
This wonderful verse becomes alive to us when we humble ourselves and lift up God as the High and Holy One.
How are we going to worship this God? What are we going to do that will impress Him? God decided to create the universe and He decided to love us. Why are we worthy of His love? Because of our greatness? Because of our pureness? No. It is because He chose to make us worthy. He chose to love us. There is nothing we can do to deserve it, because He has already done it. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
God loves every individual, even those who curse Him. He has made us worthy. He has given us His mercy and His grace. He is the One who provides us with everything that we need in order to love Him. He has supplied us with everything so that we can offer it to Him. We cannot impress Him with our greatness. All we can do is give Him back that which He has given to us from a heart of love and gratitude. He is the God who owns heaven and earth. Everything we have belongs to Him. It is on loan to us and we simply steward it and utilize it. When we choose to utilize it for Him rather than for ourselves, it is in the category of worship.
Deuteronomy 10:12 and 13
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
God requires that His people fear Him. The word "fear" means to have great awe and trembling. If we really understood Who God is, we would tremble in His presence. Yet, this is our Father, Who loves us. We are very comfortable and blessed in His presence because we know how much He loves us, but let us never forget Who He is.
I never treated my earthly father with anything but the utmost respect. I never forgot who he was or what he had provided for me. How much more should we reverence God when we understand the salvation that He has provided for us?
God wants our heart. That is the only thing we have to give Him. We can give Him our heart, soul, mind, and strength by the freedom of our will.
Verses 14 and 15
Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.
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Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. |
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God is the reason we exist. It is because of His love and His care. There would be no reason for this planet otherwise.
Verses 16 and 17
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
This means that He does not take bribes. He has no favorites. He is God of gods and Lord of lords. There is nothing to be compared to Him. He has provided for all mankind because He so loves us.
Verse 18
He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
He is the One Who takes care of the ones who cannot take care of themselves. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, and they shall run and not be weary.
All God has ever asked of us is that we hold Him in reverence. We are to have no other gods before Him. He is God Almighty, and He is to be worshipped.
THE FOUNDATION OF WORSHIP
When we get a glimpse of how huge and magnificent God is, we are brought to the realization that there is really nothing we can give Him. There is one thing that this awesome God wants from us, however, and that is worship.
People have many different beliefs about the way in which to worship God. Some believe that worshipping God is going to church. Others think that operating a specific manifestation is worshipping God. There are those who believe that prayer is worship, while many believe that singing is the way to worship God. Worship may be involved in all of these activities, but the activities themselves are not the worship.
God is very clear on the subject of worship in His Word. He wants us to know exactly what it is, and what it is not. In John chapter 4, Jesus Christ taught a woman at a well about worship.
John 4:22
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
He told her that she was worshipping God ignorantly. Many people worship God, but it does not necessarily mean that it is the way He wants it done.
In Acts 17, there is a record about a group of people who were worshipping God without understanding.
Acts 17:22 and 23
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
The city of Athens was filled with statues of many different gods. They had a devotion to "the unknown god," just to make sure they were all covered. Paul declared the Word of God to the men at Mars’ Hill, telling them about the God they were ignorantly worshipping.
Worship must be done according to God’s Word.
Matthew 15:1-9
Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Teaching the commandments of men as doctrine is vain worship. It is just going through the motions—saying the right prayers, going to the right location with the proper dress—but with no heart. Without heart, our worship is vain, and God does not accept this. True, vital worship is doing the commandments of God from the heart.
In I Samuel 15, God gave King Saul a commandment. He told him to utterly destroy the Amalakites, every individual, the king, and all of the animals. However, rather than being obedient to God’s command, Saul decided to do it his own way.
I Samuel 15:22 and 23
And Samuel [the prophet] said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Saul made all kinds of excuses as to why he had not carried out the will of God. One of his excuses was that he wanted to sacrifice to the Lord. He wanted to worship God. But God wants our obedience, not the sacrifice of dead animals.
What are we going to do to impress the Sovereign Lord of the universe? The only thing that we can possibly give Him is our freewill choice to obey Him. This is the foundation of worship. It is not just an activity. It is not going to church, praying, or speaking in tongues. Those are all in the category of works. If just the act of worship were involved, God would have accepted Saul’s animals because he did it for Him.
Romans 6:16 and 17
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
God wants the heart of a willfully obedient child. Doing the activity without heart is hypocrisy. Even speaking in tongues is hypocrisy if we do it without giving God our heart. According to I Corinthians 13, it is a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol—an unpleasant noise to God.
In His Word, God is very clear about the things which are most important to Him.
Matthew 22:35-38
Then one of them, which was a lawyer asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
This is what God wants. He has given us the life that we have and the breath that we take. He has given us everything. He has given us the capability to think and the gift of choice. He has allowed us to choose to love Him by the freedom of our will. What a gift!
God wants all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
God’s words are to be in our hearts, and we are to love Him with all of our might. He is the one, true God, the only One to be reverenced. He wants our life. He does not want the action, He wants our heart. The action without the heart is unacceptable. Without love, our worship is hypocrisy. To put anything before God is idolatry. He is the only One we are to serve. This is the first and great commandment.
Exodus 20:1-5
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
When the devil came to tempt Jesus Christ, he told him he would give him everything if he would worship him.
Matthew 4:8 and 9
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
What did the devil want from our Lord? Did he want him to literally bow to him? No, he wanted his obedience. He wanted him to yield to him. Look at our Lord’s response.
Verse 10
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Jesus said exactly what God had said, and he chose God’s way.
In this verse, the word "worship" means to bow. How do we worship God? We yield to Him. We choose to do it His way. We keep Him first. We obey His voice with our heart, by the freedom of our will. The expressions of this will vary, but we will serve the one to Whom we yield.
Worship is not an activity, but a freewill choice from the heart to yield our lives to God. The one, true God is to be loved with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He requires every fiber of our being, every thought, every breath we take. This is true worship.
Deuteronomy 10:12 and 13
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes which I command thee this day for thy good?
The first thing God requires is to fear Him, to hold Him in awe. Then we are to walk in His ways and to love and serve Him with our whole heart.
After the children of Israel had been in the Promised land for a long time, they had allowed the gods of Egypt to infiltrate back into their lives. At the end of Joshua’s life, he called them together because there was a decision that had to be made.
Joshua 24:14-23
Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
They had allowed other gods to come in through the "back door" of their lives. Other things became more important to them than God. Joshua told them to put away the strange gods and to bow their hearts to the one, true God
Verses 24 and 25
And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
The only thing we have to give God is our freewill obedience. Our actions come and go, but we must decide to keep Him first and to worship Him with our whole heart.
God will never force anyone to worship Him. If He were to require worship before He had provided the deliverance and the blessings, that would be extortion. God delivered the children of Israel while they were worshipping other gods in Egypt. Long before anyone repented He provided the Christ, the promised seed. While Adam was still blaming his wife, God provided the means of man’s salvation. All of mankind is paid for because of what He has accomplished through Jesus Christ. The only thing we have to do is accept that which has been done and then choose to love Him.
If God were to require obedience or service without a freewill choice on our part, it would be abject slavery. God could pull every one of our strings if He wanted to, but He will not. He has delivered us and given us the choice to put Him first and serve Him.
Christianity is simple, but it is not easy. We must choose to walk like our lord and savior Jesus Christ. He just gave what God gave him. He loved people. He was compassionate and he spoke God’s Word. God has provided everything that we need, and He has never asked us for one thing that He did not first give us. We choose to walk in love because He has loved us. It may not be our first inclination or the way we want to respond emotionally. However, we can decide whether to walk according to the spirit of God or according to the sin nature. Both dwell within us.
Romans 7:17
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
In this verse, Paul states that he has sin dwelling in him.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Two different natures dwell in us. Sin, the old nature, and the spirit of God, the new nature. Before we believed, we had a choice whether or not to accept God, but we did not have a choice of natures. We could not change our nature. Now we have a choice. We can choose to walk according to God’s nature by His holy spirit that is within us. We can walk in the character of that spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, and gentleness. We can live this way, or we can continue to walk according to our sin nature.
Romans 6:1
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
After what Jesus Christ accomplished for us, shall we continue to walk in sin so that grace may abound even more?
Verse 2
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
The words "God forbid" mean let it not even be thought of.
Verses 3-6
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Knowing this, that our old man [the old man nature] is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
We are completely identified with Jesus Christ now, but we still have a choice to make. We are going to serve something. We either serve sin, or we serve righteousness and walk for God.
Verses 7-11
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We must choose to reckon ourselves dead to sin.
Verse 12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
We do not serve sin or bow to it, which is really to bow to the devil.
Verse 13
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
To "yield" is to surrender; we are not to surrender to sin.
Verses 14-16
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
We decide whether to obey righteousness or sin unto death. To live righteously is to obey God; it is to live His way.
Verses 17-21
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
Are we proud of anything in our lives when we walked according to the old nature?
Verse 22
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
In this verse, the word "servants" is the Greek word "doulos." A doulos is someone who chooses to serve his master all his life because he loves him.
This life is short. It is like the grass—it grows, flowers, and is gone. Through His grace and mercy, God has made everlasting life with Him available to us. Now we can choose to live for Him because He has blessed us and given us everything.
Worship is a response from a heart full of thankfulness for God’s deliverance and provision in our lives. It is the first thing a Christian should do, but is often the last thing. We must learn what God has done for us before we can respond correctly.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
In His great mercy, God has given us deliverance through His provision of the Messiah. He lovingly begs us to give our lives to Him and to walk according to the holy spirit He has given us. The only reasonable service for us is to love Him, to bow to Him, and to sacrifice our lives to Him.
THE PLACE OF WORSHIP
In order to understand the subject of worship, we must have a full scope of the Scriptures. This is particularly important when we consider the place where God wants to be worshipped. Throughout the Scriptures, the place of worship has always had great significance and has been of the utmost concern to God.
In the gospel of John, Jesus Christ spoke to a woman at a well regarding the place of worship and the transition that was to occur.
John 4:3-7
He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
The Samaritans were hated by the Judeans. They were considered half-breeds and idolaters because they did not worship God according to the scriptures. They were thought to be inferior in every way. The Judeans had absolutely nothing to do with them. In fact, most of them would walk 25 miles out of their way just so as not to pass through Samaria. Jesus Christ made a point of going through Samaria.
Another important consideration is that the Judean men did not speak to women. There was no such thing as a casual conversation between men and women. Men could request only two things from a woman: something to drink or directions. Other than that, it was absolutely forbidden for a man to talk to a woman other than his wife, mother, or daughter. Marriages were arranged, and there was no such thing as dating among the Judeans at that time. Sometimes a man would find out who his wife would be on the day of the wedding.
Every time we read of Jesus Christ dealing with women in the Gospels, he is breaking culture to a great degree. In this record, the one acceptable thing he did was to ask the woman for a drink of water.
Verses 8 and 9
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
There must have been a way that she could distinguish the fact that he was not a Samaritan.
Verses 10-14
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus Christ sparked her interest with the truth of God’s Word, causing questions and longings to awaken within her.
Verse 15
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
He was speaking to her about spiritual truths and she thought he was talking about physical water.
Verses 16-19
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Jesus told her something about her life that he could not possibly have known except by way of the spirit of God, and she recognized this. Then she began to speak to the Lord about worship.
Verse 20
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
This woman was concerned about the place of worship.
Verses 21 and 22
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
The way the Jews were worshipping was the way that God wanted it to be done at that time. However, Jesus Christ told this woman that a change was about to take place.
Verses 22-26
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Jesus Christ told her that the place of worship was going to change very shortly. It would no longer be a physical location; rather, it would be in spirit.
The place where God was to be worshipped has always been of paramount importance to Him. He chose to be worshipped in the places He was dwelling, where His glory was manifested.
In the book of Genesis, God told Abraham to take Isaac to a specific mountain. The location of this event was of great significance to God.
Genesis 22:1 and 2
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt [test] Abraham and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
In Exodus chapter 3, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb, which is called the mountain of God.
Exodus 3:1-5
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Isaac, but it is the one He chose at that particular time. In fact, God told Moses that he would return to that mountain to worship Him after he had led God’s people out of Egypt. It is the mount at which God gave him the Ten Commandments and the Word of God.
Throughout the time of the patriarchs, God would select a mountain, and the heads of the families would go there to worship Him. Often, He would appear to those patriarchs when they were at the place of His choosing.
The first time that the tabernacle was set up, God again changed the place of worship.
Exodus 40:33 and 34
And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
God told Moses exactly how to make the tabernacle when he was in the wilderness. He gave him intricate instructions as to how it was to be set up. This is the place God wanted to be worshipped at that time. When the tabernacle was finished, the cloud of God came over it, and His glory filled the tent.
Verses 35-37
And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
They knew it was time to move when the cloud was taken up. The tabernacle is very significant. Every facet of it taught the people of Israel what the Messiah was going to have to accomplish. It was the place where God chose to teach His people and to be worshipped. He instructed Moses to set it up right in the middle of His people because He wanted to be with them.
The third room of the tabernacle contained the ark of the Covenant. The mercy seat was on the top of it, which had two cherubim with their wings outstretched. This was representative of God’s throne, which indicated that His presence was in that place.
Isaiah 37:16
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
God’s presence was on His mercy seat. When the cloud was over the tent, His glory was there. It was the place where God dwelt among His people.
Hebrews 9:1-5
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
God’s glory abode in the tabernacle. It was the place He chose to be worshipped, but it was a temporary location.
After the children of Israel had moved into the promised land, God was worshipped in the tabernacle of David. This was also a tent which housed the ark of the covenant, but it only had one compartment.
The next place where God chose to be worshipped was in Solomon’s temple. II Chronicles records the dedication of that temple to God.
II Chronicles 6:13 and 14
For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,
And said, O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:
II Chronicles 7:1 and 2
Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.
And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.
Once again, God’s glory was in the place He chose to be worshipped.
After Solomon’s Temple was destroyed, there is no record in the scriptures of God’s glory entering into another building. Herod’s temple was built during the time of Jesus Christ, but it certainly was not by God’s design. After that, another temple was built by Nehemiah and the believers of that time, but the Word of God never states that His glory entered into it.
The next place where God’s glory resided was in His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
When they beheld Jesus Christ, they saw the glory of God. In this verse, the word "dwelt" means to tabernacle. Jesus Christ was the Tabernacle of God.
Verse 18
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Jesus Christ made God known. He always did the Father’s will. He said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," because he was the mirror image of God.
Hebrews 1:1-3
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Jesus Christ was the express image of God’s Person. He was the brightness of His glory. He was the place where God resided, and where He was to be worshipped. When our Lord was on the earth, God’s glory certainly was not in Herod’s temple; it was in His Son.
The glory of God now resides with those in whom the spirit of God dwells.
Colossians 1:27
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
We have Christ in us, the hope of glory. In I Peter 4, this is referred to as the spirit of glory.
I Peter 4:14
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you....
The spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. We are now the temple of the Living God—the place where He is worshipped.
II Corinthians 6:14-16
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
This is the fulfillment of what God had said to His people in Leviticus.
Leviticus 26:11 and 12
And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
God set the tabernacle in the midst of the congregation of Israel so that He could be with them and so that they could worship Him. The best that was available to the children of Israel at that time was just to be near Him. Now we are the temple of the Living God, the ones in whom God resides. We have the spirit of glory and of God.
God wants to be with those who love Him and worship Him. In the past, He chose the places where He could dwell with His people and He put His glory there. They could not have spirit however because the Messiah had not yet accomplished the work that needed to be done.
Now, Jesus Christ has come and has shown us God’s glory. He was the express image of God. He was the Tabernacle, the place where God was worshipped while he was on the earth. We are now the temple of the Living God, the fulfillment of so much that God promised in the Old Testament. But there is a day coming when there will be a place of worship which will be the ultimate fulfillment of that which God has wanted throughout all the ages. Since the fall of man, God has wanted an earth filled with people who would walk with Him, love Him, and have His spirit.
Revelation 21:1-3
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
This is the fulfillment of God’s desire for all ages. The tabernacle in the wilderness was the best that was available at that time, as was Solomon’s temple during that time period. What we have today is the best that is available at this point in time. But there is a day coming where there will be a new heaven and earth wherein dwells righteousness. Then, God will dwell among His people and be their God.
Verses 4-7
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
This is the ultimate end—the new Jerusalem—where God will have what He originally wanted with Adam and Eve. The accomplished work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will bring us to paradise once again.
Ephesians 2:19-21
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
We make up the Temple of God which is the Body of Christ. Today, it is the place where God is worshipped because it is where His glory resides. When we walk according to the spirit which He has given us, we fulfill His desire to be worshipped spiritually.
ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE
OF WORSHIP
One of the most powerful records dealing with the sacrifice of worship is in Genesis chapter 22. At this particular time in his life, Abraham was about a hundred and ten years old. His son Isaac was probably about 20 years old. Abraham had walked faithfully with God. He has had an intimate relationship with Him, to the extent that God called him His friend, and he was familiar with His voice.
Genesis 22:1
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
The word "tempted" should be understood as "tested." God tested Abraham. In the book of James, we read that God does not tempt man with evil.
James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
God does not tempt with evil, but He does test us at times. The purpose of a test is to measure how much one has learned. It is for the benefit of the student, to gauge how well he is doing. Abraham’s test was ultimately for his benefit, also.
Genesis 22:2 and 3
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
God told Abraham to take his only son and give him to Him as a burnt offering. The next morning, Abraham got up and went where God directed him with absolutely no hesitation.
Verse 4
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
Abraham had three days to consider what was being asked of him. He had three days to eat, sleep, and walk with his son. Isaac was also the promise of his eternal life. The Christ line would come through him; yet, he had no hesitation or doubt. For three days, he walked obediently and with absolute determination.
Verses 5-9
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship [bow], and come again to you.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
In order for Abraham to do this, Isaac must have offered himself willingly.
Verse 10
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
What was going through Abraham’s heart? How did he do this without hesitation? Abraham had faith, which means he had an absolute conviction. He had complete trust in God Almighty. He told him to sacrifice his son to Him, and Abraham went without questioning or doubt. He loved God and was completely committed to Him. Nothing was more important to him than obeying the voice of the Lord, not even his son. He was even willing to sacrifice his eternal life.
Hebrews 11:17 and 18
By faith Abraham, when he was tried offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Everything God had promised Abraham was wrapped up in his son, Isaac.
Verse 19
Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham received his son in a figure. This means that he knew that God would be able to raise Isaac from the dead. He trusted God and knew that He would provide. He believed that He was faithful and would never allow a promise to fail.
Genesis 22:11 and 12
And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Before the angel came to stop him, Abraham had already offered his son to God. When he picked up that knife to strike Isaac, he had already killed him in his heart; he just hadn’t yet committed the act. It were as if he did receive him back from the dead.
There are those who say that Abraham misunderstood God. Even if he did misunderstand, he was willing to give his son without hesitation. Moreover, he was willing to give God back the promises as a sacrifice of worship unto the Lord.
Verses 13 and 14
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Jehovah-jireh means "the Lord will provide Himself." Abraham believed that God would provide him an offering. God has provided the Lamb of God for us, our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Abraham was willing to give God his only son, whom he loved. God has given His only begotten Son for us because He so loves us.
Verses 15-18
And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and has not withheld thy son, thine only son:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Because of his obedience to God, we are the children of Abraham. God then gave His only begotten Son who was also a willing sacrifice.
It has cost God so much to love us. Is there anything in our lives that is so precious that we can’t surrender it to Him? It will cost us to give to God, but we will never be able give Him more than he has already given us. May we learn to worship Him with the absolute trust and obedience that we have seen in our father Abraham.
A Royal Priesthood
God’s Word is addressed to three groups of people: Jews, Gentiles, and all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Church of God.
Most of the Apostle Paul’s epistles are addressed to those members of the Church of God who were primarily Gentiles in their background.
Ephesians 2:11
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Peter also wrote to the Church of God, but to those who were of Hebrew descent.
I Peter 1:1-3
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
The book of I Peter is an encyclical epistle, which means that it was sent from city to city. The book of Ephesians is also an encyclical epistle. It is written to the saints at Ephesus, but it was passed among all the believers. The same is true with the book of Colossians.
In II Peter, we can see that the same people were reading the epistles of both Peter and Paul.
II Peter 3:15 and 16
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
The flavor and the vocabulary of these epistles varied according to the understanding of those to whom they were specifically addressed. They all believed that there was a messiah coming. They understood the Old Testament scriptures and lived them to the best of their ability, according to the knowledge that they had.
With this in mind, let us consider the following section of scripture in I Peter.
I Peter 2:1-5
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Our identification with Jesus Christ is complete. We are everything he is and we have everything he accomplished. Jesus Christ is a living stone. He is the Chief cornerstone, disallowed indeed of the builders. We, too, are living stones, built in the temple of the
living God. We are a spiritual house where God is worshipped and where His glory resides.
Verses 6-9
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded [ashamed].
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
We are a royal priesthood and are to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. Verse 9 also states that we are a chosen generation. The word "generation" is the Greek word genos, which means "race." We are a chosen generation—a new race of people. Those of the same race have common characteristics. Because we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a Father and His genetics in common.
Before the day of Pentecost, there were only two kinds of people biblically: Jews and Gentiles. Everyone who was not a Jew was a Gentile. After Pentecost, a new race of people came into being called the Church of God. Jesus Christ took of the Jew and the Gentile and made one new man, so making peace. We are that new man—that new race—because we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:15
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make [create] in himself of twain [Jew and Gentile] one new man, so making peace;
According to I Peter 2:9, we are a holy nation. The Church epistles declare that we are heirs of the promise of Abraham. That promise was made by God in Genesis chapter 12.
Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God promised Abram that he would become a great nation. Today, we are this great nation.
Galatians 3:26-28
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Because of what we have in Christ Jesus, there is no difference between men and women or between Jews and Gentiles. This does not mean that there are no physical differences or language diversities; it means that we are all one in Christ.
Verse 29
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We are heirs of the promise that God made to Abraham—we are his seed. He believed what God said to him, as we have believed what God has said to us. We are his children because he is the father of all who believe.
Abraham believed that the seed he was promised was going to be the Christ, not just the physical line. This is why the Christ line has Gentiles in it. If it were just the blood line of Israel, the Gentiles would not have been included.
God never intended for just the physical birth line of one people to be saved; He intended for all men to be saved. In Isaiah 55, it was prophesied that Israel would reject the Messiah. Once they had rejected him, he reconciled both Jew and Gentile unto God by his blood. God saved all mankind through his Son, not just one people. We are that holy nation, fathered by Abraham, as God had promised.
I Peter 2:9 also states that we are a peculiar people. The word "peculiar" means purchased. We were purchased with a dear price, the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We belong to our Master, and our lives are not our own.
I Corinthians 6:19 and 20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The proper response to our redemption is to walk for God and to glorify Him in our lives.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
In addition to being a chosen generation, a holy nation, and a peculiar people, this verse of scripture declares that we are a royal priesthood. This is not a Levitical priesthood because the Levites could not be kings. It is a royal, kingly priesthood.
The priesthood began with the patriarchs. The heads of families offered sacrifices unto God as He directed them. Then, when God gave the Law, He instituted the Levitical priesthood. He had originally wanted all of Israel to be a nation of priests. This is what He had told them when they came out of Egypt. But because of their idolatry, He chose the Levites only, with Aaron as the high priest. From that point on, the Levitical priesthood was simply a foreshadowing of that which God wanted to have in the future. It was not based upon covenant, but upon God’s choosing.
By the time the book of Malachi was written, the Levitical priesthood had become corrupt. The sacrifices they were offering to God were polluted. After that, there was no prophet sent for four hundred years. There were individuals who believed, but the nation of Israel as a whole did not walk with God.
With the accomplished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Levitical priesthood was terminated. The book of Hebrews explains that Jesus Christ was the offering and sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He was the fulfillment of the priesthood and all the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law.
God did not guarantee the Levites a priesthood forever. However, He swore that the Messiah would be a priest forever. This was one of God’s everlasting covenants.
Hebrews 7:21
(For those priests [the Levites] were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec:)
During Abraham’s time, Melchizedek was God’s high priest.
Genesis 14:17-20
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him [Abram] after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram] gave him tithes of all.
This is the first recorded tithe offering in God’s Word. When Abram heard that God had delivered his enemy into his hand, he gave Him a tenth of all the spoils. That was his response to God’s deliverance.
As a royal priest, Melchisedek prefigured Jesus Christ. He was the king of Salem, which was later called Jerusalem. The Messiah would be the true king of Jerusalem in the future. Melchisedek is also called the King of righteousness. He came with bread and wine. Jesus Christ instituted the new covenant with bread and wine, also. Melchisedek was just a foreshadow of the true royal high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are a royal priesthood, also. This is part of our identification with Jesus Christ. We are to offer spiritual sacrifices unto God, acceptable by Jesus Christ. These sacrifices correspond to the major aspects of worship in the Levitical priesthood.
It has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. All the patterns of Old Testament worship have their New Testament counterpart– the priestly service, the sacrifices, prayers, songs of praise, and giving of thanks. All of these aspects of worship were offered in the Old Testament by imperfect men who did not have the spirit of God. They could not yet enjoy the life of walking in the spirit, for Christ had not yet come. They could not worship in spirit and in truth; they could simply worship in the truth of what God had told them.
We must understand what is written in the Old Testament in order to comprehend the major aspects of knowledgeable of the first Passover sacrifice. That lamb was sacrificed for the healing of the children of Israel. They put the blood on the lintel of the door, and death passed over them. They were redeemed by the blood of that lamb, and they walked out of Egypt without a feeble knee among them.
Jesus Christ is our Passover. His blood redeemed us and saved us from death. We were healed by his broken body. This is why we celebrate communion, the broken body and shed blood of our lord. We need to understand the Old Testament, including the Gospels, if we are to understand the Church Epistles with respect to Jesus Christ. We must have a scope of the whole Word of God in order to fully comprehend these great truths.
There are four sacrifices in the New Testament which correspond to patterns of Old Testament worship. These are the spiritual sacrifices that we are to offer up to God. The first sacrifice is recorded in Romans chapter 12.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service [logical worship].
This is the sacrifice of holy living. It is the response of one who has been redeemed and given everything that Jesus Christ has accomplished. The only way to live a holy life is to walk according to the holy spirit of God which He has given us. We do this by living in obedience to the revealed Word of God, which is to walk with a renewed mind. This is the way to live a life which is acceptable before God. To walk by the old nature, which is according to the flesh, is not pleasing unto God.
|
The word |
"service" |
in |
this |
verse is the |
Greek word |
|
"latreia," |
which |
is |
also |
translated |
"worship." |
Worshipping God is not about attending church and then living the way we want for the rest of the week. God wants more than just one hour a week. He wants our lives—our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. The way to do this is simply to live the life that He’s given us. Another spiritual sacrifice that pleases God is our loving service to others.
Hebrews 13:16
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
We see this in the book of Ephesians also.
Ephesians 5:1 and 2
Be ye therefore followers [imitators] of God, as dear children;
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
We are told to give our lives to others the way Christ gave his life for us. We are to sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of our brothers and sisters and for the outreach of God’s Word. That is going to cost us something. We worship God by giving our time and loving service to others.
The third sacrifice is recorded in Philippians 4. This is the sacrifice of giving. All we have to give is our time and the things which we own.
Philippians 4:15-19
Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
As in the Old Testament, our abundant sharing is a sacrifice that is pleasing to God.
Another major aspect of worship in the Old Testament was thanksgiving—that which came from their lips, including songs. The Psalms were all songs of praise. God calls this the sacrifice of praise.
Hebrews 13:15
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
As His royal, holy priesthood, God considers these sacrifices to be part of our worship of Him.
THE SACRIFICE OF HOLY LIVING
As God’s holy priesthood, we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices. We can offer sacrifices which are acceptable to God because we have His holy spirit.
I Peter 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
There are four spiritual sacrifices recorded in the New Testament. The first of these is the sacrifice of holy living.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
We are to give our entire lives as a holy sacrifice to God. We must choose to live for God Almighty in a way which is acceptable unto Him. When we live a life of true holiness, we offer our lives to Him in service.
In Romans 12:1, the word "reasonable" is more accurately translated "logical." It is logical to live a holy life for God because of everything He has done for us. He has taken us from death and brought us to life. He has given us everything. It is only reasonable to love Him and to dedicate our lives to Him.
The word "service" is the Greek word "latreia," a form of which is translated "worship." This service refers to the action of worshipping God, which requires holiness. The only thing in our lives that is holy is the spirit of God which He has given us. The way to live in holiness is to walk according to that spirit.
God is Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, He made this wonderful gift of holy spirit available, which is His nature. It is now our responsibility to walk according to this new nature. We are partakers of this divine nature by the promises God has made to us in His Word.
II Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Because God has given us His nature, we have the ability to do what He has commanded us in His Word. We have His power and the qualities of His life because He has poured out His spirit on us.
Each of the New Testament sacrifices has its counterpart in the Old Testament. Holiness was a very important part of the priesthood. There is a tremendous amount written in the Old Testament concerning this subject.
Because of Israel’s disobedience, God called out the Levites to be the priests. God gave them very strict requirements regarding holiness. They were to separate themselves out from the rest of Israel. He required them to consecrate themselves before coming into His presence.
Aaron was the first high priest. He and his children were to perform the duties of the high priest. Before Aaron could enter into the Holy of Holies, there had to be at least three different sacrifices of blood. One of these was called a whole burnt offering. This sacrifice meant that their lives would be dedicated in service to God. This is what God is asking of us in Romans 12:1.
The high priest was to be clothed with beautiful garments that were to consecrate him.
Exodus 28:1-3
And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Aaron was to wear a plate around his neck which stated, "Holiness to the Lord."
Verse 36
And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS
TO THE LORD.
This entire chapter in Exodus records the details of these garments: how they were to look, the materials that were to be used, and the way in which they were to be attached.
All of the ceremonial aspects of the Levitical priesthood were simply a foreshadowing of that which Jesus Christ would accomplish and make available to us. All of the sacrifices, the garments, and the cleansing rituals represented the work of the Messiah. Without these, man is not able to come into the presence of God.
I Corinthians 1:30 and 31
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
The word "sanctification" is very similar to the word "holiness." It means that we have been set apart by God for His purposes.
God required Aaron and the Levites to sanctify and cleanse themselves. It would take them many days to carry out the commandments regarding purification that He had given. God has sanctified us by Jesus Christ. He is the One who has made us holy; therefore, we can walk in this holiness. This is the manifestation of our worship of God.
II Timothy 2:19-21
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet [adequate] for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
In this great house of believers, there are those who are vessels unto honor and those who are less honorable. If we separate ourselves from sin and purge ourselves from the lusts of this world, we shall be vessels unto honor and sanctified. Only when we choose to walk in holiness will we be meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. We must shun profane and vain babbling, and all other forms of ungodliness so that God can work in our lives. We have this sanctification from God, but we must choose to walk in it.
One of the aspects of holiness is separation from the world.
II Corinthians 6:14-18
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
This section of scripture in II Corinthians is quoted from the Old Testament. God asked Israel to walk in holiness, but they could only go so far because they didn’t have spirit. Because we have this wonderful spirit of God, we are the true worshippers. Now, God can have a people who truly have the ability to walk in holiness and to be His sons and daughters.
God wants us to set ourselves apart from the world. This doesn’t mean that we are to physically separate ourselves. We need to minister to the lost and bring them to the Lord. However, we are not to allow ourselves to become entangled with the world, or to "follow the Joneses."
II Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
The word "spirit" is not in the Greek texts. We are to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh. This is the other major aspect of the Old Testament commandments. They were to walk with morality, integrity, and love for one another.
In order to live our lives in light of His calling, we are to perfect holiness. We are not going to do this flawlessly at first. We begin with one step at a time, and continue to build on it for the rest of our lives.
The essence of walking in holiness is to be obedient to the Word of God and walk according to the spirit that He has given us. This is something that God has given us the ability to do. He has already separated us from this world. We are His and He is ours. Now He has asked us to walk in holiness, as living sacrifices to Him. We dedicate our lives to God, and He accepts it as our worship service to Him.
Ephesians 4:22-24
That ye put off concerning the former conversation [behavior] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
We are to put off the old sin nature, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts. There is nothing in the old nature that is of any value. We choose to put on the new nature by the renewing of our mind.
God wants our whole life. He has asked us to bow to Him and to live our lives His way. We walk in holiness by putting on the new man which God has created in righteousness and true holiness.
Verse 25
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour; for we are members one of another.
We choose to put away lying because it is in the old nature.
Verses 26-32
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
The walk of holiness is one of deliberate obedience to God’s commands. We must choose His ways above our own.
God gave many commandments pertaining to holiness in the book of Leviticus.
Leviticus 19:1-3
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods [images]: I am the Lord your God.
God always reminded the children of Israel that He was the only One who was to be worshipped. He also told them that if they offered a sacrifice to Him, it was to be a free-will offering. Because they didn’t have spirit, God had to tell them every detail of the way in which they were to live. He told them how to handle every aspect of their lives so that they could sanctify themselves unto Him.
Verse 11
Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
Verse 18
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
The same truths are stated in the New Testament, but not every detail is covered. All of the great understanding comes because we have God’s spirit.
God wants us to be loving and kind to all people. He wants us to be forgiving and not to hold on to any anger or malice. Because we have His spirit, we have the God-given ability to walk this way. That spirit is
there to guide us when we’re not sure what to do. It is able to help us to walk in the way that God wants.
In Romans 6, there is another great section that deals with holy living.
Romans 6:15-21
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
We are ashamed of the ways in which we served sin, for the end of those things is death.
Verses 22 and 23
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We have chosen to accept what our lord has done and to serve God. The fruit of this is holiness, and the outcome is everlasting life.
Who do we want to obey? Do we want to live the old way, or do we want to dedicate our lives to obeying God’s Word and walking according to this gift of holiness? Don’t we desire to give God everything we have?
I Thessalonians 4:1
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
Paul instructed the Thessalonian believers to walk in a way that was pleasing to God, and to abound in this more and more.
Verses 2 and 3
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
Again, the word "sanctification" means "holiness."
Verse 4
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
We should know how to conduct our lives in a way that is set apart for God.
Verses 5-7
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
God has not called us so that we would continue to walk in sin, according to the old nature. He has called us to live according to His rule and thereby dedicate our lives to Him. Because He is holy, we should be holy.
I Peter 1:13-16
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [behavior];
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Until the Lord comes back for us, God implores us to be strong and to live in holiness as His children.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, [which is] acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
God’s incredible mercies are evidenced throughout the first eleven chapters of the book of Romans.
Verse 2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
God doesn’t want us to follow the ways of this world. He wants us to prove His Word by the renewing of our mind.
Verse 3
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Note how often the word "think" is used in this verse. God wants us to think about what He has given us. He wants us to think correctly by putting His Word in our minds. We are to function according to the measure of faith which He has given us.
Verses 4-8
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office [function]:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
We are to dedicate our lives as a whole burnt offering to God, as did Aaron and his sons. This was done symbolically when they put their hands on a beast and killed it. We do it by keeping ourselves from the world and by living in obedience to the Word of God.
Verses 9-11
Let love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
We are to bless and minister to others as we allow this wonderful spirit of God to work within us. God has called us to walk in love without partiality or hypocrisy. He has shed abroad His love in our hearts by the holy spirit. It is His nature, and it gives us the ability to do those things He has commanded us in His Word.
Most of us think of the power of the holy spirit in terms of the manifestations, such as prophesy and healing. However, there is another aspect to the power of this spirit. God has given it to us so that we can walk in holiness, righteousness, and wisdom.
We have received all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus; we are lacking nothing. God wants us to realize everything that our lord has accomplished for us. As we put on the new man and live holy lives, we can dedicate our entire lives in service to this God who has given so very much. It is in this way that we offer this sacrifice to God as His royal priesthood.
Psalms 29:1 and 2
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
God is deserving of everything we can give Him. Let us wholeheartedly give Him that which He so desires.
THE SACRIFICE
OF LOVING SERVICE
Another of the great spiritual sacrifices that we are to offer unto God as a holy priesthood is the sacrifice of loving service.
Hebrews 13:16
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
God’s Word simply states that we are not to forget to do good, to share, and to give to others. God considers these acts a sacrifice to Him. We are to be benevolent, which means that we are to do those things which benefit others.
God wants us to give to others, but our motive has to be right. This is the real issue. We serve others because we love our God. Many people in this world are loving and kind. There are many who are benevolent and altruistic. If they choose to do loving acts for God in obedience to His Word, it is worship. However, if their motive is recognition, power, or some future return, those acts are not regarded as worship in the eyes of God.
As God’s people, the sacrifice of loving service should not be new to us. It was taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 22:35-40
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The two great aspects of the Old Testament law were to love God and to love one another. Because the Old Testament believers did not have spirit, God told them every detail of the way in which He wanted them to live. Every aspect of the way they were to deal with one another, handle business matters, and walk in love is in the law of Moses.
Mark 12:28-33
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
To love God and to love one’s neighbor is worth more to God than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices that were ever done in the Old Testament. The reason for many of those sacrifices was to show the people of Israel what the Messiah would do, and to teach them of the sacrifice that would have to be made. However, all that God really wanted was for His people to love Him and to love each other.
Jesus Christ taught his disciples that they would be responsible to teach the Word of God after he was gone. The night of the last supper, he instituted the new covenant with the broken bread and the wine, which represented his body and blood. After that, he took off his garments, girded himself with a towel, and washed his disciples’ feet. This was the job of the lowest servant in a household. Jesus gave them an example of the way in which they were to serve.
Also that night, our lord did everything to show Judas that he was loved. He gave him the sop, which was given to the person at the table who was the most honored and loved. He showed him every kindness and gave him every opportunity to change. After doing all of that, he gave them a new commandment.
John 13:34 and 35
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Others will know that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ when we live with the kind of love that he manifested. It will not be by how much we know, how correct we are, or the clothes we wear, but by our love.
The old commandment was to love thy neighbor as thyself. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus Christ gave his disciples a new commandment, which was to love one another as he had loved them. Our lord was preparing to lay down his life. His body was going to be broken, his blood shed. That night, he taught his disciples to love by his example. He served them in the least of all ways by washing their feet. It was the greatest act he could do to show them that their service was going to be from the bottom, not the top. Rather than lording it over men, he taught them that the greatest of them would be the servant of all. Likewise, if we are to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must walk in his steps and follow his example of love.
Our Lord’s teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount is recorded in Matthew chapters five through seven. It has tremendous significance because it deals with the heart of the commandments of God. When we study it, we see that God doesn’t merely want the obedience to the words themselves; He wants an understanding in our hearts.
Matthew 5:21 and 22
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
"Thou shalt not kill" is one of the great commandments, recorded in Exodus chapter 20. Jesus Christ said that we shouldn’t even call our brother a fool. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to begin to speak badly about someone.
He taught a similar truth regarding adultery.
Verses 27 and 28
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Jesus Christ taught that there is more required than just keeping the letter of the law. He taught that it is necessary to have an understanding, also. Adultery should not be done, but it’s not just the act of adultery; we don’t even choose to think that way. If we are really going to do the will of God, we must have a heart that understands His Word.
The Old Testament believers didn’t have the spirit to guide them and teach them the truth. They had to be told everything. They had to be taught the difference between loving behavior and selfishness. The details of sinful behavior had to be explained, because they really didn’t know. However, we can have a heart that understands God’s Word because we have His spirit.
Matthew 5:43 and 44
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
These commandments seem so difficult. Why would we want to do these things?
Verse 45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Almighty God loves the whole world with an unconditional love. He sends the rain on the just and on the unjust. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Love is giving, and God gave His son unconditionally to this world. All who choose to believe on him will be saved.
God wants us to be like Him. Those of us who have received His spirit and who know His Word are to live as examples of His love. We are to emulate Him in this world.
Verse 46
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
The publicans were tax collectors who worked for the Roman government. They were disloyal to their own people. Do not even the publicans, who have betrayed others, love those who love them? Anyone can love people who love them and be good to those who are good to them.
Verse 47
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
This is the way of the world; it is not God’s way. God, who loves unconditionally, loved us before we believed, when we were His enemies.
There is a day coming when He will judge those who choose not to believe. Now, we are to be like our Father, and walk in love. This is a sacrifice. It is not a walk of selfishness. We are to give up our liberty, so to speak, and live for Him because He loves us and has given us so much. We relinquish our own thoughts and emotions so that we can live for Him. He has given us the ability to do this.
Ephesians 5:1 and 2
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Jesus Christ so loved God that he always did his Father’s will. He gave his life in service to Him when he showed people God’s heart and compassion, and when he healed them. He gave his life when he washed his disciples’ feet. He taught God’s Word, gave God the glory, and literally became obedient unto death.
Our lord was betrayed by those he loved the most, yet he gave his life. No one took it from him. All he had to do was ask God, and He would have sent him seventy-two thousand angels. He didn’t do it for those who spit in his face and hung him on the cross. He didn’t do it for his apostles and disciples who abandoned him when he was on that cross; he did it all for God. If we are going to walk in this sacrifice of loving service, our motive must be the same. We have to choose to live for God and to love unconditionally as he did.
In His Word, God has given us tremendous examples of men who lived their lives for Him. They obeyed His voice and considered their loving service to others as a spiritual sacrifice to God. One of the most beautiful examples of this is the life of the Apostle Paul.
In Philippians 2, Paul encourages the Church to continue to live for God, and to walk as the lights of this world.
Philippians 2:12-17
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
There is a wonderful translation of Philippians 2:17 in
The Living Bible.
And if my life's blood is so to speak, to be poured out over your faith which is an offering up to God as a sacrifice, that is, if I am to die for you, even then, I would be glad and will share my joy with you.
Paul considered it a joy to give his life in service to God to make known the truth of the gospel. He gave his life so that the people of God would have the strength to stand, and so that the Word of God would be preached. He suffered much in order to proclaim the gospel message. However, he understood that he was doing it for God, and he prayed that the people would benefit from his loving service which he gave faithfully to God Almighty.
In II Corinthians, there is an awe-inspiring record of some of the sufferings which the Apostle Paul endured.
II Corinthians 11:24 and 25
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
Paul was beaten five times with a cat-o’-nine-tails, receiving thirty-nine lashes each time. He was beaten three times with rods. These were copper rods, about a half-inch thick. What do you think his back looked like? Can you imagine the scars on his back, and the pain that he suffered? Besides being beaten, Paul was constantly in danger during his travels.
Verses 26-28
In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
He went through all of this in order to bring the Word of God to people. God Almighty was worth more to the Apostle Paul than his own life. He cared for God’s people because that is what He had asked him to do. Carrying out the will of God was more important to him than all of the hardships that he endured. In Romans, he wrote that the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared with the glory that is to come.
When Paul wrote the book of Ephesians and some of the other epistles, he was in prison. This was not a modern prison; it was a terrible place to be. Nevertheless, he sang the Lord’s praises and gave thanks unto God. He was receiving great revelation for the Church. Today, we have this written revelation from God in Paul’s epistles because of his sacrifice. This man was dedicated to Almighty God. He gave everything to God in loving service as a sacrifice, and God’s people benefited greatly.
There are others who walked this way and gave much. During the persecution of the early Christians in Jerusalem, a man named Stephen was stoned to death.
Acts 8:1-3
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and hailing men and women committed them to prison.
Before his conversion, Paul’s name was Saul. At that time, he was responsible for much of the persecution of the early Christians. This was not an easy time for the first century Church. Very few of us have had someone enter our home in the middle of a Bible-study and forcefully drag us out and put us in prison. This was happening to the believers in Jerusalem because they were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 4
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
Because they were being persecuted so badly, they moved out of Jerusalem. It says they were "scattered abroad." This doesn’t mean they ran for their lives. "Scattered abroad" means that they were "sown like the seed of the field." It was done very carefully.
This persecution furthered the very thing it was meant to stop. These believers were preaching God’s Word. They were telling others about that which our lord and savior had accomplished for them. They were speaking of God’s great love and mercy. Many of the people to whom they spoke probably rejected them and turned them in to the authorities. But they so loved God that they were willing to put their own lives on the line.
Philip was another wonderful man who gave much during that time.
Verses 5 and 6
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
Philip preached Christ to the people in Samaria, and miracles followed him. He sacrificed much for the outreach of the Word of God. In that society and time, an individual would grow up in his father’s house and then would inherit that house. He would most likely carry on the family business. The persecution at Jerusalem probably cost Philip his home, his family business, and his heritage. He moved from the center of Jerusalem to Samaria, an area through which most Jews wouldn’t even walk. Philip gave up his life so that others could learn the truth of God’s Word.
God had given Philip everything he needed. Likewise, He has given us everything that we need in order to do what He has called us to do. Philip saw great signs and miracles because he was preaching Christ unto them. In the same manner, signs will follow us when we believe and deliver God’s message. That is a promise in God’s Word. God has given us the power and the authority to carry out the commission He has given us. He has given us His love.
Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [spirit] which is given unto us.
We have the ability to love with God’s love because we have His gift of holy spirit. It is shed abroad in our hearts. We can love God with the love He has given us. We can give ourselves in service to others so that they can understand and love Him, also.
I Peter 2:5-9
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
We are to show forth God’s praises.
Verses 10-14
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Having your conversation [behavior] honest among the G entiles [the unbelievers]: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
We are to do these things for the Lord’s sake, so that we can win people to God. Our only motive should be that others will love Him, praise Him, and give Him what He deserves. We choose to give and to be obedient to God’s voice because we love Him.
Verses 15 and 16
For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
We have all the authority and power of Jesus Christ. He chose to utilize that power in service to God, and we are to follow his steps. Instead of living selfishly, we must choose to be servants of our Father.
Verses 17-19
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle [ones], but also to the froward.
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
If we suffer because we give our lives to God, it is acceptable with Him.
Verses 20-23
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
There is nothing righteous or fair about this world. We commit ourselves to God who is the only One who judges righteously.
Verses 24 and 25
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
What a beautiful section of scripture! Jesus Christ died so that we could live unto righteousness. We have eternal life because he showed us the way. He was the way, the truth, and the life. He always did the Father’s will, and he gave his life in loving service.
In the same way, we must choose to dedicate our lives to God. As we sacrifice our lives to him in loving service, we will give Him the worship He desires.
THE SACRIFICE OF GIVING
Throughout the Bible, the tithes and offerings that God required of His people were part of their worship of Him.
When it comes to the subject of giving, there is a growing mistrust among God’s people. This is either due to ignorance of the Scriptures, or because of a small number of ministers who have abused the donations of their people. We dare not bring this attitude to the Scriptures, however. We must learn the true nature of this subject through an understanding of God’s Word.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi regarding the offerings they had given him. They had sent him their tithes so that he could preach the gospel in Thessalonica. He expressed his thankfulness to these believers for being so zealous to bless him.
Philippians 4:10-18
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Notwithstanding ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed f r o m M a c e d o n i a , n o c h u r c h communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
By revelation, Paul wrote that their gifts and offerings were as an odor of a sweet smell to God. What a joyous way to behold that which we offer Him! It is one of the aspects of our worship, and it is a sacrifice that is well pleasing to Him.
The first tithe offering is recorded in Genesis 14. The truths regarding the tithe in these verses hold true throughout the entire Word of God. In this record, Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family had been taken captive. Abraham and his allies pursued after those who had taken them, and returned with a great victory.
Genesis 14:16-20
And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
And blessed be the most high God [El Elyon], which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all.
This is the first time the title "Most High God" is used, which is El Elyon in Hebrew. The Most High God is the One who owns heaven and earth. In using this particular title, God was depicting a specific aspect of Himself to Abraham. This is of great importance in understanding the significance of this record.
Titles, such as "reverend," "father," and "friend," make known a certain aspect of our relationship with others. In this record, God informed Abraham that the owner of heaven and earth had blessed him.
God wants men to understand that He is the Most High God, the King of all the earth. Everything on the planet belongs to Him.
Psalms 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Psalms 47:1-9
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.
Abraham understood that the God who owns heaven and earth had delivered his enemies into his hand. He knew that it was He who had helped him, and his heart response to this was to give a tithe, one-tenth of all the spoils.
Hebrews 7:4
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
The word "spoils" means "the best." Abraham did not give to the Most High God from the bottom; he gave Him the top, a tenth of the absolute best that he had.
Genesis 14:21
And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
Abraham was the one who had taken the risk. He had armed his own household, pursued after the enemies, and delivered the people. It makes sense that he should have had the spoils of war.
Verse 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,
In that culture, lifting up the hands unto the Lord meant that one has surrendered all that he has to the Lord. Abraham was under God’s care. He had surrendered himself and was absolutely dedicated to the God who had brought great deliverance in this victory.
Verses 23 and 24
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Abraham’s heart was full of honor and reverence toward God. He told the king of Sodom to let the other kings take what they deserve, but he would take nothing. Abraham knew that God was the One who had prospered him, and he wanted to make sure that He would get the glory.
In this record, "El Elyon" and "tithe" are both used for the first time. When God blessed Abraham and delivered his enemies into his hand, his response was one of understanding. He gave a tenth of the best that he had to God’s high priest. Immediately after this, God poured out His blessings upon him.
Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Because he gave God the recognition and the honor He deserves, Abraham received so much more. He gave because he understood that it was God who had provided for him and helped him. He gave because he was blessed, not so that he would be blessed. There’s no sacrifice of giving in that. We are to give to God in recognition of what He has given us, and because He is the source of our supply. When we honor Him in this way, our giving is a sacrifice of worship.
It is commonly taught that tithing started with the Mosaic law. The Mosaic law incorporates the tithe, but it actually began four hundred and thirty years earlier with Abraham.
Much of the Old Testament law is devoted to the sacrifices and the vows that were to be given. God told them how to give, when to give, and what to say when they gave. We can see this in the book of Deuteronomy. This book covers the last month of the fortieth year of Israel’s time in the wilderness. God instructed His people regarding the way in which they were to live when they entered the Promised land.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there [Jerusalem].
And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us.
And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God.
And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:
And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God:
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.
God told His people to recite this each time they gave of the firstfruits of the land. When they brought their offering before the altar, they were to recognize that God was their shield, and that it was He who had delivered them with a mighty hand. They were to acknowledge that He was there when they cried unto Him, and that He had given them the land.
God was also concerned about the attitude of heart with which the people gave. In Exodus 35, God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle wherein Israel could worship Him. Those who were of a willing heart were to bring an offering for the service which He had commanded.
Exodus 35:1
And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Verses 4 and 5
And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying,
Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass,
An offering should never be coerced from people. They should not be made to feel guilty or be pressured into giving.
Verses 20 and 21
And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
God’s people responded from their hearts because they wanted to do God’s work. If it is in our hearts to give unto the Lord for His work, He will accept it as an odor of a sweet smell.
In II Chronicles, there is another record that shows the hearts of God’s people in their giving. King David had a great desire to build a house for God. He had recognized that he was living in a beautiful palace, but the ark of God was in a tent. He asked God to show him how to build Him a Temple, and God gave David the plans. God gave him revelation regarding every ornament, every stick of furniture, and every measurement. David drew all of the plans and began putting away the gold and silver and all the building materials that were needed. He went before the people in his kingdom and expressed his heart to them.
I Chronicles 29:1-5
Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.
Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:
The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?
Rather than ordering them to give, David asked those who were willing to consecrate their service unto the Lord.
Verses 6-9
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the kings work, offered willingly,
And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of irons.
And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.
Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
The act of giving is not enough because worship is not an activity. God wants our heart, and He wants us to give to honor His name. These individuals gave with perfect hearts because they had reasoned it out. They understood that everything they had belonged to God. He was the One who had given them everything, and they recognized that.
Verses 10-14
Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
David was the benchmark of all the kings of Israel. He had a wonderful relationship with God. In his prayer, he acknowledged that everything in heaven and earth belongs to God.
Verses 15-18
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
At that particular time, the people of God gave willingly to honor God because they loved Him. However, there came a time when the children of Israel had lost their love for God. Their giving had become a religious activity, and was no longer viewed as worship in the eyes of God.
Malachi 1:6-8
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.
These people were giving, but their hearts were not right. They did not reverence or honor God. They didn’t believe His commandments, nor did they recognize that He was their source of supply. They presented Him with polluted bread and offered the sick and the blind. Therefore, God said that they despised His name. He told them that their governor wouldn’t accept that kind of an offering.
We fall into the same kind of foolish thinking when we forget that God is the One who is to be honored. We are not to give out of habit or in order to look good. Our motivation in giving must be because we honor God; otherwise, we are despising His name also.
Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
God had changed Jacob’s name to Israel, which means "beloved of God." Jacob means "supplanter," one who undercuts others. In this record, God calls His people "sons of Jacob." When His people were walking with Him, He called them the children of Israel. When they turned against Him, He would often call them the sons of Jacob.
Verse 7
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
As hardhearted and evil as they had become, God asked them to turn back to Him and obey His Word.
Verses 8-10
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
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.
They didn’t understand wherein they had robbed God because they had forgotten the God of the Bible. They had not robbed Him of physical things, but of their love and their dedication to Him. They had not recognized Him as the source of their supply. They were just going through religious activities without heart. Therefore, God was robbed of their worship. We do the same when we forget to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Malachi 1:11 and 12
For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.
The Most High God deserves to be honored. It is very difficult to read that His people abandoned Him and stopped loving Him. They despised Him because they no longer held Him in reverence. Because they had dishonored Him and profaned His name, God told them that His name would be great among the Gentiles.
In II Corinthians, there is a beautiful record concerning the sacrifice of giving. The believers in Corinth had promised that they were going to send an offering to the Apostle Paul, but they had not yet done it. Paul wrote to them in order to encourage them and to show them the example of the believers in Macedonia.
II Corinthians 8:1-4
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit [to know] of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
For to their [own] power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
The word "power" in this verse is "dunamis" in Greek, which means "potential power." The churches in Macedonia were in a great trial of affliction, but they gave beyond their potential, or their capacity to give, and they were willing. Even in their persecution and mental afflictions, they had great joy. They had so dedicated their lives to the Lord that they begged Paul to take their gift so that he could further the movement of the Word of God.
Verses 5-7
And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.
Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
The word "grace" is used because everything we have and all that we are comes from God. He is the One who has given us the ability to give. If we have a heart to honor Him, He will give us plenty to give.
This kind of giving is a major aspect of worship. It is not a matter of figuring out what we can afford; it is a matter of heart, and of honoring God according to His Word. It is not always comfortable or convenient, but when we give in this way, it is an acceptable sacrifice and an odor of a sweet smell unto God.
THE SACRIFICE
OF THE FRUIT OF OUR LIPS
God alone is worthy to be praised. He is the One who has redeemed and saved us. He is our salvation and our strength, and He deserves our heartfelt praise.
Hebrews 13:15
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
The fruit of our lips consists of our prayers, our giving of thanks, and our praise. God wants to be praised, and we are to give this to Him as a sacrifice.
LIVING TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY
Ephesians 1:1-12
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation [administration] of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
God Almighty has given us His plan of redemption and the glory that is to come. Our entire lives should be to the praise of His glory because of the many blessings He has bestowed upon us through His Son.
Verses 13 and 14
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
In the eastern culture, when the master of a great house died, his slaves would walk before his body when it was taken to be buried. They would praise their master and rejoice because they were going to be set free. Because of the work of our master, the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been made free. We should now live to the praise of God’s glory because He has accomplished our redemption in sending His Son.
Now that we have been made a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a peculiar people, our purpose is to show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
I Peter 2:5-9
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
"Praise" means "to speak well of." We are to speak of God’s attributes and lift His name high. In the Scriptures, the vast majority of praise is done through preaching the gospel and telling others about the deliverance our Father has wrought through Jesus Christ. We applaud Him for what He has done and speak of His mighty acts.
John 1:18
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The word "declare" means "to make known." Jesus Christ came to make the Father known. He walked with the mercy, compassion, and power of his heavenly Father. He manifested the attributes of God to the extent that people saw the Father when they saw him.
Jesus Christ taught that which God had given him. In his first teaching, he told the people that their hearts’ commitment was to be to God.
Matthew 5:13
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Salt means "that which is healing," and is also representative of commitment.
Verses 14-16
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
When we walk according to the truth of God’s Word and do the great things that our lord has taught, we are truly lights in this world. As we let our light shine before men, they will see our good works, and God will be glorified. We make Him known as we manifest His mercy and love, and preach this wonderful gospel of deliverance.
I Peter 2:10-13
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Having your conversation [behavior] honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake....
We are to behave and speak in such a way as to bring glory to God. As we dedicate our entire lives in sacrifice to Him, others will turn to our Father and glorify Him as well.
Verse 21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Jesus Christ is the example of the way we should live. In our daily life, we should ask ourselves how he would behave in a particular situation. In everything he did, he manifested the love and forgiveness of his heavenly Father and spoke of His redemption.
The first century Church walked with this great understanding. They knew that they were the lights of the world. In Acts chapter 2, we can see the way they lived after the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:41-47
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
The words "having favour" mean "sharing grace." They were sharing the grace of God and praising Him because of the wonderful things He had done for them, and He added to the Church daily.
In the same way, individuals will be added to the Body of Christ as we share the grace that God has bestowed upon us. We tell them about all that has been accomplished by our lord and savior Jesus Christ. We share the gospel of deliverance with them, teaching them that we have been redeemed back from destruction because of God’s great love for us.
DECLARING HIS GOODNESS
All throughout the book of Acts, the first century believers spoke of God’s wonderful promises and the magnificent work of redemption that He had planned.
Acts 3:4-6
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
That which Peter had to give was the grace that God had bestowed upon His people. He had the power of God in his life; the ability to walk with signs, miracles, and wonders.
Verses 7 and 8
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God:
This man praised God for the wonderful miracle of deliverance he had received.
Verses 9-15
And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Peter spoke boldly about the Lord Jesus Christ. He taught the people that God had fulfilled all of the great promises in the Old Testament through his life.
Verses 16-19
And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
And now, brethren, I wot [know] that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
The religious leaders were not happy to hear that the apostles were preaching the resurrection of the dead through Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:1-4
And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
And they laid hands on them, and put them in a hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
Five thousand more accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the one God had sent. The apostles spoke the truth of God’s Word, and God was glorified. They brought an understanding of the work that God had wrought through His Son, and the people praised Him for His mighty acts.
Verses 5-12
And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost [Spirit], said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Peter and John declared God’s truth with great authority and boldness.
Verses 13-18
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
The main thing the devil wants is to stop the furtherance of God’s Word. He wants to prevent us from speaking about the redemption and the deliverance God has made available through Jesus Christ. Peter and John stood before the men who had sent Jesus Christ to the cross and spoke to them with absolute fearlessness.
Verses 19-21
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.
Whenever we see the power of God through the manifestations of holy spirit, God alone is to be glorified. Those who deliver the message should not get the glory. Peter ministered healing to the lame man, but God was the One who received the glory.
Verses 22-32
For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
And when they heard that, they lifted their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together. For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost [holy spirit], and they spake the word of God with boldness.
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul...
These believers were committed. Instead of being afraid, they prayed for more boldness. God filled them to overflowing, and they spoke His Word with boldness.
In Acts 5, Peter and John were put into prison for speaking God’s Word.
Acts 5:19-21
But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught....
They did the very thing that had caused them to be put into prison—they spoke about God and His deliverance. They praised God, which is to speak of His mighty acts and His magnificent accomplishments.
Praising God is not simply saying, "Praise the Lord." That is the command. God is praised when we honor His name and speak of the wonderful things He has done, both to our brethren and to those who don’t believe. Whether or not our words are accepted, we are praising God.
After the angel of the Lord brought the apostles out of prison, they went back into the temple and taught God’s Word. The next morning, when chief priests heard that they were teaching in the temple, they seized them and brought them before the council.
Verses 27-32
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost [holy spirit], whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Once again, God’s plan of redemption was made known. God is the One who had raised Jesus from the dead, and He was glorified and praised through the words of these men.
Verse 33
When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
The first century Church sacrificed much so that God’s name would be praised. It cost Peter and John a great deal to stand up and speak for God. They were put in prison, and the religious leaders were plotting to kill them. So much boldness and fearlessness was required of them. Later on, Stephen was stoned, and a great persecution took place throughout the Church. Praising God is a sacrifice because not everyone we speak to is going to believe. At times, they will belittle us and try to hurt us when we stand up for God and speak about Him.
SINGING HIS PRAISES
Many Christians believe that their praise and worship of God consists only of their congregational singing. While singing is a wonderful aspect of praise, the vast majority of scripture has to do with speaking God’s Word. However, we are to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord. God deserves our praise, and we are to sing to Him and glorify His name because of who He is and what He has done.
Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
In Acts 16, there is a record of Paul and Silas singing unto the Lord. When they were preaching the gospel in Philippi, a woman who was possessed with a spirit of divination had been troubling them. After many days, Paul received the necessary revelation to cast the spirit out of her. When her masters saw that they were no longer going to profit from her fortune-telling, they apprehended Paul and Silas and took them to the rulers of the city.
Acts 16:22
And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
Paul and Silas were humiliated and beaten for having delivered this woman.
Verses 23-25
And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
After being whipped, they were put into the inner prison, which is nothing more than a hole in the ground, with very little air. They were in tremendous pain, and their feet were put in stocks. Under these circumstances, they prayed and sang praises unto God, and their singing was a witness of God’s greatness to the other prisoners.
Verse 26
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
Tremendous things happen when God is praised.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We are commanded to sing unto our Lord. The circumstances in our lives do not matter. We sing to the Lord from our hearts because He is great and worthy to be praised.
God gave the Old Testament believers the Psalms, which are all songs.
Psalms 105:1-5
O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
God is to be at the forefront of our hearts and minds. We are to remember what He has done and sing unto Him.
Speaking God’s Word to others or singing unto Him may not be convenient or comfortable. At times, we may not feel like singing, or we may be concerned that others will ridicule us if we praise our God with boldness. However, the fruit of our lips is given to God as a sacrifice because we are to praise Him in spite of the way we are feeling. We sing unto our Lord regardless of our circumstances, even when things are going badly. The Old Testament believers praised God when they were being attacked and when their lives were in jeopardy. Paul and Silas sang unto God when their backs were wide open and their feet were in stocks. They were probably in great pain, yet they praised God. Because of that, God worked mightily in that situation.
Genuine praise must be done with an understanding of what we are doing.
Psalms 47:7
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
God doesn’t want us to sing mindlessly. He requires our heart, soul, mind, and strength in everything we do for Him. The act of singing unto the Lord is not worship if our hearts are not involved.
PRAYING WITH UNDERSTANDING
Another great aspect of the sacrifice of the fruit of our lips is prayer. In his first teaching, Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to pray.
Matthew 6:5
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Prayer must be done God’s way. It doesn’t matter how eloquently we pray, or what others may think about our prayers. All prayer is for one purpose only: to speak to God.
Verse 6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
In that culture, it was customary to go into little prayer closets. The place of prayer is not as important as our hearts, however. We are to enter the closet of our mind and shut the door. We do not allow any distractions. When we do this, we will have an audience with Almighty God.
God deserves our full attention. It is disrespectful not to look at the person to whom we are speaking. When my children speak to me, I require that they look at me and give me their consideration. How much more the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Verse 7
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Vain repetition is chanting a mindless prayer. The words are coming out, but there is no consideration of the One we are addressing.
When I was a child, I would repeat some prayers so often that I no longer thought about what I was saying. We don’t want to pray that way because it is vain repetition. Praying out of habit without giving God our heart can also be considered vain repetition, even if we are asking for His blessings on our families.
Our Lord gave his disciples an example of the way they were to pray to the Father.
Matthew 6:9-13
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
We can learn a great deal about prayer from this beautiful example. We are to praise God’s holy name and depend upon Him for everything we need each day. That is not vain repetition. It is a recognition that we are to rely upon God and trust that He will bless us. We are to pray for our food and our employment every day. Even if we don’t have employment, He will take care of our needs. We are to ask for forgiveness and forgive others as well. We should ask our Father to deliver us from the temptations that so easily beset us. Also, we are to pray that God’s will is done here on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus Christ came to reconcile us back to God, not to himself. All prayer and praise belong to God, and we are to pray to no one but the Father. Our Lord and Savior never sought his own praise, and he taught that we are to pray to God in his name. He never allowed anyone to pray to him, and he made sure that the God of salvation was the One who received all the glory.
In our prayer life, God is to be praised and thanked. We are to rely upon Him to meet our needs, but He is not an ATM machine. We don’t come before Him arrogantly, with our shopping list. We go to Him humbly, beseeching Him for His help. We ask Him to provide for us, for He is the source of our supply. Without Him, we can do nothing. He is the One with all the power and the glory, and His name is to be praised.
Philippians 4:6
Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
"Supplication" refers to our specific requests. We are to pray to God and make our requests known to Him with thanksgiving.
Jesus Christ spent much time in prayer so that he could have a personal relationship with Almighty God. He always relied on his Father, and he always did His will. Many times, he left thousands of people and went into the wilderness to commune with God in prayer. Before he picked the twelve, he spent all night in prayer. Many of us have a hard time praying for fifteen minutes! We need to ask God to help us to learn to pray, and allow Him to speak to us. We are to watch over His children in prayer as well, standing guard like a sentry on a wall.
Ephesians 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
We are to persevere with specific requests for our brothers and sisters, standing in the gap for them. Our prayers should not be done flippantly; they should be a lot of work. The fruit of our lips is a sacrifice. It is not always going to be convenient, but it is always necessary. We enter into the closet of our heart and stand before our Father to make our requests known. We should pray for this world also, because it so needs our God and His deliverance.
SPEAKING IN TONGUES
In addition to praying with our understanding, we can pray with the spirit also. One of the greatest aspects of the sacrifice of the fruit of our lips is the manifestation of holy spirit called speaking in tongues.
I Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
On the Day of Pentecost, God poured out His holy spirit, which is called a gift.
Acts 2:38 and 39
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
This wonderful gift was evidenced for the first time with the manifestation of speaking in tongues.
Acts 2:1-4
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost [holy spirit] and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
They were filled with the holy spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. In verse 4, the word "filled" means "filled to overflowing." They were filled to overflowing with the holy spirit, which was the promise of the Father. This is what it means to be baptized with holy spirit. Jesus Christ told them that this comforter would come after he was gone.
There are nine manifestations of the gift of holy spirit, listed in I Corinthians 12.
I Corinthians 12:7-11
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Speaking in tongues is a vital part of the sacrifice of the fruit of our lips. The Scriptures give us an understanding of this manifestation of holy spirit in I Corinthians 14.
I Corinthians 14:2
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God....
The italicized words in the King James Version were added by the translators for clarity, but at times they are inaccurate. The word "unknown" does not appear in the Greek manuscripts, and therefore should be deleted. The word "speaketh" is the Greek word laleo meaning "he that uses the voice without reference to the words spoken."
Speaking in tongues is primarily for our personal worship of God. We speak to Him with the words He gives us. We don’t understand the language because we are speaking to God alone, not to men. It is a wonderful way for us to worship God privately.
Acts 2:4-6
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost [holy spirit] and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. At the Feast of Pentecost, God poured out His spirit in the Temple and brought about a wonderful miracle in front of all His people. These twelve men were speaking in tongues, but they didn’t understand what they were saying. However, each person in the Temple heard them speak in his own language. They heard these men praising God in their native languages. At the original outpouring of the holy spirit, God had His Church worship Him and speak of His wonderful works!
Verses 7-11
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Thousands of people miraculously heard the apostles speaking the wonderful works of God. When we speak in tongues, we are speaking a language that God has given us. By way of the spirit, He has given us the ability to speak words which magnify and praise Him.
In Acts 10, as Peter was teaching a group of Gentiles about the Lord Jesus Christ, they received the gift of holy spirit.
Acts 10:44-46
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit [gift of holy spirit] fell on all them that heard the word.
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
When Peter and those who were with him heard these Gentiles speak in tongues, they knew they had received holy spirit. After they believed, they received the holy spirit, and began to speak with tongues and magnify God.
When we speak in tongues, we are also praying and giving thanks to God.
I Corinthians 14:14-19
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Else [otherwise] when thou shalt bless [praise God], with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
At that time, the believers in Corinth were using the manifestation of speaking in tongues improperly. The Apostle Paul reproved them because they were speaking in tongues out loud in order to bring attention to themselves.
In Romans 8:26, we read that the spirit helps our infirmities. One of our infirmities is that we don’t know what to pray for, specifically. At those times, we can make intercession for God’s children by speaking in tongues because God gives us the utterance.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
This verse documents that there are two kinds of prayer. When we speak in tongues, we are praying in the spirit, using words that God gives us. When we pray with our understanding, we choose the words we will use. We enter the closet of our heart and give God our undivided attention; it is not to be done with vain repetition. Likewise, we must give God our full attention when we speak in tongues because we are speaking to Him. We pray in the spirit with love in our hearts toward God, just as when we pray with our understanding.
Verse 16
Else when thou shalt bless [praise God] with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
Speaking in tongues is giving of thanks. It is a sacrifice in the sense that it is purely for God’s sake because we don’t understand what we are saying. However, we do understand that it praises and magnifies Him.
If we are speaking in tongues without love, it is just noise to God, and we are not truly worshipping Him.
I Corinthians 13:1
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Each of these aspects of the fruit of our lips is our offering to God as a holy priesthood, and they must be done because we love God.
PRAISING HIM THROUGHOUT ETERNITY
There is a day coming when many of these aspects of worship will cease, including the manifestation of speaking in tongues. When our lord and savior returns, we will know even as we are known.
Verses 9-12
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come [Jesus Christ], then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
In the book of Revelation, God showed the Apostle John His throne room. He gave him a picture of it in a way that he could understand.
Revelation 4:1-11
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper [a diamond] and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald [a green rainbow].
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 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.
God is worthy of all honor and majesty. He is going to receive all the praise and glory that He deserves throughout eternity, and we will have the joy of knowing Him as our Father.
PRAISE JAH
God is so immense and multifaceted that no one title is capable of communicating His greatness. In the Scriptures, He uses a diversity of names to describe the various aspects of His character. One of these names is "Jah."
In the book of Exodus, Jah is used for the first time in the context of one of the greatest known miracles, the dividing of the Red Sea. When the children of Israel walked out of Egypt, the Egyptian army chased them, and God did battle for His people. He put a cloud of darkness and a pillar of fire between the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. When they came to the Red Sea, God told Moses to stretch forth his staff over the water. The sea parted and the children of Israel went to the other side on dry ground. When the Egyptians charged after them, God told Moses to stretch forth his hands again, and the water overcame them. Since that day, one of the most powerful civilizations of all time has been a third world nation. The Israelites sang unto the Lord in thankfulness because of their deliverance from the Egyptians.
Exodus 15:1-3
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The Lord [Jah] is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God [El, the Almighty], and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God [Elohim, the Creator], and I will exalt him. The Lord [Jah] is a man of war: the Lord [Jehovah] is his name.
The name Jah is almost always used in a song. It means "the God who is our strength and our salvation, who is worthy to be praised." The Hebrew word hallelujah means "praise You, Jah."
Verses 4-16
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
In this first song of praise, the children of Israel extoled God for His majesty, His care for His people, and His absolute sovereignty. God is the One who is worthy of infinite praise, and He has given us a name to make that perfectly clear.
The title Jah is again used in Exodus 17, after Amalek had come against the Israelites.
Exodus 17:8-16
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi [the Lord our banner]:
For he said, Because the Lord [Jah] hath sworn that the Lord [Jehovah] will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
God made an everlasting covenant with His people. He gave them an oath that He would fight with Amalek, who represented the devil. Jah swore that would He would be the banner of His people, and would fight the devil for them from generation to generation.
The banner of the United States of America is just a piece of cloth, but it represents the power and the might of the nation. The Lord is our banner. His canopy stands over us every day as He fights for us. This is the God who is to be praised, honored, and exalted.
When the Israelites were weak, Amalek attacked the most feeble among them. Instead of facing the army, he attacked the children and the elderly from the rear. God said that He would not forget this, and later commanded King Saul to utterly destroy them.
Deuteronomy 25:17 and 18
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
God is our salvation and our strength. He made a covenant that He would fight for His people. This is why we are more than conquerors in every situation. It is not because of our own capabilities. There is nothing we can do without Him, for He is our strength. He is the One who has fought for us and delivered us.
Romans 8:29 and 30
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
It is only with God’s love that we are able to bless others, but we must choose to trust Him. As we rely on Him, He will guide us and enable us to bring His purposes to pass.
Verses 31-33
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
The Almighty has elected us and no human being or devil spirit has the right to charge us otherwise.
Verses 34 and 35
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
This doesn’t mean that we will never be troubled by any of these things. Amalek still had to be fought. We are in a war, but God is our fortress and our shield. When we trust in Him, nothing can separate us from His love, and He will deliver all who call upon His name.
Verses 36 and 37
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
God loves His people. He has chosen to set His heart toward us and has delivered us from the power of the enemy. Our response to this is praise.
Colossians 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
God has absolutely delivered us from the power of darkness, and has taken us from death unto life.
Isaiah 12:2-6
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH [Jah] is my strength, and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
We are to sing praises unto the Lord because He has done excellent things.
Psalms 146:1-5
Praise ye the Lord [Jah]. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God [El, the Almighty] of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
Psalms 150:1 and 2
Praise ye the Lord [Jah]. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness: Almighty God is praised when we speak of His power, His magnificence, and of the specific deliverance He has bestowed on His people. He has created the heavens and the earth. He loves all of mankind, and has delivered us through the work of His Son. His mercy and His goodness reach to every corner of the earth.
Verses 3-6
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
The entire focus of our lives should be to praise God for His mighty works and all the wonderful things He has done.
Isaiah 43:21
This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
God formed His people for Himself, and all He asks is that they show forth His praise.
Romans 1:18 and 19
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
That which may be known of God has been manifested to every individual.
Verse 20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
People are without excuse because God has shown them His eternal power. He is the Lord of all, and the heavens declare His glory.
Verse 21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
All that God has ever wanted is for His people to acknowledge Him as the Creator and be thankful for His deliverance.
Verses 22-24
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
God had shown them the truth, but they chose to be vain and selfish, and allowed their foolish hearts to become darkened. Therefore, He gave them up to uncleanness through their own lusts.
Verse 25
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature [creation] more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
God is our strength and our banner. He has warred against the adversary from generation to generation, and has delivered all of mankind. He has preserved His Word and His seed, the Christ. He will preserve His people and bring us all to that kingdom, for He has made an oath. All that He asks in return is that we keep Him first and give Him our heartfelt praise.
Ephesians 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
God has done all of this for us so that our entire lives would be dedicated to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Verse 12
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
We
are to extol our God for His salvation and for His deliverance. He is the One
who does battle for us day unto day. There is no other God, and no other being who is to be praised as Jah. Amen.
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.
"They
will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on
the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man
spares his own son who serves him."
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