The command to worship

Below are some thoughts that I will give this evening at our "Pure Worship" time together.

I am really, really looking forward to spending time in God's presence - with other believers - as we lift up the name of Jesus and dwell in His presence.

Here's what I know:

There is a link between "worship" and the word "discipline".

That is a thought that might be unique to you.

When we think of worship, we think of free will expressions of praise and adoration to God.

When we think of the word discipline, we think of "have to's" and "got to's" and the word "duty" comes to mind.

Yet the two words cannot be separated.

Here's why:  To truly worship God, I must practice discipline.

I am fallible.  You are fallible.  We sin.

God is not fallible.  God does not sin.

Therefore the connecting point between my spirit connecting with God's spirit is forgiveness.

I must seek forgiveness in order to worship God. 

That takes discipline. 

As you and I mature in Christ, overt sin begins to fall away, but daily, weekly, each time we come to worship we must take regular inventory of our inner spirit and ask God for forgiveness for anything that would hinder us from connecting with Him.

Examples of sin for we Christian types would be, unforgiveness, complaining, gossiping, omitting the tithe, prayerlessness and an unwholesome thought life.

Jeremiah 7:8-16 tells us that the following will hinder the hand of God:  Lying words, stealing, murder, adultery, swearing falsely, idol worship, walking after other Gods.

Jesus said that we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  Truth meaning reality.  Truth meaning sincerely.  Truth meaning being real before God. 

To put it plainly, I must spiritually nuke anything that is coming between me and God.

We saw last Sunday that Jesus washed the feet of the disciples.  Peter objected.  Jesus said, "Unless I wash your feet, you can't really continue to be a part of what I am doing."

Peter said, "Then, Lord, not just my feet, but my entire body."

Jesus said, "You don't need your entire body washed, just your feet."

In other words, as I connect with Christ - I am washed cleaned.

Yet daily, I am to come before the Lord and have my sins washed away, my feet cleaned.

Are you coming into worship with dirty feet?

Each worship event do you need to ask God for forgiveness of your sins - in order that you might be pure before Him?

To take it further, this is a continual spiritual exercise.  Daily, I must worship God.  Daily I must live in His presence.  Daily I must ask for this cleansing.

Psalms 113:3 tells us, "From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord's name is to be praised."

That takes discipline - discipline to follow through on the command of God to worship.

David says in Psalms 29:1,2:  "Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." 

What are some of the ways that you and I can give God glory?

Though praise, music, sharing our faith, taking care of each others needs.

But what does it mean to worship the Lord in the "beauty of his holiness"?

There is beauty in holiness.  There is beauty in purity.

It is like the difference between (and all analogies fall short) someone who has a pure unblemished face, and someone who is marked by disease (such as leprosy).

However, that analogy falls short because God is concerned about beauty on the inside.  As we worship Him (in spirit and in truth) He infuses His inner beauty in our lives.

Finally (and there is much more), we are to build an altar as we worship God.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites would build a physical altar to worship God.

In the same way, we are to take "altar building" steps in our worship (Here is where the discipline comes in).

First, in biblical times, an appropriate spot would be chosen and the brush and debris would be cleared away.  Likewise, as we prepare for effective worship, we first have to clear away any hindrances to worship (see above). 

Secondly, the prophets would lay the stones in a logical sequence or order.  We do that today by realizing that the focus of our worship is Jesus Christ - His life, death, and resurrection.  The worship process refers to daily discipleship by being worshippers throughout the week and not just on Sunday.

Thirdly, in the Old Testament, worshipers would find an animal that was perfect in every way.  The Old Testament code of worship was very, very specific, and the sacrifice would be prepared according to regulation.  In the same way, we must worship God as God instructs us to worship.

We must worship God alone.  We must worship God with all of our hearts.  We must depend upon the Holy Spirit as we worship.

We must be free in worship (I will explain this tonight). 

Finally, a sacrifice is offered. 

So, today, I encourage you to build an altar where you are, right now and worship God!