T R U L Y

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Worsh|p |n the 8eauty of no||ness

lL ls a prlvllege Lo be able Lo worshlp Cod wlLh freedom and exuberance. We
musL always be appreclaLlve of Lhose who lead us ln worshlp. 1helr work ls
unenvlable - l've been a worshlp leader, so l know. 1hough lL mlghL noL be
spoken, Lhere ls greaL expecLaLlon on worshlp leaders Lo usher Cod's people
lnLo Lhe resence of Cod Lhrough worshlp. CfLen, Lhe quallLy of worshlp ls
[udged accordlng Lo wheLher or noL Lhe resence of Cod ls sensed, and lf so,
how sLrongly. lL ls an lnaccuraLe way of evaluaLlng worshlp, buL lL ls Lhe
common pracLlce noneLheless.

Allow me Lo speak ln defense of all worshlp leaders and Lo manage your
expecLaLlons, whlch are unreasonable as well as unscrlpLural. 1he worshlp
leader ls hlmself a worshlpper. lL ls noL hls responslblllLy Lo lead you lnLo Lhe
resence of Cod alLhough he should have some ldea of how Lo do lL. lf you, as
a member of Lhe congregaLlon, do noL sense Lhe resence of Cod ln a Langlble
way durlng worshlp, lL ls noL because Lhe worshlp leader has falled ln hls Lask.
1he problem, l submlL Lo you, lles wlLh you.

ln Lhe flrsL place, lL ls a common mlsconcepLlon LhaL Lhrough worshlp we are
able Lo enLer lnLo Lhe resence of Cod. WhaL really happens durlng worshlp ls
Lhls: Lhey are noL ushered lnLo Lhe presence of Cod, buL raLher Lhey feel Lhey
are because of Lhe emoLlons LhaL worshlp produces.

Worship does not take you into the Presence of God.
Worship presumes the presence of God.

Worshlp ls whaL you do when you are ln Cod's resence. ln facL, you would
noL wanL Lo do anyLhlng else buL worshlp Cod when you are ln Pls resence.

Lven wlLh a very anolnLed worshlp leader and LalenLed muslclans, even when
your favourlLe songs are sung, Lhe sense of Cod's resence could sLlll elude
you. uo you know why? 1wo words: racLlce and reparaLlon.

ract|ce. Whenever ChrlsLlans speak abouL worshlp, lL ls corporaLe worshlp
LhaL Lhey are referrlng Lo. LeL's worshlp LogeLher." Are you comlng Lo Lhe
worshlp servlce?" 8uL do you reallse LhaL worshlp was deslgned by Cod Lo by
an lndlvldual affalr more Lhan a corporaLe one?

Worship was designed to be an individual affair
because there was onl y room for one offering !at a
time" on the al tar.

Pow ls your personal worshlp-llfe? Pow much Llme do you spend ln
worshlpplng Cod by yourself? Many geL easlly dlsLracLed durlng worshlp.
1haL's because Lhey do noL have a dlsclpllne of personal worshlp.

lf you have noL been conslsLenLly engaglng wlLh Cod ln ersonal worshlp,
don'L expecL Lo be able Lo engage wlLh Cod durlng CorporaLe worshlp.

reparat|on. 1he worshlp of Cod musL noL be enLered lnLo wlLhouL
preparaLlon. ChrlsLlans need Lo Lhlnk of worshlp more of Lhem golng Lo Cod
raLher Lhan Plm comlng Lo Lhem. 1hroughouL Lhe 8lble, Cod ls always Lhe one
lnvlLlng Pls people Lo "CCML". 8uL, for some reason, modern ChrlsLlanlLy has
reversed Lhe order. lor some reason, we are now Lhe ones Lelllng Cod Lo
come Lo us, Lo bless us, Lo leL Pls glory fall, Lo flll us, and more. We expecL
Cod Lo come Lo us lnsLead of us golng Lo Plm. lL ls when we draw near Lo Plm
LhaL Pe wlll draw near Lo us, !ames says. Lven Lhe wrlLer of Pebrews urges us
Lo approach Cod's Lhrone of grace" (Peb 4:16).

lf you are golng Lo vlslL a frlend, wheLher aL hls home or elsewhere, would you
go wlLhouL any preparaLlon? no, you wouldn'L. ?ou would aL leasL change Lo
more approprlaLe aLLlre - noL ln your py[amas. ?ou mlghL even Lake a shower
before leavlng your house. 1hls ls normal, common sense, because you
respecL your frlend. lf Lhls ls whaL you would do for a frlend, whaL more for
Cod?

Work |s needed before Worsh|p

Work ls needed before worshlp Lo puL on Lhe holy aLLlre".

salm 96:9 says, "Worshlp Lhe Lord ln Lhe beauLy of hollness" (nAS8: ln holy
aLLlre). 1he Cod we worshlp ls a holy Cod. And, as such, only Lhose who are
holy can draw near Lo worshlp Plm. We see Lhls ln Lhe book of numbers,
where Cod only allows Lhe prlesLs and LevlLes Lo serve ln Lhe 1abernacle, Lhe
symbol of Cod's resence. Any one who ls noL a prlesL or a LevlLe and comes
near Lo Lhe 1abernacle wlll be puL Lo deaLh. ?ou mlghL say LhaL Lhls ls
no longer Lrue, and you are rlghL. 8uL Lhe message and Lhe prlnclple LhaL
Cod was sendlng Lo Pls people by glvlng Lhem Lhls lnsLrucLlon remalns
unchanged. Pe wanLs us Lo know LhaL Pe ls holy, and only sancLlfled people
can worshlp ln Pls presence. 1he people of 8eLh-Shemesh learned Lhls Lhe
hard way. AfLer Lhe Lord sLruck down 30,070 of Lhem, Lhey asked, Who can
sLand before Lhe Lord, Lhls holy Cod?" (1 Sam 6:20).

ln Lhe Cld 1esLamenL, we see Cod redeemlng Pls people, Lhe lsraellLes, and
dellverlng Lhem ouL of LgypL. AfLer LhaL, Pe glves Lhem Lhe moral law and
lnsLrucLs Lhem Lo bulld Lhe 1abernacle. lrom Lhls we see a chronologlcal and
Lheologlcal sequence: 8edempLlon, 8lghLeousness, and Worshlp. lL cannoL be
any oLher way.

1he holy aLLlre" ls noL same as Lhe armour of Cod" found ln Lpheslans 6.
1he holy aLLlre ls puL on durlng worshlp. 8uL when you are noL worshlpplng,
be sure LhaL you have puL on Lhe armour of Cod.

Worship is Work; not the other way around
Work ls noL only needed before worshlp Lo puL on Lhe holy aLLlre. Worshlp
lLself ls work.

lL ls commonly undersLood LhaL our work can be a form of worshlp Lo Cod.
8lck Warren, ln urpose-drlven Llfe, belleves LhaL "your work can be an acL of
worshlp Lo Cod. ln facL, lf l wanL Cod Lo bless my flnances, l musL make my
work an acL of worshlp." WhaL does Lhls mean? l'm saylng LhaL no maLLer
whaL you do - sweeplng Lhe sLreeLs, runnlng a corporaLlon or Lhe work of a
sLay-aL-home mom -- your [ob ls more Lhan a [ob. 1he 8lble says whlle you are
here on earLh, you should use your work as an acL of worshlp.

Pe ls noL alone ln Lhlnklng Lhls way. PonesLly, l cannoL flnd a verse of
ScrlpLure LhaL says or alludes Lo whaL asLor 8lck Warren [usL sald. And,
frankly, l flnd lL hard Lo see how our work can be a form of worshlp Lo Lhe
Lord for Lwo reasons. llrsL, for mosL of us, our work dlsLracLs us from Lhe
worshlp of Cod by sapplng our Llme, energy and focus. And, secondly, many
of Lhe companles we work ln are noL ln Lhe buslness of esLabllshlng and
furLherlng Lhe klngdom of Cod. lf work ls an acL of worshlp, why dld Cod lnslsL
LhaL Lhe lsraellLes leave Lhelr work and make a Lhree [ourney lnLo Lhe
wllderness Lo worshlp Plm? lf work ls an acL of worshlp, lL would be perfecLly
accepLable for ChrlsLlans Loday Lo work seven days a week wlLhouL a break.
We all are, afLer all, worshlpplng Cod Lhrough our work, aren'L we?

So, Lhe LruLh ls: our work ls noL an acL of worshlp. lL does mean, however, LhaL
our work ls noL lmporLanL or LhaL we should have bad aLLlLudes Lowards our
work. ChrlsLlans are commanded Lo do everyLhlng wlLh all our mlghL (Lccl
9:10), "wlLhouL grumbllng or argulng" (hll 2:14), servlng our earLhly masLers
"wholehearLedly, as lf you were servlng Lhe Lord" (Lph 6:7).

l can see why some Lhlnk LhaL our work ls an acL of worshlp. lL ls because Lhe
Pebrew word for worshlp, avodah, ls Lhe same word for work. 8uL sLlll, lL does
noL make Lhem lnLerchangeable ln all cases.

We already know LhaL work ls noL an acL of worshlp. 8uL Lhe reverse ls Lrue:
Worsh|p |s work.
Worshlp ls work ln LhaL Lhe worshlp of Cod lnvolves efforL and labor. And by
Lhls l am noL [usL Lalklng abouL slnglng and danclng wlLh all your sLrengLh...Llll
you persplre.
"Worshlp of Lhe Lrue Cod ln Messlah !esus Lhrough Lhe Poly SplrlL and ln LruLh
ls hard work," says Lhe Assemblles of Cod[1].
lL demands expendlLure of energy. Worshlp ls noL mere campflre slnglng. lL
requlres focus and concenLraLlon of our faculLles. "8e sLlll, and know LhaL l am
Cod" (salm 46:10*).
Worshlp requlres an lnner humbllng, a surrender of self-wlll, a repenLance of
sln, and LrusL. lL requlres culLlvaLlng Lhe presence of Cod. lL ascrlbes Lo Plm
Lhe supreme value of who Pe ls and acknowledges Pls worLhlness (wottb-
sblp) ln words, deeds, and posLure. Worshlp ls hard work.


[1] hLLp://ag.org/Lop/church_workers/wrshp_gen_avodah.cfm

Let Us Worsh|p and 8ow Down

1he lasL Llme we learned how lmporLanL lL ls Lo prepare ourselves for worshlp,
how we need Lo puL on our holy aLLlre prlor Lo comlng before a holy Cod. 1hls
Llme, we wanL Lo dlve a llLLle deeper and learn more abouL worshlp lLself. A
good place Lo sLarL would be Lo look aL Lhe flrsL Llme Lhe word worshlp ls used
ln Lhe 8lble.

IIkS1 MLN1ICN

Abraham sald Lo Lhe servanL, SLay here wlLh Lhe donkey, l and Lhe boy wlll go
over Lhere and wotsblp and come agaln Lo you". (Cen 22:3 lLallcs mlne)

1hls mlghL have been Lhe flrsL Llme Lhe Lngllsh word worshlp" ls used ln Lhe
8lble, buL Lhe Pebrew, shachah", appears before Lhls ln Cenesls 18:2 and
19:1. ln boLh Lhese cases, lL has been LranslaLed as bowed down" lnsLead.

Cen 18:2 Abraham looked up and saw Lhree men sLandlng nearby. When he
saw Lhem, he hurrled from Lhe enLrance of hls LenL Lo meeL Lhem and boweJ
low Lo Lhe ground.

Cen 19:1 1he Lwo angels arrlved aL Sodom ln Lhe evenlng, and LoL was slLLlng
ln Lhe gaLeway of Lhe clLy. When he saw Lhem, he goL up Lo meeL Lhem and
boweJ Jowo wlLh hls face Lo Lhe ground..

Whlle Lhere ls a huge dlverslLy ln how people worshlp Loday - some worshlp ln
LoLal sllence, whlle oLhers slng and dance, some ralse Lhelr hands as Lhey pray,
whlle oLhers geL on Lhelr knees - Lhe 8lbllcal expresslon of worshlp ls Lhe acL
of bowlng down.

Worship is not an activity. It is a posture of the body
and an attitude of the heart.

Pence, one can worshlp (Lhe way we do nowadays) and yeL sLlll have noL
worshlpped.

Powever, lL musL be made clear LhaL lL ls noL merely Lhe ouLward bowlng
down LhaL consLlLuLes Lrue worshlp, buL Lhe bowlng down of Lhe lnner
person. 1o Lhose who only pald aLLenLlon Lo Lhe ouLward form of worshlp buL
forgoL Lhe Lrue meanlng of worshlp, Lhls ls whaL Lhe Lord had Lo say:

1bese people Jtow oeot to Me wltb tbelt mootb, AoJ booot Me wltb tbelt llps,
8ot tbelt beott ls fot ftom Me. AoJ lo volo tbey wotsblp Me, 1eocbloq os
Jocttloes tbe commooJmeots of meo. (Mt 15.8-9)
lL seems from ScrlpLure LhaL bowlng down ls Lhe defaulL posLure used ln
worshlp. 1he facL LhaL nearly every culLure pracLlces lL show LhaL somehow
humans have been hardwlred Lo do so. lL ls our soul's naLural response when
we are ln Lhe presence of Lhe AlmlghLy Cod.

eLer fell down aL !esus' feeL when he reallsed who !esus Lruly was. no one
Lold hlm Lo fall down before !esus, buL he dld so because he was ln Lhe
presence of Lhe Cod lncarnaLe.

ln Lhe Lhrone room ln heaven, Lhe elders, Lhe llvlng creaLures, and Lhe angels
numberlng Len Lhousand Llmes Len Lhousand, and Lhousands of Lhousands,
say wlLh one volce: wottby ls tbe lomb wbo wos slolo 1o tecelve powet ooJ
tlcbes ooJ wlsJom, AoJ stteoqtb ooJ booot ooJ qloty ooJ blessloq! AL Lhe
same Llme, every creaLure whlch ls ln heaven and on Lhe earLh and under Lhe
earLh were saylng: 8lessloq ooJ booot ooJ qloty ooJ powet 8e to nlm wbo
slts oo tbe tbtooe, AoJ to tbe lomb, fotevet ooJ evet! 1hen Lhe four llvlng
creaLures sald, Amen!" And Lhe LwenLy-four elders fell down and worshlped
Plm who llves forever and ever. (8ev 3:11-14)

Sadly, ln modern ChrlsLlan worshlp, bowlng down has become rarer and rarer.
MosL of Lhe Llme, we sLand when worshlpplng Cod. Some clalm LhaL lL ls due
Lo space consLralnLs ln churches. l belleve lL ls more Lhan LhaL. l belleve lL ls
because we are no longer ln awe of Cod and have losL our reverence for Plm.
l am absoluLely cerLaln LhaL lf Cod was ln Lhe room, we would all bow down,
even prosLraLe ourselves. (8y Lhls, l am lmplylng LhaL mosL of Lhe Llme, Cod
lsn'L ln our mldsL when we worshlp Plm.)

CCCASICNS ICk WCkSnI

ln Lhe lasL lesson, l sald LhaL whlle worshlp can be done corporaLely, lL was
orlglnally deslgned Lo be an lndlvldual affalr. ln oLher words, we don'L have Lo
walL Llll we are gaLhered LogeLher before we can worshlp Cod. Wherever you
are, aL any Llme, you can worshlp Plm. And Lhere are many reasons Lo do so,
as we wlll see from ScrlpLure. l'd llke Lo share wlLh you flve occaslons for
worshlp Loday.

1. When you 1kUS1 n|m. !ob 1
!ob was a very speclal man ln hls day for Lwo reasons. llrsLly, Lhere was no
one as rlghLeous as he. Pe "was blameless and uprlghL, one who feared Cod
and Lurned away from evll" (!ob 1:1). And, secondly, Lhere was no one who
suffered llke he dld. WlLhln a day, he losL everyLhlng he had: hls servanLs, hls
llvesLock, and hls chlldren. Pe could have fallen lnLo depresslon, buL he dldn'L.
Pe could have wallowed ln self-plLy, buL he dldn'L. Pe could have become
blLLer Lowards Cod, buL he dldn'L. lnsLead he bowed hlmself and worshlped
Cod (1:20). Pe also sald Lhese words, LhaL have slnce become very well-
known: 1he Lord glves, Lhe Lord Lakes away, blessed be Lhe name of Lhe
Lord". WhaL was Lhe name of Cod LhaL !ob was pralslng here? ln Pebrew,
name ls does noL only refer Lo how one ls known - my name ls so and so". lL
ls also a reference Lo one's characLer and/or repuLaLlon. So here, !ob was
blesslng Lhe characLer of Cod. Lven Lhough everyLhlng around mlghL change,
Cod changes noL. lL was Lhe unchanglng and sLeadfasLness of Cod LhaL evoked
worshlp ln !ob. WhaL aLLrlbuLe or characLer of Cod wlll evoke worshlp ln you?
!ob has seL an example for all of us Lo follow. ln Lhe mldsL of Lerrlble loss and
hardshlp, !ob could sLlll flnd a reason Lo worshlp Cod. none of us has suffered
llke !ob. lL should noL be hard Lo flnd a reason Lo worshlp Cod, rlghL?

2. When you've done a|| you cou|d do, and a|| that's |eft |s to CCMMI1
everyth|ng to n|m. Cen 47:31
Cod had broughL !acob and hls sons and Lhelr famllles lnLo Lhe safeLy of LgypL
where Lhey would be provlded for durlng Lhe famlne. 1here, Lhey mulLlplled
and lncreased, slowly becomlng a naLlon as Cod sald Lhey would. An old man
now, !acob made !oseph promlse LhaL he would noL bury hls bones ln LgypL,
buL Lo leL hlm lle wlLh hls faLhers ln Canaan. When !oseph gave hls word,
!acob "worshlped as he leaned on Lhe Lop of hls sLaff" (Cen 47:31 nlv). !acob
knew LhaL he had done all LhaL he could do and needed Lo do. All LhaL was lefL
was Lo commlL everyLhlng Lo Lhe Lord. So he bowed hls head, resLlng lL on hls
sLaff, and worshlpped.

3. When you need to kLLN1 from your s|n. 1 Chron 21:16
llrsL Chronlcles 21 opens wlLh Lhese words: "1hen SaLan sLood agalnsL lsrael
and lnclLed uavld Lo number lsrael." And uavld dld number Lhe people. Cod
was dlspleased wlLh whaL uavld had done and sLruck lsrael wlLh a plague.
70,000 men of lsrael fell as a resulL. AfLer Lhls, an angel was dlspaLched Lo
desLroy !erusalem, buL aL Lhe lasL mlnuLe Cod sLopped hlm. "And uavld llfLed
hls eyes and saw Lhe angel of Lhe LC8u sLandlng beLween earLh and heaven,
and ln hls hand a drawn sword sLreLched ouL over !erusalem. 1hen uavld and
Lhe elders, cloLhed ln sackcloLh, fell upon Lhelr faces" (21:16).

4. When you want to kAISL n|m. 2 Chron 29:30
Pezeklah had [usL ascended Lhe Lhrone and one of Lhe flrsL Lhlngs he dld was
Lo relnsLaLe Lhe LevlLes and reesLabllsh Lhe Lemple worshlp. 1he prlesLs wenL
lnLo Lhe lnner parL of Lhe house of Lhe LC8u Lo cleanse lL, and Lhey broughL
ouL all Lhe uncleanness LhaL Lhey found ln Lhe Lemple of Lhe LC8u. lor elghL
days Lhey consecraLed Lhe house of Lhe LC8u. "And Pezeklah Lhe klng and Lhe
offlclals commanded Lhe LevlLes Lo slng pralses Lo Lhe LC8u wlLh Lhe words of
uavld and of Asaph Lhe seer. And Lhey sang pralses wlLh gladness, and Lhey
bowed down and worshlped."

S. When you are kLDLDICA1ING yourse|f to God. 2 Sam 12
uavld loved 8aLhsheba, buL she was Lhe wlfe of anoLher man. Pe was urlah
Lhe PlLLlLe. Pls lusL for 8aLhsheba was so sLrong LhaL uavld was even wllllng Lo
commlL murder. Pe senL urlah lnLo Lhe Lhlck of Lhe baLLle.so LhaL he wlll be
cuL down and kllled" (2 Sam 12:13). urlah was kllled ln baLLle, and now uavld
could have 8aLhsheba all for hlmself. uavld had relaLlons wlLh her and she
became pregnanL.

Soon afLer LhaL naLhan Lhe propheL came Lo uavld wlLh a word from Lhe Lord.
Pe exposed uavld's sln and uavld confessed Lo lL. Cod forgave uavld of hls sln
buL uavld would noL escape Lhe consequence of lL. uavld musL have felL
convlcLed on one hand, and relleved on Lhe oLher. 8ellved because he had
been wasLlng away lnslde because of hls sln. Pls lnLernal Lurmoll ls recorded
for us ln salm 32:1-4.
8lessed ls Lhe one whose Lransgresslon ls forglven, whose sln ls
covered. 28lessed ls Lhe man agalnsL whom Lhe LC8u counLs no lnlqulLy, and
ln whose splrlL Lhere ls no decelL.
3lor when l kepL sllenL, my bones wasLed away Lhrough my groanlng all day
long. 4lor day and nlghL your hand was heavy upon me, my sLrengLh was
drled up! as by Lhe heaL of summer. Selah (sa 32:1-4)
As a consequence of hls sln, uavld's chlld fell slck. When Lhe chlld dled, afLer
seven days, uavld washed hlmself and "wenL Lo Lhe house of Lhe Lord and
worshlpped (bowed down)" (verse 20). lL was ln all llkellhood LhaL uavld
prayed Lhe prayer recorded ln salm 31 here.

nove metcy oo me, O CoJ, occotJloq to yoot steoJfost love, occotJloq to yoot
obooJoot metcy blot oot my ttoosqtessloos. wosb me tbotooqbly ftom my
lolpolty, ooJ cleoose me ftom my slo!
lot l koow my ttoosqtessloos, ooJ my slo ls evet befote me. Aqolost yoo, yoo
ooly, bove l slooeJ ooJ Jooe wbot ls evll lo yoot slqbt, so tbot yoo moy be
jostlfleJ lo yoot wotJs ooJ blomeless lo yoot joJqmeot. 8ebolJ, l wos btooqbt
fottb lo lolpolty, ooJ lo slo JlJ my motbet coocelve me. 8ebolJ, yoo Jellqbt lo
ttotb lo tbe lowotJ beloq, ooJ yoo teocb me wlsJom lo tbe sectet beott.
lotqe me wltb byssop, ooJ l sboll be cleoo, wosb me, ooJ l sboll be wbltet
tboo soow. let me beot joy ooJ qloJoess, let tbe booes tbot yoo bove btokeo
tejolce. nlJe yoot foce ftom my slos, ooJ blot oot oll my lolpoltles. cteote lo
me o cleoo beott, O CoJ, ooJ teoew o tlqbt spltlt wltblo me. cost me oot
owoy ftom yoot pteseoce, ooJ toke oot yoot noly 5pltlt ftom me. kestote to
me tbe joy of yoot solvotloo, ooJ opbolJ me wltb o wlllloq spltlt.
1beo l wlll teocb ttoosqtessots yoot woys, ooJ slooets wlll tetoto to yoo.
uellvet me ftom blooJqolltloess, O CoJ, O CoJ of my solvotloo, ooJ my
tooqoe wlll sloq olooJ of yoot tlqbteoosoess. O lotJ, opeo my llps, ooJ my
mootb wlll Jeclote yoot ptolse. lot yoo wlll oot Jellqbt lo soctlflce, ot l woolJ
qlve lt, yoo wlll oot be pleoseJ wltb o botot offetloq. 1be soctlflces of CoJ ote
o btokeo spltlt, o btokeo ooJ coottlte beott, O CoJ, yoo wlll oot Jesplse.
uo qooJ to 2loo lo yoot qooJ pleosote, bollJ op tbe wolls of Ietosolem, tbeo
wlll yoo Jellqbt lo tlqbt soctlflces, lo botot offetloqs ooJ wbole botot
offetloqs, tbeo bolls wlll be offeteJ oo yoot oltot.
AfLer he had prayed, he reLurned Lo hls palace, and he aLe.

l have [usL shared wlLh you 3 occaslons for your Lo worshlp Cod. now, l end
wlLh Lhe lnvlLaLlon of Lhe salmlsL:

"Come, leL us bow down ln worshlp, leL us kneel before Lhe LC8u our Maker"
(sa 93:6)


our Sp|r|tua| Worsh|p

So far, ln our sLudy of worshlp, we have learned LhaL worshlp should noL be
enLered lnLo wlLhouL preparaLlon - we musL puL on Lhe hollness as an aLLlre,
as suggesLed by salm 96:9, before sLepplng lnLo Cod's presence. 1hen we
also learned LhaL bowlng down ls Lhe defaulL posLure, lf you wlll, of
worshlp. 1oday, we wlll geL Lo Lhe hearL of worshlp, and l wlll use 8omans
12:1 as our key LexL.

ln 8omans 12:1, aul wrlLes: "l appeal Lo you Lherefore, broLhers, by Lhe
mercles of Cod, Lo presenL your bodles as a llvlng sacrlflce, holy and
accepLable Lo Cod, whlch ls your splrlLual worshlp" (8om 12:1)

8efore l unpack for you whaL aul acLually meanL when he wroLe Lhese words,
lL would be proflLable for you Lo know a blL abouL aul. Pe was a !ew, a
harlsee of harlsee, LaughL by one of Lhe besL rellglous Leachers of Lhe day,
Camela. aul noL only knew Lhe 1orah well, accordlng Lo Lhe law, he was
blameless. ln oLher words, he was an observanL !ew. AfLer becomlng a
bellever and follower of ChrlsL !esus, aul dld noL abandon Lhe 1orah. no one
should. As a maLLer of facL, Lhe 1orah became Lhe bedrock of much of hls
Leachlng Lo Lhe churches. Pe even exhorLed 1lmoLhy Lo sLudy lL so as Lo show
hlmself approved by Cod, a workman who needs noL be ashamed buL who
rlghLly dlvldes Lhe Word of Cod (2 1lm 2:13). So, from Lhe beglnnlng, Lhe
1orah had been Lhe bedrock of ChrlsLlan Lheology. 1oday, lL has been almosL
compleLely removed. Modern ChrlsLlan Lheology, you can say, ls noL ground ln
anyLhlng, lL ls floaLlng, belng Lossed Lo and fro by every wlnd of docLrlne and
by Lhe cunnlng and crafLlness of people ln Lhelr decelLful schemlng" (Lph
4:14).

Comlng back Lo our key verse, lL Loo ls rooLed ln an Cld 1esLamenL concepL. lL
came ouL of Lhe LevlLlcal sacrlflclal sysLem found ln Lhe book of LevlLlcus, ln
parLlcular, Lhe burnL offerlng, or olah. Clah, ln Pebrew, does noL mean burnL,
lL means rlslng - a descrlpLlon of Lhe skyward movemenL of Lhe smoke LhaL
was emlLLed as Lhe anlmal was consumed by flre on Lhe alLar. As lL rlses, Lhe
smoke becomes a sweeL aroma Lo Lhe Lord.

When aul wroLe 8omans 12:1, he was lmmedlaLely undersLood by hls
readers because Lhey were !ews. 1oday, when we read 8omans 12:1, Cod
expecLs us Lo undersLand lL also because Pe presumes LhaL we have also read
Lhe 8ook of LevlLlcus. 8uL sadly, Lhls lsn'L Lhe case. Whlle ChrlsLlans, ln general,
belleve ln Lhe canon of Lhe 8lble, LhaL lL ls Lhe lnsplred Word of Cod, Lhey
have creaLed for Lhemselves a canon wlLhln a canon. And Lhls smaller
modlfled canon does noL lnclude Lhe Cld 1esLamenL, wlLh Lhe excepLlon of
salms and roverbs, of course.

"8uL why was aul maklng reference Lo Lhe Cld 1esLamenL. Was he Lrylng Lo
brlng us back lnLo bondage Lo Lhe law? We are no longer under law buL under
grace, you know?" aul wasn'L Lrylng Lo brlng us back Lo Lhe law or Lhe Cld
CovenanL. We are now under Lhe new CovenanL ln ChrlsL. 8uL whlle Lhe
covenanL be have changed, Lhe Cod who made Lhe covenanL wlLh man hasn'L
changed - Pe changes noL. 1here ls an lnLeresLlng and lmporLanL parallellsm
beLween Lhe Cld 1esLamenL, speclflcally Lhe 1orah, and aul's leLLer Lo Lhe
8omans.

1herefore..

8omans 12:1 opens wlLh Lhe word Lherefore". 1hls word lndlcaLes LhaL whaL
proceeds afLer lL ls Lhe concluslon Lo whaL preceded lL. lrom chapLers 1-3,
aul hlghllghLs Lhe slnfulness of manklnd and how lL ls deservlng only of Cod's
wraLh. And even wlLh Lhe law, !ews are noL exempLed from Cod's wraLh
because no one can be [usLlfled by Lhe works of Lhe law. !usLlflcaLlon ls only
posslble by falLh ln ChrlsL.

1he sacrlflclal sysLem ls found ln Lhe book of LevlLlcus, and Lhe book of
LevlLlcus ls sLraLeglcally slLuaLed ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe 1orah, whlch comprlses
flves books wrlLLen by Moses. l say sLraLeglc because before Lelllng Lhe
lsraellLes whaL Cod requlred of Lhem, Moses had flrsL Lo show Lhem whaL Cod
had done for Lhem. Pow Pe dellvered Lhem from bondage, desLroy
Lhe pursulng LgypLlan army, parLed Lhe 8ed Sea and caused Lhem Lo cross
over Lo Lhe oLher slde on dry ground. Pow he led Lhem Lhrough Lhe
wllderness by a plllar of flre and cloud. And how Pe fed Lhem wlLh manna
dally. Cn Lhe accounL of all LhaL Cod had done, Lhe leasL Lhe lsraellLes could
do was Lo worshlp Plm.

ln Lhe same manner, aul placed docLrlne before exhorLaLlon. 8eglnnlng from
8omans 1, aul showed Lhe depravlLy of man - all have slnned and fallen shorL
of Lhe glory of Cod. Pe also showed Lhe love of Cod, ln LhaL whlle we were yeL
slnners, ChrlsL dled for us. ln vlew of all LhaL Cod has done, aul calls us
Lo presenL our bodles as a llvlng sacrlflce" Lo Cod. 1hls ls our splrlLual
worshlp. ln some LranslaLlon lL ls rendered as reasonable worshlp", lmplylng
LhaL lL ls noL Loo hlgh a Lhlng Lo ask.

present...

Whlle Cod would be LoLally [usLlfled ln demandlng our worshlp, Pe prefers Lo
glve us Lhe freedom and opporLunlLy Lo do so wllllngly. Cod loves a cheerful
glver. Pe knows LhaL we are weak, and so, havlng called us, Pe also empowers
us wlLh Pls grace Lo obey Plm. Pe who calls you ls falLhful. And Pe ls able Lo
keep you from falllng.

your bod|es...

?ou mlghL be wonderlng why Cod requlres, of all Lhlngs, our bodles. Should
we be glvlng Cod our hearLs and our souls? 1hls ls whaL many ChrlsLlans are
used Lo dolng. 1hey have learned lL from songs LhaL Lhey slng. 8uL aul here
urges ChrlsLlans Lo glve Lo Cod Lhelr bodles because lL ls wlLh Lhelr bodles LhaL
Lhey elLher serve sln or Cod. Larller ln aul's eplsLle, aul calls bellevers Lo
presenL Lhe members of Lhelr bodles Lo Cod so LhaL Lhey would use Lhem for
unrlghLeousness and sln (8om 6:13, 19). lL ls lnLeresLlng LhaL ln all of our
worshlp, we have glven (or aLLempLed Lo glve) Cod every parL of our belng
excepL Lhe parL LhaL Pe has expllclLly asked for: our bodles.

Cod ls very concreLe buL we prefer Lo be vague and absLracL. Whlle Cod
wanLs our bodles, we prefer Lo glve Plm our hearLs, our souls, and our
words. We have made ourselves belleve LhaL slnce Cod sees Lhe hearL, lL ls
Lhe hearL (or lnLenL of Lhe hearL) LhaL maLLer mosL. 1haL's wrong. 8ecause for
a graLeful lsraellLe, Cod ls noL please unLll he brlngs an anlmal and offers lL aL
Lhe alLar as a eace Cfferlng. (We wlll dlscuss ln greaLer deLall Lhe varlous
offerlngs ln a laLer lesson.)

A harlsee asked !esus, ls lL rlghL Lo pay Laxes Lo Ceasar?" !esus asked LhaL a
coln be glven Lo Plm. Looklng aL Lhe coln Pe asked, Whose lmage do you see
on Lhe coln?" 1hey answered, Ceasar's". 1hen render Lo Cesar whaL belongs
Lo Ceaser, and Lo Cod whaL belongs Lo Cod." 1he man should have followed
up wlLh Lhls quesLlon, WhaL belongs Lo Cod?" !esus would have answered,
Whose lmage ls on you?"

as a ||v|ng sacr|f|ce, ho|y and acceptab|e.

1. A sacr|f|ce |s ho|y
lL was noL by accldenL LhaL aul used Lhe words sacrlflce" and holy" ln Lhe
same senLence. 1haL's because a sacrlflce cannoL be anyLhlng less Lhan holy ln
Lwo ways. llrsL, a sacrlflce ls holy because lL had been seL aparL or
consecraLed. 1he Pebrew word for consecraLlon ls kadosh", whlch also
means holy". Pence, a sacrlflce ls holy unLo Lhe Lord - lL belongs Lo Cod. ln
oLher parLs of Lhe 8lble, Lhe Lerm devoLed Lhlng" ls used Lo descrlbe Lhlngs
LhaL are Lo be consecraLed Lo Cod. ln numbers 18:14, Cod Lold Aaron, "Lvery
devoLed Lhlng ln lsrael shall be yours." 8y LhaL, Pe was referrlng Lo Lhe LlLhes
and offerlngs (Lhe burnL offerlng, Lhe food offerlng, and Lhe peace offerlng) of
Lhe lsraellLes.

Second, a sacrlflce ls holy ln LhaL ls musL be wlLhouL blemlsh or faulL.

!usL as l am" ls a popular ChrlsLlan hymn. lL speaks of Lhe mercy and grace of
Cod who recelves wlLh open arms all who come Lo Plm. 8uL mosL do
noL reallse LhaL Lhls applles only Lo slnners slnce Lhey have no power Lo
change anyLhlng abouL Lhemselves so as Lo quallfy Lo be ln Cod's presence.
Someone who has been redeemed and [usLlfled ls no longer a slnner buL a
salnL. Pe has Lhe grace of Cod ln hlm ln Lhe person of Lhe Poly SplrlL who ls
Lhe empowermenL for hollness. So, whlle a slnner may come Lo Cod [usL as he
ls, a salnL musL be holy Lo be accepLable by Cod.

2. A sacr|f|ce be|ongs to God.

A sacrlflce ls someLhlng LhaL belongs Lo Cod. And Lyplcally, as we wlll see from
ScrlpLure, Lhere are Lwo ways LhaL Cod deals wlLh Lhese Lhlngs. 8efore Lhe
lsraellLes aLLacked !erlcho, Cod lnsLrucLed !oshua Lo desLroy Lhe whole clLy
and everyLhlng ln lL, lncludlng men, women and chlld, by flre. 1hls was Lo
prevenL anyone from havlng possesslon of Lhem. Slnce Lhey belonged Lo Cod,
no one should have Lhem.

MosL of our worshlp has passlon buL no LruLh, song buL no harmony (wlLh
Cod), hearL buL no splrlL, alLar and sacrlflce buL no flre. 1hls ls whaL 1ozer sees
as Lhe problem wlLh currenL evangellcallsm:

cotteot evooqellcollsm bos lolJ tbe oltot ooJ JlvlJeJ tbe soctlflce loto potts,
bot oow seems sotlsfleJ to cooot tbe stooes ooJ teottooqe tbe pleces wltb
oevet o cote tbot tbete ls oot o slqo of flte opoo tbe top of lofty cotmel. (A w
1ozet. 1be lotsolt of CoJ. ltefoce.)

1here musL be flre on Lhe alLar. When Lhere ls no flre, Lhere wlll be no smoke
(rlslng up from Lhe offerlng). And lf Lhere ls no smoke, Lhe offerlng wlll noL be
a sweeL aroma Lo Cod.
It pa|ns me to say - and I know |t pa|ns God even more - that a d|fferent k|nd
of smoke |s r|s|ng up out of modern worsh|p. It |s not the smoke that |s
produced w|th ho|y f|re meets a sacred offer|ng, but |t |s the smoke that
comes from a smoke mach|ne.

1hls remlnds me of someLhlng A.W. 1ozer sald many years ago. Pe sald:

"A cbotcb tbot coot wotsblp most be eotettoloeJ, ooJ people wbo coot leoJ
o cbotcb to wotsblp most ptovlJe eotettolomeot. A w 1ozet

noL everyLhlng from Lhe clLy of !erlcho was desLroyed by flre. All "Lhe gold
and sllver and arLlcles of bronze and lron" were puL lnLo Lhe Lord's Lreasury
for fuLure use (!osh 3:18-19). 1hey were used laLer ln Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe
1abernacle. lrom Lhls we can undersLand why Cod ls calllng us Lo be a llvlng
sacrlflce". We are Lo be a sacrlflce LhaL ls burned by flre buL yeL noL desLroyed.
We are noL desLroyed because Cod wanLs Lo reserve us for Pls speclal
purpose.

3. A sacr|f|ce must NC1 be w|thhe|d.
Achan, however, coveLed some of Lhe devoLed Lhlngs. Speclflcally "a beauLlful
robe from 8abylonla, Lwo hundred shekels of sllver and a bar of gold welghlng
flfLy shekels" (7:21). Pe Look and hld Lhem ln Lhe ground under hls LenL.
1hese devoLed Lhlngs" Lurned lnLo accursed Lhlngs" and Lhose who
possessed Lhem were cursed as well. Achan and hls enLlre famlly pald for hls
sln wlLh Lhelr llves. And all Lhe accursed Lhlngs LhaL he Look were burned
LogeLher wlLh Lhem.

ln case you are Lhlnklng LhaL Lhls was how Lhlngs worked ln Lhe Cld 1esLamenL
buL noL ln Lhe new, leL me relaLed anoLher sLory Lo you - Lhls one from Lhe
new 1esLamenL - Lo show you lL lsn'L so.

Ananlas and Sapphlre were bellevers ln !erusalem afLer Lhe Poly SplrlL has
been poured ouL on enLecosL uay. And as Lhe SplrlL moved among and ln Lhe
hearLs of Lhe people, Lhey were convlcLed Lo sell all Lhey had, properLy and
possesslons, and Lo glve Lo any one who had need (AcLs 2:43). Ananlas and
Sapphlre were one amongsL Lhem. 1hey had declded Lo sell a plece of
properLy and Lo glve Lhe proceeds Lo Lhe aposLles. 8uL once Lhe sale was
LransacLed, Ananlas, wlLh hls wlfe's full knowledge, kepL back a parL of Lhe
proceeds for hlmself and broughL Lhe resL Lo Lhe aposLles. 1he Poly SplrlL
exposed Lhelr decepLlon and were slaln lnsLanLly before Lhe aposLles. 1hey
had wlLhheld a devoLed Lhlng and lL Lurned lnLo an accursed Lhlng.

lL ls good and wonderful LhaL you wlsh Lo devoLe yourself Lo Cod. 8uL be
warned. Cnce you have devoLed yourself Lo Cod, you musL noL pull back or
wlLhhold yourself from Cod - noL even parLlally. ?ou musL glve yourself wholly
Lo Lhe Lord or suffer Lhe consequences. !esus remlnded us LhaL "Anyone who
puLs a hand Lo Lhe plow and Lhen looks back ls noL flL for Lhe klngdom of Cod"
(Luke 9:62 nL1).


DLVC1ICNS

CurrenLly, ChrlsLlans all over Lhe world are dolng whaL ls called Lhelr CuleL
1lme whlch comprlses Lhree elemenLs: 8lble readlng, prayer, and
medlLaLlon. lL ls also called "personal 8lble sLudy" or "personal
devoLlons". 8lck Warren calls lL Lhe "mornlng waLch" and "appolnLmenL wlLh
Cod" (8lble SLudy MeLhods: 1welve Ways ?ou Can unlock Cod's Word by 8lck
Warren. Appendlx A.) roponenLs of Lhe concepL polnL ouL LhaL !esus ofLen
spenL Llme alone ln prayer: Luke 3:16 says LhaL "!esus ofLen wlLhdrew Lo
lonely places and prayed" (nlv). Leslle Pardln suggesLs LhaL Lhls was !esus'
CuleL 1lme: spendlng Llme ln prayer and fellowshlp wlLh Cod. (Leslle
Pardln, 1be 5pltltoollty of Iesos. Nloe ulsclplloes cbtlst MoJeleJ fot us, p.
28.) Lvangellcal Lheologlan Creg !ohnson has crlLlclsed Lhe way Lhe concepL ls
LreaLed by evangellcals as an almosL obllgaLory parL of a relaLlonshlp wlLh Cod.
Pe emphaslsed LhaL Lhe pracLlce ls noL commanded ln Lhe 8lble, and was noL
even posslble for many cenLurles, unLll Lhe prlnLlng press and cerLaln
economlc condlLlons enabled mosL ChrlsLlans Lo own Lhelr own coples of Lhe
8lble (lreedom from CuleL 1lme
CullL hLLp://gregscouch.homesLead.com/flles/CuleL_1lme_CullL.hLm)

l Lhlnk LhaL lL does noL maLLer whaL you call lL: CulLe 1lme, or ersonal
uevoLlons, and so on, readlng Lhe 8lble dally and praylng ls a good hablL for
ChrlsLlans Lo develop. MosL aren'L dolng enough Lo begln wlLh. ln facL, l would
recommend every ChrlsLlan Lo have a ersonal 8lble SLudy lan on Lop of
Lhelr CuleL 1lme. 8uL LhaL's [usL me.

8uL are 8lble readlng and prayer and medlaLlon enough Lo malnLaln our walk
wlLh Cod and draw us closer Lo Plm? Can Lhey make us more llke ChrlsL? My
experlence and Lhe experlence of many says 'no'. AL besL, we would learn
someLhlng from Lhe 8lble buL knowledge only puffs up a man. lf dolng CuleL
1lme had could Lransform your llfe, don'L you Lhlnk you would do lL more
regularly - everyday perhaps? 8uL because lL lsn'L, many ChrlsLlan elLher do lL
hurrledly, [usL golng Lhrough Lhe moLlons, do Lhe mlnlmum by readlng a page
from a devoLlonal, or noL do lL aL all.

l puL lL Lo you LhaL Lhere ls an elemenL, aparL from 8lble readlng, prayer and
medlLaLlon, LhaL ls mlsslng from our CuleL 1lme. lL ls Lhe elemenL of worshlp -
and l don'L mean slnglng worshlp songs. lL ls Lhe presenLaLlon of our whole
belng aL Lhe alLar of sacrlflce and Lo be consumed by Cod Lhe Consumlng llre
unLll Lhere ls noLhlng lefL. 1hls worshlp ls Lhe process by whlch we decrease so
LhaL Pe may lncrease ln our llves.

ln Lhe Cld 1esLamenL, Lhe prlesLs Lhemselves were requlred Lo presenL a
burnL offerlng, once ln Lhe mornlng and anoLher Llme ln Lhe evenlng. 1hls
offerlng was known as tomlJ, or dally offerlng. lf you conslder yourself as parL
of Lhe rlesLhood of 8ellevers, Lhen Lhls ls whaL you oughL Lo do also. resenL
yourself as a llvlng sacrlflce dally, once ln Lhe mornlng and Lhen agaln ln Lhe
evenlng.


Songs for Worsh|p

ln Lhe second sesslon, we learned LhaL bowlng down ls Lhe mosL naLural
posLure for worshlp. Puman belngs, slnce Lhe earllesL clvlllzaLlons, bow before
Lhelr gods and Lhose whom Lhey honour. Abram bowed before Melchlzedek
and gave hlm a LenLh of all he had. !ob bowed down and worshlpped Cod
when everyLhlng had been Laken away from hlm. eLer fell aL !esus' feeL
when he reallsed who !esus really was. Who LaughL Lhem Lo do Lhls? no one.
lL ls, lL seems, how we have been hardwlred ln our mlnds Lo acL when we are
ln Lhe presence of a greaL belng.

Whlle bowlng down ls Lhe mosL naLural posLure for worshlp, slnglng, l submlL
Lo you, ls Lhe mosL naLural expresslon of pralse. 1he connecLlon slnglng has
wlLh pralse ls seen ln many of uavld's psalms, such as salm 92: "lL ls a good
Lhlng Lo glve Lhanks Lo Lhe Lord, and Lo slng pralse Lo ?our name, C MosL
Plgh, Lo declare ?our lovlng klndness ln Lhe mornlng and ?our falLhfulness
every nlghL." 1he ldlom "slnglng one's pralse" llkewlse shows Lhelr close
relaLlonshlp.

AfLer Lhe lsraellLes had crossed Lhe 8ed Sea, Lhey sang a song Lo Lhe Lord,
pralslng Plm for Lhe dellverance and vlcLory Pe had aLLalned for Lhem. AL 8eer,
where Cod gave waLer Lo Lhe lsraellLes, Lhey broke ouL ln song: Sprlng up, C
well." (num 21:16-17).

Moses was lsrael's flrsL song wrlLer of sorLs. AL Lhe end of lsrael's forLy-year
wllderness wanderlng, Moses was lnsLrucLed by Cod Lo wrlLe a song for Lhe
lsraellLes Lo slng (ueuL 31:19). 1hls song, Lhe Lord says, would be a wlLness
agalnsL Lhe people on Lhe day Lhey Lurn away from worshlpplng Cod. A
porLlon of lL has lnsplred a modern song LhaL goes:

Asctlbe qteotoess to oot CoJ, tbe kock
nls wotk ls petfect ooJ oll nls woys ote jost.
.....
A CoJ of foltbfoloess ooJ wltboot lojostlce
CooJ ooJ optlqbt ls ne.

AfLer Moses, lsrael dld noL have an offlclal songwrlLer unLll uavld came along.
uavld was lsrael's mosL prollflc songwrlLer. Whlle lL can be assumed LhaL mosL
of Lhe songs ln Lhe 8ook of salm was wrlLLen by uavld, noL all of Lhem can be
credlLed Lo hlm personally. Cod puL some of Lhem, accordlng Lo salm 40,
lnLo hls mouLh. 1hey began as a sLlrrlng by Lhe SplrlL wlLhln and came forLh as
propheLlc uLLerances. 1he word cholce here ls noL mlne buL Cod's because ln
1 Chronlcles 23: 1 & 4 we are Lold LhaL Lhe LevlLes uavld had appolnLed Lo
mlnlsLer ln song before Lhe ark of Lhe covenanL "prophesled...before Lhe
Lord". 1he auLhor could have slmply sald LhaL Lhey "sang" before Lhe Lord. 8uL,
no. lnsLead he sald LhaL Lhey prophesled, lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhey dld more Lhan
[usL slng per-wrlLLen songs buL were consLanLly senslLlve Lo and rellanL on Lhe
SplrlL. ln hls leLLer Lo Lhe 8omans, aul wroLe abouL Lhe SplrlL helplng us when
we do noL know how Lo pray. Pow much more do we need Plm Lo help us ln
pralse and worshlp. We musL noL assume LhaL we know how Lo pralse Cod.
CfLen, words fall us. SomeLlmes, Lhe songs we have do noL adequaLely reflecL
or express our graLlLude Lo and adoraLlon of Cod. WhaL ls needed ls a new
song, sLlrred and sLeered by Lhe Poly SplrlL. Pence, lL ls essenLlal for
worshlppers Lo be fllled and led by Lhe SplrlL. 1hls ls Lhe pre-condlLlon for
worshlpplng "ln splrlL and ln LruLh".

8eLurnlng Lo salm 40, uavld sLaLes LhaL as a resulL of Lhe new song LhaL Cod
has puL lnLo hls mouLh, "many wlll see whaL Pe has done and be amazed
[and] Lhey wlll puL Lhelr LrusL ln Lhe Lord". Pence, our pralse Lo Cod has Lhe
ablllLy Lo evoke falLh Lowards Cod ln oLhers. lf slnglng pralses Lo Cod ls llke
prophesylng, Lhen Lhe ouLcome has Lo be LhaL salnLs wlll be edlfled.

Slnglng pralses also has an educaLlonal funcLlon as seen from aul's
exhorLaLlon Lo Lhe Colosslans: "LeL Lhe word of ChrlsL dwell ln you rlchly,
Leachlng and admonlshlng one anoLher ln all wlsdom, slnglng psalms and
hymns and splrlLual songs, wlLh Lhankfulness ln your hearLs Lo Cod". l wlsh Lo
make Lwo observaLlons here. 1he flrsL ls: aul acknowledges boLh slnglng pre-
wrlLLen songs (psalm and hymns) and "new songs" LhaL are lnsplred by Lhe
SplrlL (splrlLual songs). 1he second ls LhaL lL helps LhaL Lhe word of ChrlsL ls
dwelllng rlchly ln Lhe worshlppers.

When uavld became klng, one of Lhe flrsL Lhlngs he dld was Lo puL some of
Lhe LevlLes ln charge of Lhe servlce of song ln Lhe house of Lhe Lord" (1 Chron
6:31). Pe appolnLed 4,000 LevlLes Lo "slng [oyful songs" Lo Lhe Lord wlLh
muslcal lnsLrumenLs: Lhe lyre, Lhe harps, Lhe cymbals and Lhe LrumpeLs, LhaL
he hlmself made (13:16 and 23:3) "kenanlah Lhe head LevlLe was puL ln
charge of Lhe slnglng because he was "sklllful aL lL" (23:22).

ln case you are under Lhe lmpresslon LhaL Lhe LevlLes were leadlng Lhe
chlldren of lsrael ln pralse on a regular basls, l wanL you Lo know LhaL lL was
noL Lhe case. 1he servlce of song Look place ln Lhe 1enL (1abernacle) and
before Lhe ark of Lhe covenanL (16:4-6), ouL of slghL from Lhe common
lsraellLe. 1he LevlLes were Lhe cholr and Lhe congregaLlon aL Lhe same Llme.
Cur presenL day church, has been modeled afLer a mlsconcepLlon. ln our
servlces, we have Lhe worshlp Leam leadlng Lhe congregaLlon ln worshlp.
lnvarlably, many worshlp servlces have Lurned lnLo performances of pop
concerL quallLy. And lnsLead of leadlng Lhe congregaLlon ln worshlp, Lhey have
made Lhem consumers, conLenL wlLh leLLlng Lhe "professlonals" worshlp on
Lhelr behalf. 1he LruLh ls, Lhe Poly SplrlL ls Lhe worshlp leader and every one
ln Lhe sancLuary, regardless of where you are slLLlng or sLandlng, a worshlpper.
Slnglng pralses Lo Cod ls Lhe mlnlsLry of every worshlpper, accordlng Lo
8eformed Lheologlan karl 8arLh. Pe polnLs ouL LhaL slnglng ls noL an opLlon
for Lhe people of Cod, lL ls one of Lhe essenLlal mlnlsLrles of Lhe church.

wbot we coo ooJ most soy polte cooflJeotly ls tbot tbe cbotcb wblcb Joes oot
sloq ls oot tbe cbotcb. AoJ wbete...lt Joes oot teolly sloq bot slqbs ooJ
mombles sposmoJlcolly, sbomefoceJly ooJ wltb oo lll qtoce, lt coo be ot best
ooly o ttoobleJ commoolty wblcb ls oot sote of lts coose ooJ of wbose mlolstty
ooJ wltoess tbete coo be oo qteot expectotloo....j2]


kAISL AND WCkSnI

AL Lhls [uncLure, lL would be beneflclal Lo ask and answer ls Lhere a
dlfference beLween ralse and Worshlp?"

?ou have probably heard Lhe followlng descrlpLlons drawlng a dlsLlncLlon
beLween pralse and worshlp:
- ralse ls oboot Cod, worshlp ls to Cod.
- ralse ls openlng up, worshlp ls enLerlng ln.
- ralse ls boldly declarlng, worshlp ls humbly bowlng ln Lhe presence of a
Poly Cod.
- ralse applauds whaL Cod bos Jooe, worshlp ls honorlng Cod for who Pe ls.
- !usL as pralse ls lnLerLwlned wlLh Lhanksglvlng, worshlp ls lnLerLwlned wlLh
surrender.

1here ls deflnlLely a loL of LruLh ln Lhese succlncL descrlpLlons. Some people
would emphaLlcally clalm LhaL pralse ls always assoclaLed wlLh slnglng loudly
Lo fasLer songs, clapplng, danclng, celebraLlng, and Lhanksglvlng, and worshlp
ls kneellng, bowlng, slnglng sofLly, lylng prosLraLe, eyes closed losL ln reverle.

8uL ls Lhls Loo slmpllsLlc?

1hls ls how l see pralse dlffers from worshlp from ScrlpLure.

ralse ls Lhe [oyful recounLlng of all Cod has done for us. lL ls closely
lnLerLwlned wlLh Lhanksglvlng as we offer back Lo Cod appreclaLlon for Pls
mlghLy works on our behalf. ralse ls unlversal and can be applled Lo oLher
relaLlonshlps as well. We can pralse our famlly, frlends, boss, or paperboy.
ralse does noL requlre anyLhlng of us. lL ls merely Lhe LruLhful
acknowledgmenL of Lhe rlghLeous acLs of anoLher. Slnce Cod has done many
wonderful deeds, Pe ls worLhy of pralse (salm 18:3).

Worshlp, however, comes from a dlfferenL place wlLhln our splrlLs. Worshlp
should be reserved for Cod alone (Luke 4:8). Worshlp ls Lhe arL of loslng self
ln Lhe adoraLlon of anoLher. ralse can be a parL of worshlp, buL worshlp goes
beyond pralse. ralse ls easy, worshlp ls noL. Worshlp geLs Lo Lhe hearL of who
we are. 1o Lruly worshlp Cod, we musL leL go of our self-worshlp. We musL be
wllllng Lo humble ourselves before Cod, surrender every parL of our llves Lo
Pls conLrol, and adore Plm for who Pe ls, noL [usL whaL Pe has done. Worshlp
ls a llfesLyle, noL [usL an occaslonal acLlvlLy. !esus sald Lhe laLher ls seeklng
Lhose who wlll worshlp Plm "ln splrlL and ln LruLh" (!ohn 4:23).


1nL SCNGS WL SING

nexL, we wlll focus on Lhe songs we slng durlng our pralse and worshlp Llmes.

Songs are powerful lnsLrumenLs, more powerful Lhan many of us reallse. Cyrll
ScoLL, an emlnenL 20Lh CenLury composer wroLe:

1be ptevoleot ootloo bolJs tbot styles of moslc ote metely tbe ootcome ooJ
exptessloo of clvlllzotloos ooJ ootloool feelloqs - tbot ls to soy tbot tbe
clvlllzotloo comes fltst, ooJ lts cbotoctetlstlc specles of moslc oftetwotJs. 8ot
oo exomlootloo of blstoty ptoves tbe ttotb to be exoctly tbe tevetse. oo
looovotloo lo moslcol style bos lovotlobly beeo followeJ by oo looovotloo lo
polltlcs ooJ motols.

1he Amerlcan phllosopher Penry uavld 1horeau (19Lh cenLury) wroLe

Moslc coo be lotoxlcotloq. 5ocb oppoteotly sllqbt cooses JesttoyeJ Cteece
ooJ kome, ooJ wlll Jesttoy oqlooJ ooJ Ametlco.

laLo sLaLes LhaL,

Moslcol looovotloo ls foll of Jooqet to tbe 5tote, fot wbeo moJes of moslc
cbooqe, tbe lows of tbe 5tote olwoys cbooqe wltb tbem. (llotos kepobllc.
1be 1beotte of tbe MloJ)

Cne of laLo's conLemporarles, uamon of ALhens, wroLe,

let me wtlte tbe sooqs of o ootloo, ooJ l cote oot wbo wtltes lts lows.

ln Lhe same veln, Lhe songs sung ln church noL only reflecLs Lhe Lheology of lLs
members, lL also shapes lL. 1herefore, lL ls cruclal Lo choose Lhe rlghL songs for
our corporaLe worshlp. unforLunaLely, church worshlp Leams are lncludlng
songs ln Lhelr worshlp seLs slmply because Lhey are Lhe laLesL or Lhe mosL
popular. Pow Lhen should worshlp leaders/pasLor selecL songs for worshlp?

1. SelecL songs LhaL reflecL Lhe LruLh, goodness and beauLy of Cod.

Slnce Lhe LnllghLenmenL, people have LhoughL abouL beauLy ln very dlfferenL
ways Lhan Lhey dld prevlously. 8efore, arL for lLs own sake dld noL exlsL, arLlsLs
creaLed "works of arL" for fooctloool purposes.[3] So, we musL ask whaL ls Lhe
purpose of songs ln corporaLe worshlp? 1he purpose of muslc ln corporaLe
worshlp ls Lo provlde bellevers wlLh Lhe opporLunlLy Lo medlLaLe on Cod's
greaLness and goodness, on Pls unsearchable aLLrlbuLes and Lhen Lo respond
Lo Lhe acLs of Cod. "C slng Lo Lhe Lord a new song, for Pe has done wonderful
Lhlngs" (s 98:1). Whenever Lhe lsraellLes experlenced dellverance, Lhey sang.
Lven !onah, who prayed from Lhe belly of Lhe greaL flsh, offered up shouLs of
graLeful pralse" (!onah 2:1-9).

"Muslc," says L C WhlLe, "was made Lo serve a holy purpose, Lo llfL Lhe
LhoughLs Lo LhaL whlch ls pure, noble, and elevaLlng, and Lo awaken ln Lhe
soul devoLlon and graLlLude Lo Cod"[4]

1he composlLlon, selecLlon and performance of muslc for chrlsLlan worshlp
merlLs serlous and careful reflecLlon because lL ls lnLended as a muslcal
offerlng for Lhe AlmlghLy Cod. Cod's Word and presence oughL Lo flll and
shape Lhe muslc of worshlp because Lhe Church ls Lhe Lemple of Lhe llvlng
Cod and lL maLLers whaL klnd of offerlngs we presenL Lo Lhe Lord, muslc
lncluded. CorporaLe worshlp muslc funcLlons ln parL as a proclamaLlon of
Cod's aLLrlbuLes and acLlons by people who dellghL ln hlm[3].

1here are many good songs LhaL are based on real-llfe experlences of Lhe
songwrlLers. Cne such song ls lL ls Well (wlLh my soul) penned by PoraLlo
Spafford and composed by hlllp 8llss ln 1873.

1hls hymn was wrlLLen afLer LraumaLlc evenLs ln Spafford's llfe. 1he flrsL was
Lhe deaLh of Lhelr only son from ScarleL lever ln 1870. Second was Lhe 1871
CreaL Chlcago llre whlch rulned hlm flnanclally (he had been a
successful lawyer and had lnvesLed slgnlflcanLly ln properLy ln Lhe area of
Chlcago whlch was declmaLed by Lhe greaL flre). Pls buslness lnLeresLs were
furLher hlL by Lhe economlc downLurn of 1873 aL whlch Llme he had planned
Lo Lravel Lo Lurope wlLh hls famlly on Lhe 55 vllle Jo novte. ln a laLe change of
plan, he senL Lhe famlly ahead whlle he was delayed on buslness concernlng
zonlng problems followlng Lhe CreaL Chlcago llre. Whlle crosslng Lhe ALlanLlc,
Lhe shlp sank rapldly afLer a colllslon wlLh a sea vessel, Lhe locb oto, and all
four of Spafford's daughLers dled. Pls wlfe Anna survlved and senL hlm Lhe
now famous Lelegram, "Saved alone .". ShorLly afLerwards, as Spafford
Lraveled Lo meeL hls grlevlng wlfe, he was lnsplred Lo wrlLe Lhese words as hls
shlp passed near where hls daughLers had dled[6].

!usL llke every verse of ScrlpLure ls slLuaLed wlLhln ln a conLexL and musL be
lnLerpreLed accordlng Lo lL, every song also has a conLexL and lL musL be Laken
lnLo conslderaLlon for Lhe song Lo be fully appreclaLed.

1he same cannoL be sald for many of modern ChrlsLlan songs. Some Llmes l
feel - and Lhls ls LoLally my feellng - LhaL songs are wrlLLen [usL Lo flll an
album.

As a slde noLe, Lhere are churches Loday LhaL slng secular songs durlng Lhe
corporaLe Llme. 1hese are mosLly Lhose churches LhaL wanL Lo Lhe seeker
frlendly". ?ou can read uon Chapman's experlence and declde for yourself lf lL
ls a good ldea or noL. [7]

Songs LhaL proclalm Lhe goodness and greaLness of Cod musL be Cod-
cenLered. 1hls ls loglcal. Cne way Lo Lell lf a song ls Cod-cenLered ls my
counLlng Lhe pronouns LhaL refer Lo Cod: Pe", Pls", Plm", eLc. l am noL
saylng LhaL songs cannoL have pronouns l", me", we", or us". 1hey [usL
should noL ouL-number Lhe references of Cod

A couple of years ago, a pasLor of a church had conLacLed Parland asklng for
help as Lhe worshlp aL hls church had grown cold. As a soluLlon, Lhe pasLor
wanLed Lo sLarL a conLemporary worshlp servlce.
8uL when Parland vlslLed Lhe church, he found LhaL Lhe muslc sLyle wasn'L Lhe
lssue. 8aLher, Lhe people ln Lhe church [usL were noL respondlng.
Pe Lold Lhe pasLor, "lf your worshlp has grown cold, lL's noL because you
selecLed Lhe wrong muslc sLyle or you're maklng some klnd of Lechnologlcal
mlssLep. lf worshlp ls a response Lo Cod's revelaLlon and lf your people are
noL worshlpplng Lhen Lhey're noL seelng who Pe ls."
(hLLp://www.chrlsLlanposL.com/news/Lexas-pasLor-worshlp-ls-abouL-chrlsL-
noL-lmpresslng-crowds-46673/)
2. SelecL songs LhaL are wrlLLen by SplrlL-fllled ChrlsLlans.

1here are many ChrlsLlan arLlsLs ouL Lhere Loday, each one wrlLlng Lhelr own
songs for pralse and worshlp. Some of Lhem have won awards for Lhelr work.
uoes Lhls mean LhaL Lhelr songs are flL for consumpLlon by churches. CerLalnly
noL. Worshlp leaders and pasLors musL do Lhelr homework. 1hey musL
research Lhe background of Lhe arLlsLs and see lf Lhey are solld" ChrlsLlans or
merely LalenLed arLlsLs.

3. SelecL songs LhaL every one can slng.

LaLely, l've been sLruggllng somewhaL durlng corporaLe worshlp Llmes. 1here
are a few reasons for Lhls. Cne of Lhem ls Lhe unfamlllarlLy of Lhe songs LhaL
are sung. l have noL been keeplng up wlLh Lhe Llmes, so Lo speak, and Lhe new
songs LhaL are ln Lhe markeL" Loday. 1hls ls a very common problem and ls
one reason why men have sLopped slnglng ln church, accordlng Lo an arLlcle
whlch l have quoLed ln parL below:

lltst, o vety polck blstoty of cooqteqotloool sloqloq.

8efote tbe kefotmotloo, loypetsoos wete oot olloweJ to sloq lo cbotcb. 1bey
wete expecteJ to stooJ mote os socteJ moslc wos petfotmeJ by ptofessloools
(ptlests ooJ cootots), ployeJ oo complex losttomeots (plpe otqoos), ooJ sooq
lo oo obscote looqooqe (lotlo).

kefotmets qove wotsblp bock to tbe people lo tbe fotm of cooqteqotloool
sloqloq. 1bey composeJ slmple tooes tbot wete eosy to sloq, ooJ moteJ tbem
wltb tbeoloqlcolly tlcb lytlcs. 5loce most people wete lllltetote lo tbe 16tb
ceototy, sloqloq become oo effectlve fotm of cotecblsm. cooqteqoots leotoeJ
oboot CoJ os tbey sooq oboot CoJ.

A tecbooloqlcol oJvooce - tbe ptlotloq ptess - leJ to oo explosloo of
cooqteqotloool sloqloq. 1be fltst bymool wos ptloteJ lo 15J2, ooJ sooo o few
Jozeo bymos become stooJotJs octoss cbtlsteoJom. nymools slowly qtew
ovet tbe oext foot ceototles. 8y tbe mlJ 20tb ceototy evety ltotestoot cbotcb
boJ o bymool of oboot 1000 sooqs, 250 of wblcb wete teqolotly sooq. lo tbe
cbotcb of my yootb, evetyooe plckeJ op o bymool ooJ sooq evety vetse of
evety sooq.

Aboot 20 yeots oqo o oew tecbooloqlcol oJvooce - tbe compotet coottolleJ
ptojectloo scteeo - eoteteJ Ametlcos sooctootles. 5oJJeoly cbotcbes coolJ
ptoject sooq lytlcs fot oll to see. nymools become obsolete. No looqet wete
cbtlstloos llmlteJ to 1,000 sooqs booJeJ Jowo by oot elJets.

At fltst, cbotcbes slmply ptojecteJ tbe sooqs evetyooe koew - bymos ooJ o
few slmple ptolse sooqs tbot boJ come oot of tbe Iesos Movemeot. leople
sooq tobostly.

8ot tbot beqoo to cbooqe oboot teo yeots oqo. wotsblp leoJets teollzeJ tbey
coolJ ptoject ooytbloq oo tbot scteeo. 5o tbey btooqbt lo oew sooqs eocb
week. 1bey Jtew ftom tbe toJlo, tbe lotetoet, ooJ wotsblp coofeteoces. 5ome
beqoo composloq tbelt owo sooqs, petfotmloq tbem Jotloq wotsblp, ooJ
sellloq tbem oo cu oftet cbotcb.

lo sbott otJet we weot ftom 250 sooqs evetyooe koows to 250,000- sooqs
ooboJy koows. (wby meo bove stoppeJ sloqloq lo
cbotcb? bttp.//www.potbeos.com/bloqs/ofewqtowomeo/201J/05/wby-meo-
bove-stoppeJ-sloqloq-lo-cbotcb/)


Accordlng Lo LlfeWay Worshlp ulrecLor Mlke Parland, Lhe modern sLage-
drlven worshlp aLmosphere glves people an excuse Lo be specLaLors lnsLead
of parLlclpaLors.

Lllllan kwon wrlLes ln Lhe ChrlsLlan osL, Whlle Lhe congregaLlon ls lefL ln Lhe
dark under dlm llghLs, sLage llghLs place Lhe focus on Lhe glfLed worshlp
leader - who has ln-ear monlLors and who slngs songs ln a key LhaL besL flLs
hlm or her. 1he worshlp leader can'L hear Lhe congregaLlon or see Lhe
congregaLlon and 'Lhey don'L even know LhaL Lhe congregaLlon ls noL even
slnglng,' Parland sald."
- See more aL: hLLp://churchformen.com/uncaLegorlzed/have-chrlsLlans-
sLopped-slnglng/#sLhash.[aZWzop.dpuf

1here ls anoLher reason for my sLruggle and lL has Lo do wlLh Lhe words of Lhe
songs. LlLher Lhey are noL compleLely Lheologlcally accuraLe or Lhey are noL
someLhlng l would say fllppanLly. lor example, Lhere ls a chorus of a song LhaL
goes: Lord l glve you my hearL, l glve you my soul, l llve for you alone."
lnsLead of slnglng lL, shouldn'L we slmply be dolng lL? uoes Cod wanL Lo hear
us say LhaL we wanL Lo glve Plm our hearLs, or does Pe wanL our hearLs? uld
aul say Lell Cod LhaL you wanL Lo presenL your bodles as a llvlng sacrlflce Lo
Plm", or dld he say Lo presenL your bodles as a llvlng sacrlflce"? Solomon
gave us Lhls advlce: LeL your words be few" (Lccl 3:2). uo noL make vows -
such as Lhe one l [usL menLloned - LhaL you are unable or have no lnLenLlon of
keeplng.

llnally, l Lhlnk LhaL Lhe songs we slng ln corporaLe worshlp oughL Lo be slmple
and sound. Slmple Lo Lhe polnL LhaL even chlldren can slng Lhem. AfLer all,
dldn'L !esus say LhaL ouL of Lhe mouLhs of babes he has ordalned pralse (MaLL
21:16)?



[2] karl 8arLh, Church uogmaLlcs, vol. lv, parL 3, chapLer 16, par. 72, #4.
[3] P 8 8ookmaaker, ArL needs no !usLlflcaLlon, p.70
[4] aLrlarchs and ropheLs, p.394, by L.C. WhlLe
[3] aul wesLermeyer, 1he PearL of Lhe MaLLer: Church Muslc as ralse,
rayer, roclamaLlon, SLory, and ClfL, p.31-33
[6] 1he Amerlcan Colony ln !erusalem, 1870-2006. 8eLrelved May 2, 2013
[7] hLLp://www.charlsmanews.com/oplnlon/43193-should-worshlp-leaders-
slng-secular-songs-ln-church


8u||d|ng A|tars

AlLar bulldlng was qulLe common ln Lhe 8lble, especlally ln Lhe Cld 1esLamenL.
LeL's look aL some examples and see lf we can flnd some slmllarlLles beLween
Lhem.

Lxample 1:
An alLar ls a sLone sLrucLure on whlch anlmal sacrlflces are offered Lo Cod or
gods. 1he very flrsL person Lo have offered an anlmal sacrlflce was Abel. An
even Lhough lL was noL menLloned LhaL he had bullL an alLar we can qulLe
safely presume LhaL he dld.

Cenesls 4:3-4 Lells us LhaL ln Lhe course of Llme" Caln and Abel boLh broughL
Lhelr offerlngs Lo Lhe Lord. Caln broughL an offerlng of Lhe frulL of Lhe ground"
and Abel broughL Lhe flrsLborn of hls flock and of Lhelr faL porLlons". llrsL of
all, Lhe phrase ln Lhe course of Llme" ls llLerally aL Lhe end of days" ln
Pebrew whlch can be a reference Lo elLher Lhe weekly SabbaLh, aL harvesL
Llme, or an appolnLed Llme ln a year. lrom Lhe descrlpLlon of Lhe offerlngs
LhaL Lhey broughL we can deduce LhaL lL was mosL llkely Lhe offerlng
commanded ln Lxodus 22:29-30: ?ou shall noL delay Lo offer from Lhe
fullness of your harvesL and from Lhe ouLflow of your presses. 1he flrsLborn of
your sons you shall glve Lo me. ?ou shall do Lhe same wlLh your oxen and wlLh
your sheep: seven days lL shall be wlLh lLs moLher, on Lhe elghLh day you shall
glve lL Lo me." Slnce boLh Lhese offerlngs are Llme senslLlve, lL ls unllkely Lhey
were offered aL Lhe same Llme. Cne was offered some Llme afLer Lhe oLher.

1hen lL sLaLes LhaL Cod had regard for Abel and hls offerlng buL noL so for Caln
and hls offerlng (v.3). LaLer, Cod sald Lo Caln, lf you do whaL ls rlghL, wlll you
noL be accepLed?" (v.7). lL wasn'L Lhe quallLy of hls offerlng LhaL dlspleased
Cod. Caln had done some Lhlng wrong, and wrong usually means a vlolaLlon
of Lhe wlll and word of Cod. 8uL whaL was lL? lf Lhe command ln LevlLlcus
23:12 applled, Lhen Caln lacked a burnL offerlng conslsLlng of a male lamb a
year old wlLhouL blemlsh" whlch should have accompanled hls flrsLfrulL
offerlng.

Lxample 2:
1he nexL person Lo have bullL an alLar and sacrlflced on lL was noah. Pe "bullL
an alLar Lo Lhe LC8u and, Laklng some of all Lhe clean anlmals and clean blrds,
he sacrlflced burnL offerlngs on lL." (Cen 8:20 nlv). Pe dld so afLer he had lefL
Lhe ark. Pence, we can safely conclude LhaL noah offered Lhe sacrlflce as a
Lhanksglvlng for Lhe proLecLlon afforded by Cod Lhrough Lhe duraLlon of Lhe
flood.

Lxample 3:
Abraham also bullL an alLar. ln facL, he bullL more Lhan one. 1he flrsL was
bullL soon afLer he sLepped lnLo Lhe land of Canaan - aL Shechem - and Lhe
Lord appeared Lo hlm, saylng, l wlll glve Lhls land Lo your descendanLs" (Cen
12:7). Abraham musL have been boLh relleved LhaL he had flnally arrlved aL
Lhe land and Lhankful Lo Cod for leadlng hlm here. So ln graLlLude and
Lhankfulness for Cod's grace and Lhe glfL of Lhe land Lo hls offsprlng, he bullL
an alLar Lo honour Lhe Lord. Cn Lhls alLar Abraham no doubL offered a
sacrlflce.

lrom here Abraham Lraveled Lo Lhe mounLalns easL of 8eLhel and plLched hls
LenL Lhere, symbollslng LhaL he had chosen Lo seLLle Lhere. 1here he bullL
anoLher alLar Lo honour Lhe Lord, and he worshlpped Lhe Lord Lhere" (verse
8). 1hls was noL Lo be llke Lhe alLar he bullL prevlously, a monumenL Lo mark a
parLlcular evenL, buL one on whlch he would make regular offerlngs. 1he
verse sLaLes LhaL Abraham called on Lhe name of Lhe Lord". 1hls phrase
means LhaL Abraham placed hls LrusL ln Lhe Lord..buL only unLll Lhe famlne.

lor Lhe duraLlon of Lhe famlne, Abraham and hls famlly so[ourned ln LgypL.
When Lhe famlne had ended, Abraham lefL LgypL and reLurned Lo Lhe place
beLween 8eLhel and Al where he had bullL an alLar. 1here he called on Lhe
name of Lhe Lord" agaln (Cen 13:1-4).

Lxample 4:
1he nexL person Lo have bullL an alLar was !acob. Pe was runnlng away from
hls enraged broLher Lsau and was headlng Lo hls uncle's aL addan-aram. AL
sunseL, !acob lald down Lo resL. As he slepL, he dreamL of a ladder whose Lop
reached Lo heaven, and angels of Cod were ascendlng and descendlng on lL.
And, behold, Lhe Lord sLood above lL and sald, 'l am Lhe Lord, Lhe Cod of
Abraham you faLher and Lhe Cod of lsaac' (Cen 28:10-13). lrlghLened by Lhe
dream, !acob awoke from hls sleep, he sald, Surely Lhe Lord ls ln Lhls place,
and l dld noL know lL" (verse 16). Larly ln Lhe mornlng !acob seL up a sLone
plllar as a monumenL and made Lhls vow: lf Cod wlll be wlLh me and wlll
keep me ln Lhls way LhaL l go, and wlll glve me bread Lo eaL and cloLhlng Lo
wear, so LhaL l come agaln Lo my faLher's house ln peace, Lhen Lhe LC8u shall
be my Cod, and Lhls sLone, whlch l have seL up for a plllar, shall be Cod's
house. And of all LhaL you glve me l wlll glve a full LenLh Lo you" (verses 20-22).

Lxample 3:
lasL-forward LwenLy years and !acob arrlved safely aL Shechem.
8ememberlng hls vow Lo Lhe Lord, he bullL an alLar and named lL Ll-Llohe-
lsrael (33:18-20). Pe bullL Lhe alLar Lo fulfll hls vow LhaL Lhe Lord wlll be hls
Cod.

Lxample 3:Moses Loo was an alLar-bullder. Pe bullL an alLar afLer Cod had
glven !oshua and Lhe lsraellLes vlcLory over Lhe AmaleklLes, and called lL L he
Lord ls my 8anner" (Lx 17:13-13).

Lxample 6:
AfLer havlng been on Lhe mounLaln of Cod for forLy days, Moses flnally comes
down and relays Lo Lhe people all LhaL Cod had sald, WlLh one volce, Lhe
people answered, All Lhe words LhaL Lhe Lord has spoken we wlll do." So
Moses wroLe down all Lhe words of Lhe Lord. 1hls documenL would become
Lhe legal documenL of Lhe covenanL LhaL Cod was esLabllshlng wlLh Pls people.
1he nexL day, Moses rose early and bullL an alLar aL Lhe fooL of Lhe mounLaln
and Lwelve plllars nexL Lo lL, represenLlng Lhe Lwelve Lrlbes of lsrael. ?oung
men of lsrael, presumably from each Lrlbe, were Lhen asslgned Lo offer burnL
offerlngs and peace offerlngs Lo Lhe Lord. lL was a [ob for young men because
lL lnvolved a loL of haullng of heavy anlmals such as bulls and oxen and sheep.
1he blood of Lhe anlmals were used Lo seal Lhe covenanL. (Lx 24:1-8).

Lxample 7:
And, our lasL example for Loday ls !oshua. !oshua bullL an alLar for Lhe Lord on
MounL Lbal and offered burnL offerlng on lL. 1he people also gave fellowshlp
offerlngs (!osh 8:30-31).

ln all of Lhe examples we've [usL looked aL, wlLh Lhe excepLlon of Lhe lasL one,
Lhe offerlngs predaLed Lhose prescrlbed under Lhe Mosalc Law. ln a sense,
Lhey were Lhelr forerunners. no menLlon, however, was menLloned of whaL
was offered up ln Lhe examples [usL menLloned buL we can qulLe safely
presume LhaL ln mosL cases anlmals were used. under Lhe Mosalc Law, Cod
speclfles Lhe lLems LhaL may be offered by an lsraellLe.

1ypes of offer|ngs

ln Lhe flrsL flve chapLers, Cod glves lnsLrucLlons regardlng 3 dlfferenL offerlngs
LhaL an lsraellLe can brlng dependlng on Lhe occaslon and purpose.

lf, for example, he has slnned or Lransgressed one of Cod's commandmenLs,
Lhen he may brlng elLher a Sln or 1respass offerlng.
ls Lhere a dlfference beLween Lhe Lwo offerlngs?

1he sln offerlng and Lhe Lrespass offerlng, Lhough dlfferlng ln deLall, were
exacLly Lhe same ln characLer and prlnclple. Some persons, l am aware, have
LhoughL LhaL Lhe sln offerlng deals more wlLh Lhe sln ln our naLure and Lhe
Lrespass offerlng wlLh acLs of sln commlLLed by us. 1hls poses Lwo problems.
1he flrsL ls, Lhe sln naLure cannoL be aLoned for. lL musL be reslsLed and
overcome - whlch !esus dld. ln splLe of Lhe facL LhaL !esus was broughL forLh ln
lnlqulLy and concelved ln sln, accordlng Lo uavld, Pe overcame Pls propenslLy
Lo sln and remalned slnless even Lhough Pe was LempLed ln every way (Peb
4:13). Secondly, lf Lhe Sln Cfferlng ls for Lhe sln naLure ln us, Lhen we would all
have Lo brlng lL everyday regardless of wheLher we have slnned/Lrespassed or
noL.

1he reason l belleve LhaL Lhe Sln Cfferlng and 1respass Cfferlng are Lhe same
ln prlnclple ls because boLh are for Lhe aLonemenL for slns commlLLed
unlnLenLlonally (See Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 33, 3:6, 10, 13). AddlLlonally, Lhe
appearance of Lhe phrase he shall be forglven" ln Lhe LexL for boLh offerlngs
lndlcaLes LhaL Lhey have ldenLlcal funcLlons (4:20, 26, 31, 3:10, 13, 16, 18).
Pavlng sald LhaL, Lhelr lndlvldual coverage dlffer from one anoLher. 1he
1respass Cfferlng covers speclflc acLs of sln such as noL LesLlfylng ln a courL
hearlng (3:1), Louchlng an unclean Lhlng (3:2), Louchlng human uncleanness
(3:3), and maklng a rash oaLh (3:4). 1he Sln Cfferlng covers all oLher acLs of sln
commlLLed unlnLenLlonally.

lf he has noL commlLLed any sln, Lhen he may brlng any of Lhe oLher Lhree
offerlngs: (1) Lhe 8urnL Cfferlng, (2) Lhe Meal Cfferlng, (3) and Lhe eace
Cfferlng. 8ecause Lhey are noL for Lhe aLonemenL of sln Lhey produce
a sooLhlng aroma" when offered on Lhe alLar.

ln general, whlle Lhe flrsL Lwo (Sln and 1respass Cfferlngs) served Lo 8LAl8
Lhe worshlpper's broken communlon wlLh Cod, Lhe lasL Lhree served Lo
MAln1Aln Lhe worshlpper's communlon wlLh Cod. 1he order ln whlch Lhe
offerlngs appear ln Lhe book of LevlLlcus holds no meanlng for Lhe lsraellLes.
1hls ls noL Lhe order ln whlch Lhey were Lo be offered. lL [usL makes explalnlng
and rememberlng Lhem easler.

All Lhls Lalk abouL sacrlflces mlghL cause some Lo wonder lf we are reLurnlng
Lo Lhe Law. Pear me now: We are noL reLurnlng Lo Lhe Law, we are reLurnlng
Lo Lhe Lord. l am preachlng Lhls so LhaL your communlon wlLh Cod may be
enhanced. lf Lhls ls whaL you deslre for yourself, Lhen leL's move on.

8urnt Cffer|ng

Slnce we have Louched on Lhe 8urnL Cfferlng we wlll dlve rlghL lnLo Lhe Meal
Cfferlng.

Mea| Cffer|ng

1he Pebrew word, here LranslaLed meal offerlng," also means LrlbuLe."
Pence, Lhe meal offerlng was a Lype of LrlbuLe from a falLhful worshlper Lo hls
dlvlne overlord. As Lhe Lerm lmplles, Lhe Meal Cfferlng comes ln Lhe form of a
meal, elLher baked unleavened cakes or wafers (2:4), or graln seasoned wlLh
salL (2:13). no leaven or honey musL be used ln Lhe preparaLlon of Lhe Meal
Cfferlng (2:11). All Meal Cfferlngs musL be seasoned wlLh salL (2:13).
llrsLfrulLs may be offered as a Meal Cfferlng as well (2:14). WhaLever was
broughL by Lhe lsraellLe, a "memorlal porLlon" was burned aLop Lhe alLar and
Lhe resL glven Lo Aaron and hls sons (2:2-3).


eace (or Ie||owsh|p) offer|ng

8lbllcal commenLaLors have glven Lhls offerlng a varleLy of LlLles. "eace,"
"fellowshlp," "pralse," and "Lhanksglvlng" are Lhe mosL common. Powever,
Lhe kell-uellLzsch CommenLary sLaLes LhaL Lhe mosL correcL ls "savlng
offerlng" (vol. 1, p. 298). Lach LlLle shows a somewhaL dlfferenL aspecL of Lhe
Leachlng conLalned ln lL. verse 3 lnforms us LhaL Lhls Loo ls a sweeL-savor
offerlng, lndlcaLlng LhaL no sln ls lnvolved ln lL, and Lhus lL ls
mosL saLlsfylng Lo Cod.

1hls offerlng represenLs Lhe relaLlonshlp Lhe worshlpper has wlLh Cod Lhrough
redempLlon. eace and fellowshlp are resulLs of redempLlon, and Lhls acL of
worshlp hlghllghLs Lhose blesslngs from Cod.

1he eace Cfferlng came ln Lhe form of an anlmal. 1he faL of Lhe anlmal -
consldered Lhe besL parL of Lhe anlmal - and lLs enLralls wlll be burned on Lhe
alLar. 1he remalnlng meaL of Lhe anlmal shall belong Lo Lhe prlesL who offers
lL" (Lev 7:9). ln facL, lL ls someLlmes referred Lo as a food offerlng" (See Lev
3:3 & 11). lnLeresLlngly, Lhe Meal Cfferlng ls also known as a food offerlng"
(See Lev 2:3, 10, 16) lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhe prlmary purpose of boLh Lhe Meal and
eace offerlngs are for Lhe provlslon of Lhe prlesLs who serve aL Lhe alLar.

All anlmal sacrlflces musL Lake place aL Lhe fronL of Lhe 1abernacle of Lhe Lord.
Anyone caughL slaughLerlng an anlmal for sacrlflce ouLslde Lhe camp shall be
gullL of blood-leLLlng - murderlng an anlmal - and Lhey shall be cuL off from
among Lhe people (Lev 17:1-6). Meanlng, Lhey wlll elLher expelled from Lhe
communlLy or, mosL llkely, sLoned Lo deaLh. Cod forbade Lhe sacrlflce of
anlmals anywhere oLher Lhan aL Lhe 1abernacle Lo prevenL Lhe worshlp of
oLher gods (verse 7).

Cod could have slmply lnsLlLuLed Lhe eace Cfferlng. Why Lhen dld Pe also
lnsLlLuLe Lhe Meal Cfferlng. lL ls my oplnlon LhaL Cod dld so Lo provlde Aaron
and hls sons a balanced dleL conslsLlng of gralns, flour, oll and meaL.


Ln[oy the 8|ess|ng. kemember the 8|esser

nelLher Lhe Meal nor eace offerlngs were for Lhe aLonemenL of slns. As such,
Lhey were freewlll offerlngs of Lhanksglvlng Lo Lhe Lord. 1hese offerlngs were
mere Lokens. Cod does noL need Lo be repald or recompensed ln any way,
shape or form. 1hls does noL ln any way negaLe Lhe value of Lhe offerlngs. 1o
offer an anlmal, for example, was a cosLly affalr. 8uL lL ls mlnuscule compared
Lo whaL Cod has done. neverLheless, Cod lnslsLs LhaL Lhls be Lhe only meLhod
of Lhanksglvlng for Lhe lsraellLes.and for a reason.

lL ls so LhaL no lsraellLe would, ln Lhe process of en[oylng Cod's blesslngs,
forgeL Lhe 8lesser. 1hls ls Lhe Lendency of all human belngs. 1he lsraellLes
were forewarned LhaL Lhls would happen lf Lhey were noL careful.

AoJ yoo sboll eot ooJ be foll, ooJ yoo sboll bless tbe lotJ yoot CoJ fot tbe
qooJ looJ be bos qlveo yoo. 1oke cote lest yoo fotqet tbe lotJ yoot CoJ by
oot keeploq bls commooJmeots ooJ bls toles ooJ bls stototes, wblcb l
commooJ yoo toJoy,"# lest, wbeo yoo bove eoteo ooJ ote foll ooJ bove bollt
qooJ booses ooJ llve lo tbem, "% ooJ wbeo yoot betJs ooJ flocks moltlply ooJ
yoot sllvet ooJ qolJ ls moltlplleJ ooJ oll tbot yoo bove ls moltlplleJ, "& tbeo
yoot beott be llfteJ op, ooJ yoo fotqet tbe lotJ yoot CoJ, wbo btooqbt yoo
oot of tbe looJ of qypt, oot of tbe boose of slovety, "' wbo leJ yoo tbtooqb
tbe qteot ooJ tettlfyloq wllJetoess,wltb lts flety setpeots ooJ scotploos ooJ
tbltsty qtoooJ wbete tbete wos oo wotet, wbo btooqbt yoo wotet oot of tbe
flloty tock, "( wbo feJ yoo lo tbe wllJetoess wltb moooo tbot yoot fotbets JlJ
oot koow, tbot be mlqbt bomble yoo ooJ test yoo, to Jo yoo qooJ lo tbe
eoJ. ") 8ewote lest yoo soy lo yoot beott, My powet ooJ tbe mlqbt of my
booJ bove qotteo me tbls weoltb. "* oo sboll temembet tbe lotJ yoot CoJ,
fot lt ls be wbo qlves yoo powet to qet weoltb, tbot be moy coofltm bls
coveooot tbot be swote to yoot fotbets, os lt ls tbls Joy. (ueot 8.10-18 5v)

l, personally, have seen how people reacL when Lhey have been blessed by
Cod, ChrlsLlans lncluded. When Lhey geL a ralse ln Lhelr salary, for example,
Lhey would verbally Lhank Lhe Lord. And as soon as LhaL ls done - perhaps
even whlle Lhelr llps are Lhanklng Cod - Lhey would be Lhlnklng of how Lhls
exLra lncome could be en[oyed Lo Lhe fullesL. erhaps, Lhey could upgrade Lo
a larger aparLmenL, or Lhey could buy a new car, or go on a famlly vacaLlon.
Cod's blesslng ls for your en[oymenL - Lhere ls no doubL abouL lL. aul says
LhaL Cod glves us all good Lhlngs Lo en[oy (1 1lm 6:17). 8uL, when Pe does
bless you, glve a porLlon - Lhe besL parL - back Lo Plm so LhaL you wlll noL Lake
Pls blesslngs for granLed or Lhlnk LhaL lL was by your sLrengLh LhaL you have
aLLalned lL.

LeL me leave you wlLh four appllcaLlons as we brlng Lhls lesson Lo a close.

1. Don't come empty-handed

Cne flnal observaLlon before l end. Lach Llme an lsraellLes comes before Lhe
Lord aL Lhe 1abernacle, he comes wlLh a clear purpose. Pe has come elLher Lo
aLone for a sln he has commlLLed, or Lo glve Lhanks Lo Cod for someLhlng Pe
has done, or [usL Lo make an offerlng because he loves Lhe Lord. And, as you
can see, worshlp ls a cosLly affalr for an lsraellLe. 1hose who are well off wlll
brlng an bull or sheep. 1hose who are less well off wlll brlng a dove. 1he poor
may brlng [usL a cake. Slmply puL, no one comes before Lhe Lord empLy-
handed.

1hls ls noL Lhe pracLlce nowadays. ChrlsLlans come Lo church [usL as Lhey are".
Some do noL even brlng Lhelr 8lbles wlLh Lhem. And when lL ls Llme Lo glve an
offerlng, many are unprepared. Some wlll pull ouL some change Lo puL lnLo
Lhe bag whlle oLhers wlll slmply pass Lhe bag Lo Lhe nexL person. Pow can we
prepare ourselves beLLer for Cfferlng 1lme? aul says LhaL we should Lhlnk
and declde ahead of Llme whaL we wlll glve Lo Lhe Lord, rememberlng LhaL we
wlll reap whaL we sow.

2. G|ve God your best

Sacrllege's normal deflnlLlon ls "Lhe lrreverenL use of LhaL whlch belongs Lo
Cod." uanlel glves us a deLalled accounL of 8elshazzar's sacrllege when he
Look Lhe vessels from Lhe Lemple and used Lhem for hls nlghL of carouslng and
blasphemy. AfLer Lhe lsraellLes reLurned Lo Lhe land, Lhey quesLloned Cod.
"ln whaL way have we desplsed ?our name?" Cod's response Lo lsrael's
belllgerenL quesLlon was Lo broaden deflnlLlon of sacrllege when Pe sald, "8y
saylng '1he Lable of Lhe Lord ls conLempLlble.' And when you offer Lhe bllnd as
a sacrlflce, ls lL noL evll? And when you offer Lhe lame and slck, ls lL noL evll?
Cffer lL Lhen Lo your governor! Would he be pleased wlLh you? Would he
accepL you favorably?" [Malachl 1:7, 8 nk!v] C. Campbell Morgan suggesLed
LhaL sacrllege ln lLs worsL form conslsLs of Laklng someLhlng and glvlng lL Lo
Cod when lL means absoluLely noLhlng Lo you.

AparL from whaL we brlng as our Lhanksglvlng sacrlflce Lo Lhe Lord, Lwo Lhlngs
are more lmporLanL .

1he wrlLer of Pebrews alerLs us Lo someLhlng called Lhe sacrlflce of pralse -
anoLher name for Lhank offerlngs - whlch we should be offerlng conLlnually
(Peb 13:13). lor mosL, we are more perslsLenL wlLh our peLlLlons Lhan wlLh
our pralse and Lhanksglvlng. lL should be Lhe way round.

Pow ofLen should we pralse Cod? Well, how ofLen ls Cod good Lo us? lf Cod ls
good all Lhe Llme, Lhen all Lhe Llme glve Plm pralse.

1he oLher Lhlng ls abouL fulfllllng our vows.

3. resent yourse|f f|rst
ln LevlLlcus 3:3, you mlghL noLlce LhaL Lhe Meal Cfferlng ls placed on Lop of
Lhe 8urnL Cfferlng. 1hls means LhaL Lhe 8urnL Cfferlng ls Lhe foundaLlonal
offerlng. And, as we have dlscussed prevlously, you and l are Lo presenL our
bodles as a llvlng sacrlflce. We are Lhe 8urnL Cfferlngs. WlLhouL offerlng
ourselves flrsL, all oLhers offerlngs LhaL we brlng wlll be unaccepLable.

4. Iu|f||| your vow

s 30:14 sacrlflce Lhanks offerlngs Lo Cod, fulflll your vows Lo Lhe MosL Plgh

1he offerlngs prescrlbed by Cod were aL Lhe end of Lhe day volunLary. 1he
lsraellLes were dlllgenL ln brlnglng Lhelr sacrlflces Lo Lhe Lord. Cod's compllanL
was noL ln Lhelr sacrlflces, for Lhey were dlllgenL ln Lhls aspecL, Pls complalnL
was abouL a more lmporLanL Lhlng: obedlence. 1o obey, Cod says, ls beLLer
Lhan sacrlflce.

1he salmlsL does noL only recommend LhaL we glve Lhanks when Cod has
done someLhlng for us, he urges us Lo call unLo Cod ln Llme of Lrouble. rayer
and pralse ln Lhe Llme of Lrouble ls a very sweeL form of worshlp. ?ou are ln
dlsLress of mlnd? now you have an opporLunlLy Lo worshlp Cod. 1rusy Plm ln
your dlsLress. Call Lo hlm as a chlld calls Lo hls faLher or moLher. Show how
you homor Plm-how you love Plm-how you LrusL Plm. And when you geL your
answer, whlch wlll be a sure proof LhaL Pe has acxepLed your offerlng, you
wlll honor hlm agaln a second Llme by devouLly Lhanklng hlm LhaL he heard
your prayer.

Ascrlbe Lo Lhe LC8u Lhe glory due hls name, brlng an offerlng, and come lnLo
hls courLs!
. sa 96:8 LSv


In Sp|r|t and In 1ruth

Iobo 4.20-24 Oot fotbets wotsblpeJ oo tbls moootolo, bot yoo soy tbot lo
Ietosolem ls tbe ploce wbete people ooqbt to wotsblp. Iesos solJ to
bet, womoo, belleve me, tbe boot ls comloq wbeo oeltbet oo tbls moootolo
oot lo Ietosolem wlll yoo wotsblp tbe lotbet. oo wotsblp wbot yoo Jo oot
koow, we wotsblp wbot we koow, fot solvotloo ls ftom tbe Iews. 8ot tbe boot
ls comloq, ooJ ls oow bete, wbeo tbe ttoe wotsblpets wlll wotsblp tbe lotbet
lo spltlt ooJ ttotb, fot tbe lotbet ls seekloq socb people to wotsblp blm. CoJ ls
spltlt, ooJ tbose wbo wotsblp blm most wotsblp lo spltlt ooJ ttotb.

1he SamarlLans were a pagan secL LhaL grew ouL of Lhe Lrlbes of Manasseh
and Lphralm afLer Lhelr deporLaLlon ln 722 8C lnLo Assyrla by
Shalmaneser. 1he baslc phllosophles of Lhe SamarlLans orlglnaLed wlLh
!eroboam. 1hls ls why we call Lhe SamarlLans, "neo-!erlboamlLes". SamarlLans
carry on Lhe baslc LradlLlons LhaL !eroboam seL ln order ln 930 8C when he seL
up Lwo pagan worshlp cenLers Lo replace !erusalem. Cn ln 8eLhel and Lhe
oLher ln uan.

"1beo Ietoboom bollt 5becbem lo tbe blll coootty of pbtolm, ooJ llveJ tbete.
AoJ be weot oot ftom tbete ooJ bollt leooel. Ietoboom solJ lo bls beott,
"Now tbe kloqJom wlll tetoto to tbe boose of uovlJ. "lf tbls people qo op to
offet soctlflces lo tbe boose of tbe lotJ ot Ietosolem, tbeo tbe beott of tbls
people wlll tetoto to tbelt lotJ, eveo to keboboom kloq of IoJob, ooJ tbey wlll
klll me ooJ tetoto to keboboom kloq of IoJob." 5o tbe kloq coosolteJ, ooJ
moJe two qolJeo colves, ooJ be solJ to tbem, "lt ls too mocb fot yoo to qo op
to Ietosolem, bebolJ yoot qoJs, O lstoel, tbot btooqbt yoo op ftom tbe looJ of
qypt." ne set ooe lo 8etbel, ooJ tbe otbet be pot lo uoo. Now tbls tbloq
become o slo, fot tbe people weot to wotsblp befote tbe ooe os fot os uoo.
AoJ be moJe booses oo blqb ploces, ooJ moJe ptlests ftom omooq oll tbe
people wbo wete oot of tbe soos of levl. Ietoboom lostltoteJ o feost lo tbe
elqbtb mootb oo tbe flfteeotb Joy of tbe mootb, llke tbe feost wblcb ls lo
IoJob, ooJ be weot op to tbe oltot, tbos be JlJ lo 8etbel, soctlflcloq to tbe
colves wblcb be boJ moJe. AoJ be stotlooeJ lo 8etbel tbe ptlests of tbe blqb
ploces wblcb be boJ moJe. 1beo be weot op to tbe oltot wblcb be boJ moJe lo
8etbel oo tbe flfteeotb Joy lo tbe elqbtb mootb, eveo lo tbe mootb wblcb be
boJ JevlseJ lo bls owo beott, ooJ be lostltoteJ o feost fot tbe soos of lstoel
ooJ weot op to tbe oltot to boto loceose." 1 kloqs 12.25-JJ

A small populaLlon LhaL had been deporLed ln 722 8C from Lhe Lrlbes of
Manasseh and Lphralm, were broughL back by Shalmaneser and Lhey
lnLermarrled wlLh Lhe CenLlles.

"1be kloq of Assytlo btooqbt meo ftom 8obyloo ooJ ftom cotbob ooJ ftom
Avvo ooJ ftom nomotb ooJ 5epbot-volm, ooJ settleJ tbem lo tbe cltles of
5omotlo lo ploce of tbe soos of lstoel. 5o tbey possesseJ 5omotlo ooJ llveJ lo
lts cltles. At tbe beqlooloq of tbelt llvloq tbete, tbey JlJ oot feot tbe lotJ,
tbetefote tbe lotJ seot lloos omooq tbem wblcb kllleJ some of tbem. 5o tbey
spoke to tbe kloq of Assytlo, soyloq, "1be ootloos wbom yoo bove cottleJ
owoy loto exlle lo tbe cltles of 5omotlo Jo oot koow tbe costom of tbe qoJ of
tbe looJ, so be bos seot lloos omooq tbem, ooJ bebolJ, tbey klll tbem becoose
tbey Jo oot koow tbe costom of tbe qoJ of tbe looJ." 1beo tbe kloq of Assytlo
commooJeJ, soyloq, "1oke tbete ooe of tbe ptlests wbom yoo cottleJ owoy
loto exlle ooJ let blm qo ooJ llve tbete, ooJ let blm teocb tbem tbe costom of
tbe qoJ of tbe looJ." 5o ooe of tbe ptlests wbom tbey boJ cottleJ owoy loto
exlle ftom 5omotlo come ooJ llveJ ot 8etbel, ooJ tooqbt tbem bow tbey
sboolJ feot tbe lotJ. 8ot evety ootloo stlll moJe qoJs of lts owo ooJ pot tbem
lo tbe booses of tbe blqb ploces wblcb tbe people of 5omotlo boJ moJe, evety
ootloo lo tbelt cltles lo wblcb tbey llveJ. 1be meo of 8obyloo moJe 5occotb-
beootb, tbe meo of cotb moJe Netqol, tbe meo of nomotb moJe Asblmo, ooJ
tbe Avvltes moJe Nlbboz ooJ 1ottok, ooJ tbe 5epbotvltes botoeJ tbelt
cbllJteo lo tbe flte to AJtommelecb ooJ Aoommelecb tbe qoJs of 5epbotvolm.
1bey olso feoteJ tbe lotJ ooJ oppoloteJ ftom omooq tbemselves ptlests of
tbe blqb ploces, wbo octeJ fot tbem lo tbe booses of tbe blqb ploces. 1bey
feoteJ tbe lotJ ooJ setveJ tbelt owo qoJs occotJloq to tbe costom of tbe
ootloos ftom omooq wbom tbey boJ beeo cottleJ owoy loto exlle. 1o tbls Joy
tbey Jo occotJloq to tbe eotllet costoms. tbey Jo oot feot tbe lotJ, oot Jo
tbey follow tbelt stototes ot tbelt otJloooces ot tbe low, ot tbe
commooJmeots wblcb tbe lotJ commooJeJ tbe soos of Iocob, wbom ne
oomeJ lstoel, wltb wbom tbe lotJ moJe o coveooot ooJ commooJeJ tbem,
soyloq, "oo sboll oot feot otbet qoJs, oot bow Jowo yootselves to tbem oot
setve tbem oot soctlflce to tbem. "8ot tbe lotJ, wbo btooqbt yoo op ftom tbe
looJ of qypt wltb qteot powet ooJ wltb oo ootsttetcbeJ otm, nlm yoo sboll
feot, ooJ to nlm yoo sboll bow yootselves Jowo, ooJ to nlm yoo sboll soctlflce.
"1be stototes ooJ tbe otJloooces ooJ tbe low ooJ tbe commooJmeot wblcb
ne wtote fot yoo, yoo sboll obsetve to Jo fotevet, ooJ yoo sboll oot feot otbet
qoJs. "1be coveooot tbot l bove moJe wltb yoo, yoo sboll oot fotqet, oot sboll
yoo feot otbet qoJs. "8ot tbe lotJ yoot CoJ yoo sboll feot, ooJ ne wlll Jellvet
yoo ftom tbe booJ of oll yoot eoemles." nowevet, tbey JlJ oot llsteo, bot tbey
JlJ occotJloq to tbelt eotllet costom. 5o wblle tbese ootloos feoteJ tbe lotJ,
tbey olso setveJ tbelt lJols, tbelt cbllJteo llkewlse ooJ tbelt qtooJcbllJteo, os
tbelt fotbets JlJ, so tbey Jo to tbls Joy." 2 kloqs 17.24-41

AfLer !udah reLurned from exlle, Lhe ldol worshlpplng SamarlLans were
confronLed wlLh a zealous and repenLanL group of Pebrews who lmmedlaLely
sLarLed rebulldlng !erusalem and Lhe 1emple. !udah had learned ln exlle whaL
Lhe SamarlLans never dld: lollow Lhe word of Cod exacLly as lL ls wrlLLen as a
blueprlnL. 1oblah (an AmmonlLe) and Lhe men of SamarlLan mocked and
opposed nehemlah's efforLs Lo rebulld !erusalem:

"wbeo 5oobollot tbe notoolte ooJ 1oblob tbe Ammoolte offlclol beotJ oboot
lt, lt wos vety Jlspleosloq to tbem tbot someooe boJ come to seek tbe welfote
of tbe soos of lstoel." Nebemlob 2.10 "ne spoke lo tbe pteseoce of bls btotbets
ooJ tbe weoltby meo of 5omotlo ooJ solJ, "wbot ote tbese feeble Iews Joloq?
Ate tbey qoloq to testote lt fot tbemselves? coo tbey offet soctlflces? coo tbey
flolsb lo o Joy? coo tbey tevlve tbe stooes ftom tbe Josty tobble eveo tbe
botoeJ ooes?" Now 1oblob tbe Ammoolte wos oeot blm ooJ be solJ, "veo
wbot tbey ote bollJloq-lf o fox sboolJ jomp oo lt, be woolJ bteok tbelt stooe
woll Jowo!"" Nebemlob 4.2-J

AbouL 313 8C, When Lhe !ews succeeded ln compleLlng rebulldlng !erusalem,
1oblah wenL off ln a huff, and bullL hls own Lemple and royal palace, whlch
was locaLed Lrans[ordan ln hls naLlve homeland of Lhe AmmonlLes.

As a resulL of Lhls, Lhe !ews saw Lhe SamarlLans as ldol worshlplng CenLlles.
!esus also saw Lhem as CenLlles buL Pe never shunned Lhem as Lhe !ews dld.
Larly on ln Pls mlnlsLry, Lhe SamarlLans were noL parL of Pls mlsslon. Pe
lnsLrucLs Pls dlsclples, as Pe senL Lhem ouL Lo Lhe clLles and vlllages, saylng,
" "uo noL go ln tbe way of tbe CenLlles, and do noL enLer ooy clLy of Lhe
SamarlLans, buL raLher go Lo Lhe losL sheep of Lhe house of lsrael." MaLLhew
10:6 ln splLe of Lhls, !esus gave Lhem a loL of credlL ln Pls parables. Cne of
whlch was Lhe arable of Lhe Cood SamarlLan. !usL before Pe ascended Lo
heaven, !esus commands Pls dlsclples Lo preach Lhe gospel ln !erusalem, ln all
!udea and Samarla, and Lo Lhe ends of Lhe earLh (AcLs 1:8). ln saylng Lhls,
!esus was recognlslng Lhe !ewlsh rooLs of Lhe SamarlLans.

Pere, ln !ohn 4, when !esus meL Lhe SamarlLan woman aL Lhe well, Lhe
conversaLlon Lurned Lowards Lhe sub[ecL of rellglon, namely LhaL of Lhe !ews
and LhaL of Lhe SamarlLans. 1he woman, by her quesLlon Lo !esus, was elLher
seeklng clarlflcaLlon or conflrmaLlon. She could be seeklng clarlflcaLlon abouL
who ls rlghL: Lhe !ews or Lhe SamarlLans. Cr, she could be seeklng
conflrmaLlon LhaL Lhe SamarlLans were rlghL Lo worshlp on Lhelr mounLaln. lL
musL have been Lo her surprlse LhaL !esus dld noL slde wlLh elLher one.
lnsLead Pe puL forLh a Lhlrd alLernaLlve, Lhe new way under Lhe new
CovenanL.

Pe sald: "?ou worshlp whaL you do noL know, we worshlp whaL we know, for
salvaLlon ls from Lhe !ews." lL mlghL seem llke !esus was condemnlng Lhe
SamarlLans for worshlplng lgnoranLly and pralslng Lhe !ews because Lhey have
Lhe oracles of Cod. 8uL, ln !esus' mlnd, boLh are clueless abouL whaL Cod was
abouL Lo do. Pence, Pe says, "8uL Lhe hour ls comlng, and ls now here, when
Lhe Lrue worshlpers wlll worshlp Lhe laLher ln splrlL and LruLh, for Lhe laLher
ls seeklng such people Lo worshlp hlm. Cod ls splrlL, and Lhose who worshlp
hlm musL worshlp ln splrlL and LruLh." Cod was dolng a new Lhlng. Pe ls
brlnglng salvaLlon Lo Lhe !ews flrsL, and Lhen Lo Lhe resL of Lhe world Lhrough
Lhe !ews. And as Lhls ls belng fulfllled, Lhe bellevers of Cod ln ChrlsL wlll
worshlp Cod ln a new and dlfferenL way: ln splrlL and ln LruLh, because Cod ls
splrlL.

So, how do we worshlp Cod ln splrlL and ln LruLh?


In Sp|r|t

Lph 2:18 nlv "lor Lhrough hlm we boLh have access Lo Lhe laLher by one
SplrlL."

llrsL of all, lL ls necessary Lo know whaL aul meanL when he used Lhe
word boLh" here. 8ased on Lhe conLexL of chapLer 2 (of course, Lhe 8lble
was noL orlglnally wrlLLen wlLh chapLer and verse dlvlslons), aul was referrlng
Lo Lhe !ewlsh and CenLlle bellevers. 1wo groups, Lwo vlews, Lwo LradlLlons.
!usL llke ln anclenL Llmes when Lhe !ews worshlped on MounL Zlon, and Lhe
SamarlLans worshlped on MounL Cerlzlm. Such dlvlslons wlll be removed
when ChrlsL makes Cne new Man from Lhe Lwo. 1he new man ln ChrlsL wlll
have access Lo Lhe laLher by Lhe Poly SplrlL whlch wlll be glven Lo all who
belong Lo Plm. As such, a rellglous place, such as a 1emple, ls no longer
necessary for Lhe worshlp of Cod. ln each one of us ls Lhe Poly SplrlL. When
Lwo or Lhree are gaLhered LogeLher, ChrlsL ls ln Lhe mldsL of Lhem.

?ou don'L have Lo be ln a rellglous place, such as lnslde a church bulldlng, ln
order Lo worshlp Cod. ?ou can worshlp Plm anywhere, and aL anyLlme.

lrom Lhe Llme LhaL !esus had Lhls conversaLlon wlLh Lhe SamarlLan woman,
Lhe !ews only had Lhe 1emple wlLh Lhem for anoLher 40 years. lorLy years was
a shorL perlod of Llme conslderlng Cod's grand plan spans Lhousands of years.
ln 70 Au, Perod's Lemple was desLroyed, as !esus had predlcLed. lmaglne, lf
you were a !ew llvlng ln LhaL day. Pow you would feel, how losL you would be
wlLhouL a 1emple Lo go Lo, havlng no alLar Lo brlng your sacrlflces Lo. WlLh Lhe
desLrucLlon of Lhe 1emple, and even before LhaL, bellevers could only meeL ln
homes. 1here Lhey broke bread, prayed, pralsed Cod, and had fellowshlp. 1hls
Lhey dld for abouL Lhree hundred years unLll Lmperor ConsLanLlne re-
lnLroduced llLurglcal worshlp ln large bulldlngs. up Llll Lhen, Lhe bellevers
were Lhe Church. now, Lhey merely meL ln churches.

WlLh Lhe desLrucLlon of Lhe 1emple, Cod was removlng, lf you wlll, Lhe
Lralnlng wheels from our blcycles. 1he ceremonlallsm of Lhe Cld 1esLamenL
were ob[ecL lessons on falLh ln Lhe grace of Cod for Lhe !ews uslng Lypes and
symbols. now Lhe lesson ls over. Cod's people musL move away from Lhe
rellance on vlslble and exLernal symbols Lo an lnward and splrlLual falLh for
worshlp. ln Lhe place of Lhe vlslble sacrlflce of anlmals, Lhere ls noL an lnward
LrusL ln Plm who ls Lhe Lamb of Cod, ln Lhe place of Lhe sprlnkllng of blood,
Lhere ls now a rellance on Lhe blood once shed for all, ln Lhe place of Lhe
ephod and breasLplaLe, Lhere ls now Lhe robe of rlghLeousness and hollness.

When worshlp ls based on ceremony, Lhere ls consLanL danger of sllpplng lnLo
ldolaLry. Worshlppers may feel Lhelr ablllLy Lo worshlp hampered because of a
lack of someLhlng. lL may be Lhe wrong place, Lhe wrong song, Lhe wrong
worshlp leader, Lhe wrong prayer, Lhe wrong LemperaLure, eLc. AnyLhlng LhaL
dlsLracLs you from worshlpplng Cod splrlLually ls an ldol.

When Lhere ls a dependance on llLurgy, Lhere ls a clear danger LhaL people
wlll worshlp Cod wlLh Lhelr llps only - buL Lhelr hearLs are far away. 1he Lord
says: "1hese people come near Lo me wlLh Lhelr mouLh and honor me wlLh
Lhelr llps, buL Lhelr hearLs are far from me. 1helr worshlp of me ls based on
merely human rules Lhey have been LaughL. (lsa 29:13 nlv)

When all Lhe paraphernalla of worshlp ls removed, Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween an
lnward worshlpper and an ouLward worshlpper becomes suddenly apparenL.
1wo man sLandlng slde by slde, perhaps repeaLlng Lhe same words, buL !esus
ls able Lo dlsLlngulsh: 1hls one, Pe says, "ls a false worshlpper, and LhaL one
ls a Lrue worshlpper". CuLward worshlppers are false worshlppers, and only
Lhose who press lnLo splrlLual worshlp are Lrue worshlppers.

1he laLher seeks Lrue worshlppers. Who are Lhe Lrue worshlppers? Are Lhere
any? !usL as for salvaLlon, unless Cod draws Lhem no man can or wlll come Lo
Plm. So, even ln worshlp, unless Cod makes one a Lrue worshlpper, no one
can worshlp Plm ln splrlL and ln LruLh. 1rue worshlp ls noL human buL dlvlne.
lL ls Lhe work of Lhe SplrlL ln Lhe soul.

WlLhouL Lhe Poly SplrlL, aul asserLs, no one can say, '!esus ls Lord'" (1 Cor
12:3). WlLhouL Lhe Poly SplrlL, no one can cry ouL, Abba, laLher" (Cal 4:6 and
8om 8:13). 8oLh of Lhese expresslons and proclamaLlons are vlLal ln worshlp.
Wouldn'L you agree? WlLhouL Lhe Poly SplrlL, we would be llke Lhe SamarlLans
who worshlp whaL we do noL know.

1hls brlngs me Lo Lhe nexL polnL: worshlpplng ln LruLh.

lL ls Lhe Poly SplrlL LhaL reveals LruLh Lo us. Such as who Lhe laLher and Lhe
Son are. ChrlsLlans musL know Lhelr Cod. 8uL aul undersLands LhaL such
knowledge ls aLLalnable only Lhrough revelaLlon by Lhe Poly SplrlL. 1herefore
he prays for Lhe salnLs LhaL Cod would glve Lhem Lhe splrlL of wlsdom and
revelaLlon so LhaL Lhey mlghL grow ln Lhe knowledge of Plm (Lph 1:17).

uL anoLher way:

+,-. /0,1234 2544.61 /2.6 756 1..1 809 : ;0, /20 <. 31=

uavld bowed down ln repenLance when Cod showed hlm hls sln (for
numberlng Lhe people). lsalah bowed down when he saw hls slnfulness. aul
bowed down when !esus revealed Plmself Lo hlm on Lhe road Lo uamascus.

A man may have been Lo a place of worshlp from hls youLh. Pe may have
been a falLhful aLLendee of worshlp servlce. Pe may even have been a dlllgenL
reader of Cod's Word. ?eL, afLer slxLy years, he may never have worshlpped
Cod ln splrlL and ln LruLh. 1hen one day, by Lhe grace and mercy of Cod, Lhe
laLher seeks hlm ouL and comes Lo hls soul. ln Lhe llghL of LruLh, he feels he ls
a slnner and crles ouL, laLher, l have slnned." 1haL ls hls Lrue worshlp.