True Worship

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about True Worship. Let’s turn to 2Ch 5:1-14, This is talking about the dedication of Solomon’s Temple:  So all the work that Solomon had done for the House of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings, and he put them in the treasuries of the House of God. Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD up from the City of David, which is Zion. Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the Ark.  Then they brought up the Ark, the Tabernacle of Meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the Tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the Ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. Then the priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the Temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the Ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the Ark and its poles. The poles extended so that the ends of the poles of the Ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. Nothing was in the Ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt. And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: For He is good, For His mercy endures forever, that the House, the House of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the Glory of the LORD filled the House of God.   With one voice they lifted up praise and thanksgiving, with trumpets and instruments of worship, and with the Word of God, saying, For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Then the Cloud, the Glory of God filled the House.  2Ch 6:1&2,  Then Solomon spoke: The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever. Verse 40-42, Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. Now therefore, Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, And let Your saints rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed; Remember the mercies of your servant David. 2 Ch 7:1-3, When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the Temple. And the priests could not enter the House of the LORD, because the Glory of the LORD had filled the LORD's House. 

When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the Glory of the LORD on the Temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: For He is good, For His mercy endures forever. 

True worship requires a clear conscience, void of offence toward God and man. There must be repentance and confession of sin and real cleansing of filthiness and wickedness in order to come into God’s presence with a pure offering of praise. The Lord God gave the Children of Israel in old time; in the Old Covenant, the blood of sheep and oxen which they sacrificed unto Him to make an atonement for their sins before Him; that they might be forgiven of their sins and continue in fellowship with Him and not die. Now, in the New Covenant, He has given us the Blood of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, though He was tempted in every way as we are; He willingly gave Himself on the Cross to die for our sins, that through faith in Him, faith in His sacrifice and true repentance, we might receive forgiveness of sins and be cleansed, white as snow, from all our sins, and enter into fellowship with our God and Father; being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible; by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever; being His sons and daughters, serving Him in Spirit and in truth. Christ in you, the hope of Glory! 1Pe 1:18-23, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart; this is how we purify ourselves: by obeying the truth, the Word of God, through the Spirit, the Holy Spirit;  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. He has also given unto us His Holy Spirit, that we might be filled with His Spirit and be led by Him in all that we do every day, denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Jesus to obey His Word and walk in His ways and offer to God true worship in the Spirit.

Let’s turn to John 4:6-24, Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink. For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 

but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. 

The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband, 

for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth. Mat 15:8&9, These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. So it is today: true worship is of the heart; a heart that is given fully to God. God said of King David that he was a man after His own heart. David wrote the Psalms by the Holy Spirit and worshipped God and served Him with all his heart. So it is today; we must draw near to God with a true heart in repentance and faith in the Blood of Jesus; in the Holy Spirit, to offer unto God true worship in the Spirit and in truth; the Word of God. David gave us so many songs; psalms of praise and thanksgiving unto God. Eph 5:17-20,  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Col3:1-17, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 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. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. In the church today there is much worship being offered to God in vain; being founded in the doctrines of men; doctrines of false grace; turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. People are drawing near to God with their mouth, but their hearts are far from Him as they embrace these false doctrines to justify themselves to walk in the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Many are caught up in the beautiful music, the big sounds, the lights, and the glory of man, and they don’t realize that their worship is of the flesh, and many times of the wrong spirit, not in the Holy Spirit, and it is not acceptable to God.

Isa 1:13-20, Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The new moons, the sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.