October 8, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Numbers 33-36

Weekly Memory Verse: Mark 12:30

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

It is late tonight, I was busy all day preparing and moving stuff from our house into the trailer.  I will be making this study short, I apologize for that.  I also had an opportunity to join my daughter, Sarah, at a function at Loma Linda where a debate was held between the differences between CS Lewis and Sigmund Freud.  It was interesting, informative, and caused a lot of thought.  You will be cheated if you go only on my commentary on this chapter.  Please get Rick Warren’s book and follow along with the study, if you can’t get a book, let me know.

Mark 12:30 (NASB95)
³⁰ and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Hebrews 12:28 (NASB95)
²⁸ Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

John 4:23 (NASB95)
²³ “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NASB95)
⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ^[1]

Today’s study focuses upon what true worship is.  Going from the fist few verses that Rick speaks about in the study, it is clear that true worship does not involve ourselves, but rather it is focused upon God.  Yet how do we set aside our selfish attitudes and our selfish beings to focus entirely upon God giving Him an acceptable service of worship?  Each of us must answer this question, I believe the real answer lies in the sincerity of our hearts.  God knows our intentions, and since it is impossible for us to totally set aside our desires, He honors those who make an attempt at setting aside the desires and yearn after following God. 

It is kind of funny, we can’t really worship God without God enabling us to overcome the fleshly desires that drive us.  That can open a real can of worms!  I don’t believe that He is looking to see if we “do” the right things or “follow” the right actions, rather He is looking to see if we are willing and sincere in our hearts toward worshipping Him.

Rick states on page 102, “Your biggest distraction in worship is yourself--- your interests and your worries over what others think about you.”  He may have a point there, yet I am not sure that God doesn’t use our worries, interests and our reputations to draw us near to Him in order to cause us to feel the need to worship Him.  Could it be possible that God shows us His righteousness and draws us to worship so that we can be given strength to overcome the problems that plague us?  Perhaps the distractions are meant to be a wake up call by God that we have issues that we need to give over to Him. 

Matthew 5:21-24 (NASB95)
²¹ “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ ²² “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. ²³ “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Matthew 6:7 (NASB95)
⁷ “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ^[2]

Jesus admonished us to make sure that we right our wrongs before we approach His altar.  What is the point of worshipping God in a way that is phony and insincere?  God knows our hearts, notice that He does not tell us to throw away our offering, only to correct our attitude, then approach the altar again. 

He also advised us to make sure that our prayers are genuine.  The reason Jesus spoke out against the repetitious prayers was because these prayers were offered as a way to manipulate God.  Many words won’t do anything for you because after the first time, the brain disengages and auto-pilot kicks in.  God want us to pray to Him with our brains, He wants us to exercise our intellect in drawing near to Him.  Remember, God created this fantastic mind that we have, and it glorifies Him when we make use of it.  Be careful though, when you approach God, do it in your own words.  Don’t try to use fancy words or king James English to speak to God.  Use the language that you are comfortable with.  Approach God with the intention of worshipping Him.  Look at a few of the forms of worship that Rick refers to:

Psalm 50:14 (NASB95)
¹⁴ “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;

Hebrews 13:15 (NASB95)
¹⁵ Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

Psalm 51:17 (NASB95)
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 54:6 (NASB95)
⁶ Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

Philippians 4:18 (NASB95)
¹⁸ But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

Psalm 141:2 (NASB95)
² May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

Hebrews 13:16 (NASB95)
¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Mark 12:33 (NASB95)
³³ and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Romans 12:1 (NASB95)
¹ Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ^[3]

I am going to close here, remember, worship is not easy.  We don’t’ just fall into it, rather we have to work at it, make sure our hearts are pure before the Lord and being willing to offer ourselves to Him as a daily sacrifice for His use.  Pick up the book, read today’s chapter out of “The Purpose Driven Life”.

Father, as we consider Your word, open our eyes to worship, enable us to understand how to draw near to You and how to worship You.

In Him,

Joe Turner.