We confess to you, our Father, that we have left many things in our homes undone: office work pending, housework pending, clothes and vessels pending washing. Yet we have come to take care of the one thing needful. We have come, our Father, so that we might tend to our souls. We have come like Mary to sit at the feet of our Savior, and we pray, our Father, that we would hear His voice. We ask that we would see His face, and may it be that He would do good to our souls.
The Importance of Worship in Scripture
All of us who are reading the whole Bible through the year will notice that when reading the entire Bible—especially Exodus and Leviticus—you will be struck by the minute details of the temple and worship. There are huge chapters, thousands of verses, and tracts full of worship. Reading Exodus and Leviticus reveals tedious details of worship. One main theme God was drilling into our minds through all these minute details is the great importance of worship. All these details are not personal, but temple worship.
If you trace the theme of worship through the Bible, the first five books of the law are full of rules about worship. Then, the books of history show what happens if you worship properly as commanded, versus not worshiping properly. The whole book of Psalms, with its 150 chapters as the longest book, is a songbook and manual for worship, while the prophets warn about wrong worship. Jesus said the Father seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Apostles were also very careful about church worship.
In 1 Timothy, Paul cannot come, but he urgently writes and warns Timothy with three chapters of instructions for church worship, and then adds:
நான் உன்னிடத்திற்குச் சீக்கிரமாய் வருவேனென்று நம்பியிருக்கிறேன். 15. தாமதிப்பேனாகில், தேவனுடைய வீட்டிலே நடக்கவேண்டிய வகையை நீ அறியும்படி இவைகளை உனக்கு எழுதுகிறேன்; அந்த வீடு ஜீவனுள்ள தேவனுடைய சபாயாய்ச் சத்தியத்துக்கு தூணும் ஆதாரமுமாயிருக்கிறது.
The Book of Revelation shows that heaven is eternal worship. Even our forefathers were so careful about worship, with many giving their lives, their families, and even leaving their own countries to worship God properly. So many books upon books have been written on worship. Our confession summarizes this in one chapter regarding the regulative principles of worship: how to worship, the acceptable way of worship, the object of worship, and the elements of worship. The reading of the Scriptures, preaching and hearing the Word of God, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, as well as the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are all parts of the religious worship of God. This extends to the acceptable prayer, the substance of prayer, the place of worship, and the day of worship.
One thing is clear: a lot of care went into all of this regulation of worship. It was not as it is so often today, with everyone doing what is right in their own eyes, with a lot of initiative and even some innovation. When you see all that, you ask the question: Why is worship so important? Remember that question as we examine Leviticus today.
Priestly Purity and Preparation
We saw that after giving general rules, Leviticus 21 and 22 describe priestly consecration for priests. Life’s chief priority is God’s worship—specifically, how priests are to maintain their personal body and soul in a holy way without any disease, lack, defect, or defilement so that they can worship Him. Chapter 22 gives rules for priests in the worship of God. Last time, we saw in verses 1–16 that it talks about restrictions concerning holy gifts in the temple: how carefully they should handle holy offerings so people could worship God, and not profane His holy name: பரிசுத்த நாமத்தைப் பரிசுத்தக்குலைச்சலாக்காதபடிக்கு எச்சரிக்கையாய் இருக்கவேண்டும். God threatened the worst curse and death for those who did not do this regarding பரிசுத்த வஸ்துக்களைக் (holy things). There are strict rules on who should not eat those offerings, and who alone may eat them. We saw New Testament applications of how to use God’s money.
Let us finish this chapter today under three headings concerning sacrifices offered in the worship of God, found in verses 17–28:
- What kind of sacrifices they should offer.
- Who should offer them.
- When they should offer them.
1. The Need for Unblemished Excellence (குறையற்ற மேன்மை)
First of all, we see the need for unblemished excellence (குறையற்ற மேன்மை). This statement is given in verses 19 and 20:
அவர்கள் தங்கள் மனதின்படியே மாடுகளிலாகிலும் ஆடுகளிலாகிலும் வெள்ளாடுகளிலாகிலும் பழுதற்ற ஒரு ஆணைப் பிடித்துவந்து செலுத்துவார்களாக. 20. பழுதுள்ள ஒன்றையும் செலுத்தவேண்டாம்; அது உங்கள்நிமித்தம் அங்கிகரிக்கப்படுவதில்லை.
“For you to be accepted, it—your offering—must be male, without defect, from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you.”
You see, it is clear that the priests are to stand at the doorway of the tabernacle and act as meat inspectors. If somebody brings a burnt offering or a peace offering from the flock, it is to be examined to make sure these things are males, without defect, from the sheep, the goats, or the cattle.
In verse 22, we see there is disqualification for any beast that is blind, has a fractured limb or a maimed body, or has a running sore. If there is a bruised or crushed foot, any imperfection is disallowed: குருடு, நெரிசல், முடம், கழலை, சொறி, புண் முதலிய பழுதுள்ளவைகளை நீங்கள் கர்த்தருக்குச் செலுத்தாமலும், அவைகளாலே கர்த்தருக்குப் பலிபீடத்தின்மேல் தகனபலியிடாமலும் இருப்பீர்களாக.
A herdsman (மந்தையாளர்) in the ancient world would have a particular number of livestock. A man knows his livestock; he knows every square inch of each and every one of them. If a Jew is truly grateful to God and his redemption, he is full of gratitude—how will he express that? When he plans to come to the temple, will he choose a weak, defective animal? No, he will choose the best, because it is for the living God. And therefore, there is a profound need for unblemished excellence (குறையற்ற மேன்மை).
Imagine what a shame it would be when a Jew comes to the threshold of the tabernacle and the priest says, “Look, there is a crookedness in the leg of this particular bull.” It is not just about the animal; it manifests the condition of the heart. It reveals an ungrateful Jew who has not remembered all that God has graciously done for him, and who has been careless about his offering. What a shameful thing to bring such sacrifices to the living God! It shows a terribly ungrateful, non-worshiping heart.
2. Who Should Sacrifice?
The second command addresses who should bring sacrifices. Everyone cannot bring sacrifices to the living Yahweh; everyone’s sacrifices are not accepted by the living God. Only the sacrifices of circumcised Jews are accepted by Him. Notice what it says in verse 25:
நார் ஷால் யூ அக்செப்ட் எனி சச் ஆஃபரிங் ஃரம் தி ஹேண்ட் ஆஃப் அ ஃபாரின்ர்… அந்நிய புத்திரன் கையிலும் இப்படிப்பட்டதை வாங்கி, தேவனுக்கு அப்பமாகச் செலுத்தீர்களாக; அவைகளின் கேடும் பழுதும் அவைகளில் இருக்கிறது; அவைகள் உங்களுக்காக அங்கிகரிக்கப்படுவதில்லை என்று சொல் என்றார்.
They have a defect, being foreigners, and they shall not be accepted. Now, it is amazing: let us say there is a man who comes in with 500 six-foot bulls. He is very muscular and very strong, and among them, you cannot find a single blemish—each one is perfect. Can the priest accept it? No. Why? There is nothing wrong with what he gives; the problem is with who gives it. He is not a circumcised Jew. It is not to be accepted. No matter how beautiful the offering is, or how much he gives, God sees it as defective and never accepts any sacrifice from him. It is said to be corrupt in the eyes of God (verse 25: அவைகளின் கேடும் பழுதும் அவைகளில் இருக்கிறது). God sees that outwardly beautiful thing as a deformed and contorted freak (சிதைந்த).
3. When They Should Sacrifice
What kind of sacrifices, who should sacrifice, and when they should sacrifice? Verse 26 states:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “When a bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord.”
Here, it is provided that no creature should be offered in sacrifice until it was a complete eight days old. Why the eighth day? We see again and again that the eighth day emphasizes and points to the Christian Sabbath day. We saw that children were cleansed and brought to the temple for circumcision on the eighth day.
To summarize the three commands:
- What should be given? Unblemished excellence (குறையற்ற மேன்மை). What shouldn’t be given? No blemishes.
- Who should give? Circumcised Jews only. Who shouldn’t give? Gentiles.
- When? Not before the eighth day.
New Covenant Applications
Evenings make it easy to fall asleep, so I am advising even our deacons not to wait until the end to give all their applications when most of you have switched off, but to keep giving applications after every point. I want to draw a few applications from these three rules and then answer the question of why worship is so important.
1. Our Sin Offering Is Unblemished Excellence (குறையற்ற மேன்மை)
The only way to approach God is through the burnt, guilt, and sin offerings—that is the entrance of the temple, as we studied. There is no other way. By God’s abounding great mercy and grace, He has fulfilled the shadow of the Old Testament burnt, guilt, and sin offerings in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just as those sheep were brought to the priest for testing, our sacrificial Lamb of God was bound and brought before Annas, the senior old High Priest, who couldn’t find anything wrong. He was sent to Caiaphas and the whole Sanhedrin, who couldn’t find anything wrong and had to use his own true statements to justly accuse him. Even Pilate couldn’t find any fault and confessed, “I find no fault in Him.” He was perfect and passed every test. He was not offered by a stranger, nor did He offer Himself according to His own mere will; He was appointed and anointed by God as High Priest and offered Himself—not when He was a small baby, but when He came to full maturity.
We do not have to wonder whether it was accepted, because God has given historical testimony by raising Christ from the dead, proving that our sin offering is perfectly acceptable.
1 Peter 1:19 says that as the royal priesthood of the New Covenant church, you have been redeemed with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless—Christ:
குற்றமில்லாத மாசற்ற ஆட்டுக்குட்டியாகிய கிறிஸ்துவின் விலையேறப்பெற்ற இரத்தத்தினாலே மீட்கப்பட்டீர்களென்று அறிந்திருக்கிறீர்களே.
What Peter is saying is that Christ has substituted His perfectly holy person for the sinner’s contortedly unholy wretchedness. When you and I today want to come to God and experience His favor and blessings, if we come by our own self-righteousness, we will be turned away. But when we come to the entrance of the temple of the house of God by trusting in that once-for-all sin offering of Christ, instead of being turned away without hope, you are now accepted in the Beloved, because Christ’s blemishless beauty has been imputed to you. You are seen as holy and perfectly righteous in the sight of God. Whatever miserable or guilty feelings you may have, if you put your trust in Christ—in a way, putting all your trust in the once-for-all burnt offering of Christ—you will see heaven open, and God will smile with favor upon you.
The Book of Hebrews says that even more than in the Old Testament, we are welcomed and can come with full confidence and without doubt. Hebrews 9:14 says:
நித்திய ஆவியினாலே தம்மைத்தாமே பழுதற்ற பலியாக தேவனுக்கு ஒப்புக்கொடுத்த கிறிஸ்துவினுடைய இரத்தம் ஜீவனுள்ள தேவனுக்கு ஊழியஞ்செய்வதற்கு உங்கள் மனச்சாட்சியைச் செத்த கிரியைகளறச் சுத்திகரிப்பது எவ்வளவு நிச்சயம்!
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
Hebrews 10:19, 22:
ஆகையால், சகோதரரே, நாம் பரிசுத்த ஸ்தலத்தில் பிரவேசிப்பதற்கு இயேசுவானவர் தமது மாம்சமாகிய திரையின் வழியாய்ப் புதிதும் ஜீவனுமான மார்க்கத்தை நமக்கு உண்டுபண்ணினபடியால் அந்த மார்க்கத்தின்வழியாய்ப் பிரவேசிப்பதற்கு அவருடைய இரத்தத்தினாலே நமக்குத் தைரியம் உண்டாயிருக்கிறபடியினாலும், 22. துர்மனச்சாட்சி நீங்கத் தெளிக்கப்பட்ட இருதயமுள்ளவர்களாயும், உண்மையுள்ள இருதயத்தோடும் விசுவாசத்தின் பூரண நிச்சயத்தோடும் சேரக்கடவோம்.
Hebrews 4:15–16:
- நம்முடைய பலவீனங்களைக்குறித்துப் பரிதபிக்கக்கூடாத பிரதான ஆசாரியர் நமக்கிராமல், எல்லாவிதத்திலும் நம்மைப்போல் சோதிக்கப்பட்டும், பாவமில்லாதவராயிருக்கிற பிரதான ஆசாரியரே நமக்கிருக்கிறார்.
- ஆதலால், நாம் இரக்கத்தைப் பெறவும், ஏற்ற சமயத்தில் சகாயஞ்செய்யுங்கிருபையை அடையவும், தைரியமாய்க் கிருபாசனத்தண்டையிலே சேரக்கடவோம்.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
You see what encouragements we have because our sin offering possesses unblemished excellence (குறையற்ற மேன்மை). We are perfectly accepted! That is the glorious blessing Christ purchased for us. Knowing this truth will liberate your burdened conscience.
In the morning, we studied what a terrible condition we were in: hell-deserving sinners. You and I deserve to be banished from the presence of God to weep, wail, and gnash our teeth. But God not only saved us; even after being saved, as we walk in this defiled world, we are again and again bitten by the dragon and might die in a few minutes. Yet when we come, struggling, dragging our dying lives into God’s presence—just as the bronze serpent on the pole gave life and removed the poison—the cross of Christ removes all our poison. God accepts us, cleanses us, fills our hearts with His love, and when we come to His house, we meet Him face to face. Blessed be God the Father for our sin offering! Because He died for us, whatever state we are in, it is well with our souls. Do you enjoy that New Covenant privilege? How this should encourage us to commune with God through prayer!
2. Uncircumcised Offerings Are Unacceptable
This second lesson shows what a marvelous privilege this is. In the Old Testament, you might be the richest man in the world, or the greatest king like Pharaoh or King Nebuchadnezzar with all power, able to bring thousands of perfect bulls and lambs, yet it would not be accepted because you are uncircumcised. Circumcision was the sign of God. A sovereign God has not come down to you, revealed Himself, and made a covenant with you.
In the New Testament, this refers to God coming down, as we saw in Ephesians 2: when we were dead, God gave us new life and raised us from our worst condition. When you have seen yourself as a dead sinner and come to the foot of the cross, seeing Jesus die as an atoning sacrifice for you, the knife of the Holy Spirit slices open your heart, circumcises it, and gives you a regenerated soul and spirit—you who were once dead to God, feeling nothing for Him, now want to know, obey, love, and reflect Him.
Only those who are circumcised in heart can ever offer an acceptable sacrifice to God. Someone might say, “Oh, I am going to completely change; I’m going to bring good bulls and do all kinds of good things to show God that I truly love Him. I am going to fast every other day, daily go to church, give 50% of my earnings as tithes, and give alms.” Look: all those good deeds, if they come from a heart that is not circumcised, are the most hateful sins before God—freaks, contorted and corrupted in the eyes of the living God.
You must be circumcised in heart. You must be a spiritual Israelite. The only way is to have your hands gripping that Lamb, trusting the full weight of your soul upon His redemptive work upon the cross, for He alone can take away the sins of the world.
Our confession on good works states in Paragraph 7: Even the good works of the unregenerate are sins!
Outline on Unregenerate Good Works
- Good works of the unregenerate can be good at a worldly level:
- Works done by unregenerate men, although in the matter of them they may be things which God commands, are of good use both to themselves and others.
- Yet they are considered as sins because:
- They proceed not from a heart purified by faith,
- Nor are done in a right manner according to the Word,
- Nor to a right end (the glory of God)—they are therefore sinful and cannot please God,
- Nor do they make a man meet to receive grace from God.
- Yet if the unregenerate neglect to do good works, they are condemned more:
- What a deplorable state it is to be an unbeliever in God’s sight! Their neglect of good works is even more sinful and displeasing to God.
Same confession para 6 says
PARA 6– Believers’ good works are accepted and rewarded by God for Christ’s sake
6._____ Yet notwithstanding the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in God’s sight, but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.
( Ephesians 1:6; 1 Peter 2:5; Matthew 25:21, 23; Hebrews 6:10 )
So 2 lessons: : If As new covenant worshipers, our sin offering is குறையற்ற மேன்மை. Secondly; uncircumcised offerings unacceptable, God accepts only his people circumcised sacrifices. We also see 8th day offering is so special pointing to our Sunday NT worship day.
What should our response to this truth, if God has given such a sin offering and made us his circumcised children, a rare privilege. You remember Jew as response to God’s acceptance to him and cleansing his sin by burnt sin offering, he will bring grain and peace offering as expression of his gratitude. For NT priests; Paul say God has given such sin offering, you should give your grain offering. Romans 12: 1 அப்படியிருக்க, சகோதரரே, நீங்கள் உங்கள் சரீரங்களைப் பரிசுத்தமும் தேவனுக்குப் பிரியமுமான ஜீவபலியாக ஒப்புக்கொடுக்கவேண்டுமென்று, தேவனுடைய இரக்கங்களை முன்னிட்டு உங்களை வேண்டிக்கொள்ளுகிறேன்; இதுவே நீங்கள் செய்யத்தக்க புத்தியுள்ள ஆராதனை.
What kind of temple grain offering and peace offering we bring to God’s house. What is reasonable sacrifice. Ask your conscience? , if God has given such a sin offering and made us his circumcised children. Did God do it easily with cheap price: Gracious God who spared not His own beloved Son, poured all our sin’s wrath on him till son cried out and burst his heart and died, what kinds of offerings ought we bring when we publicly gather as living stones at this temple to worship God? What kind?
If we were an ancient herdsman strolling about in the field, what kind should we bring? Well, the answer would be the best and only the best because my Savior has died on my behalf. My Heavenly Father has not spared His own Son.
Our grain temple offerings must be of whole-souled excellence without blemish. முழுமனதான மாசற்ற மேன்மை offering. Our temple offerings must be of whole-souled excellence.
If in the OT temple, God terribly scolds and curses for bringing the lame and blind sacrifices, in Malachi how much he will get angry when we fail to bring good sacrifices. IN Malachi he mocks them; your governor asks certain livestock of you for taxes. We’d never give that to your governor, would you? Imagine you have meeting with the CM or PM highly respected person.
An appointment with him at 10 am to spend an hour with him in his office in the state house. Will give excuses of traffic or getting ready, no, you will wake you 4 hours early, leave 1 hour early, so you are not late. Last week client meeting.. I went 2 mins late… I felt so bad… why we don’t feel tat way. Let us say you couldn’t sleep previous night, will you sleep when he is talking to you… feel drowsy, no you will do everything to pay attention in the meeting; have lot of coffee; you’d slap yourself and you’d make sure you’re paying full attention to this man. How much more when you bring the sacrifices of your affection and your attention into this house ought it be our best without blemish? Not that which has the running sore or is bruised or is fractured.
Brothers and sisters, if we have any sense of greatness of salvation and gratitude to God; let’s resolve, முழுமனதான மாசற்ற மேன்மை offering.
நொண்டியான prayer… I will not only come on time, come early and prepare my mind and heart in silent prayer… doesn’t your heart need time to prepare your sacrifice and arrange it so it will be fitting when the gates of the temple open to worship …. so my soul is lifted up from this earth to heavenly worship….
You think of a herder who wants to express his love to God in a peace offering. He brings the best bull, and he probably combs that thing, and you brush it, so when it gets to the priest, the priest says, Man, this is a beautiful sacrifice, fitting for the God of Heaven… I will come early..
I will not come late, disturb worship; and drag people down reminding them of disorderliness of this world….. will prepare my heart… so I give my best attention to God’s worship, not allow my mind to wander here and there. I will offer not only my body, but my mind and spirit will involved in worship. We need to resolve to do this, and not bring blind sacrifices…. we sit in church but our minds are elsewhere;, how insulting God who knows even our hearts and thoughts.. .. we behave as if saying I can praise as I like.. he doesn’t see. We are present in body, but “lame” in our worship.
In prayer; we don’t tune out and somehow dislodge our thinking when we bow our heads, but rather we’re engaged and we even say loud the Amen alongside that helps us and assists the brother as our mouthpiece.
Shouldn’t bring lame நொண்டியான singing. When we sing, we should be meticulous—thinking about the words, engaging our spirit, and offering our best sound, not just what is “left over.” We have set time to practice evening to practice 2 songs.. not enough.. we should have more song practice meetings….. I will regularly write songs that we can sing..
Shouldn’t bring blind reading of the Scripture. Sometimes the brother is reading scripture;. Not opening verses and seeing them. We’re not really paying attention. Ask someone what we read.. no one can say… May that not be the case. ………..I was also seeing how we can make scripture reading very interesting… remember I worship used to 3 hours… .. eager waiting and very involved scripture reading.. every week… for few short minutes explain what we read…. Intro I gave.. made all of us would listen to rapt attention…Need to bring make liveliness in scripture reading…
Or deaf hearing of the Word of God. Or half-hearted participation. When preacher is spent time preparing a sermon.. to teach you difficult truths… … see new truths… new sights of truth we can only grasp.. when we travel deeper….think deeply. When preacher is trying to explain a new truth to give you new vision…. You don’t switch off.. but aggressively pressing against the preacher’s mind, like bull against men pushing him.. you push.. push your head.. to grasp light of God’s word…. think hard… so difficult this reels generation.. all transformation happens by renewing of our mind…
When I’m preaching, you’re not to be in neutral. You’re to be pushing up against me, and if I’m giving pressure, you need to give mental, isometric pressure back, so you can be benefiting from the Word of God. And it may involve the looking of the eyes at the verses, and looking at the preacher; opening your ears and hearing God’s word; body and facial language.. shaking listening and taking in.. yes I understand… I am following.. or it may involve the Amen, or some kind of audible sign that you are with us, you are participating in the offering up of these sacrifices……..how encouraging to preacher.. you discourage me so many times… looking here and there… no reaction in face.. or mouth….
Then worship over, you then just get up and run away.. into world; so word is lost by wayside; but you quietly pray for few minutes that God will deeply implant word to give much fruit; and then you fellowship with brothers and sisters.. by greeting them, and knowing church people where God has joined you… when you get to know people, you will know their needs; then slowly God will show you how you can serve in this church. Brother, don’t you think this is basic gratitude we show to God; for all he has done for us… isn’t this முழுமனதான மாசற்ற மேன்மை offering.
We don’t only offer sacrifice to God when we’re gathered together as a church.
Then personal life, prayer Regene preached wonderfully about unceasing prayer… always offering our sacrifice learning by unceasing prayer.. thanking praising, praying God to by practicing unceasing prayer…..
Romans 12 idea, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. In everything we do in our body, it’s depicted as a sacrifice. We offer sacrifices every moment of every day.
In the way that we rise up in the morning, in the way that we talk to our wife and children. What kind of a sacrifice is that discussion that you had with your wife? You’re to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
We will offer sacrifices by body; when we don’t give room to lust of eyes, we would not have the diverted eye that would be glancing at a thrilling look somewhere. But no, keep your eyes straight ahead. We would not allow our mouth to sin; by lying, sinning; We learn to control our tongue.. not speak whatever comes to our mouth. We would also resolve that we would keep our minds pure where no one else looks but God. No one else looks on that internal mental dimension of your life, but God. Keeping the whole Sabbath holy, even if it costs us much. Love for the brethren. Open-handed generosity. Tedious hospitality. A faithful, devotional life.
The Lord knows what we’re bringing every moment in our lifestyle. And we say, Lord, You know what’s in my herds. The other brethren might not, but You know what’s in my herds and You know what I’m bringing. If we’d be truly God-fearing as a priest, we would bring the best.
Let me conclude with my initial question. Why Worship so important? Especially church worship is emphasizes so much. 5 reasons
- By saving his people and doing marvelous work by his son, Lord said Father desires those who worship him truth and spirit. It is pleasing aroma. It pleases God.
- The church’s worship is made an indication, index of the church’s spiritual health. The church’s public worship is one of faith’s vital signs. unmistakably a marker of her spiritual health or her spiritual sickness. Whether church truly loves God or their love has become cold? Whether are full of faith or unbelief? Whether they are obedience or disobedient. Spiritually sick or healthy. They are spiritual or not. All can be seen in the form, spirit, and energy of their worship. It is undeniable indication of church’s spiritual health condition.
- Why worship so important? We saw dangers of man made worship? It is terrible sin and hypocrisy; invariably corrupts the heart, brings many curses, and sends us to hell
- We were created to worship. a created thing functions best only when it fulfills the purpose for which it was designed. If we do not worship God we will worship something else instead. Human beings always worship, they cannot help themselves, this world rings with worship; you are worshipping all the time. That dress, that movie, that vacation, that family member, child; game, hero, and our lives will be as their worship; we cannot help that either.
- There is a spiritual principle that we essentially “download” the attributes of the object of our obsession. If we worship money, we become cold and transactional. If we worship sex, we become lustful and shallow. If we worship the Holy God, we are gradually transformed into His likeness—growing in love, joy, and righteousness. Biblical worship is the primary mechanism for spiritual growth. You reflect your focus. To fix the human character, you must fix the human focus (Worship).
- Today modern world; I believe many people go to mall to worship… if do some analysis those who go there are in many ways worshippers in a temple. Mall teaches us to admire and worship things; riches, luxury, success, pleasure. The mall asks of us worship of materialistic consumerism. … buy this and that… this will fulfill their lives…. make them feel young.
- If we worship other things, the wrong things, we will become like those things. This is the terrible warning of Psalm 115:4-8 “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.”
- So the most fundamental question of any human life is: what does this man, this woman worship. And the great importance of right worship is that it creates the right sort of person;
- Worship shapes life. The man who worships the rock star becomes one kind of human being; the teenage girl who worships Jesus Christ becomes another. Every Lord’s Day we express in powerful ways the longings of our hearts, rekindle our aspirations, purify our motives and set clearly before ourselves the goal or the end or the purpose of our lives. Worship, by animating our affections – by which I mean our emotions, our attitudes, and our loves and hatreds – and setting them on holy things, purifies them; and sends them on their way to creating a godly, faithful, and fruitful life of service to God.
- True worship brings all peace, joy, happiness man seeks, because in the image of God, man was created to worship God. all confusion, fear comes becomes world and other things become big, but when we worship. magnify the Lord, he becomes big, everything else small. As He becomes large in your eyes, your worries naturally become small. It shifts our focus: From our self to God, guilt to God’s forgiveness, problems to God’s provision. Every Lord’s Day we come into this house and we become again our truest selves as the creatures and children of God.
- It transforms our character: We become like what we worship. It is this that makes Christian worship so critical to Christian experience and the Christian life. We cannot live Christian life without proper worship.
- Why important? In temple more than anywhere in the world; true worship of heaven is taught. We learn a life of worship with constant repeated actions and rules; that creates different mind and heart from what world teaches. Here the presence of God is everything. Here everything is motivated by the divine holiness and by God’s mercy to sinners. Here reverence for God is practiced in everything. Both the Lord’s nearness to his people and his distance far above them are instilled in them as they practice the rituals of confession, faith, gratitude, love, and joy. Here their entire lives are brought under the overarching demands of a holy law. Here redemption is found and a redeeming God is encountered. Here heaven is prefigured as people are freed from their sins and as they sit down to enjoy a feast in the company of other grateful and happy folk whom the living God has favored with the knowledge of himself.
- Yes we repeat same things…. But we know in constant repeatition shapes heart and creates deep pattern and structure in our mind. In houses, we have some rituals .. rules .. why we know they repeatedly do… that shape the character of our children and eventually ineradicably instill in some values… The heart takes its shape by the repetition of ritual, whether the confession and forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name in the Lord’s house on the Lord’s Day, or by praying before food; by the reading of the Word of God together, These things do not exercise their influence all at once, every parent knows that, but by constant repetition they form the deep structure of our lives.
This is precisely what we learn of Christian worship everywhere we turn in Holy Scripture. The rituals of Christian worship on the Lord’s Day, constantly repeated, not only shape our understanding of ourselves and of God, they create and sustain our desires and loves in specific ways,
Lord prepares his people for heaven through worship. all of the worship that we are given to see in heaven in the Book of Revelation is corporate worship, the worship of the church together. You don’t learn to worship God and enjoy it here.. you are not going there.
Lord says if you have to be with me heaven… I want to be the kind of person that sort of worship creates: reverent, penitent, humble, grateful, loving, obedient, and happy. The Bible worship when offered from the heart, would create such people. More than you realize it is what more than anything else will make you the person you ought to be
How you worship will make you the person you will become, like it or not, for good or for ill. But right worship, rightly offered will make you all you ought to be and all that deep in your heart you desire to be. It is the discipline from which a life of love is made.
That is why David, who enjoyed wonderful intimacy with the Lord God in his private worship would nevertheless say in Psalm, 27:
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”