GOD HAS INSTRUCTED US ON HOW TO WORSHIP HIM

WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE

GOD’S REVELATION IS DIVINELY INSPIRED

COMPLETELY EQUIPS US

     And His revelation is complete because by the end of the first century Jude wrote, “Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3 ASV) Jude proclaimed through “… the faith which was once for all delivered” that the teachings of direct revelation have ceased and were complete. They were and are “once for all times.” Much like the death of Christ was “once for all times.” “By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10 ASV) Who in their right mind can deny that Christ died ONCE FOR ALL TIMES? No one can deny that; so why deny that God’s word is complete?

     But not only is it complete; it is “God-breathed!” That is the literal meaning of INSPIRED in (2 Timothy 3:16). He made sure that the men who recorded the Bible didn’t lean unto their own understanding. He Personally led them. “And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21 ASV)

       The Old Testament was said to be written for our learning. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 ASV) But to go back and rely upon the law of Moses for authorization of the way they would have worshiped God under that covenant is to FALL FROM GRACE! “Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:4 ASV) We have an example of when man takes it upon himself to worship the Lord in his own man-made will. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.” (Leviticus 10:1-2 ASV) What will we learn from this? Well, Jehovah commanded the priests on what kind of fire to use; and Aaron’s sons who were qualified to offer up fire before the Lord as Moses made sure they were well instructed in what they were doing. But they offered “strange” or as the NIV puts it “unauthorized” fire before the Lord. Yes, they did use fire; BUT not the fire the Lord specified. You can plainly see that when we don’t follow His will in worship; He looks down heavily on the innovations of man! And necessarily this concludes that God MUST instruct us on how to worship if we are to please Him. “And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.” (Hebrews 11:6 ASV) And faith comes not by the words of men. “So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 ASV)

      The Old Testament worship in which God required was indeed under the Old Testament or Old Covenant in which Jehovah made between Him and the nation of Israel. “And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.” (Exodus 34:27 ASV) But in the New Testament Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth. “And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18 ASV) And the Father speaks through Christ in these last days. “God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds…” (Hebrews 1:1-2 ASV) And if there were one continuous covenant; the book of Hebrews would not have to make a distinction like it readily does. “But now hath he [Christ] obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second.” (Hebrews 8:6-7 ASV) Can you see that the scriptures cut it dry by referring to better, first, and second ? I just wanted to point out that fact because now that we are under the second or new covenant “In that he saith, A new covenant he hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away.” (Hebrews 8:13 ASV—penned approximately 65 A.D.) It first was “old,” “waxeth aged,” and was “near to disappearing!” And “… having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out that way, nailing it to the cross; …” (Colossians 2:14 ASV) from the death of the Testator (Christ Jesus). “And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it. For a testament is of force where there hath been death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth.” (Hebrews 9:15-17 ASV) So after the death of Christ, we have come into a relationship with the Father in a “new and living way.” (Hebrews 10:20)

      Jesus specified what this new and living way was in the Gospel of John. While speaking with the woman at the well… “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father. Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24 ASV) Clearly the time of the Christian Era is what He was referring to. What three things can we pick up about what Christ said? 1) These will be TRUE worshipers. 2) God seeks these kind of worshipers to worship Him. And 3) If you are desiring to worship God; “now is” the time we MUST [imperative] worship IN SPIRIT [with the heart] and IN TRUTH [per God’s instructions]! It is from our inner man that God now seeks worship from. There are two acts of worship that I would like to press upon… Prayer and Song. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 14 with me. Now granted, we won’t ever encounter an assembly like this one now a days; but non-miraculous gifts we will see. The same principles that govern “decently and in order vs. 40” govern our assembly today. Paul said, “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (1 Corinthians 14:15 ASV) You can see why I picked prayer and song. Paul said he wills to “pray with the spirit” and “sing with the spirit” [cf. Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16, 17] notice the similitude between them. They are both executed WITH [by means of] the HEART [Mind] and neither the harp, lyre, organ nor any other mechanical instrument will suffice. The apostle Paul calls these mechanical instruments (“WITHOUT LIFE”: G895-ap'-soo-khos From G1 (as a negative particle) and G5590; lifeless, that is, inanimate (mechanical): - without life. STRONG’S GREEK CONCORDANACE) [1 Corinthians 14:7] A well known denominational preacher recognized the importance of not using machinery in accompaniment with singing and prayer. Charles Spurgeon was perhaps the greatest Baptist preacher who ever lived. He preached for twenty years in the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle of London, England to 10,000 people every Sunday. The mechanical instrument never entered the tabernacle of Spurgeon. When asked why he did not use the organ in worship, he cited 1 Corinthians 14:15: “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also.” He added, “I would as soon pray to God with machinery as to sing to God with machinery.”

      We relate prayer and song because of their frequency of usage in context of one another (i.e.-“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them; …” (Acts 16:25 ASV) “And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Verily I say unto you, I shall no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives.” (Mark 14:22-26 ASV) “… speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19-21 ASV) [Note: giving thanks is a form of prayer. But not limited to.] “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:16-17 ASV) [Note also: we want worship to be FREE of any, within our control, distractions in order to be able to “Let the word of Christ dwell” while “teaching and admonishing one another.” Would we play machinery while praying in order to make sure we can be able to say, “Amen?” “So also ye, unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into the air.” (1 Corinthians 14:9 ASV) “For if I pray in a tongue, [indiscernible speech] my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. [worthless] What is it then? [so I will do it in this manner] I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.” (1 Corinthians 14:14-17 ASV) Why people insist on worshiping God in their own fleshly ways is beyond me. Surely one is edified when God’s way is executed! Also, we make a surety out of clarified messages while “teaching and admonishing” one another with vocals only. (Col. 3:16)