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THE K I N G ’S BUS I NE S S
he know them , because they are spir itu ally discerned.” “They th a t are in the flesh cannot please God.” “T hat which is born of th e flesh, is flesh.” “The flesh profiteth noth ing .” Cain was in the flesh, and his worship was rejected. The Pharisee went up to the Temple to pray, b u t he prayed in th e flesh and his prayer was not received or answered by God. Three things are essential to worship: A d i vine n a tu re (born of th e S p irit) ; a spir itu al n atu re (th e presence of th e Spirit to lead our th o u g h ts ); and th e W ord of God, to reveal God to us as the F ath er. These th ree requisites enable us to offer tru e worship. The Sam aritans, as Jesus said to th e woman, and the Jews, and many church members, worship they know no t what. W hat a pity it is th a t many real Christians are igno ran t of God’s h e a rt desire, and of God’s Scrip- ,tu ral, sp iritu al way of worship. The P lace of Worship. This question is also now settled for ever. T rue worship is not confined to any place. Once Jerusalem was th e only place, for th a t was where God ordered it, and where He had recorded His name. Now it is anywhere th a t believ ers record H is name. The veil is ren t. The body of th e believer is enshrined by the indwelling of th e Holy Spirit. There is no v irtue in brick or stone, nor in cathedrals nor in stained glass win dows, nor in any ceremony. Some things may be a help to sp iritu al worship. We may revere a place where He meets w ith us. There may be hallowed associations clustering around such a place. It may be a home, a mission, a chapel, or a church building,— bu t th ere is no v irtu e in any of these. “Where two or th ree are g ath ered in my name, th e re am I in th e m id st” ,— and where H e is, is a holy shrine. T rue worship is no t confined to any season. I t is anywhere, a t any time, wherever and whenever we will, w ith adoring h earts and in tru e sp iritu al wor ship, we may approach our F ath e r. It
is no t confined to any ceremony. The Scriptures do not give us any sugges tion as ’ to th e form ; it is spiritual. Form s and ceremonies are for the wor sh ip er’s eye, not for God. They are cal culated to satisfy the esthetic n atu re , and fleshly superstition. They veil God from th e w orshiper’s eye. They served a purpose for Israel, for then, every where th e re was blood, blood, blood, accompanying th e ceremony of worship. The P erfum e of Worship. The F a th e r seeks th e worship of His children. He has a h e a rt of love th a t is manifested in th e g ift of His Son. The h ea rt of th e F a th e r is satisfied only in th a t which He seeks. As worshipers, we can give to our F a th e r real h ea rt satisfaction. There is an incense of sweet perfum e th a t reaches th e F a th e r when our souls in adoration are led by th e Holy Spirit to bow before the God and F ath e r of our Lord Jesus Christ and render Him th e homage He desires, and when th rough our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son in whom He de lights, and whose blood is cleansing us from all sin, we acknow ledge H is fin ished work in our behalf, and tell Him of our g ratitude, and of our dependence, Of our kinship, of our hope;— all blended in one a ttitu d e of soul. Perhaps the one place above all others where we are likely to worship in sp irit and in tru th , is around th e table of th e Lord, where we p artak e of His body and shed blood, in a blessed communion of saints, absorbed and lost in Him. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) The worship of some object is a necessity to man. (2 ) A m an’s ch aracter is largely de term ined by the object of his wor ship. (3 ) T rue worship m ust be according to revealed tru th . (4) False worship finds its foundation in th e F a th e r of Lies.
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