the lost a r t o f WORSHIP
by Howard B. Carpenter
The NATURE of worship. W o r s h ip is t h e e x p r e s s io n of our appreciation of the person and the work of Christ. The two are in separable. The blind man in John 9 must have known of the miraculous deeds performed by the prophets of old, for when he was asked who opened his eyes, he replied “He is a prophet.” Later when Jesus revealed Himself as the Son of God, His person and His work were joined, and then the man who was born blind worshipped Him. A marvelous picture of every redeemed sinner! The first occurrence of the word worship in Scripture gives us a clear idea of what worship is and what it is not. Speaking of his contemplated sacrifice of his only son Isaac, Abraham said, “ . . . I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Gen. 22:5). Abraham was not expecting to receive a thing, material or immaterial. He did not intend to ask for a blessing. He was going only to GIVE, and to give the best that he possessed. That is true worship. The PRIORITY of worship. God our Father desires much from His born-again children, particularly in regard to our worship, our be havior, and our service. In other words, He is concerned about our worship, our walk and our work. So far as service is concerned, He expects much more than most of us give, for we are His only means of spreading the good news of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, He seeks behavior beyond reproach for wdthout. it our testimony will carry little weight. If our walk is not consistent with our work, it dishonors the One who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. But of the three God places worship first. Scripture is clear on this point. Let us look at a few passages which deal with this theme. First, we have the words of the Lord Himself, “ . . . for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve ” (Matt. 4:10). Secondly, we have the order in which God lists the first three men of faith in Hebrews 11: “ By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice . . . ” (' worship) v. 4. “ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death . . .” v. 5 (Enoch walked with God . . .” Genesis 5:22). “ By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark
to the saving of his house: . . .” (service) v. 7. Other instances occur in the Old Testament when God gave instructions as to the order in which the nation of Israel should act, i.e. which tribe should take the lead. Likely man would have put the tribe of Reuben first, as he was the first-born, or the tribe of Levi, as it served the tabernacle. But God gave the first place to the fourth-born, Judah. And Judah means “praise” ! (1) “And the Lord said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. And he that offered his offering the first day was Nashon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah” (Num. 7:11, 12). (2) “ And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. In the first place v/ent the standard of the camp of the children of Judah . . .” (Num. 10:13, 14). (3) “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: . . .” (Judges 1:1, 2). (See also Judges 20:18) It is remarkable that even the order in which these instructions occur in Scripture follows God’s pattern — worship, walk, and work. Other references could be given, such as Matthew 28:9, 10, 16-20 and John 4:19-29. All indicate that God places worship before walk and service. The SUMMONS to worship. It is disappointing when we realize that there is often so little worship in our “ worship services.” The prayers are for ourselves and our service. The sermons are us ually for the edification or the exhortation of the saints. This is all fine and needful at the proper time, but in true worship our hearts and our minds are concentrated on God, the Father, and on His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). “ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). (Italics by the writer). Mr. Carpenter is a member of the Gideons (formerly New York State president), CBMC, and "Word of Life" council. He fellowships with the Plymouth Brethren.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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