Worship/Message/Prayer/Pt. 1

The Old Rugged Cross: On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

2. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary.
(Refrain)

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.
(Refrain)

4. To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share.
(Refrain)
Hello to each one of you whom reads my messages in many,many rooms and blog sites. I just wanted to share some of the worship songs that I , personally have been listening to this morning and through my days at our home. Of course we have many kinds of songs to listen to each day in praying and being in the Lord of giving self unto him . Plus many people comes by our home in needing prayers, or hospital visits to those we know and to those we don't know very well but after those visits we come to know them as well. Some of those people we have grown around and perhaps forgotton have re- surfaced back into our lives as well in sharing what Jesus Christ had done unto us while such a long time being away from them and may I say some of them just don't want to hear it and other's do but we pray for those whom don't in receiving the Lord in there salvation to be in him and going about the lord's business themselves. Personally I don't want anyone to miss out in being with the Lord and all that He's promised us in His Sword unto all the world. I thought that I'd share with each one of you some life experiences that we face each and everyday in our home in being real and focused in activites that either had or had taken place in the city of which we live in and our surrounding areas. But today I'm "Worshipping" Jesus Christ and being prepared for sunday services tomorrow in being ables to share it with someone this week that the Lord has already prepared for us this coming week that we don't know whom that will be only He knows whom that will knocking at our door. In Him I give thanks unto the Lord in preparing us in being servants in him. Anyways in being in worship that comes from the Lord himself unto us today. I will give you a series of which it came from Biblically from our scriptures. This to refresh us and Not do those kinds of practices before the Lord at all and to take Him as truths in our lives forever and ever. We don't want to be fooled by others at all ! I know that in my own life I don't want to disobey my precious Jesus nor His Father !!!!! What about You ? How do you feel about this in your own life? If you have No idea about this subject I sincernly hope and pray that this will enlighten you and keep it with you on this matter of worship. May the Holy Spirit guide into His truths today as you pray about it as well. I'm not to judge anyone that's not my job it's the Lord! But I'm here to present it to you as it is in his words.I'm only a servant unto the Lord as he shares His words with me in turn giving it unto each one of you. This will come again in more posts. God Bless You !

The first commandment reminds us that the Lord is the only proper recipient of our wor ship. The command prohibits the worship of false gods, and enjoins us to worship only the true God, the Lord. "I am the Lord thy God . Thou shalt have no other gods before me"(Ex. 20:2-3).The second commandment continues the focus on worship by telling us how God is to be worshipped. It does so in a negative sense, by forbidding us to worship God with human inventions. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"(Ex. 20:4). A graven image is not merely a statue of a false deity. If that were the case, the second commandment would be redundant of the first. Instead, the second commandment plainly forbids making or revering physical or artistic representations of the true God.

The apostle Paul instructed the Athenians, "We ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device"(Acts 17:29; cf. Ps. 115:4-8). Any attempt to represent God by human devices is an insult to the Lord. His pronouncement is clear: "I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images" (Isa. 42:8).

The prohibition expressed in the second commandment reaches beyond what we might call an image, in the strictest sense of the term. In its broader scope, this commandment really forbids the use of all man-made devices in worship. It directs us to the basic concept: that the only acceptable way of worshipping God is to render homage to him according to the instructions given in his word. Any deviation from his word by adopting humanly-devised forms of worship is, de facto, a violation of the scriptural law of worship.

When the Lord revealed himself to the Israelites, he did so by means of his word ­ not by physical images to be imitated or embellished. Therefore, he warned them: "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure," etc. (Deut. 4:15-16).

When the Lord revealed himself to the Israelites, he did so by means of his word ­ not by physical images to be imitated or embellished. Therefore, he warned them: "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure," etc. (Deut. 4:15-16).

When we consider the corrupt nature of fallen mankind, we may perceive why biblical directives in worship are so essential. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God"(Rom. 3:11). The natural tendency of mankind is to pollute the worship of God, changing the truth of God into a lie, worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator (Rom. 1:25).

Apart from God's word, men cannot attain an adequate knowledge of the way of salvation. Likewise, they can have no proper understanding of worship apart from the revealed will of God in the scriptures. We find that, from the earliest days of recorded history, the Lord gave to his people a divine pattern for worship. Although the Lord has sometimes made changes to outward forms and ceremonies, as he has unfolded the plan of redemption, God's people have never been left without commands for worship. The Lord demands obedience from his people. He tells them how to conduct worship; and it is unlawful to worship God by means which he has not established. Any humanly-devised alterations or additions to the worship of God are a species of idolatry.

In order to confirm our understanding of the scriptural law of worship, we turn to the precepts of the law. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses exhorts the children of Israel to keep the law of God; in the 12th chapter of the book, Moses reviews scriptural precepts pertaining to worship.

The Lord forbids his people to imitate pagan ways of worship; the Israelites were commanded to eradicate the remnants of corrupt worship from their midst (Deut. 12:2-3). They were commanded to destroy "all the places" wherein the heathen served their gods. They were instructed to purge the land of all the implements associated with false worship: "Ye shall over throw their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods." Even the terminology of corrupt worship was to be erased: "Destroy the names of them out of that place."

To the modern mind, this may sound strangely intolerant. But the Lord warned his people against the danger of imitating the worship practices of the nations: "Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God" (Deut. 12:4).

The chapter concludes with another stern warning against imitating heathen worship. There is no room for comparative religion or the assimilation of man-made devices in the worship of the true God. "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deut. 12:30-32).

That last statement points to doctrine highlighted earlier in the book of Deuteronomy respecting the sufficiency and authority of scripture. "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you" (Deut. 4:2). The general sufficiency and authority of scripture are brought to bear upon the content of our worship. This is the meaning of the scriptural law of worship: all forms of worship must have express scriptural warrant, if they are to be admitted as legitimate means of worship. The biblical pattern of worship needs no supplements of human devising; indeed, such man-made additions are a snare ­ graven images ­ the very seed of idolatry.

During the wilderness wanderings, the Israelites had to be schooled in proper principles of worship. Their native tendency toward corrupt worship was early shown, while they waited for Moses to return from Mt. Sinai. Growing restless, Aaron and the people constructed a golden calf to serve as a visible symbol of deity.

Virtually all expositors decry the action of the Israelites as idolatry. What is often over looked, however, is the manner in which the Israelites justified their action. They did not view the calf as a newly-created deity; rather, they made the calf as a testimony of their divine deliverance from Egypt. The calf-image evoked a sense of the strength displayed in their deliverance. "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord" (Ex. 32:4-5)

In other words, the Israelites did not claim to worship new deities ­ that would be blatant idolatry. No, they intended the calf to serve as a symbol of deity; and Aaron seeks to honor the sacred name of the Lord through this monstrous invention.

Now, when Moses returned, he did not regard this matter lightly. He did not employ the tactic which Papists have used for centuries (and which evangelical churchmen presently endorse), simply cautioning the Israelites not to worship false gods, noting that the image itself was not a deity, and then allowing the image to remain strictly as a symbol. No, Moses was not trained in the sophistries of medieval scholasticism. "He took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?" (Ex. 32:20-21).

The 10th chapter of Leviticus contains a startling account of God's displeasure with human innovation in worship. It is the case of Nadab and Abihu. These men were sons of Aaron the high priest; they had been consecrated to the priesthood. In an act of carelessness, or presumption, they "offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not." Immediately, "there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them" (Lev. 10:1-2).

Note the simplicity of their offense; Nadab and Abihu had not performed an act which was expressly forbidden. No, they merely added a bit of strange fire which the Lord had not commanded. Irrespective of their office or their motive, they were immediately consumed by fire from the Lord. The judgment which fell upon Nadab and Abihu stands as a perpetual testimony against those who presume to worship God by means which lack divine warrant. It is a solemn warning: "the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified" (Lev. 10:3).

The Folly of Saul

The case of king Saul illustrates the folly of claiming good intentions as an excuse for worship which God has not sanctioned.

Saul found himself in distressing circumstances. He was faced with a formidable number of enemy troops; and Samuel was late for their appointed meeting. Therefore, Saul decided to make a burnt offering himself, without waiting any longer for Samuel.

According to the Mosaic law, only the priests were authorized to make such offerings, but king Saul performed the priestly task on his own. No sooner had Saul committed his presumptuous deed, than Samuel arrived.

Samuel rebuked Saul, exclaiming, "What hast thou done?" Saul pleaded the necessity of his action, based upon pragmatic considerations. Regardless of the distressing circumstances, or Saul's apparent motive, Samuel pronounced God's judgment on the king. "Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue" (1 Sam. 13:13-14).

Saul's foolishness did not end with this first incident. A short time later, he led the Israelites in battle to destroy the Amalekites. Saul had been specifically instructed to destroy both the Amalekites and their livestock as well, taking no booty (1Sam.15:3).

Instead, "Saul and the people spared Agag," king of the Amalekites, "and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs." His subsequent explanation was that these choice animals would make an excellent sacrifice unto the Lord (1Sam.15:9,21).

From a human perspective this decision might sound reasonable. After all, when they considered the best of the livestock, it probably seemed like a terrible waste simply to destroy them. Wouldn't it be better to retain them as an offering unto God? If the motive was sincere, how could such a generous act of worship be tainted?

Samuel's response was blunt: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king" (1Sam. 15:22-23).

The lesson of this incident is simple. No motive or action in worship is acceptable, if it runs contrary to God's revealed word. At no point had Saul professed the worship of another god; yet the king's actions toward the Lord were unacceptable, because they deviated from God's revealed word. Therefore, Saul's deeds are likened to the very opposite of true worship ­ to witchcraft and idolatry.

Temple Worship

As noted earlier, the 12th chapter of Deuteronomy opens and closes with general statements prohibiting the corruption of worship through imitation of heathen practices. The middle portion of the chapter is significant as regards the outward ceremonies of worship under the Levitical priesthood. Even at the time of Moses, it was understood that the portable tabernacle would eventually give way to a permanent place for the Levitical sacrifices. "There shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you" (Deut. 12:11; cf. 12:5,14).

The designation of a fixed place of worship did not reach fulfillment until the Israelites conquered and settled the land of Canaan. During the reign of king David, Jerusalem was designated as the permanent location for the ark, thereby establishing Jerusalem as the center for the sacrificial ordinances associated with the Levitical priesthood. Even so, the entire program of worship, from the tabernacle to the temple, was directed by divine revelation.

The tabernacle worship was not the invention of Moses; it was built according to a divine blueprint. The Israelites were instructed: "Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it" (Ex. 25:8-9; Ex. 25:40; 27:8; Num. 8:4; cf. Acts 7:44; Heb. 8:5). Throughout the description of the tabernacle furnishings, it is reiterated that all things must be made according to the God-given pattern.

The ark of the covenant was placed within the tabernacle. It was a symbol of God's presence among them ­ the meeting-place between the Lord and his people. The Levitical priests performed sacrifices in the tabernacle: all according to the divine pattern given by God to Moses (Ex. 25:10-22; 29:42-46).

Later, when David sought to transfer the ark to Jerusalem, the ark was moved initially in a careless manner. The law required the ark to be carried on poles by the priests (Ex. 25:14; Num. 4:1-5). Instead of following the biblical procedure, the Israelites placed the ark upon an ox cart. While this method might have seemed more convenient, it resulted in a tragedy. "And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God" (1 Chron. 13:9-10; cf. 2 Sam. 6:1-10).

David was troubled by the death of Uzza. He wondered, "How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David." The ark was left temporarily at the house of Obed-edom. "And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had" (1 Chron. 13:12-14).

The problem was not with the ark. The problem was the failure of the Israelites to maintain the biblical order. Therefore, David called for the priests and Levites, and he charged them, "Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order" (1 Chron. 15:12-13).

David's lesson is not a quaint tale recorded for our amusement. Just as the earlier events regarding Moses, "All these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come"(1Cor. 10:11). There is a timeless principle contained in such declarations, "Make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount" (Heb. 8:5; cf. Ex. 25:40).We, too, must seek God after "due order" ­ not according to convenience or what seems right in our own eyes.

After the ark was moved to Jerusalem, David organized the courses of the priests, including the Levitical musicians. Everything was ordered "according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the Lord by the prophets" (2Chron. 29:25).

Later, David provided Solomon with a plan for building the temple: "David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit also for the courses of the priests and the Levites. All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern" (1Chron. 28:11-13,19). Nothing was left for improvising; everything was ordered by the divine pattern for worship.

Solomon built the temple according to the heavenly blueprints left by David. The kingdom prospered under Solomon, and Jerusalem remained the seat of public worship for the entire kingdom of Israel.

After the death of Solomon, the nation became divided and the people slid into corruption and apostasy. The northern tribes immediately embraced false worship, and never recovered from their apostasy. Within the kingdom of Judah, there were several seasons of reformation, amidst waves of idolatry. The key to understanding the history of the Israelites it to note the critical connection between the worship of the people, and God's dealings with them in relation to their worship. Dear Precious heavenly Father; I come unto you today as just want to thank You for your counself of Your words unto us about worship and I give you praise in being our righteous God for there is none like you in this earth at all that compares in whom You are in that mighty , mighty powerful words that are truths in what you want from us and what you don't want us to be following in our lives and in t that we see before us and we do take those words in our own individual's hearts and allow it to soak it in us like never before this day and allow you to strengthen us in being obedient unto you only simply because there is none like you precious precious Jesus and we adore you in all matters that concerns you it concerns us in being like you in our very own lives that many,many can see in us that wants to be in you in those lives that entirely changes them as well. For great is Thy faithfulness in whom is our King in this world that You have gien unto us that all we have recieved from You in the provisions upon this earth that You have sent down from this earth's very beginning. Be with us all in Your Sanctuaries in having that divine intervention that stirs us in coming before you in prayer that changes us in what has been laid before when it concerns you in those ways that you want us to walk in serving mankind. Be with all of those pastors, music ministers,Youth, Children's pastors, whom leads us before You and lead them as You would have of them in keeping them close to you .We lift them before You and let them be standing in your presence as you lead them in those ways they ought to do by Your biblical truths and in Your Holy Spirit even there famlies in keeping in unity in one accord. We ask this in Jesus'Name we pray. Amen and Amen. catcmo2006