Hello, I'm Blair Lemke,
welcome to Let God Speak.
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Worship is a part of humanity
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and essential to the
Christian experience.
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Whether we realize it or
not, we all worship something.
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God has given clear instructions
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on how to worship.
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Our Bible study
today will reveal this.
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On our panel today,
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we have Abel
Iorgulescu and Steven Groom.
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Welcome, gentlemen.
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All right.
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As we always do,
let's begin our program
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with a word of prayer.
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Heavenly Father, we
want to thank You today
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for the opportunity we
have to study Your Word,
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we pray that You
would send Your Holy Spirit
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to lead and to guide us
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as we study the
topic of worship.
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We pray these things
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen.
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Well, gentlemen, we're
looking at the topic of worship
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in our quarterly
series, and particularly worship
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and how it relates to education.
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And whenever we
consider this topic of worship,
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we need to think broadly
of, you know, what is worship,
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why do we do
it, how do we do it,
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all of these sorts of questions.
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And so I thought a great place
to start off with our viewers
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is what is, what
exactly is worship?
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So, Abel, do you want to
share? Good question, Blair.
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And since this is Let God Speak,
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let's allow God to
speak to us through His Word.
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So we're looking at 1
Chronicles Chapter 16.
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And I'll be reading verse 29.
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And I think this verse
is one of the many verses
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in the Bible that
helps us understand
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what worship is all about.
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And it says here in verse
29 of 1 Chronicles Chapter 16,
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"Give to the Lord
the glory due His name,
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bring an offering,
and come before Him.
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Oh, worship the Lord in
the beauty of His holiness!"
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I believe, first of all,
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worship is our response to God
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for the love He bestows upon us.
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He deserves a reverence,
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attitude of
gratitude and acknowledging Him
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that He's the giver of
all the good gifts we have.
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I think that's
such a great description
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of what worship is in the Bible.
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And as you point
out, God's Word is clear.
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But often, when we think
about this idea of worship,
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a lot of people
limit it just to say,
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for example, corporate worship
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is where singing at
church or something like this,
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this is the thing that
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automatically comes to
a lot of people's minds
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when they think of worship.
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But when we look at
worship in the Bible,
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and as that text you've shed,
it's much more far reaching
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than this and includes
things like life worship,
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includes things like
private worship in our lives.
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And so I wonder
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if you can tell,
Steve, a little bit about
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what the Bible
describes about this idea
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of this broader view of worship,
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this idea of life worship?
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Sure.
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Let's go to Paul's
writings, he had much to say.
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In Romans 12:1 and 2,
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he says, "I plead with
you therefore, brethren,
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by the mercies of God,
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that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
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acceptable unto God,
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which is your
reasonable service.
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And do not be
conformed to this world,
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but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind,
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so that you may
know what is the good
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and acceptable and
perfect will of God."
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So these texts speak
for themselves, don't they?
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And life worship basically
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is giving God the
glory He deserves,
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through a life of
consecration to Him.
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Yeah, and that's it's
just such a powerful texts
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that it does give us an insight
into the broader description
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of what the Bible
describes as worship.
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And I think of that
text in 1 Corinthians 10:31,
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where it says, "Whether you eat,
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whether you
drink, whatever you do,
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do it all to the glory of God."
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And this is
just such a holistic,
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all encompassing view of worship
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that I think is well for us
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to remember as
we think about it.
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Do you want to add
a point? Definitely.
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God sets a very high standard,
and He gives us a life to,
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you know, get
our life into order.
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And so we should always be
striving to improve, I believe.
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Yeah, you know, sadly,
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sometimes we limit
worship to maybe one day a week
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or to a couple of minutes a day.
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But worship, as you
have rightly pointed out,
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is about the very things we do
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throughout every
day of our lives.
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Now, you know,
we've looked at this idea
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in Scripture of life worship,
but what about these other two,
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I guess, facets of
worship with when the Scripture
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talks about private worship,
and also corporate worship,
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which we most commonly think of?
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What does the Bible have to say
about this aspect of worship?
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So, Blair, in, for example,
in Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6,
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and I'm looking at verse 6,
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here we have Jesus Christ
addressing people around Him
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and talks about this,
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this element of private worship
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and corporate
worship and it says,
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Gospel of Matthew 6:6,
"But you, when you pray,
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go into your room, and
when have shut your door,
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pray to your Father
who is in the secret place,
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and your Father
who sees in secret
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will reward you openly."
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You know, so we've got
a number of elements here.
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First of all is, you
know, Jesus is encouraging us.
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You know, there is a time
and a place for everything,
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and there is a time and a place
for you to connect with God
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on a personal level,
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where you can pour
out your heart before Him,
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your sufferings,
your pain, your sins,
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that no one else
needs to know about.
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But God needs
and you confess that,
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you asking for, you
know, for help in life.
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And sometimes God
chooses to answer your prayers
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in a public manner.
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So you ask Him in privately,
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but He rewards you
openly before everyone else,
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because by doing that,
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He allows you to testify
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about His goodness
in front of everyone.
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Yeah, you know, I
really love that that point
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about private worship.
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And I think, you
know, as we consider
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these different aspects,
or I guess facets of worship,
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you really can't
have effective worship
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in one facet or one
kind of area of worship
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without that flowing
over into the others.
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You can't have
effective corporate worship
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without private worship...
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And the other way around.
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And the other way around
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and without
effective life worship.
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And so they all
just work together
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to give a holistic
view of what worship is.
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And look, we see that present
in the life of Jesus Christ.
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You know, all of the gospels
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mentioned that very
early in the morning,
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Jesus would retreat by Himself
and spend time in prayer.
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So there'll be
the private worship.
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But then the Bible
tells us in Luke Chapter 4,
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on the Sabbath day, He
would go to the synagogue
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and worship
corporately with everyone else.
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And by the same token,
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if our life isn't
in harmony with God,
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if we're willfully sinning,
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then anything we do
on a Saturday or Sunday
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is not going to
be acceptable to God.
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Yeah.
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And that following on
from that point you made,
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they're able to bet
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all of those
aspects in Jesus' life.
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Life worship is a big
one in there, too, isn't it,
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just the way that He lived
His life to the glory of God.
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So this is a very
great place for us to start
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our deep dive
into Scripture here
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on the topic of worship.
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So I want to take us
to a passage of Scripture,
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we're gonna turn
to Daniel Chapter 3.
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And I want to look
here at a story in Scripture
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that really touches
on this idea of worship
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and how, you know,
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how it's
important and how to do it.
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So we're looking
here at Daniel Chapter 3,
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we're gonna read
verses 4 through to 7.
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And we have here the
scenario of Shadrach,
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Meshach, and Abednego,
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where they, the
King Nebuchadnezzar
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has set up an
image for them to worship
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and we're gonna read
about how that all plays out.
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So here we find
in Daniel 3:4 here,
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it says, "Then a
herald cried aloud,
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to you it is commanded
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our peoples
nations and languages,
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that at the time that you
hear the sound of the horn,
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the flute, the harp, the lair
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and sultry in symphony
with all kinds of music,
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you shall fall down
and worship the gold image
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that King
Nebuchadnezzar has set up,
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and whoever does not fall down,
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and worship shall be cast
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immediately into the midst
of a burning fiery furnace.
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So at that time,
when all the people
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heard the sound of the horn,
the flute, the harp, the lair,
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and simply with
all kinds of music,
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and all the people,
nations and language
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fell down and
worship the golden image
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which King
Nebuchadnezzar had set up."
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And so you have
the scenario here
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of people falling down
and worshipping at this image.
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And then, but then
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there's a twist in
the story in verse 12,
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which makes this a
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very interesting
passage of Scripture.
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It says, but there are...
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There's three boys
that don't bow down here.
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That's right.
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And then the king's
commanders, his rulers
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come along to him
in verse 12, they says,
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"There are certain
Jews whom you have set over
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the affairs of the
province of Babylon, Shadrach,
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Meshach, and Abednego.
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These men, O King, have
not paid you regard to you,
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they do not serve your
gods or worship the golden image
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which you have set up.
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Then Nebuchadnezzar
in raging fury gave
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the command to bring
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
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So they brought
these men before the king."
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This is a very interesting
passage of Scripture.
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The end result of this
story is that these three boys
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get an opportunity to witness
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of the goodness
of God to the king,
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the most powerful
king in the known world,
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and they stay faithful to
God, despite whatever happens.
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And I want to ask the question,
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I want to throw
this one to you, Steven,
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what does this passage teach
us about this idea of worship?
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Well, first of all,
the three Hebrew boys,
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Michael, Azariah and Hananiah,
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they were faithful in
their private worship.
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We read in Chapter 2
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how that their
prayer life was sustained
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when they came in trouble.
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In Chapter 1,
they were faithful even
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in as far as their
diet was concerned.
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They wouldn't
eat anything unclean.
00:09:44.38\00:09:46.05
So God brought
them to a stronger test,
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which involved, you know,
their lives were in danger,
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but they took the
second commandment,
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Exodus 24:6 seriously.
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True worship is conducted
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in this fear of
the Ten Commandments.
00:09:59.43\00:10:01.96
And so it involves
total commitment to Jesus.
00:10:02.00\00:10:06.03
And even in this case,
00:10:06.07\00:10:07.74
even if it means
standing against the majority,
00:10:07.77\00:10:11.27
in this case, the whole
of the nation of Babylon
00:10:11.31\00:10:14.44
was bowing down to this image.
00:10:14.48\00:10:16.34
And most of all the rest
of Israel were doing the same
00:10:16.38\00:10:19.58
to save their lives.
00:10:19.61\00:10:20.95
But here, we have three people
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who are worshiping God in truth.
00:10:22.82\00:10:26.65
Yeah, I think
that's so powerful.
00:10:26.69\00:10:28.02
And it's, as you
rightly point out,
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they set the context
of appropriate worship,
00:10:30.19\00:10:33.70
by the commandments
that God have given them,
00:10:33.73\00:10:36.00
how God had
asked them to worship?
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And also what I like, you
know, what are you saying,
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Steve, is that they chose
to be faithful in probably,
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let's say, smaller things.
00:10:43.34\00:10:44.71
And when the
greater test came along,
00:10:44.74\00:10:46.81
they were prepared to
stand for what is right
00:10:46.84\00:10:49.21
when the test came.
00:10:49.24\00:10:50.58
And we all come to at
least one test in our life,
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because we can all be Christians
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when times are easy.
00:10:55.28\00:10:56.62
But when the
testing time comes it,
00:10:56.65\00:11:00.06
it separates the weak
from the strong, doesn't it?
00:11:00.09\00:11:03.36
The wheat from the tares.
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And I just love again,
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how we can see these
different aspects of worship
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coming through our
private worship leading
00:11:09.36\00:11:11.07
into life worship,
and corporate worship,
00:11:11.10\00:11:14.17
and all working together.
00:11:14.20\00:11:15.54
Now, this is not
something that's unique
00:11:15.57\00:11:17.41
or isolated to the Old
Testament account of Scripture,
00:11:17.44\00:11:20.04
but we find even
in the New Testament,
00:11:20.08\00:11:22.28
similarly,
God's faithful people,
00:11:22.31\00:11:24.08
at the end of time,
00:11:24.11\00:11:25.45
are found worshiping God
00:11:25.48\00:11:26.98
in the context
of the commandments,
00:11:27.02\00:11:28.42
just like these Hebrew boys.
00:11:28.45\00:11:29.88
And I want to read this
passage of Scripture here.
00:11:29.92\00:11:31.72
We're going to
read Revelation 14:6-12.
00:11:31.75\00:11:36.32
And it says here in
God's Word, it says,
00:11:36.36\00:11:38.39
"Then I saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven,
00:11:38.43\00:11:41.40
having the
everlasting gospel to preach
00:11:41.43\00:11:43.77
to those who dwell on
the earth, to every nation,
00:11:43.80\00:11:45.53
tribe, tongue, and people,
saying with a loud voice,
00:11:45.57\00:11:49.07
'Fear God and give glory to Him,
00:11:49.10\00:11:51.31
for the hour of
His judgment has come,
00:11:51.34\00:11:53.68
and worship Him who
made heaven and earth,
00:11:53.71\00:11:55.58
the sea and springs of water."
00:11:55.61\00:11:58.05
And another
angel followed, saying,
00:11:58.08\00:11:59.41
"Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city,
00:11:59.45\00:12:01.92
because she has made all
nations drink of the wine
00:12:01.95\00:12:04.55
of the wrath of
her fornication."
00:12:04.59\00:12:06.76
Then a third
angel followed them,
00:12:06.79\00:12:08.56
saying with a loud voice,
00:12:08.59\00:12:09.92
"If anyone worships
the beast and his image,
00:12:09.96\00:12:12.73
and receives his mark on
his forehead or on his hand,
00:12:12.76\00:12:15.90
he himself also shall drink
00:12:15.93\00:12:17.83
of the wine of the wrath of God,
00:12:17.87\00:12:19.70
which is poured
out full strength
00:12:19.73\00:12:21.17
into the cup of His indignation.
00:12:21.20\00:12:23.30
He shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone
00:12:23.34\00:12:25.44
in the presence
of the holy angels
00:12:25.47\00:12:27.04
and in the presence of the Lamb.
00:12:27.08\00:12:28.91
And the smoke of their torment
ascends forever and ever,
00:12:28.94\00:12:31.95
and they have no
rest day or night,
00:12:31.98\00:12:33.52
who worship the
beast and his image,
00:12:33.55\00:12:35.88
and whoever receives
the mark of his name.
00:12:35.92\00:12:38.49
Here is the
patience of the saints,
00:12:38.52\00:12:40.66
here are those who
keep the commandments of God
00:12:40.69\00:12:43.22
and the faith of Jesus."
00:12:43.26\00:12:45.49
And so we see here
00:12:45.53\00:12:47.13
another interesting
passage of Scripture.
00:12:47.16\00:12:49.30
What does this
passage of Scripture teach us
00:12:49.33\00:12:51.93
about the question of
worship and what will be,
00:12:51.97\00:12:54.40
you know, how this ties in
00:12:54.44\00:12:55.97
with an end time scenario, Abel?
00:12:56.00\00:12:58.07
I mean, you know, one
of the main ideas would be
00:12:58.11\00:13:00.34
how we worship God will become
00:13:00.38\00:13:02.54
a test of loyalty
at the end of time.
00:13:02.58\00:13:05.51
And I like the way,
in verse 7, it says,
00:13:05.55\00:13:08.65
"Fear God and give glory to Him,
00:13:08.68\00:13:12.39
for the hour of His judgment
has come, and worship Him."
00:13:12.42\00:13:14.86
You know, John
could've wrote and worship God
00:13:14.89\00:13:17.66
and move on to the next idea,
00:13:17.69\00:13:19.03
but he goes on
explaining, "And worship Him
00:13:19.06\00:13:20.96
who created the
heavens and earth,
00:13:21.00\00:13:22.33
the sea and springs of water."
00:13:22.36\00:13:23.70
Worship the Creator, you know,
which is a direct correlation
00:13:23.73\00:13:26.84
with the fourth commandment,
00:13:26.87\00:13:28.20
so how we worship God
will become a test of loyalty.
00:13:28.24\00:13:33.07
So you pull that idea there
of a particular commandment
00:13:33.11\00:13:37.55
kind of relating to
this crisis at the end times.
00:13:37.58\00:13:41.52
Steven, do you want to comment
00:13:41.55\00:13:43.02
on that and share
with us a bit about?
00:13:43.05\00:13:45.19
Yes, Abel reached
into my question there,
00:13:45.22\00:13:47.22
but that's all right.
00:13:47.26\00:13:49.12
The test of loyalty to
God includes all the commands,
00:13:49.16\00:13:52.39
but the end of time,
00:13:52.43\00:13:53.96
those particular
focus on one commandment,
00:13:54.00\00:13:57.40
and that's the
fourth commandment.
00:13:57.43\00:13:58.83
And the first part of verse
7, if we like to look at it,
00:13:58.87\00:14:02.84
it says, "And worship Him
who made heaven and earth,
00:14:02.87\00:14:07.01
the sea and the
fountains of waters."
00:14:07.04\00:14:10.08
Well the first part worship Him
00:14:10.11\00:14:11.51
who made heaven
and earth and the sea
00:14:11.55\00:14:13.35
is from the fourth commandment.
00:14:13.38\00:14:14.92
So it's a direct
quotation from there.
00:14:14.95\00:14:16.99
So it's a call to
worship the Creator,
00:14:17.02\00:14:19.39
the one who created everything.
00:14:19.42\00:14:21.49
But the second part,
the fountains of water
00:14:21.52\00:14:24.09
is an illusion.
00:14:24.13\00:14:27.20
I believe that
and many commentators
00:14:27.23\00:14:28.80
do to the flood account,
in Genesis 7:11, and 8:2,
00:14:28.83\00:14:35.27
where God caused the water come
00:14:35.30\00:14:37.64
from the
subterranean water holes,
00:14:37.67\00:14:41.08
and it helped to flood the earth
00:14:41.11\00:14:42.44
as well as the water from above.
00:14:42.48\00:14:43.98
And so here we have
both, a call to be faithful
00:14:44.01\00:14:48.35
and a warning
00:14:48.38\00:14:49.85
to those who will still
refuse to keep His commandments
00:14:49.88\00:14:53.76
that God will judge the wicked.
00:14:53.79\00:14:56.42
Yes, it's very interesting
that we see here again,
00:14:56.46\00:14:59.73
the scenario where God's
people are called to worship
00:14:59.76\00:15:02.66
in the context
of the commandments.
00:15:02.70\00:15:04.03
Yes.
00:15:04.07\00:15:05.40
And in this end time scenario,
00:15:05.43\00:15:07.37
there's a particular commandment
00:15:07.40\00:15:08.74
that becomes of certain focus.
00:15:08.77\00:15:11.87
I think that's important
because the fourth commandment
00:15:11.91\00:15:14.34
is not just a
rule of what to do,
00:15:14.38\00:15:16.75
but it's a call to have
00:15:16.78\00:15:18.71
close communion
with our Creator.
00:15:18.75\00:15:20.48
He says, "I will spend
a day with you a week."
00:15:20.52\00:15:23.42
And we don't believe
we're saved by doing works.
00:15:23.45\00:15:25.55
But by having
communion with Jesus,
00:15:25.59\00:15:27.79
He gives you
strength to be good.
00:15:27.82\00:15:30.99
Well, that was...
00:15:31.03\00:15:32.36
That's certainly so
much we could unpack
00:15:32.39\00:15:34.56
in this passage of Scripture.
00:15:34.60\00:15:35.93
But I want to take us to
another place in Scripture
00:15:35.96\00:15:38.03
where we actually find Jesus
00:15:38.07\00:15:39.93
giving one of the most
explicit and clear definitions
00:15:39.97\00:15:44.41
in all of
Scripture about what worship,
00:15:44.44\00:15:46.51
or the kind of
worship that God requires.
00:15:46.54\00:15:49.04
So let's turn in our
Bibles to John Chapter 4.
00:15:49.08\00:15:51.58
We're going to read
here, we find an account
00:15:51.61\00:15:53.85
where Jesus is describing
to the woman here at the well,
00:15:53.88\00:15:59.52
what worship He requires,
what worship God requires.
00:15:59.55\00:16:03.73
And in verse 23, it reads this.
00:16:03.76\00:16:05.79
It says, "But the hour is coming
00:16:05.83\00:16:08.23
and now is when true worshipers
00:16:08.26\00:16:10.87
will worship the
Father in spirit and in truth.
00:16:10.90\00:16:14.74
For the Father is
seeking such to worship Him.
00:16:14.77\00:16:17.77
God is spirit, and
those who worship Him
00:16:17.81\00:16:20.71
must worship in
spirit and in truth."
00:16:20.74\00:16:24.58
There's an interesting
description here of worship.
00:16:24.61\00:16:28.38
There's two parts to it,
00:16:28.42\00:16:29.75
and we want to
look at both of them.
00:16:29.78\00:16:31.12
But firstly, Abel,
00:16:31.15\00:16:32.49
what does it mean to
worship God in spirit?
00:16:32.52\00:16:35.82
Look, I think the context
00:16:35.86\00:16:37.53
of what's happening
here is very important,
00:16:37.56\00:16:39.19
because the
Samaritan woman said to Jesus,
00:16:39.23\00:16:41.60
you know, we Samaritans
worshiped on this mountain
00:16:41.63\00:16:44.10
and you Jews
worship in Jerusalem.
00:16:44.13\00:16:47.20
And she was going about places
and Jesus says to worship God,
00:16:47.24\00:16:50.87
you're not tied to a place,
you're not tied to a venue,
00:16:50.91\00:16:53.41
you're not tied to an object.
00:16:53.44\00:16:54.94
Because when you
worship Him, you worship Him
00:16:54.98\00:16:56.34
in spirit and in truth.
00:16:56.38\00:16:58.08
And spirit is, it's
the core of your being,
00:16:58.11\00:17:01.32
you're
worshiping with who you are.
00:17:01.35\00:17:03.45
It's not a ritual,
it's not about formalism.
00:17:03.49\00:17:06.49
It's not something dry,
but meaningful and authentic.
00:17:06.52\00:17:10.46
And in truth, you
know, it's not just about
00:17:10.49\00:17:12.29
being sincere in your worship,
00:17:12.33\00:17:14.60
but being anchored
in the Word of God.
00:17:14.63\00:17:17.53
Yeah, that's powerful.
00:17:17.57\00:17:18.90
And so many places
throughout Scripture,
00:17:18.93\00:17:20.34
we see God distancing
Himself from dry formalism
00:17:20.37\00:17:24.17
and worship that
is just inform only,
00:17:24.21\00:17:27.44
and worship in spirit
stands in contrast to that idea
00:17:27.48\00:17:30.41
with earnest,
sincere, passionate,
00:17:30.45\00:17:32.48
grounded worship,
that's very powerful.
00:17:32.51\00:17:34.72
Now, building on that
00:17:34.75\00:17:36.08
the second part
of the definition
00:17:36.12\00:17:37.79
that Jesus gave their
worship is worship in truth.
00:17:37.82\00:17:40.82
Now what does it mean to
worship in truth, Steven?
00:17:40.86\00:17:43.09
Well, it's the opposite
of worshipping in error,
00:17:43.12\00:17:44.83
isn't it?
00:17:44.86\00:17:46.19
It occurs in
response to in harmony
00:17:46.23\00:17:49.06
with God's revelation
of Himself in God's Word.
00:17:49.10\00:17:52.70
True worship cannot occur apart
from an understanding of God,
00:17:52.73\00:17:59.47
who in every aspect of worship
00:17:59.51\00:18:01.58
must conform to
the truth of God.
00:18:01.61\00:18:04.55
So this is
truth, I believe. Yes.
00:18:04.58\00:18:06.65
It's this idea of responding
00:18:06.68\00:18:08.55
to who God claims
to be in Scripture.
00:18:08.58\00:18:11.89
So Jesus puts
these two together,
00:18:11.92\00:18:15.12
how important,
00:18:15.16\00:18:16.49
why is it so
important that this,
00:18:16.52\00:18:19.23
to maintain this
balance in worship, Abel?
00:18:19.26\00:18:23.70
Well, if you are to focus,
00:18:23.73\00:18:25.73
you know, sometimes
for us, as human beings,
00:18:25.77\00:18:27.30
it's hard to stay
on the middle path.
00:18:27.34\00:18:29.17
You know, we like the extremes.
00:18:29.20\00:18:31.77
And Jesus wants us to
experience both worshiping
00:18:31.81\00:18:34.88
with an inner being,
00:18:34.91\00:18:36.31
but also to be
anchored in truth.
00:18:36.34\00:18:37.98
It doesn't matter if
you're really honest,
00:18:38.01\00:18:39.45
if you what He
believe is an error,
00:18:39.48\00:18:41.98
that worship is
not accepted by God.
00:18:42.02\00:18:44.35
Great, if you want
to add something, Steve?
00:18:44.39\00:18:46.12
Just something that
00:18:46.15\00:18:47.86
we must remember
that we're not omniscient,
00:18:47.89\00:18:49.76
we don't know everything.
00:18:49.79\00:18:51.13
And so our faith is growing.
00:18:51.16\00:18:52.56
And I believe that
00:18:52.59\00:18:55.20
this is a call to
study the Word continually
00:18:55.23\00:18:58.37
so that we can learn more,
00:18:58.40\00:19:00.74
and grow in the truth
and worship God better,
00:19:00.77\00:19:04.87
I believe, as we get older.
00:19:04.91\00:19:06.34
That's so true.
00:19:06.37\00:19:07.71
And, you know, I want to ask
a follow up question to that.
00:19:07.74\00:19:10.51
Because when, you know,
00:19:10.55\00:19:11.88
it is important to
maintain that balance.
00:19:11.91\00:19:13.75
We see Jesus
gives that description,
00:19:13.78\00:19:15.85
and we've shared with
a little bit about why.
00:19:15.88\00:19:18.99
But when this
balance is maintained,
00:19:19.02\00:19:21.72
this balance of
worshiping in spirit and truth,
00:19:21.76\00:19:24.13
is it a difficult
thing to give worship to God
00:19:24.16\00:19:26.56
according, in the
context of the commandments?
00:19:26.59\00:19:28.26
Is this something
that is onerous or harder
00:19:28.30\00:19:30.73
or it's a burden to do?
00:19:30.77\00:19:32.93
Steve, how would
you comment on that?
00:19:32.97\00:19:35.34
I'd like to answer
that from the Scripture.
00:19:35.37\00:19:37.21
So if we go to 1 John
5:3, John answers this so well.
00:19:37.24\00:19:41.48
He says, "For
this is the love of God
00:19:41.51\00:19:43.98
that we keep His commandments
00:19:44.01\00:19:45.71
and His
commandments are not grievous.
00:19:45.75\00:19:48.72
So therefore, he says that
00:19:48.75\00:19:51.32
true worship is
motivated by true love to God."
00:19:51.35\00:19:54.49
And this comes about
by having a cognizant
00:19:54.52\00:19:58.16
understanding of
what God has done for us
00:19:58.19\00:20:01.00
through Jesus Christ,
00:20:01.03\00:20:02.36
both in the
incarnation of Jesus,
00:20:02.40\00:20:04.57
we read Philippians Chapter
2 to 5, what Jesus did for us,
00:20:04.60\00:20:09.70
and also His passion,
His death on the cross.
00:20:09.74\00:20:14.08
By understanding
this, by meditating it,
00:20:14.11\00:20:16.88
one author said,
we should go through
00:20:16.91\00:20:18.61
the closing scenes of
Christ's death every day.
00:20:18.65\00:20:22.28
And from this
foundation in our life,
00:20:22.32\00:20:24.75
it will spring
forth faithfulness to God
00:20:24.79\00:20:28.32
that is acceptable to Him.
00:20:28.36\00:20:29.72
I believe this is the
only thing that will work.
00:20:29.76\00:20:32.06
Yeah.
00:20:32.09\00:20:33.43
Now, you know, in light
of this definition of worship
00:20:33.46\00:20:37.23
that Jesus gives,
00:20:37.27\00:20:38.97
you know, worshiping
in spirit and in truth.
00:20:39.00\00:20:41.07
I've heard it shared that,
00:20:41.10\00:20:42.57
you know, this idea that
as long as worship is sincere,
00:20:42.60\00:20:45.71
as long as someone
is well intentioned
00:20:45.74\00:20:47.44
that any worship
is acceptable to God.
00:20:47.48\00:20:50.25
Is this, is any worship
as long as it's sincere,
00:20:50.28\00:20:53.62
acceptable to God, Abel?
00:20:53.65\00:20:56.02
Well, unfortunately, no,
00:20:56.05\00:20:57.72
because sometimes
it can be very sincere
00:20:57.75\00:20:59.85
when you drink a
bottle of poison.
00:20:59.89\00:21:02.32
You're thinking,
you're saying to yourself,
00:21:02.36\00:21:03.83
" I'm going to
get well from this,
00:21:03.86\00:21:05.86
you know, it's
going to benefit me."
00:21:05.89\00:21:08.06
You know, God knows,
everyone knows their hearts,
00:21:08.10\00:21:10.10
they know their circumstances,
00:21:10.13\00:21:11.47
but He's also calling
us to live up to the light
00:21:11.50\00:21:13.37
that has been revealed to us.
00:21:13.40\00:21:14.94
And in the Scripture, you know,
when we say, let God speak,
00:21:14.97\00:21:17.54
we want to worship Him
according to the guidelines.
00:21:17.57\00:21:20.84
Because the
whole great controversy
00:21:20.88\00:21:23.55
is about worship,
who do we worship?
00:21:23.58\00:21:25.28
How do we worship Him?
00:21:25.31\00:21:27.55
I just like to
add something there.
00:21:27.58\00:21:29.22
There is a way we can be wrong
and still be acceptable to God.
00:21:29.25\00:21:33.46
Acts 17:30 says that
he winks at our ignorance.
00:21:33.49\00:21:37.33
So as we shouldn't
judge others, I mean,
00:21:37.36\00:21:39.83
we could be doing
things ignorantly wrong,
00:21:39.86\00:21:42.43
but we should do things
00:21:42.46\00:21:44.93
everything that
we know to be right,
00:21:44.97\00:21:46.87
we should be doing.
00:21:46.90\00:21:48.24
According to the light
that has been revealed to us.
00:21:48.27\00:21:50.07
Yes. That's beautiful.
00:21:50.11\00:21:51.67
And I think, you
know, we see in Scripture
00:21:51.71\00:21:54.61
examples that God
gives us in His Word,
00:21:54.64\00:21:56.98
to guide us
into correct worship,
00:21:57.01\00:21:58.88
so that we don't
have to fall into the trap
00:21:58.91\00:22:01.68
of worshiping
00:22:01.72\00:22:03.72
outside of how God has
asked us to worship Him.
00:22:03.75\00:22:05.95
And I can think
of several examples.
00:22:05.99\00:22:07.39
I want to take us
to a place in Scripture
00:22:07.42\00:22:09.42
where worship is given,
but it's not acceptable to God.
00:22:09.46\00:22:14.03
So let's go to
Genesis Chapter 2,
00:22:14.06\00:22:16.23
sorry, Genesis Chapter 4.
00:22:16.26\00:22:17.93
And we're going to
read in Genesis Chapter 4,
00:22:17.97\00:22:19.73
the account of Abel and
Cain, here in verse 2 and 4.
00:22:19.77\00:22:23.94
And it says here in
verse 2 it says of Chapter 4,
00:22:23.97\00:22:27.88
"Then she bore again,
this time his brother Abel.
00:22:27.91\00:22:30.51
Now Abel was a
keeper of the sheep,
00:22:30.55\00:22:33.98
but Cain was a
tiller of the ground.
00:22:34.02\00:22:36.38
And in the process of time
00:22:36.42\00:22:37.92
it came to pass that
Cain brought an offering
00:22:37.95\00:22:40.59
of the fruit of
the ground to the Lord.
00:22:40.62\00:22:43.02
Abel also brought the firstborn
of his flock and of their fat.
00:22:43.06\00:22:46.70
And the Lord
respected Abel and his offering,
00:22:46.73\00:22:50.07
but He did not
respect Cain and his offering.
00:22:50.10\00:22:53.13
And Cain was very angry,
and his countenance fell."
00:22:53.17\00:22:56.60
What lessons can we
learn in this passage
00:22:56.64\00:22:58.87
about worshiping God, Steven?
00:22:58.91\00:23:00.61
This is very
important because it connects
00:23:00.64\00:23:02.71
to the three angels'
messages in Revelation 14,
00:23:02.74\00:23:05.61
the mark of the beast.
00:23:05.65\00:23:07.35
So what this tells me
that God is very precise,
00:23:07.38\00:23:10.79
you know, He makes instructions,
00:23:10.82\00:23:12.65
and Abel's offering was accepted
00:23:12.69\00:23:15.29
because he did it
according to God's requirements
00:23:15.32\00:23:18.19
whereas Cain broke the rules.
00:23:18.23\00:23:19.76
And we know, because they were,
right at the beginning of time
00:23:19.79\00:23:23.13
that God's specified,
00:23:23.16\00:23:24.97
the sacrifice had to be a
lamb without spot and blemish.
00:23:25.00\00:23:28.30
So we knew that
Cain knew better,
00:23:28.34\00:23:30.04
but he didn't do it
according to God's will
00:23:30.07\00:23:33.07
as revealed in the
Word and it wasn't accepted.
00:23:33.11\00:23:35.44
That's a very
valuable lesson for us today.
00:23:35.48\00:23:37.78
God will not accept anything,
00:23:37.81\00:23:39.48
but only according to
what He has instructed them.
00:23:39.51\00:23:42.42
And He doesn't just put us
00:23:42.45\00:23:43.99
in a scenario trying to trick us
00:23:44.02\00:23:45.45
or trying to trap us out.
00:23:45.49\00:23:46.82
But He provides ample guidance,
00:23:46.86\00:23:49.32
instruction in His
Word to lead us into truth,
00:23:49.36\00:23:52.03
gives His Spirit
to lead us into truth
00:23:52.06\00:23:53.46
so that we can experience
00:23:53.50\00:23:54.93
the fullness of
true worship to God.
00:23:54.96\00:23:56.87
I want to take us to
one more passage here
00:23:56.90\00:23:59.10
in regards to this idea.
00:23:59.13\00:24:00.64
In Mark Chapter 7, we
find Jesus describing again,
00:24:00.67\00:24:04.31
an example of worship
that is not accepted by Him.
00:24:04.34\00:24:07.84
And in Mark Chapter 7,
00:24:07.88\00:24:09.64
we find Pharisees
00:24:09.68\00:24:11.18
who have fallen into
formalism man-made traditions.
00:24:11.21\00:24:14.85
And we find in
verse 5 here, it says,
00:24:14.88\00:24:16.99
"The Pharisees and
the Scribes asked Him,
00:24:17.02\00:24:19.12
'Why do your disciples not walk
00:24:19.15\00:24:20.96
according to the
tradition of the elders,
00:24:20.99\00:24:22.82
but eat with their
bread with unwashed hands?"
00:24:22.86\00:24:25.36
Jesus answered and said to them,
00:24:25.39\00:24:27.03
'Well did Isaiah
prophesied of you hypocrites,
00:24:27.06\00:24:29.76
as it is written, these
people honor me with their lips,
00:24:29.80\00:24:33.27
but their heart is far from me.
00:24:33.30\00:24:35.37
And in vain they worship Me,
00:24:35.40\00:24:37.51
teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men."
00:24:37.54\00:24:40.64
What, you know,
here we have, again,
00:24:40.68\00:24:43.24
a scenario where
this is taking place.
00:24:43.28\00:24:45.91
What can we learn
about worshiping God
00:24:45.95\00:24:47.62
from this passage, Abel?
00:24:47.65\00:24:49.48
Well, look, I believe,
00:24:49.52\00:24:50.85
you know, God is
looking for authenticity.
00:24:50.89\00:24:52.99
You know, when we, you know,
just think of your own life,
00:24:53.02\00:24:55.49
you know, have you
ever been in a church
00:24:55.52\00:24:57.09
and you sang songs of praise,
00:24:57.13\00:24:59.66
but you never really
meant the words that you sung.
00:24:59.69\00:25:03.43
And we prayed,
00:25:03.47\00:25:04.93
do we really think
through the words that we say,
00:25:04.97\00:25:06.84
do we really mean?
00:25:06.87\00:25:08.20
We will love you,
Lord, we want to praise You,
00:25:08.24\00:25:09.87
we want to give You
glory, please forgive me.
00:25:09.90\00:25:12.87
It's about really connecting
with what you're saying,
00:25:12.91\00:25:15.78
it's not
formalism, I've done this,
00:25:15.81\00:25:17.58
and I tick the
box and I can go on,
00:25:17.61\00:25:20.58
but rather to be a worship
that springs from the heart.
00:25:20.62\00:25:23.55
And secondly, we've
emphasized this point,
00:25:23.59\00:25:25.85
you know, teaching as doctrines
the commandments of man,
00:25:25.89\00:25:28.32
you know, emphasizing
things that people have built up
00:25:28.36\00:25:31.93
and brought into our
rituals is very important.
00:25:31.96\00:25:35.10
But that's not
what really matters.
00:25:35.13\00:25:37.03
And we also should be
studying the Word to make sure
00:25:37.07\00:25:40.14
that what we're doing
is not a tradition of men,
00:25:40.17\00:25:42.70
because there's so
many traditions out there
00:25:42.74\00:25:44.71
that Christians
are doing, aren't they?
00:25:44.74\00:25:46.27
And it's so easy for us to fall
into these man-made traditions.
00:25:46.31\00:25:49.78
And I mean, it probably be,
00:25:49.81\00:25:51.75
you know, as we think of some
of these man-made traditions
00:25:51.78\00:25:54.42
that we can so easily fall into.
00:25:54.45\00:25:56.69
What are some of these things?
00:25:56.72\00:25:58.75
There's
eternally burning hellfire,
00:25:58.79\00:26:01.32
Sunday sacredness,
immortality of the soul,
00:26:01.36\00:26:05.23
image worship,
00:26:05.26\00:26:06.59
there's a whole
host of other things
00:26:06.63\00:26:08.40
that be lest left unnamed.
00:26:08.43\00:26:12.10
But the main point is
that we should study the Word
00:26:12.13\00:26:15.20
continually to see that
00:26:15.24\00:26:16.74
to get these
traditions out of our lives.
00:26:16.77\00:26:19.77
And I think, you know,
we've seen in God's Word,
00:26:19.81\00:26:22.24
just so many
descriptions of how to do that.
00:26:22.28\00:26:25.01
God's guiding us as we do that.
00:26:25.05\00:26:26.98
You know, as we think
of the take home message,
00:26:27.02\00:26:29.58
that you know, what can we
take home from our study today
00:26:29.62\00:26:33.42
that sums up our
discussion of Scripture?
00:26:33.46\00:26:35.52
Just one point I'd like to make,
00:26:35.56\00:26:36.93
and that is that
00:26:36.96\00:26:38.29
the God's instructions
are there for our own good
00:26:38.33\00:26:40.33
because I know people
who are rebelling against
00:26:40.36\00:26:42.20
God will, Word
00:26:42.23\00:26:43.57
that He wants us to live
eternally in heaven with Him.
00:26:43.60\00:26:46.77
And so, it's
best that we obey Him.
00:26:46.80\00:26:49.94
The words of Jesus, worship
Him in spirit and in truth,
00:26:49.97\00:26:53.11
you know, our
worship is a response
00:26:53.14\00:26:55.24
of the love that God
has bestowed upon us.
00:26:55.28\00:26:57.68
And what a privilege it is
00:26:57.71\00:26:59.28
to be able to worship
God in spirit and truth.
00:26:59.31\00:27:01.42
Thank you for
joining us, gentlemen.
00:27:01.45\00:27:03.08
God calls us to worship
Him in spirit and in truth.
00:27:03.12\00:27:07.19
True worship of
God is a lifestyle
00:27:07.22\00:27:09.66
and not only a moment in time.
00:27:09.69\00:27:11.96
God is looking for believers,
00:27:11.99\00:27:13.63
who are
motivated by love for God
00:27:13.66\00:27:15.36
will strive to give God glory
00:27:15.40\00:27:17.50
He deserves in their lives,
both privately and corporately.
00:27:17.53\00:27:21.10
We're glad that you joined
us today on Let God Speak.
00:27:21.14\00:27:23.91
You can watch this
or any past program
00:27:23.94\00:27:26.04
on our website
3abnaustralia.org.au.
00:27:26.07\00:27:30.01
Teacher's notes can
be downloaded there.
00:27:30.05\00:27:32.08
You can send us an email
on lgs@3abnaustralia.org.au.
00:27:32.11\00:27:37.62
Please join us again next time.
00:27:37.65\00:27:39.05
We're glad that
you could be with us.
00:27:39.09\00:27:40.89
God bless.
00:27:40.92\00:27:42.26