Worship - 2
The Bible
reveals four phases of progressive development in worship and at every phase
the central figure is the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the First
Phase, from the time of Adam to Jacob, the patriarchs erected altars for
sacrifices and offerings to God that point to the Ultimate Sacrifice of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Second
Phase was in the wilderness when God instructed the Israelites, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” (Ex. 25:8) The
Tabernacle symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ who is “the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us.” (Jn.
1:14) The Tabernacle continued to be
used until the time of King David.
The Third
Phase began when King David prepared the plans and the materials for the temple
(2 Sam. 7:5-7; 1 Chron. 22:6-11; 28:9-21; 29:1-9). After the Ark of the Covenant was placed
inside the
The Fourth
Phase of worship began with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb.
“Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn
in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and
the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep
were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went to
the holy city and appeared to many.” (Mt.
27:50-53)
The “Veil of
the
The tearing of this veil
at the exact moment of Jesus' death is a clear message from God. The way
into God's presence is now open for every person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior who shed His precious blood and died for our sins.
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter
the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated
for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the
house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with
pure water.” (Heb. 10:19-22)
At the
beginning of the Lord’s ministry He shocked the Jews with this statement: “Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty six
years to build this temple, and You raise it up in
three days?’ But He was speaking of the
temple of His body. Therefore, when He
had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to
them; and they believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.” (Jn. 2:19-22)
The Lord
Jesus Christ not only gave the temple a spiritual meaning, but He was also preparing
His disciples for His Ultimate Sacrifice that has been foreshadowed in the tabernacle
and the temple services. The Pharisees
were so concerned about religious rituals that they missed the whole purpose of
the temple, which is to bring people to God.
Jesus said to them, “But I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.” (Mt. 12:6) God is far
more important than the created building of worship. If we become more concerned with the place of
worship than the One we worship, we will miss God even as we think we are
worshiping Him.
“God, who made the world
and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in
temples made with hands. Nor is He
worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all
life, breath, and all things.” (Acts
17:24-25)
“Now after six days Jesus
took Peter, James and John his brother, brought them up on a high mountain by
themselves, and was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and
His clothes became as white as the light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord,
it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make
here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,
Hear Him!’ And when the disciples heard
it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said,
‘Arise, and do not be afraid.’ And when
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (Mt. 17:1-8)
Peter
wanted to build three tabernacles, one for Jesus and the other two for Moses
and Elijah, but God spoke out His will to the disciples. He wanted them to hear only the words of the
Lord Jesus Christ and to look at Him only.
“And when
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” God is not
interested in our buildings. He wants us
to hear only Jesus and see only Jesus.
This is true worship.
Spiritual Worship in the New Testament
The Lord
Jesus Christ established a spiritual form of worship that is acceptable to our
Father in heaven. Our Lord’s statement
to the Samaritan woman is the hallmark of New Testament worship.
“But the hour is coming,
and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those
who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn. 4:23-24)
Who are the “true worshipers”? They are not a
religious group, organization or denomination, but refers to individuals that “will worship the Father
in spirit and truth”
What does the Lord Jesus
Christ mean by worshiping the Father “in spirit and truth”? In order to get its
correct meaning we have to know the background and study the conversation
between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
Let us consider some points.
1. After Jesus asked
for a drink from the woman she responded, “How is it that You,
being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” (Jn. 4:9) Both Jews and Samaritans worshiped the same
One True God, but they had differences in their way of worship. The first thing we learn from Jesus about
worshiping in spirit and truth is not to have hatred and prejudice against people who believe in the same One True God as we do, but they worship Him in a slightly different way. We should have open communication and fellowship
with Christians of other denominations.
2. “Jesus answered and said
to her,, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me
a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (Jn.
4:10) The “living water” is the Holy Spirit that is given to believers of the Lord
Jesus Christ (Jn.
At first the
Samaritan woman did not know who it was that spoke to her, but later she knew
it was the Lord Jesus Christ. To worship
God “in spirit
and truth” one has to know the
Messiah. Jesus is “the way, the truth and
the life” (Jn.
14:6). God does not withhold the Holy
Spirit from anyone. All one has to do is
to ask Him (Lk. 11:13).
3. “Jesus said to her, ‘Go,
call your husband, and come here.’ The
woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’
Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, ‘I have no husband, for you have
had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that
you spoke truly.” (Jn. 4:16-18) This woman was not only an adulteress but
also a bad liar. Jesus is God therefore
we cannot hide any secret sins from Him.
We cannot continue to live a lie and still worship God “in spirit and truth”. It does not work
that way. We have to live a holy life
and be truthful.
4. “The woman said to Him,
‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and
you Jews say that in
Worship in the First Apostolic
Church
“And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and
signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together,
and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and
divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one
accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their
food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor
with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were
being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)
Worship in
the
1. Apostles’
Doctrine The
word “apostle” (Greek apostolos)
means a messenger, one sent forth, one specially
chosen and sent with a special commission as the fully authorized
representative of God. The Lord Jesus
Christ chose twelve men to become His apostles (Mt. 10:1-4). Paul was called by the Lord Jesus Christ to
become an apostle (2 Cor. 1:1). The Apostles’ Doctrine refers to the
teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ that were given to apostles after they were
called, and also after they have received the Holy Spirit. The Apostles’ doctrine is centered on the
Lord Jesus Christ and are all written in the Holy Bible (2 Tim.
2. Fellowship The English word “fellowship” in the
New Testament is translated from the Greek word ‘koinonia’ - that means sharing in common. It is translated “communion” in 1
Corinthians 10:16. The first time the
word “fellowship” is used in the New Testament is in connection with the
activities of the Disciples of Christ after the formation of the Church. Here is the difference between the Church and
the fellowship. The Church refers to the
whole Body of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have been baptized and
saved (Acts
3. Breaking of
Bread This phrase does not always
refer to Holy Communion, but it can be when it is accompanied with “the cup” (Mt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor.
4. Prayers The
“Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)
Go to Worship - 1
May God bless you
A sermon based on this article was preached by Paul Wong
to a
Congregation in
For comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net
Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International. |
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