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John 4:19-26
Deuteronomy 12:5 But unto the place
which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to
put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and
thither thou shalt come:
1 Kings 9:1-3
[1] And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building
of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's
desire which he was pleased to do,
[2] That the LORD appeared to Solomon
the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
[3] And the LORD said unto him, I have
heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before
me: I have hallowed this house, which thou
hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine
heart shall be there perpetually.
True worship of God has been challenged since the dawn of man.
In the very innocence of beginnings in the Garden of Eden where
man had the opportunity to worship God in the most purest form
mankind was challenged in his worship of God and defeated. That
same spirit of challenge to worship God has been perpetuated through
the centuries of man's history.
In the first 10 family generations on earth Enoch is witness
to the fact of worshipping God to such a degree that God translated
him from this earth. Noah was another example of worshipping God
to such a degree that when God made a decision to destroy the
earth that because of one man, Noah, God likewise decided to spare
the total destruction of man from the face of the earth. Noah's
true worship of God was unparalleled in the annals of human history
in the fact that it was strong enough to deter the total judgment
of God.
When God called Abram from the idol infested worship of ancient
Chaldea a fresh beginning of true worship was begun when God appeared
to Abram and promised to give unto him and his seed the land.
Upon this encounter Abram began afresh with worship unto God as
he built an altar unto the Lord in Beth-el (house of God).
When Abram was 99 years old God appeared and revealed to him
that he alone was the "Almighty God" again confirming
His covenant with Abram and changing his name to Abraham (father
of many nations). It is from this relationship that is born
what today is known as the Jewish nation and the Arab nation.
Both of these people have varying forms of worship of the one
true and living God.
It was thru the child of promise, Isaac that God continues the
promised covenant and is consequently confirmed and covenanted
thru Jacob and his twelve sons. When Israel is exiled into Egypt
because of their disobedience and rebellion God raises another
deliverer in the form of Moses. After God by Moses leads the children
of Israel out of the land of bondage to the promised land it is
in their pilgrimage to the promise land that God directs them
once more in their worship.
In Exodus 20 God instructs Israel:
#1 "Thou shalt have no other gods
before me." (If you are going to worship me - there
is no god beside me yea I know not any.)
In Exodus 30 God instructs Moses and the children of Israel on
the importance of worship. It is made clear that the redeemed,
the cleansed and the anointed are eligible to worship. The Lord
concludes by instructing Moses that the incense of worship is
a type of prayer and praise and as such is reserved only for the
Lord.
Exodus 34:14
For thou shalt worship no other god:
for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
It was after the leadership of Moses and Israel's entrance into
the Promised Land that Joshua led Israel in worship and battle.
After Joshua's leadership the judges of Israel ruled and during
this time the transition is made in the beginning of the kings
of Israel as Saul, David and Solomon lead Israel for a period
of 120 years.
When Solomon concludes the building of the temple for worship
God appears to him and makes a promise and declares a warning.
1 Kings 9:1-9
Unfortunately true to man's carnal nature Israel did just that
in short order.
1 Kings 12
[27] If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the
LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again
unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall
kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
[28] Whereupon the king took counsel, and
made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for
you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt.
[29] And he set the one in Bethel, and the
other put he in Dan.
[30] And this thing
became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even
unto Dan.
[31] And he made an house of high places,
and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of
the sons of Levi.
Israel had been thoroughly instructed in true worship down thru
their history.
1 Chronicles 16:29
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering,
and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
2 Chronicles 7:18-20 (King James Version)
[18] Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according
as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall
not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.
[19] But if ye turn away, and forsake
my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you,
and shall go and serve other gods, and worship
them;
[20] Then will
I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have
given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name,
will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb
and a byword among all nations.
Although Israel repented from time to time of their incomplete
worship of the one true and living God they ultimately were driven
completely into exile into Babylon and Assyria(Persia/Iran). It
was into this climate 900 years later that Jesus Christ came on
the scene of time to once again bring about a restoration of true
worship and be the ultimate supreme sacrifice for the sins of
humanity.
It was King David the sweet singer and psalmist of Israel that
inspires us in our worship today when he declares:
Psalm 5:7 "and in thy fear will I worship
toward thy holy temple."
Psalm 22:27 "and all the kindreds of
the nations shall worship before thee."
Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the LORD the glory
due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."
Psalm 66:4 "All the earth shall worship
thee."
Psalm 81:9 "neither shalt thou worship
any strange god."
Psalm 86:9 "All nations whom thou hast
made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify
thy name."
Psalm 95:6 "O come, let us worship and
bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
Psalm 97:7 "Confounded be all they that
serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him,
all ye gods."
When Jesus Christ crested the horizon of time and came into
this world we discover Him being worshipped in a manager by strangers
from a far away land who were directed by God's star and by local
shepherds who witnessed an angelic choir announcing his arrival
on earth and they proceeded to Bethlehem to worship.
We next find Jesus in the very heart of the symbol of worship………the
temple and it was there that he was confounding the learned men
of the day with his wisdom.
It is 18 years later on the banks of the Jordan River that John
the Baptist receives a personal revelation of who Jesus Christ
is and declares under the inspiration of God that He is "the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world." It
is into this setting after attending the wedding in Cana where
He performed His first miracle, attending the Jew's Passover,
and speaking with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews that Jesus meets
the unnamed woman at the well in Samaria of Galilee. Jesus establishes
early on the need to return to true worship.
John 4:6-42
It is early on that Jesus comes face to face with the challenge
of Satan to worship him thus renewing the challenge of true worship.
The difference this time is that true worship succeeds over the
challenge of Satan.
Matthew 4:1-11 Satan uses two succeeding temptations to set the
stage for what he ultimately wants when he makes the third temptation.
NOTICE: verse 9, "And saith unto him, All
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship
me."
The same ploy is used today to divert our attention and worship
away from worshipping the true and living God. Satan says, "I'll
give you anything…….."
The false premise of promise is used to deceive countless souls
to worship unwittingly the god of this world.
NOTICE Jesus' answer to Satan in verse 10, "Then saith Jesus
unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
Jesus quotes from the ageless book of the Pentecuch, the Torah,
the 5 Books of the Law of Moses, The Word of God. Hey Devil, IT
IS WRITTEN………………. ……………WORSHIP
THE LORD THY GOD AND HIM ONLY SHALT THY WORSHIP."
Who are you worshipping today?
I'm telling you the hour cometh and now is that true worshippers,
are you listening, true worshippers shall worship the Father in
spirit and in truth!
Glory To God!
When Jesus was making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and
the people were worshipping Him the Pharisees criticized Jesus
for allowing them to worship Him.
Luke 19:37-40 " [37]And when he was
come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the
whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God
with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
[38] Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh
in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
[39] And some of the Pharisees from among
the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
[40] And he answered
and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their
peace, the stones would immediately cry out."
I want to go on record today that I do not want anyone or anything
such a rock to take my place from my personal worship of the Lord.
I want to further go on record today that I do not want anything
to take the place of worship at Riverside Apostolic Church.
As the Apostle Paul was passing through Athens he observed all
of the idols and altars to idols that had been set up to worship.
Paul addresses the Athenians in Acts 17:22-31
When Paul is before Governor Felix he begins his defense of his
worship of God,
Acts 24:14
But this I confess unto thee, that
after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of
my fathers, believing all things which are written in the
law and in the prophets:
Paul already knew what it was like to worship God in prison when
he and Silas
were in the jail at Philippi. Acts 16:25-34
It's not hard to worship when you understand why you are worshipping
and
what you are worshipping. Paul understood both of these things.
CONCLUSION:
Let us take a final glimpse into the realm of eternity as we fast
forward time as we know it:
Revelation 21:22-26 (New Living Translation)
[22] No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple.
[23] And the city has no need of sun or moon,
for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its
light.
[24] The nations of the earth will walk in
its light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their
glory(WORSHIP) to it.
[25] Its gates never close at the end of
day because there is no night.
[26] And all the nations will bring
their glory(WORSHIP) and honor into the city.
SONG: "All Hail The Power of Jesus Name"
