24 October 2011
Shalom dear readers,
This is the 3rd and final part of Biblical Corporate Worship and in this teaching, we will be looking at the Holy Place and The Holy of Holies.
THE HOLY PLACE
WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
John 4:23 – 24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
Kevin Connor in his book The Tabernacle of David states:
“Worship in spirit and truth” involves the believer honoring and adoring God by the quickening of the Holy Spirit and according to the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word are both needed in proper worship.. Both must be there. If the Spirit is not there, then worship is dead and lifeless.
It is according to the letter which kills. All becomes empty form. If the Word is not there, then the worship can become mere sentimentalism, emotionalism and can lead to fanaticism.”
In his Commentary Adam Clark states:
“A man worships God in Spirit, when, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to the throne of God; and he worships him in truth, when every purpose and passion of his heart, and when every act of his religious worship, is guided and regulated by the Word of God.
The true heart of worship is the heart that bows before God and submits to His Word. We worship in response as the Holy Spirit reveals the truths of God to us.
When we approach God, the attitude of our hearts must be one of complete submission. We have nothing to offer God except our total devotion and obedience.”
THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD
(JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE AND JESUS THE WORD
This points to Jesus the Bread of Life (John 6:25 – 63)
John 6:35 …I am the bread of life: he who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Part of our worship is partaking in communion.
(I Corinthians 10:15 – 21; 11:23 – 26).
I Corinthians 11:23 – 26…The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The Table of Shewbread also points to Jesus as the Word which is our daily bread. As has been stated we worship in Spirit and Truth (Word of God).
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Matthew 4:4 …It is written, Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK
(JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD)
John 8:12 …I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
The Golden Candlestick also represents the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us and points us to Jesus.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Here in the Table of Shewbread and the Golden Candlestick we see an early reference to worship in Spirit and truth.
Again we see the reference to worshiping in Spirit and truth in the following scriptures:
Ephesians 5:18 – 20
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Ephesians points to us being filled with the Spirit and Colossians to our being filled with the Word of God. The Word of God provides us with teachings and instructions and the Spirit of God enables us to apply it.
We also see in these two passages what type of music is acceptable for worship.
Psalms: This is the written Word of God.
Hymns: These are songs usually comprising of theological truths written by human composers.
Spiritual Songs: These are songs that are prompted by the Holy Spirit often during a time of worship.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS (I CORINTHIANS 12 – 14)
Instructions for worship can also be found in the New Testament and here we find the introduction of spiritual gifts.
I Corinthians 12:1-31; Romans 12:6–8 and Ephesians 4:11– 13.
We have further instruction on how to operate in these gifts in an orderly fashion. I Corinthians 14:26 – 33.
Each and every believer has been given at least one gift and it has been given for the edification of the church.
We have also been given talents and it is the responsibility of every believer to be using their gifts and talents
In order that the church may be blessed. We need to learn to become givers and not just takers and become a blessing to the church that we may find ourselves in.
THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE
(JESUS THE HIGH PRIEST – PRAYER AND INTERCESSION)
Part of our worship is prayer and intercession. We too are priests
1 Peter 2:5 You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
And just as Jesus our high priest makes intercession for us (Romans 8:27 And he who searches out hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.) so must we make intercession for one another.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.As we have seen, worship in the Holy Place involves worshiping and praying under the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit.It is interesting to note that the Golden Altar of Incense was just before the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Never under estimate the importance of prayer. In Revelation 5:8 we see that the twenty-four elders each had a harp and were holding golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Having moved through a time of praise (Outer Court) and Spirit filled worship and intercession (Holy Place), we now move into a time of intimate worship and fellowship (Holy of Holies).
THE HOLY OF HOLIES
(MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD – INTIMATE WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP)
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT / THE MERCY SEAT
It is through our times of communion with God that a friendship develops. It was said of Moses that he and God spoke as friends at the tent of meeting. Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
We can’t worship someone we don’t know. Friendships take time and effort to develop.
As we end this journey together, I would like to encourage you to take time to develop an intimate relationship with God. If you do not yet know Christ as your personal Savior, then that is the first step. Until there is a spiritual rebirth, you will never know true worship. All it will ever be is dead religion. Worship depends on relationship.
I would also like to encourage you to spend much time in His Word and to pray more. Take time also to discover what your spiritual gifts and talents are and how to use them in order to be a blessing to your church.
May our Lord bless you, guide you, protect you and give you his shalom.
Every blessing in Christ,
Charmaine
Clim Jews for Jesus
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