Worship: My Life on the Altar of Sacrifice

To worship God is to recognise His worth or worthiness. The Bible often calls this "glorifying God" or "giving glory to God” and it is very clear that it is the whole duty of man. To worship God! Paul said to the Corinthians, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Unfortunately, many have diminished worship to something that is done in church on Sundays, usually through a song. While that is one way to worship God, worshipping God requires much more than that.

Paul said that we need to present ourselves as a sacrifice to God and that it is worship. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

What is the meaning of these words “reasonable service”? If you study, you will find that the words “reasonable service” mean “spiritual worship”.

Now the whole idea of presenting ourselves as sacrifices in worship as presented by Paul in Romans 12 is not a new concept. This is the language of worship from the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament, a worshipper brought a sheep or a bull or a pigeon and sacrificed it on the altar as an offering to God. At the heart of this act was that sin demanded punishment, and the slain animal represented God's willingness to accept a substitute so that the worshipper might live and have an ongoing relationship of forgiveness and joy with God.

But all the Old Testament believers knew that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). They pointed beyond themselves to Christ, who was the final sacrifice for sin (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). His death cannot be improved on!

I’m glad this is the case, because when Paul says that our worship is to present our bodies as a sacrifice he does not mean that we die and atone for our sins. Paul was saying that we show the worth of Jesus Christ by the way we use our life – how we spent our time, talent and treasure. Paul made this clear later when he penned his desire for Jesus Christ will be honoured in his body (Philippians 1:20). Further, Paul exhorted others saying “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

God is calling us to “whole of life” worship. He no longer looks for physical altars with physical sacrifices placed and burned upon them for His pleasure. Instead, He asks for a much more significant offering: our life, placed and lived upon the altar of our surroundings for His glory.

I’m challenged when I think about this. God wants me to build a platform out of my job, my talents, my home, my finances…and upon it place my life in dedication to Jesus Christ.
THAT’S MY REASONABLE SERVICE. THAT'S MY SPIRITUAL WORSHIP!

That's my five minutes!

I want to please God!

“Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Hebrews 11:6 is an important scripture for all Christians. After all, the Christian walk is about pleasing God. Therefore, when we read that “without faith it is impossible to please God”, we ought to be immediately assessing our life as to whether or not we have faith. Personally I find that my level of faith tends to vary. I can go through times where I have great faith, but I can also go through times where my faith is diminished - i'm just being honest.

Faith does not have a physical form – we can’t see it, we can’t feel it, we can’t touch it. In that regard, we find faith is often something we struggle to define. What exactly is faith? How do I know I’ve got faith? What does a person of faith look like?

I’ve been in the church long enough to know the standard answer to the faith question. In answering the question “what is faith”, I have previously just recited the scripture in Hebrews 11:1. But, it wasn’t until recently when I was studying faith that I realised what that scripture really meant. I found the writing of Pastor Mark Johnson very good on this and as usual he got my mind ticking.

The companion to faith is desire, although faith is much more than desire. No one has faith for something that they don’t desire. Maybe that is why Hebrews 11:6 says that “God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” – that speaks of desire to me. To desire something is to reach for something that you don’t have. In essence, desire is here, the object of desire is over there. However, just desiring something is not faith!

Faith begins with desire, but must then be accompanied by a level of expectation. Expectation goes beyond desire. In fact, desire with a level of expectation is actually “hope”. Desire wants something, expectation looks for something, but hope wants and looks for something. Hope is part of faith, but it is not faith!

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for” – true faith is not just hoping for something, but it is living as if you have it (the substance) in your hands.

“The evidence of things not seen” – faith is living as if you’ve got the evidence in your hands.

Hope is anticipation; faith is participation. Faith requires participation – living as if you’ve got the thing your hoping for (the substance, the evidence) in your hand now.

I think that is why Peter and John asked the man at the gate Beautiful to “take up his bed and walk”. He could have said “I believe I’m healed” and then just continued to sit there – but that would have just been “hope”. When he participated in the healing by taking up his bed, standing to his feet and walking – that was true faith. Faith is participation. It is living like you’ve got the healing.

Faith envisions, faith encompasses, and faith enjoys (even before it becomes a reality).

That's my five minutes! (inspired by Mark Johnson)

I need some stability!

How many times have to heard people say “I just need some stability in my life”.

Spurgeon said, “Perfect stability ceased from the world when Adam fell”.

When Adam and Eve were in the garden they enjoyed stability “TO THE MAX” because God created it that way. It was man that messed the whole thing up – as so often we tend to do. James 1:17 says that good and perfect things like stability come from God “who does not change like shifting shadows” or “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”.

Adam and Eve enjoyed stability while they were obedient to God’s will. Things started to become instable when they broke God’s commandment. When Adam and Eve at the fruit their world was shaken – things we’re messed up and they began to experience the much dreaded “instability”

Stability of mind is one of the most important aspects of human life. Personally, I don’t handle instability very well. I like an environment that is stable – home and work.

• I’ve been in the same job for over six (6) years (that’s a long time these days)
• Attended the same church for 23 years
• Played the same instrument for 26 years
• Followed the same footy team for 23 years (carn’ the Raiders); and
• I have been married to the same woman for almost eight years…..eight blessed years at that - thankyou Jesus!

I look up to people that are stable, being firm and consistent. I look up to them because they are firm and consistent. I admire people who stand for something.

Genesis 49:4
[4] Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

The same is with the spiritual. Instability in our spiritual walk is not desired. If we are going to excel spiritually we must develop a walk of stability and consistency. The Bible says that if you are “unstable as water, thou shalt not excel”.

Many of us have strayed from the path and could be called “unstable as water”.

• One day we are on the mountain viewing the world with the eye of faith. Another day we are in the valley, the dungeon of despair with no hope.
• One day at the banqueting table, the next day we are saying “if only I knew were I could find Him”.
• One day our cry is “I will not let you go until you bless me”, the next day we give up!

In order to have stability in our Christian walk, we must be “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving”. (Colossians 2:7)

When we hold on to the promises of God, we are depending on Him for our strength and stability in the face of the storms of life (and be sure the storms will come). But, just like a tree whose roots allow it to weather any storm – we must be rooted in Christ!

Better is One Day

Psalm 84:1-12
[1] How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
[2] My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
[3] Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
[4] Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
[5] Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
[6] Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
[7] They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
[8] O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
[9] Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
[10] For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
[11] For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
[12] O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

A day in the presence of God is better than 1000 years anywhere else! We have a wealth in Christ Jesus that is great than anything else in this world. The world can’t compare to Jesus Christ!

We can have bad days, bad weeks, bad years maybe even bad decades. But, the Psalmist is telling us that even one day in the church, one day in the courts of the Lord, one day in the house of God is better than the best day in the world (the tents of wickedness).

The worst day on the ark - it would have been pretty smelling on the ark. It would have been difficult to live on that ark for all that time. However, one bad day on the ark was better than the best day outside the ark.

The pleasures of this world are for a season.

Hebrews 11:25
[25] Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
[26] Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.