07.07.19 AM – Mark Day – What Jesus Says I Must Do to Be Saved

07.03.19 WED – Ranie Wohnhas – Free Will

06.30.19 AM – Mark Day – The End

In Isaiah 29, God is pledging judgment upon His people. The reason He gives is, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13).

Fast-forward eight centuries: Jesus, in His rebuke of the Jewish leaders, exposes a parallel situation. These individuals hypocritically dishonored their parents in not supporting them while claiming to set aside special gifts for God (Matt. 15:5-6). Jesus cites Isaiah 29:13 to show that though God’s people claim to be serving Him, their inward attitudes do not match their outward professions; thus, their worship is futile (Matt. 15:9). How can one truly worship if one’s heart is not right? The Greek word translated “worship” here is sebomai which Thayer defines as “to revere, to worship” (572); as a verb it is translated worship, in general acts of homage paid to God (Acts 18:13), or false gods (Acts 19:27), but the adjectival form is translated “religious” or “devout” (Acts 13:43, 50; 17:4). Thus, Jesus uses Isaiah 29:13 to remind his audience that religious devotion can be vain. While many today may be deceived into thinking God will accept whatever we do in worship, this passage shows that our worship is ineffectual if our hearts are far from Him and/or if we are “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9b).

To have a heart that is near God we must love Him by listening to His words and carefully obeying them. Love listens and communes with God on the basis of His revealed truth. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:22-24). In the Pentateuch, God had not yet revealed where Israel was to worship, but gave a prophecy in Deuteronomy 12 that He would choose a place; however, the Samaritans changed this portion of God’s word to read that worship offerings would be at the place the Lord “has chosen.” The Samaritan Pentateuch changed the place of worship to somewhere the Lord had already chosen in Moses’ time; they claimed it was Gerizim (Deut. 11:29; 27:12). The Jews recognized the truth it was a place the Lord “shall choose” at a future time (Deut. 12:5-11). The Samaritans were not worshipping according to the revealed truth of Scripture. Their place of worship and all their myths surrounding it were not according to the truth of God’s word. Thus, they ignorantly worshiped, and worshiped in vain.

However, even though the Jews were right in their place of worship­–Jerusalem–God was not satisfied with passionless rituals minus loving, heartfelt obedience. While some of the Jews may have sincerely worshiped God, those of the stripe Jesus rebuked in Matthew 15:5-9 did not. Jesus shows that true worship must rise above the mere physical items used to involve the spirit. One’s spirit must understand and have the proper attitude to truly worship (1 Cor. 14:15-16). The Greek word for worship in John 4:21-24 is proskuneo which means “to kiss the hand” or “to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead” (Thayer 548). It is an act of adoration to a superior. Worship is about adoring God, not self. Worship involves coming to Him with a sincere heart (spirit) on His terms laid out in His revealed will (truth).

The physical location of Jerusalem is no longer binding for worshippers under the present Christian covenant, but true worship is still absolutely essential. We may physically gather together, take the physical elements of the bread and fruit of the vine into our mouths, and sound may even come out as air passes through our vocal cords in singing, but unless our hearts are involved we are not truly worshiping. Let us make sure melody is made in our hearts (Eph. 5:19). More than merely going through physical actions, have your spirit involved in worship and commune with God, who is spirit.

-Mark Day