Quote from Forum Archives on March 8, 2013, 12:11 pm

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E-pistle

FreeWay Foundation            March 8, 2013

 

A Worthy Walk

                                    ( I John 2:6)

            "Walk just as He (Jesus) walked"

            Worthy = having worth/excellence; meritorious; deserving

I.  WE ARE UNWORTHY

            Jacob:  "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all

            the truth which You have shown Your servant," Genesis 32:10.

                        A.  John the Baptist (all four Gospels)

                                    "I am not worthy to loosen Your sandal straps."

                        B.  Centurion (Matthew 8:8)

                                    "I am not worthy that You should come under my roof."

                        C.  Prodigal Son (Luke 15:19, 21)

                                    "I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

                        D.  Paul (I Corinthians 15:9)

                                    "I am . . . not worthy to be called an apostle."

II.  YES, WE ARE COMMANDED TO WORK WORTHY

                        A.  "Walk worthy of God who calls you," (I Thessalonians 2:12)

                        B.  "Walk worthy of the calling," (Ephesians 4:1)

                        C.  "Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him," (Colossians 1:10)

                        D.  "They shall walk with Me, in white, for they are worthy," (Revelation 3:4)

III.  ONLY CHRIST IS WORTHY

                        A.  He is worthy to die.  (Matthew 26:66; Mark 14:64)

                        B.  He is worthy to open the seals and read the scroll.  (Revelation 5:2-9)

                        C.  He is worthy to receive power. Riches, wisdom, and strength.  (Revelation 4:11; 5:12)

                        D.  He is worthy to receive praise, honor, glory, and blessing.  (Revelation 4:11; 5:12)

IV.  CHRIST'S WORTH BECOME OUR WORTH

            "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness

            of God in Him."  (II Corinthians 5:21)

CHALLENGE:  "LET YOUR CONDUCT (WALK) BE WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST." Philippians 1:27

 

 

 

Oh come, let us worship and bow down

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

 

            It took Moses 40 days to receive the Law on Mt. Sinai.  (Maybe 80 days, since he made two trips.)  The rest

Of the year there was spent preparing and teaching the people how to worship Almighty God.  The ration of Worship

teaching time  and Law teaching time was about four to one.  How does our preaching/teaching time on these two

subjects compare?  In my experience, we spend far more time talking about obeying God's laws than we do talking

about how to worship Him.  Both are vital, but worship should have priority. 

            In the Old Testament, the word "worship" means "to make oneself low."  It implies bowing, stooping, falling

down before someone as an act of submission, reverence, and homage.  The New Testament word for worship combines

the ideas of "toward" and "to kiss."  It means to prostrate oneself, bow down, do obeisance, show reverence, do homage,

and adore.  Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well (John 4) is a magnificent model of personal soul-winning, of course.

But this account also contains some deep concepts from the mind and heart of the Lord on the subject of worship,  In

outline form, Jesus taught these truths:

                        1.  THE WHERE OF WORSHIP (v. 20)

                                    Whether on Mt. Gerizim or in Jerusalem, the place of worship is not the issue.

                        2.  THE WHEN OF WORSHIP (vv. 21, 23)

                                    "The hour is coming . . . and is," Jesus said.  The God of the "now" may be

                                    worshipped only in the "now."

                        3.  THE WHO OF WORSHIP (vv. 21, 24)

                                    The Father is to e the object of worship . . . and God is Spirit.  In verse 14,

                                    Jesus the Son, lays claim to Divinity . . . He can give eternal life.  Therefore,

                                    who are we to worship?  The Trinity . . . the Three in One.

                        4.  THE WHAT OF WORSHIP (V. 22)

                                    Worship requires some knowledge of the spiritual realm.  The woman didn't

                                    know what to worship; Jesus connected such knowledge of worship with the

                                    experience of salvation.  Worship, like all spiritual matters, only may be

                                    discerned spiritually, I Corinthians 2:14.

                        5.  THE WHICH OF WORSHIP (v. 23)

                                    Here Jesus refers to true worshipers.  Mankind everywhere on earth has an

                                    innate yearning to worship.  But, Jesus implies; some are true worshipers . . .

                                    some false . . . depending upon the next point.

                        6.  THE HOW OF WORSHIP (vv. 23, 24)

                                    True worshipers worship this way only:  in spirit and in truth.  Both are necessary

                                    for acceptable worship.  (This idea is explored more deeply in the conclusion.)

                        7.  THE WHY OF WORSHIP (v. 23)

                                    Two reasons (one stated; one implied) answer the question, "Why worship?"

                                    1)  The Father is seeking for true worshipers.

                                    2)  He is worthy of our worship.

            True worshipers must worship both in spirit and in truth, Jesus emphasized:

                        1.  SPIRIT WITHOUT TRUTH:  leads to anarchy, excesses, and immaturity.  (Consider

                                    Judges 21:25 and the Corinthian church)

                        2.  TRUTH WITHOUT SPIRIT:  leads to bondage, legalism, and death.  (Consider the

                                    Pharisees and Judiazers, II Corinthians 3:6, John 6:63.

                        3.  SPIRIT PLUS TRUTH:  leads not to anarchy or bondage, but Lordship of Christ

                                    (Philippians 2:9-11); leads not to excesses or legalism, but to balanced freedom

                                    (Galatians 5:1, 13); leads not to immaturity or deadness, but to growth and

                                    fruitfulness (John 15:1-8).

 

"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains

from giving wordy evidence of that fact."

--George Eliot (1819-1880)

 

 

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