Worship - Dan Weaver

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus, privilege to be gathered together here this

morning. Maybe one other one item that should have been part of the announcement

or time, But since I was knew I was going to be standing here,

I thought I'd just wait. I have been asked to be assistant principal

at Cornerstone Bible School next year. And the assignment to the request for the

assignment was with the idea of it being a several year assignment, not just

of course, you know how those things go. Life goes and it can

become a one or two year assignment. Um. So they're they're sort of

asking at least with the idea of three or four years, And I am,

I guess I just want to open myself to your your input. I

am I've enjoyed teaching there. I see myself as more of a teacher.

Um. But this is what I've been asked for so um and especially with

it with it being more of a long term request, I thought I'd especially

like to get at least give opportunity from input, for input from either any

of you before I give an answer. So I just like to open myself

up to that for a message, or to at least to kick off our

message this morning. Let's turned to Matthew seventeen, and this is we're going

to spend I think, a fair amount of time in the Old Testament this

morning. That we're going to start out with a few couple passages in the

New Testament before we get there. And this is a a very familiar passage

the I think I'm just going to read the first eight verses of the Transfiguration.

And it was interesting the comments about Mark and Peter. I thought maybe

I should switch to reading it from from Mark's Gospel, because it's a kind

of interesting some of the details at Mark puts into it. And but I

think I'm just going to go ahead and read these first state verses of the

Transfiguration. It's not the whole story, but it's the portion we would like

to look at this morning. And after six days you just take Peter,

James and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain,

and was transfigured or changed before them, and his face to shine as the

sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared

unto them Moses Lias talking with him, then answered Peter and said, unto

Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If out

will let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee and one for Moses,

and one for Elias. Well he yet spake, behold a bright cloud

overshadowed him, And behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,

this is my beloved son and whom I am. Well, please hear him.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell down, fell on their

face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said,

a rise, be not afraid. And when they lifted up their eyes they

saw no man save Jesus only. And this is a this is a story

of a mountain top experience. And in our spiritual lives, I suppose you

you understand that that phrase what that means, have an a mountain top experience.

And this was this is certainly one of Peter's in fact, and for

the next couple of Sundays and Sunday's School, we're going to read about Peter

reflecting back on this. Might just go look at those words this morning,

because it's a good summary of what happened here. But Jesus took these these

choice disciples, and they went up in this mountain and and Jesus was changed

before them, which was an amazing thing, obviously, something that was life

changing for these these people. And Peter says, and it's interesting in Luke

and Mark, and this is one of the details. And Peter says,

says, let's build three tabernacles, one for Moses and one for Elias or

Elijah, and one for you. But the detail that Mark and Luke says

and says, Peter wasn't even didn't even know what he was saying, or

wasn't even thinking about what he was saying. And I suppose in the situations

like that, there are those type of people that don't even know what they're

saying but have to say something, and there's those I don't know what to

say and don't say anything. But Peter at least said something. But verse

five, a voice from heaven says, this is my beloved son in whom

I am well pleased. Here ye him. It wasn't about they weren't there

because of Moses. They weren't there because of Elias. They were the precursors

that brought them there. And some would even say that this was Mount Signer.

I think if you study the sequence in the geograph, if you have

it, it's about it's physically impossible unless they were transported there and back for

it to be Mount Signai. But in in typology it is Mount Signai.

This is where Moses was to get with the law, and this is where

the prophet was. Remember Elijah spent time on Mount Signi and in probably the

wrong location. Saint Catharine's monastery is there to commemorate that place. I mean,

the wrong location is clear, and the wrong side of the red seat.

But and then Jesus is here. So the Law and the prophets and

the Redeemer, but Jesus. But God, the voice from heaven said,

this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye

him. And when they Jesus said, be not afraid and arise, they

looked and it was only Jesus. It was only Jesus. And as I

think about us and our mountaintop experiences, I think we have this possibility of

this same thing and putting the tavern apples in the emphasis in the wrong place,

and I think it's important. I think this was important. But it

was for Jesus that they were there. In fact, I think just to

sum that up, since, especially since this is an introductory and I'm on

a trail to my message and not my message, let's just go to Second

Peter and read Peter's end of life reflection on this moreover, Verse fifteen,

Second Peter one. Moreover, I will endeavor that we may be able,

after my decease to have these things always in my remembrance. For we were

not following cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming

of our Lord Jesus, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received

from God and the Father, honor and glory. When there came such a

voice to him from the excellent Glory. This is my beloved son, and

whom I am well pleased. And this voice, which came from heaven,

was heard when we were with him in the Holy Amount, And I just

think this is this is beautiful. At the end of Peter's life, he's

reflecting back on this experience, and this was my beloved son. Hear him,

and the law was fulfilled, the prophets were fulfilled, and Jesus was

the one that was worthy of the Tabernacle. Now First Corinthians, yet before

we go to Exodus. First Corinthians thinking of tabernacle the dwelling place of God

and what we are called the temple of the Holy Ghost. And First Printhians

six, verse nineteen, it's watchingoi not that your body is a temple of

the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God.

And you are not your own if you are bought with a price. Therefore,

glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods.

I think that's important to glorify God in your body and in your spirit as

both as spiritual and physical glorification of God. It's a requirement. And interestingly,

the same topic comes up in Second Corinthian six. I think i'll just

read verses sixteen to eighteen there and what agreement hath the temple of God with

idols? For you are the temple of the Living God. As God has

said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will

be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out

from among them and be separate. Saith the Lord, and touch not the

unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be a father unto you,

and ye shall be my sons and daughter saith the Lord Almighty again.

It's it's an expansion on this idea of being the temple of the Holy Ghost

or the dwelling place of God. And we are responsible to keep this temple

holy, to keep the tabernacle holy, to keep it a holy place for

God. And God designed man for worship to worship Him. And this morning

I would like I would like our focus and we're going to go back and

look at group worship in the Old Testament. The reason I brought this trail

here before introduction. As we're going through it, I want us to be

conscious of and thinking about our God's call for our own personal holiness before Him,

and are the responsibility for this tabernact, our body, our spiritual body.

And I believe collective collective worship there's not so much an active action as

a responsive worship coming together. Um Jason said mentioned this morning our mutual worship.

I don't remember if it's in his devotional in this I think is in

his devotion or our mutual worship are coming together and that that mutual worship and

true sincere worship is a is a sweet smelling savor to God. Okay,

now let's go back to Exodus twenty. And probably most of you Bible scholars,

if I asked what Exodus twenty is, you would know it's the Ten

Commandments. But I'm going to be looking at the last part of the chapter.

There's the Ten Commandments in response of Israel, and then a provision for

approaching God. And I'd like to just read verses twenty two to twenty six.

And the Lord said, unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the

children of Israel. Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven,

and shall not make with me gods of silver. Neither shall you make

unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me?

And shall it sacrifice their burnt offerings and peace offerings, thy sheep and

an oxen, And in all places when I record my name, I will

come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou won't make

me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it with hewn stone.

For if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Shall that would go up by thy steps unto mine alter. Neither shall I'll

go up by steps unto mine alter, that thy nakedness not be discovered their

own. So as I as I mentioned, this is right after the giving

of the Law, the ten Commandments. And it's interesting that his first thing

he comes back to here is don't make any gods of silver and gold.

And this is it's almost a summary restatement of the first three of the Ten

Commandments. But it's coming back to this idea of worship. Don't make other

gods. But so that's when I'll worship, make an offering, make an

altar of earth, and sacrifice sheep, and auction, auction things you have.

Let's keep it simple, simple worship. That is what was asking for,

because I believe God was God is a jealous God and is interested in

being the focus of the worship. And there's such a propensity of man as

soon as he begins to worship, to make it about himself or to make

it about myself. But God asked for simple worship, with the earth,

with um, with oxenless sheep, with things they had available. And if

you use stones, don't cut the stones and defile it. And so the

message for your recorder. Um. The title is make me an Altar.

But the thought that really got me going down this line is in verse twenty

six, neither shelt they'll go up by steps unto mine altar. Neither shalt

they'll go up by steps unto time at mine altar. And it took me

back in a in a mental picture to Israel when we were touring there in

the Tell of Dan, and in the old early period outside the Tell of

Dan, outside the wall, there was an old stone altar with non hewn

stones. There was it was I mean, they didn't have all the stones

there, but they had some stones and they were they were natural stones,

and but there was in that area. There's a there's a Canaanite city in

early Israel time. And then there's also if you know Dan, there's also

the altar to Bail that Jerbone built and the ruins of that are there,

and you go out around and you go up and it's big rock steps up

to the up to the altar. And that was God said, neither shout,

I'll go up by steps unto mine altar. And then as I started

thinking about it and going through in the Old Testament, as they built high

places. In the taking down of high places, that was a copy of

idol worship that God did not want. And Um, obviously he even mentions

a modesty issue there. But God was asking for this simplicity in worship.

And when Israel, when Israel would building steps to their altar, let's just

look at look at what happened with them. I missed one one thought here

before we head on Um. God chose. God chose to meet in a

tabernacle, not a shrine. And if we can just put our go to

John four in our mind, I'm not planning to turn there, but that's

where Jesus was with the woman at the well, and he said that that

those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And God

seek us such to worship him. And and I'd just like to remind us

again that this is the place that meets the needs of worship in our hearts

and in our souls. And there are places that meet the needs of worship

in our own heart, but they're not true worship. In fact, the

Samaritan woman there was, if you remember, she said, we worship in

this mountain, but you worship in Jerusalem. And that was because of the

Samaritans tradition of laving Mount Garizim was number one where where Abraham offered Isaac.

And they may be right, but but they they have destined that as a

true place to worship, and in fact they still they still do today.

There's a small group of Samaritans that still sacrifice a Mount gary Seem today.

And she is referring to this tradition and saying that saying, this is where

we worship. And you say, and Jerusalem is the place to worship.

That Jesus said, well, Jerusalem is the place to worship. But that's

not the main issue here. And we have we have the ability to rob

ourselves of true worship by by we could say, by making the place more

important than the object of our worship. And God instructed Israel repeatedly to destroy

the high places as they were going into Canaan, and says different times,

which number one example numbers thirty three, fifty two. Then ye shall drive

out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their

pictures, and destroy their mountain images, and quite pluck down all their high

places. And that was that was their altars to bail and their other gods

that they were to pluck down. And now when you go through, if

you if you look at high place high places, when when you go through

the book of Samuel, they did call the place any place where the tabernacle

was or altars to God was called a high place, different than these idol

idol high places. But now going on to into the time of kings,

let's go to first Kings nine and we're going to cover a lot of kings

this morning, but not in much detail. This is Solomon. So in

verse twenty one, their children were left were left after them in the land

whom the children of Israel also were not able to utterly destroy. Upon those

did Solomon Levy attribute a bond service into this day. So the ones he

the people he was not able to And this is I should have probably started

at verse twenty. The amorrights, the Hittites, the Parasites, the high

bights, and the Jebby sites, those that they weren't able to drive out.

He just taxed him. Well, leave him here, just tax them.

But then it goes on and it just seems like it just the sort

of stuck in here. And it's interesting if you read chapter nine, it

just seems like goes from one topic to them. Next this says, but

Farrell's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house, which

Solomon had built for her. Then did he build my loo, just a

simple little thing in there. So David was of course, he had these

many wives. I've excuse me, Solomon had these many wives and concubines.

And these were these women, these wives, some of them are gifts from

foreign kings, and Pharrell's daughter was one of them. And so as these

kings came, he's accepting this gift. But and he's also he's in this

process. He's building this temple, he's building his house. Well, he's

going to build a separate house for these these wives. And this in verse

twenty five and three times in a year did Alomon offer burnt offerings and peace

offerings. And this is just going right into the next verse. Three times

a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he

built unto the lord. And he burnt pincense upon the altar and was before

the lord. So he finished the house. Now let's go to chapter seven

eleven eleven. Excuse me, vers Kings eleven, verse seven, and we

think of Jeriboem is the builder of the high places. But there's a little

bit of a path going on here. First, King's eleven, verse seven

says, then did Solomon building high place for Shemath and abomination of mob in

the hill of his that is before Jerusalem, and for Molach, the abomination

of the children of Ammon. And and likewise did he for all his strange

wives, which burnt incense and sacrifice unto their gods. And we just see,

well, that's read verse nine. And the Lord was angry with Solomon

because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared

unto him twice. We just see Solomon here, a man of so much

wisdom, And said God said he appeared onto him twice. He was un

amount of transfiguration twice, but it was wasted. He built high places for

these wives so they could do their they could do their worship. And then

his son reabone verse fourteen. Now we're going to go back to Jerbom a

bit. Chapter fourteen, Verse twenty three says, before he built them high

places and images and groves on every hill and under every green tree, see

this degeneration. So now let's let's go look at Jerbom. First Kings twelve

Versus twenty five to thirty three. This may be the fastest run through the

Kings you've ever had, but we'll try to keep us all hanging on here

this morning, First Kings twelve, verse twenty five. And remember this was

and it was because of We should remind ourselves that it was because of Solomon's

turning away from God and building these high places. That God is angry.

And the judgment was that the kingdom was going to be divided, but because

of David it was not going to be in his day. And so now

we have Reabom his son. And then of course Jerebom became Reabom took Solomon's

place, and Jerbom took the northern tribes and they revolted. And so we're

just breaking in on verse twenty five on the sin of Jerbom, and I'd

like to read that passage for King's twelve twenty five. Then Jerbone built seck

him in Mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein and went out from thence and built

panel and Jerbom said in his heart. Now shall the kingdom return to the

house of David. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house

of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of the people turn again

unto their lord, even unto Rehaboem King of Judah. And they shall kill

me and go again to Boem King of Judah. 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 God o Israel,

which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he said,

the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. And

this thing became a sin for the people, for the people went to worship

before the one, even unto Dan. 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 and Jerobom ordained a feast in the eighth month on the

fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah,

and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, according unto

the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel, the priest

of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar

which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even

in the month which he had devised of his own heart and ordained a feast

unto the children of Israel. And he offered upon the altar and burned ten

cents. So Jarobone he got the northern kingdom. And then he had a

dilemma. He didn't want them going down down to Jerusalem to worship and turning

their heart after Reabone. Rea Bone was probably a fairly wise person that was

attractive. He was a son of Solomon, and his focus wasn't at all

and what would turn people to God. It was what would turn people away

from Reabone. And so the first thing he needs to do is make a

convenient let's too far to go. We need the church a little closer to

home. We need to make it attractive. And he built these, he

made high places, he made these golden calves. And he'd think he must

have completely missed the history lesson of several chapters later from what I read an

expus about the Golden calf. Should have known better. And he installed his

priest to the lowest of the people. He chose his own time to have

his feast, and became a completely corrupt in a kingdom of debauchery. In

fact, it was so bad that as you read through the rest of the

books of kings, that this is the standard. Jerebom is the standard.

In fact, just some examples naydab because of the sense of he was a

bad king because of the sins of Jerebom, which he sinned, and which

he made Israel descend. So he followed this Basha, thou hast walked in

the way of Jerbom, and hast made the people Israel to sin Zimri and

walking the way of Jerebom, and in his sin which he did to make

Israel descend Amri, he will before he walked in all the way of Jerbom,

the son of Niebat, and in his sin, where with Israel to

sin and to provoke the lord. And ten times the same verse is given,

maybe with a few extra words. And actually it'd be kind of interesting.

There's some nuances that if we had time and be good to look into

says and he'd and he did that, and this is about different kings.

That's over ten times. It's these this verse. And he did that which

was evil in the side of the Lord. He departed not from the sins

of jeribl In, the son of Nibet, who made Israel to sin.

But even the good kings. There were many good kings in Israel. Not

as many, but there were good kings in Israel. Where it said they

didn't they didn't follow Jeribi, but that was that's what I've said about him.

They didn't they did not follow Jeribil, but King Asa. But the

high places were not removed Jehosha Fat. Nevertheless, the high places were not

taken away, Joe Ash. But the high places were not taken away Amaziah.

Howbeit at the high places were not taken away. Azariah say that the

high places were not removed Joe Tham. Howbeit at the high places were not

removed. That's what I said about the And there's there's more details there,

but um, that's what I said about the good kings. They were good.

They didn't follow Jerebone, but they didn't remove the high places. Let's

go to second Kings eighteen, skipping quite a way as ahead now, and

this was actually and it was maybe just driving Bible will take a verse out

of seventeen and this was the as I believe as the first captivity when Samaria

was taken by the Assyrians. But it says in verse twenty one of second

King seventeen for he rent Israel from the house of David, and they made

Jerbone, the son of Nibet king and Jerboon drave Israel from following the Lord

and made them sin a great sin. And this was in that captivity was

the stated reason as Jerebone was back there. You think about how little thought

he put into well, we need to make this convenient, we need to

I need to keep this control. We will develop a way of worship that

works for me in my kingdom. And that became it became the standard of

evil, and it became a stated primary reason why Israel was taken into captivity.

And so that after that Hezekiah was a good king, not a perfect

king. But this is um Let's just read three and four. And he

did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. According to all

that David his father did. He removed the high places and break down the

images, and cut down the groves and break in pieces the braves and serpent

that Moses had made friend to those days, the children of Israel did burn

in sense to it, and he called it na hushton, or just a

piece of brass. So Hezekiah was a king. He followed the ways of

David, but he was he was took another step. He realized that that

we need to get rid of the high places, and he took down the

high places, and and interesting there he got rid of that. This was

the time, all these years later, this was the time he got rid

of the brazen serpent from the wilderness, which was a type of Christ which

they were were burning. Instance, they were worshiping the serpent rather than the

than the Savior. They made an idol of it. That shows us the

ability of men's hearts to make idols. There's another notable king that did well.

Then we go on with history. Then Manassa, Hezekiah's son, was

He seemed like he had to take wickedness to the next level. In fact,

they remember Solomon built these high places de Muluk. Manassa burned children to

Muluk. He rebuilt the high places. And then in second Kings twenty three,

there's a king another King josh excuse me, Josiah, let's read verses

twelve to fifteen again. We're sorry, we're breaking into a lot of these

stories. And the altars were on the top of the upper chamber of a

has which the King of Judah had made, and the altars which Manassa had

made in the two courts of the House of the Lord. Did the king

beat down and break them down from fence and cast the dust of them in

the brook ketern and the high place of which were before Jerusalem, which were

on the right hand of amount of corruption, which Solomon, the King of

Israel, had builded for astraw and the abombination of the Zidonians, and for

the Chiemath, and the abomination of the Mobites and Milcolm, and the abomination

of the children of Ammon. Did the kingdo file, and he break in

pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with

bones of fire. Moreover, the altars that were at Bethel and the high

places of Jerobo, the son of Niebat, who made his or to Sin,

had made both that altar and the high places. He had break down

and burned the high place and stamped it small to powder, and burned the

grove. And there's there's a lot more to the story. But I thought

was interesting in this passage is the thoroughness of Josiah and taking down high places.

He didn't just go take down cheribones, high places where he took down

to Manassas, he took down Jeribones, and he took down Solomon's. He

was interested in true worship. And if you reread him going and re establishing

to pass over and keeping a covenant, and and it's it's such a beautiful

story. But in verse twenty five is the testimony of Josiah heres as and

like unto him, was there no king before him that turned to the Lord

with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might.

According to the law of Moses, neither after him arose any like him.

Somehow the clock in my notes aren't going the same stage, but we'll try

to keep going. Here. Make me an altar, Make me an altar

in your heart, as you are a temple of the living God. Have

no other gods? Have simple worship that focuses on God. And what's that

consist of? I like to turn to song twenty four. I'll just read

a couple of verses. Here again verse three and four. I guess who

shall ascend into the hell of the Lord, who shall stand in his holy

place. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not

lifted up his soul into vanity, nor swarned his seafully speaks of clean hands.

Here no one confess sin, willing to repent and make rectitution. A

pure heart speaks of motive and intention. Now, how we look to there's

and how we maybe even perceive ourselves, but our true heart intentions not vain

has not lifted up his soul to vanity. Again, that's internal, and

that's motive of and and you know, especially I think we can we um

we should, we should be checking ourselves on our own motives, and especially

when it comes to this area of worship. Is this something for someone else,

or for myself or for God? Honesty? Honesty is such an important

ingredient to this. And this says nor sworn deceitfully another aspect, And this

has brought out on Sunday School and also in one of my favorite verses Isaiah

fifty seven fifteen. For thus sayeth the high and the lofty one, that

inhabiteth eternity, And I love this this picture of God. Are we thinking

of the dwelling place of God or that or the tabernacle in our heart?

But He inhabits or tabernacle's eternity everywhere, that great God whose name is holy.

He says, I dwell in the high and the holy place with Him

that is a contrite and a humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the

humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones some questions, Have I

allowed other gods to come between me and my Lord in my personal life?

Am I satisfied with an altar of earth and natural stone me and God?

Or I do I need huge, huge stones to feel satisfied in worship?

When I think of my mountaintop experience, is it glory to God? Or

is it glory to myself? Or my experience? And being closing lists just

go to Ephesians too, and this sort of brings together again the idea of

of that mutual worship or mutual worship are coming together. I'm going to start

reading verse eighteen, for through him we both have access by one spirit unto

the Father. Now therefore we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow

citizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon

the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ, being himself the chief

cornerstone, in whom the whole body, the whole building, fitly framed together

a holy temple and the Lord, in whom we also are builded together for

an inhabitation of God through the Spirit. And I just love this picture here,

and in a way it's been as kind of a summary of the different

devotions and topics we had this morning, but this picture of being built together

as the foundation of Jesus Christ. But we're fitly framed together into a holy

temple of the Lord. And you know, I said in the beginning or

towards the beginning, that I'd like to focus to focus on our personal worship.

But as we are holy before God and our personal worship and willing to

be truehearted before God, it is only then that we fit, like a

piece of a puzzle into that building. And you know, sometimes we need

a little chipped here and there. I think there's an aspect where we all

need a little chipped off here and there at times, and that's where in

the end, in verse twenty two, you are builded together for inhabitation of

God. And together, you know, we're a tabernacle of the Holy Ghost,

but together with a tabernacle of God loved bless. Let's have a song.