Our Lord Jesus Christ that the food or meat that He eats is to do the will of the Father. And in doing the will of the Father He would accomplish the work of the Father.

The two main prayer requests that I get from all over the world are "Pastor, pray for me because I want to hear God's voice" and "Pastor, pray for me because I want to know God's will. I wrote 2 books on hearing God's voice. However, the key topic of this study is how to know and do God's will. It is important to see that these two topics go hand-in-hand. Hearing God and doing His will are mutually inclusive.

In Part 1 we looked briefly at...
1.  Realizing the responsibility of knowing and doing the will of the Father. (Ps.40:8).
2.  Realizing that we need to ask God to teach us to do His will. (Ps.143:10)
3.  The importance of doing the will of the Father? (Matt.7:21, Mk.3:33-35, 1 Jn.2:17).

If I am to do God's will then it would stand to reason that the Father is not going to keep us in the dark about it. God does not play the game of hide-n-seek when it comes to us knowing His will and doing it. He does not set us up for failure. He is more concerned and committed with us knowing His will and His work then we are. Therefore He has placed some clear instructions in His Word concerning His will for us to get us started in the area of hearing and obeying His will.

What do the Scriptures say concerning the will of the Father that we are commanded to accomplish? These should be so important to us that they are the bread of life which sustains us.

SCRIPTURE #1 OF GOD'S WILL FOR US: It is God's will that we give thanks IN ALL circumstances no matter what they are or what they look like or what they cost us. We are not commanded to have a heart of thanksgiving FOR them, but we are to have a thankful heart IN the midst of them.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV (18) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

SCRIPTURE #2 OF GOD'S WILL FOR US: It is God's will that we be pure and holy and free from sexual sins. I will break this 1 Thess.4:3 passage down word by word.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV (3) For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

The Greek of 1 Thess.4:3 would say that the will of God is that we walk in sanctification, purity, holiness. In doing so we should abstain, refrain from, and hold oneself off from, sexual immorality. The sexual immorality of this verse is in word, deed, and thought and includes, sex outside of marriage (fornication), harlotry (adultery and incest), and idolatry (spiritual fornication).  The Greek word here for sexual immorality is "porneia" and is pronounced "porniah". It is where we get the English word porn and pornography.

So, here are two areas of God's will that we can take to the Father, confess, hear with the intent to do, then be obedient and do.

WORSHIP: We have established that we are called to worship God the Father and God the Son. We have established in parts 5-9 what true Biblical worship is not. In parts 10-12 we established what worship is.

TO WORSHIP MEANS:
We found that the Old Testament Hebrew words for worship means:  To prostrate before; to bow to pay homage to royalty or to God; To bow down, crouch down, or fall down flat in humility; To revere in the heart and with physical body; to stoop to; to adore.

We found that the New Testament Greek words for worship means: To kiss like a dog licking his master's hand, to crouch down, to prostrate oneself in homage to reverence and to adore.

This definition is what it means to worship in Spirit and Truth in John 4:23-24 and has nothing to do with music, a team, or a time. It is a position of the heart and the body.

John 4:23-24 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (24) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

TRUE BIBLICAL WORSHIP IS AN EXPRESSION OF HUMILITY:

We see in Jn.4:23-24 that there is a worship which God would accept and be well pleased with. We are fooling ourselves thinking that the Father is under obligation to accept whatever we present simply because we place a "religiously holy and acceptable" name on it. Just because we call what we are doing worship does not mean that it meets the Bible standard for worship nor does it mean that the Father has to accept it. There are two key words in Rom.12:1 that we often miss. "Holy and Acceptable". He is not under obligation to receive a sacrifice that is other than holy and acceptable.

Romans 12:1 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

This word is used 12 times in the New Testament concerning the status of what we bring to the Lord.

In Jn.4:21-24 our Lord Jesus Christ declared that worship is not tied to a PLACE but to a position of heart and body.

John 4:21 ESV Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

In Jn.4:21-24 our Lord Jesus Christ declared that worship is tied to a time and is now upon us.

John 4:23 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

In Jn.4:21-24 our Lord Jesus Christ declared that worship was divided between those who were true worshippers and those who had a form of worship but it was ceremonial and hypocritical.

John 4:23 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

In Jn.4:21-24 our Lord Jesus Christ declared that worship would have the Father as the object of worship. The object of worship will not be a music team, a building, a popular personality. Watch the crowd of a Christian music concert of a well known popular group and honestly ask yourself, "who is being exalted and glorified?"

John 4:23 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

In Jn.4:21-24 our Lord Jesus Christ declared that worship would be in spirit and truth. This means that out of the mind or thoughts, the emotions or feelings, and the will or choices a person brings forth true worship. It is an act of humility to bow the head, the body, the knees, or to lay flat before the Father while having the whole inward man also in a position of bowing before the Father. To worship in truth is to worship according to the Word which is TRUTH, coming to the Father though the Lord Jesus Christ who is TRUTH, and in the power of the Holy Spirit who is TRUTH.

In Jn.4:21-24 our Lord Jesus Christ declared the WHY of true Biblical worship. It is not difficult. We always speak about us seeking after God but never address what the Father is seeking after. We worship in spirit and truth because the Father is SEEKING for those who will dare to worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:23 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

We have covered in great length what worship is not. Worship is not praise, and praise is not worship. It is true however that one will lead to the other. Right in the middle of praising the Father one might enter into a place of worship and fall to his face. Or right in the middle of worship when one is in the physical position of bowing, kneeling, or laying face down he might enter into a place of praise and start shouting, singing, dancing, twirling, or one of the other many expressions of praise.

We covered many Old Testament examples of worship showing that it had nothing to do with music but with a position of the heart and the body. Now it is time to get into what the New Testament says about worship.

The very first time that the word worship was used in the New Testament was in Matt.2:1-2 concerning the wise men coming to the baby Jesus to worship Him.

Matthew 2:1-2 ESV Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, (2) saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

The Greek word is "proskuneo"̄ pronounced "pros-koo-neh'-o" from Strong's G4352 and means to kiss like a dog licking his master's hand, to crouch down, to prostrate oneself in homage to reverence and to adore.

This word is used 60 times in the New Testament.

A second Greek word for worship (G4576) in the New Testament is "sebomai" pronounced " seb'-om-ahee" and means to revere, adore in devout religious worship. Most of the time this is used to show those who have a false worship of the Father and the Son.

Matthew 15:8-9 ESV "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; (9) in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

To be continued:

Command number 5 is DO GOD'S WILL: 

The first 4 commands we covered earlier:
1.  COMMAND #1: DON'T MAKE GOD'S HOUSE (YOUR BODY) A DEN OF THIEVES. (JN.2:13-18)
2.  COMMAND #2: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. (JN.3:3-7)
3.  COMMAND #3: GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. (JN.4:1-2)
4.  COMMAND #4: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. (JN.4:23-24)

Now we get to the fifth New Testament command.
5.  DO THE WILL AND WORK OF GOD: (JN.4:34)

We always hear believers quoting Jn.14:12, especially when it is talking about someone else's responsibility to take a stand in faith.

John 14:12 ESV "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

From this Jn.14:12 verse we know that we are to do what our Lord did. This is true of Jn.4:34.

John 4:34 ESV Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Of course we cannot go to nor are we called to go to a physical cross and die. We would die in vain to do so. But everything that our Lord did between His birth and the cross He did so as a Spirit-filled man and not as God. Therefore, because all that He accomplished He did so as a Spirit-filled man we can also do those things. It is the will of the Father that we accomplish His will. It is the will of the Father that we accomplish His work.

1.  David understood the joy and responsibility of doing the will of the Father.

Psalms 40:8 ESV I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

2.  We need to ask God to teach us to do His will.

Psalms 143:10 ESV Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

3.  How important is it to do the will of the Father?

Matthew 7:21 ESV "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

1 John 2:17 ESV And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Mark 3:33-35 ESV And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" (34) And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! (35) For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."

To Be Continued:

In parts 5-10 I revealed that praise is not worship and worship is not praise. Much of what we call worship in the church is praise to God or entertainment to man. I stated that worship is tied to the spirit of man, the heart of man and the physical body of man. It involves the physical act of bowing the head, bowing the body, kneeling, or laying flat before the Lord. No time is the word worship used in the Scriptures that music is involved. 

I stated in the last study that  the first time the word worship is used in the Bible it was used by Abraham when he was going to Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac.

Genesis 22:5-6 ESV Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." (6) And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.

The Hebrew word used here and a total of 171 times in the Old Testament is shaw-khaw' which is H7812 in Strong's. 

TO WORSHIP MEANS: To prostrate before; to bow to pay homage to royalty or to God; To bow down, crouch down, or fall down flat in humility; To revere in the heart and with physical body; to stoop to; to adore.

TRUE BIBLICAL WORSHIP IS AN EXPRESSION OF HUMILITY:

We can’t truly worship unless we humble ourselves.   The difference between worship and praise is that I can praise God to someone by boasting and shouting and singing praise, but I can’t worship God to someone. Real Biblical worship is personal. Real worship is the most intimate time with God a person can have.

Another Old Testament word for worship is H5456.

The word is saw-gad' and means to prostrate oneself (in homage): to fall down. This was used when Nebuchadnezzar decreed that at the sound of the music everyone would fall on their face and worship his golden image.

Daniel 3:4-6 ESV And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, (5) that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. (6) And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace."

When Nebuchadnezzar saw the deliverance of the three Hebrew servants by God from the fiery furnace he decreed that the three would bow and lay before no one except the God of Israel.

Daniel 3:28 ESV Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

Next study we will look at the New Testament words for worship.

Today we start with what true Biblical worship is. We have spent a number of lessons discussing what it is not. We spoke about different words for praise and how each word gives a different way to praise the King of Glory. In no way did we exhaust the ways the Word gives us to praise and I highly recommend a personal deep study into the many different aspects of praise. To review some of words for praise.

1.  "Towdah" and means to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. 
2.  "Yadah" which means to lift our hands. 
3.  "Baruch" which means to bless.
4.  "Shabach" and means to shout.
5.  "Zamar" and means to play a musical instrument or to sing before the Lord.
6.  "Halal" and means to rave or boast about the Lord.

Did you notice #5 "Zamar"? This is the word for playing a musical instrument or singing. This is a form of praise and is not worship. In fact, there is NO Scripture about worship in which there is music or singing involved. This is not to say that praise cannot lead us into worship. This is not to say that worship cannot lead us into praise. It is to say that when we are singing or listening to a "Christian" song it is either a form of praise or entertainment but not to be confused with worshipping God. Praising God is not worshipping, and worshipping God is not praising.

WORSHIP:
It is amazing that the first time the word worship is used in the Bible it was used by Abraham. The situation in which he used it was incredible.

Genesis 22:5-6 ESV Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." (6) And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.

Abraham was headed up to Mount Moriah to offer Isaac, his son of promise. He turned to his servants who had come on the journey with them and told them to stay while he and Isaac go and worship the Lord.

The Hebrew word used here and a total of 171 times in the Word of God is shaw-khaw'

TO WORSHIP MEANS: To prostrate before; to bow to pay homage to royalty or to God; To bow down, crouch down, or fall down flat in humility; To revere in the heart and with physical body; to stoop to; to adore.

TRUE BIBLICAL WORSHIP IS AN INWARD AND OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF HUMILITY:

We can’t truly worship unless we humble ourselves.  Being prostrate is good because we are as low as we can be to see how big God is. Fear the Lord God = awe, reverence, (who am I in comparison to God). Think of a speck of dust in air, a pebble at foot of the mountains, or one of our tears compared to the size of the ocean. YET GOD LOVES ME AND KNOWS HOW MANY HAIRS ARE ON MY HEAD. 

I can praise God to someone by boasting and shouting and singing praise, but I can’t worship God to someone. Real Biblical worship is personal. Real worship is the most intimate time with God a person can have.

To be continued:

John 4:24 ESV  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

In study 5-7 we have been addressing difference between praise and worship. There are over 20 words in Scriptures about how to praise the Father. We are continuing here with that thought.

Before we get into the word for worship we have been identifying what worship is not. To do this I have been giving some Hebrew and Greek words for praise. The reason is that what the church has been calling worship for years is in reality Biblical praise.

There are over 20 different words in the Scriptures identifying different ways to praise God. We won't cover them all but just a few to show what is called praise and not worship in the Bible. In part 7 we looked at the first word which is "Towdah" and means to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. In part 8 we looked at "Yadah" which means to lift our hands. In part 8 we also looked at "Baruch" which means to bless.

The fourth word for praise is "Shabach" and means to shout.

#4 Shabach - See Strong's #7623

Shabach is a simple Hebrew word which literally means "to shout." In the context of praise, it's giving a shout of praise for the Lord!

The fifth word for praise is "Zamar" and means to play a musical instrument or to sing before the Lord.

#5 Zamar - See Strong's #2167

Zamar is a cool word which means basically the playing of an instrument, or "making music" to glorify the Lord, accompanied with singing. Personally, this is one of my favorite ways to praise!

The sixth word for praise is "Halal" and means to rave or boast about the Lord.

#6 Halal - See Strong's #1984

This is one of the most active words I came across as a form of praise. Halal means "to make a show, rave, or boast." When used in the Bible in reference to the praise of the Lord, it is said that the sun, moon, stars, heavens, waters, and all creation "boast" of the Lord most High, proclaiming His Name and His glory to all the earth. Likewise we too, as humans, are called to boast of the Lord and His mighty works. Isaiah the prophet referenced this form of praise as being called for during times of festivals to the Lord. This method of praise might also incorporate dancing, leaping, and twirling (making a show!) before the Lord too, because of the tremendous excitement of love to God that it conveys. It is the root of the expression "Hallelujah!"

We have been discussing the difference between praise and worship. The reason I spend so much time on this command is because our Lord said that God is a Spirit and those who worship will worship in Spirit and Truth.

In order to worship God we need to know what that word is and what true Biblical worship looks like. Before I build upon a foundation of identifying true Biblical worship I first must tear down the false teaching of the church of what is called worship. In parts 5-6-7 we have covered a lot concerning this aspect of what worship is not. Most of what the Bible calls praise has been redefined by the church as being worship.

There are over 20 different words in the Scriptures identifying different ways to praise God. We won't cover them all but just a few to show what is called praise and not worship in the Bible. In part 7 we looked at the first word which is "Towdah" and means to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

The second word for praise is "Yadah" and means to lift up our hands.

#2 Yadah - See Strongs #3034

The root word of this form of praise, which is "yad," is a word meaning "hand." Yadah is very literally the "lifting of hands in praise, reverence, and worship." The meaning conveyed is one of outward expression of love towards God, for others to see.

It also means "confession," but not necessarily in the general English sense that you and I are used. When used or translated as "confession," it means an "outward confession of praise or worthiness" to God.

Since Yadah involves the lifting of hands, one may understand it also with some connotations of "surrendering" or "confessing authority to" (as one under arrest puts up his hands to show submission to an officer).

The third word for praise is "Baruch" and means to bless. 

#3 Baruch - See Strongs #1288

This is a word which very commonly is known to mean "to bless" or "blessed" (if you have ever heard the beginning of a Hebrew blessing, 'Baruch Atah Adonai…' which means “blessed are You, Lord.” 

It also carries a secondary meaning, in some contexts, of "kneeling" or "bowing" as well. Baruch is usually the Hebrew word behind most blessings given in the Old Testament, either from God towards men (blessing), or men towards God (praising and bowing). Baruch is important to distinguish as strictly a verb (an action), not a noun (thing).

The 4th command in the New Testament is to worship God in Spirit and Truth. But what is worship? What is not worship but is being used as a substitution to true Biblical worship?

The first 3 commands we covered earlier:
COMMAND #1: DON'T MAKE GOD'S HOUSE (YOUR BODY) A DEN OF THIEVES. (JN.2:13-18)
COMMAND #2: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. (JN.3:3-7)
COMMAND #3: GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. (JN.4:1-2)
COMMAND #4: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. (JN.4:23-24)

In part 5 & 6 we stated that worship is not:
1.  WORSHIP IS NOT A PLACE:
2.  WORSHIP IS NOT A MUSIC TEAM OR MUSIC SONG:

Before I identify what true Biblical worship is I want to drive home what it is not. Since we stated that worship is not a music team, a song, or a time I feel it is imperative to assist the reader in identifying what role music and singing plays in the body of Christ.

Remember: We really need to stop using the terms, "worship team", "worship song", and "worship time." You might ask, what is the big deal? We have already covered that the big deal is that we rob God of true worship by renaming it and substituting it with something else. Out of the mouth comes curses or blessings, life or death. What we confess is what we are doing and is what fills our heart. So if we continually call music and singing worship then that is what is in our heart. We would have to ask ourselves what is the object of our praise, God or the music.

There are over 20 words for different ways in which we are to praise the Father. I will give some of these over the next few studies and then we will jump deep into what true Biblical worship is.

PRAISE WORDS:

#1 Towdah - See Strong's #8426
This word means "thanksgiving."  In Hebrew texts such as the Psalms especially, it often appears in songs of thanksgiving and praise, which David offered in the midst of many of his trials. It can also sometimes denote an "offering or sacrifice of thanksgiving." It will be helpful to remember to offer this form of praise especially in the hard times. Thank God for his sovereignty, power, and might.

In the last study (Part 5) we started on the 4th command. 

COMMAND #4: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH

John 4:23-24 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (24) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

Worship is a great word but greatly misunderstood and misused. In fact it is one of the spiritual disciplines in which we deceive ourselves and rob God of. We talked a little bit about what worship IS NOT.

1.  WORSHIP IS NOT A PLACE:
2.  WORSHIP IS NOT A MUSIC TEAM OR MUSIC SONG:

I have taught this for years and for the most part this teaching falls on deaf ears. WHY? Because the enemy is good at getting the church to either substitute God's perfect plan, desires, and Word for our life OR the enemy gets the church to add leaven to God's Word. When leaven, which can be sin or the traditions of man, are added to the Word then it makes the Word powerless in our lives. 

Mark 7:5-9 ESV And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" (6) And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; (7) in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' (8) You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." (9) And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

Mark 7:13 ESV thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do."

Matthew 16:6 ESV Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Matthew 16:11-12 ESV How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (12) Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Luke 12:1 ESV In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Galatians 5:9 ESV A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

That's right. This will be continued in part 7 tomorrow,  as we see what true worship is. Line upon line and precept upon precept.

If you have read the introduction in Part 1 then you know that I am seeking to list some of the 1,050 commands from God to believers to obey. In doing this I am reading the 4 Gospels in a harmony of the Gospels so that I get the chronological order of the commands we are to follow.



The first 3 commands we covered earlier:
COMMAND #1: DON'T MAKE GOD'S HOUSE (YOUR BODY) A DEN OF THIEVES. (JN.2:13-18)
COMMAND #2: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. (JN.3:3-7)
COMMAND #3: GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. (JN.4:1-2)

The fourth command is in Jn.4:23-24.

COMMAND #4: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH

John 4:23-24 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (24) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Greek for worship in Jn.4:24 is "as a dog licks his master's hand."

Worship is a great word but greatly misunderstood and misused. In fact it is one of the spiritual disciplines which we deceive ourselves and rob God of.

1.  WORSHIP IS NOT A PLACE:
The Lord Jesus Christ was teaching that worship was "not a PLACE" such as the temple for the Jews or the temple for the Samaritans. True worship is in a place called "Spirit and Truth."

However, today we have brought the term worship back into the church building as being in a place. Somewhere and sometime the body of Christ has got to get their terminology correct. We say, "well, why are you so picky, you know what I mean?" But then we want to quote the verses about our words have blessings or curses, and life and death tied to them. What's wrong with using the right words and teach people correctly? Having said that let me say. We do not GO TO CHURCH. We are the church that goes to a building.

2.  WORSHIP IS NOT A MUSIC TEAM OR MUSIC SONG:
It gets under my skin every time I hear the phrase "worship team" or "worship song" or "worship time." Music has nothing to do with worship and worship has nothing to do with music.

Music, singing, and dancing are three of over 20 expressions of PRAISE in the Scriptures and should not be called "worship." When we use the term worship for a music team or a song we sing we have robbed God of worship in Spirit and Truth which He calls for. We have substituted WORSHIP with one expression of PRAISE. We have even limited praise down to one form and that is singing.

So what is worship if it is not a place, a song, or music? To be continued.
Because of the length of this one it will be continued in PART 6.

There are statements in the New Testament that don't seem like a command at first glance. However, when we look at the verse in lite of the complete gospel message it is clear that it is not only a command but an activity that our Lord Jesus Christ modeled. If you have read the introduction in Part 1 then you know that I am seeking to list some of the 1,050 commands from God to believers to obey. In doing this I am reading the 4 Gospels in a harmony of the Gospels so that I get the chronological order of the commands we are to follow.

The first 2 commands we covered earlier:
COMMAND #1: DON'T MAKE GOD'S HOUSE (YOUR BODY) A DEN OF THIEVES. (JN.2:13-18)
COMMAND #2: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. (JN.3:3-7)

The third command is in Jn.4:1-2. The Scriptures in Jn.4:1-2 doesn't seem like a command but it is an example of a later command. 

COMMAND #3: GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES.

John 4:1-2 ESV Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (2) (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),

Sometimes we can read a passage over and over for years and not see it. I read Jn.4:1-2 for years and years and always saw the statement that Jesus was baptizing but seemed to miss the fact that He was making disciples. The key is that Christians are born and disciples are made.

Our Lord never told us to do something that He Himself did not do. He commanded all believers to baptize and to make disciples in Matt.28:19.

Matthew 28:19 ESV Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

The ESV says to make disciples and the KJV says teaching. The Greek word is "matheteuo" and is pronounced  math-ayt-yoo-o. It means to become a pupil, to disciple, to enroll as a scholar, to instruct, and to teach.

The most important thing a person can do is to give his/her life to the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved/born again. However, no one wants to see our natural baby stay a baby all his/her life. We look forward to seeing our children grow and mature and learn to be responsible adults. The same for spiritual leaders. We long to see the spiritual children grow up into maturity and start acting as a spiritual adult believer in word, deed and thought.

Christians seldom accomplish this on their own. God did not establish the way the kingdom is advanced and the way Christ is being formed in us as a method of the lone ranger. We need one another in maturing the weaker believers. This is a Christ-centered method of maturity and one that cannot be violated.

Unfortunately many have exchanged true disciple making and maturity for commitment to a church or religious organization. I can't tell you how many times I heard the remark that a believer was mature and committed just because they attended the church building the most in a given week or have gaven the most money.

We as believers don't have to make disciples, however we cannot get away from the fact that we will be held accountable to our Lord Jesus Christ in the end for not fulfilling this command. He set the example of making disciples in the beginning of His ministry and then gave the command to us to do the same at the end of His ministry before ascending back into heaven.

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

GO, AND MAKE DISCIPLE!

There are statements in the New Testament that don't seem like a command at first glance. However, when we look at the verse in lite of the complete gospel message it is clear that it is not only a command but a necessity for life. The Scriptures in Jn.3:3-7 is not just a command, but the very essence of the Christian life.

2.  COMMAND #2: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN

John 3:3-7 ESV Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (4) Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (5) Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

There is no command within Scriptures more important than this one. We must be born again! When our Lord started a statement with verily, verily or truly, truly He is affirming something that is of great importance which He is addressing. In this case He is addressing the importance and need for all men to be born of the Spirit.

We can be church members without being born again.
We can get baptized without being born again.
We can give tithes and offerings without being born again.
We can read our Bibles without being born again.
We can pray without being born again.
We can love our spouse and children without being born again.
We can become more moral without being born again.

However, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God, become God's children, and spend eternity with the Father in His kingdom without being born again.

My first birth was of the flesh and took place in 1954 in the small community of Craigsville, Virginia. I was one of four siblings having one brother and two sisters. 

My second birth was of the Spirit and took place in 1974 in Goldsboro, North Carolina. I am one of millions and millions of brothers and sisters throughout time that has given their lives over to the Lord Jesus Christ and was radically born again. 

There are many things which we can do that are important in life, but none as important as asking the Lord Jesus Christ to take control of our life, forgive us of our sins, and give us His life in exchange for ours. Being born again, having the life of God within us is the most logical, intelligent, and beneficial thing a person could ever do in their lifetime. 

If you have read the introduction in Part 1 then you know that I am seeking to list some of the 1,050 commands from God to believers to obey. In doing this I am reading the 4 Gospels in a harmony of the Gospels so that I get the chronological order of the commands we are to follow.


COMMAND # 1: DON'T MAKE GOD'S HOUSE (YOUR BODY) A DEN OF THIEVES.

The first command is seen in John 2:13-18. Our Lord had already been baptized by John the Baptist and He done His first miracle in Cana at the wedding. Our Lord entered Jerusalem and it was the Feast of Passover. Our Lord knew that three years from this date He would be crucified outside of the very city He just entered.

John 2:13 ESV The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

When He entered the Temple area there where those who exchanged money and sold animals for sacrifice offerings. He made a whip and chased the money changers and animals out of the Temple area and then turned their tables over.

John 2:14-15 ESV In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. (15) And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

Our Lord then made a proclamation concerning the house of the Lord which is a quote from Ps.69:9.

John 2:16-17 ESV And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." (17) His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

How is this a command and what does it say to us today?

God's house is no longer a Temple in Jerusalem. His house is built within every believer. We as believers are the Temple of the Most High. We are set apart by God for God and therefore we are not to allow money changers to by and sell through us. We re not hirelings that would sell out, (Read John 10). We are called to holiness and God's zeal for us still burns.

Far to many Christians today have sold out their lives to the world and worldly pleasures. But that is not the worst of the sin being committed. The reason the money changers where in the Temple with the animals was because people were commanded to bring a sacrifice offering for their sins to the Temple. They had to travel many miles and some for many days and weeks to get to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover.

Instead of bringing their FIRSTFRUIT offering and giving it as their sacrifice, they made the trip without animals, making the trip easier. Then they would purchase a far less quality of animal from the money changers and give it as their sacrifice at the Temple.

They took the path of least resistance to bring a sacrifice that cost them the least amount. We see this in the body of Christ today. People want to bring something to Christ and to the Father but end up bringing that which costs them the least in time, money and effort. 

This is the introduction of what is going to be a long, long, long series. What sparked this series? After preaching for over 40 years now I have heard a lot of excuses from people for not being obedient to the Word of God. One excuse has been posted over and over on facebook and frankly I felt strongly that it was time to say something to set the record straight.

USING THE WORD "LEGALISM" AS A LICENSE TO DISOBEY:

I see a lot of posts on facebook attacking Christians who are classified as being legalistic. I hear a lot of believers using the term "legalistic" as though they are spiritual giants obeying God in every way. Most of the time when I hear believers speaking about legalism they are using it to justify their own misuse and abuse of God's grace and Christian freedom.

These same Christians make comments like "There are only 2 commandments in the New Testament. Love God and love your neighbor as yourselves. They get these from Matt.22:35-40. Our Lord Jesus said that on these 2 Commandments hang the Law and the prophets. However He did not say that these were the only commands of the walk of grace for a believer.

Matthew 22:40 ESV On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

The New Testament is filled with commands for us to obey. What? God, are you being legalistic? And God would say NO. He is exercising His right to be HOLY and demand holiness and Christ-likeness from His children. By the way, being Christ-like is far more than just calling ourselves Christian.  

After we are saved the Father desires for us to be Christ-like is word, deed, and thought. In doing so there are 1,050 commands in the New Testament. 1,050 commands that God told us to do or not to do.

Why did God command us to love one another? Because we are more prone not to do so.
Why did God command us to be cheerful givers? Because we are more prone not to do so.
Why did God command us not to provoke our children to anger? Because we are more prone to do so.

This was just three quick examples of the commands in the New Testament which we will cover in detail. Seriously, what are we going to do with these? We should think on these New Testament commands the next time we are tempted to throw the "legalistic" word around or think that just because we have been born again, and forgiven, we have arrived. Now we just sit on our blessed assurance until Jesus returns.

I have decided to list the commands of the New Testament in chronological order as best as I can determine it to be. I will not give them all, just a few to get us all started. If you have ever made the statement, "I don't know what God wants me to do", hold on, I am about to start you on a journey of  1,050 commands the Father wants you to do.