4. Are you appearing before God without distinguishing the difference between the holy and the profane?
This is the word of the Lord which came to the prophet Isaiah concerning the sins of Jerusalem, “Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26).
Again the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel concerning the house of Israel and said. “O house of Israel let us have no more of all your abominations. When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary to defile it – my house – and when you offered my food, the fat and the blood, then they broke my covenant because of all your abominations. Thus says the Lord God; ‘No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter my sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel” (Ezekiel 44:7, 9).
The prophet Jeremiah also received a word from the Lord saying, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!
‘Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name, and say, we are delivered to do all these abominations?’
‘Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold I, even I, have seen it; says the Lord” (Jeremiah 7:9-1).
In the New Testament, believers are categorized as, “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people, in order that they may proclaim the praises of him who called them out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9).
The Lord’s instruction to this holy nation is, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has 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 among them, I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate says the Lord, do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
Christian fellowship is not just among believers, because according to the apostle John, it is also with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, since Christian fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ who is light, and in him there is no darkness at all, anyone who is not walking in the light, and is not prepared or willing to have his/her sins forgiven, and be cleansed by the blood of the New covenant, should not be a part of the fellowship.
For, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).
It takes only a little bit of leaven to leaven the whole dough. It takes only one in the midst of the worshipers whose sins have not been forgiven to corrupt, contaminate and defile the worship service, and cause it to be an abomination before God. This is why the offering we are asked to bring and come into His courts is of such intrinsic importance. It is only through this offering can we worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.
When someone tries to obey the Lord’s command which says, “My offering, my food [bread] for my offerings by fire [zeal], my pleasing odor, you shall take heed to offer to Me in its due season;” others regard this effort as enslavement. But here is what the word of the Lord says; “Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin [man’s independent nature, doing what seems right in one’s own eyes], you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin [man’s independent nature] and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).
In closing I ask the question again, are you guilty of worshiping God in vain? Let the word of God and our conscience Judge us.
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
Essentials Of Life Ministry Inc.
Email: essentialsoflifeminintry@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment