The life which draws us near to the Father

 

•           Jesus is the life

Jesus is the life, the living way to the Father through His shed blood on the cross which is represented by the cup of the New Covenant which came into effect on the night He was led to be crucified when He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to His disciples and said, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).

The cup of blessings represents the life of Jesus Christ as we have been duly admonished saying; “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22).

In our New Testament dispensation, the blood of Jesus Christ is represented by the cup of the new covenant and this is what purifies and cleanses the worshiper and presents him/her holy, blameless and irreproachable before the Father as we have been duly admonished saying; If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:6-7).

We should all note carefully that the cleansing which is done by the blood of Jesus Christ when we have fellowship with the Father and with one another is not something of the past but it is an ongoing process that takes place during the fellowship service. Furthermore, we have been duly admonished saying; “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1John 1:8-10).

This therefore signifies that Jesus Christ has given us His flesh to eat and His blood to drink in the form of the bread and wine as the medium to present us holy, blameless and irreproachable before the Father, with Himself being the High Priest and Mediator pleading and making intercessions on our behalf, and so we have the consolation saying; “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10: 19-22).

And so the formula by which one becomes holy remains the same as in the past with the exception of the change of substance, from the symbolic, shadow, or copy of the reality to having the real substance. The substance by which our atonement is made in our new dispensation is through the body and blood of Jesus Christ which is represented by the bread and wine: Which we have been duly instructed saying; “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time” (Numbers 28:2).

This has been God’s ordained plan for man even before the foundation of the world as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Ephesians 1:3-8).

The sad reality is that, the majority of us who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ are too self-righteous, we believe that we can approach the presence of the Father without bringing Him His offering when His word stated quite distinctly to bring an offering and come before His courts and the main objective for having a holy convocation is to offer the Lord the food for His offerings: Truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The truth which draws us near to the Father

•           Jesus is the truth by which we draw near to the Father

When Jesus in no uncertain terms said; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” The medium of truth by which we come to the Father through Jesus Christ is through the office of Jesus Christ as our Mediator and High Priest, because He is the Word or truth of God Who became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He took on flesh so that, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.: For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.'

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 2: 17-18; 4: 15-16).

Like every high priest Jesus Christ is appointed to offer sacrifices for sin for it is written; “For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer.

For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8: 3-6).

As High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, which is an eternal priesthood, the offering has always been bread and wine because, long before God made the everlasting covenant with Abraham who is the father of all the faithful, and to whom the promise is made, we see that, “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all” (Genesis 14: 18-20).

Now this Melchizedek we are told is, “King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils” (Hebrews 7: 1-4).

In addition to this we are told that, “Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You." As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:5-10).

 Jesus Christ is the truth the One and only Mediator between God and man Who, mediates and officiates as High Priest, interceding on our behalf to the Father thus making it feasible for us to present ourselves in the presence of the Father in a holy, blameless and irreproachable state, because according to the apostle John; “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all: If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1John 1:5-6).

And so, since the Most High God is light and in Him is no darkness at all and neither does He co-exist with sin, in order to have fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another it is imperative that we have a High Priest to offer an offering and make intercessions on our behalf.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The new and living way to the Father

The new and living way to the Father is what God intended even before the foundation of the world so, instead of animal sacrifices, burnt offerings and offerings for sin God prepared a body for Christ as replacement or the real offering for the atonement of sin, and so, when the Lord spoke to Moses saying: “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time' This real offering is the body and the blood of Jesus Christ, which is in essence what Jesus Christ means when He says; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Numbers 28:2, John 4:6).

It is therefore imperative that we have a clearer and deeper understanding of what Jesus Christ meant when He said; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” and how to practically apply this principle in order to get to the Father because, there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (John 14:6; 1Timothy 2:5-6).

And so, the practical application of Christ’s statement which states, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” and His position as the One and only Mediator between God and man is as follows:

•           Jesus Christ is the way to the Father through the body of His flesh

We have been duly instructed saying; “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:21-22).

The way we are reconciled in the body of Christ according to the apostle Paul, is by the breaking of bread. For thus he wrote; “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread”.

It is also by partaking of the bread which represents the sacrificial body of Christ that one becomes holy. For this is what the Lord instructed Moses saying:  “Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy” (Exodus 29: 32-33).

According to the apostle Paul, the breaking of bread is the new and living way to the Father, For thus he wrote; “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, an/d having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

The bread represents the broken body of Jesus Christ which He instituted on the night before He was crucified when He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." and this became effective after His death since it is stated clearly “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator: For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives” (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:16-17).

This bread has replaced the food for the Lord’s offerings which we are to be careful to offer to Him at the appointed time. As the Lord instructed Moses saying; “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time' (Numbers 28:2).

There are different types of offerings such as the regular daily offering, which is to give thanks to the Father for His loving kindness in the morning and for His faithfulness in the evening, there is also the offering for the Sabbaths which is called a peace or a fellowship offering, there is the New Moon (monthly) offering which is to commemorate the beginning of a new month and there is the sin offering for the forgiveness of sins. The crux of the matter is, regardless of the occasion the bread which represents the sacrificial body of Jesus Christ is the food for the Lord’s offerings.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Bring an offering and come before His courts

5.         Bring an offering and come before His courts

The fifth integral component of true spiritual worship is to bring an offering when appearing before the Most High and the spirit or rationale for bringing this offering is simply stated as follows; “These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day -- besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD” (Leviticus 23: 37-38).

As simply stated, the rationale or main objective for having a holy convocation is to offer an offering to the Lord and this offering is besides or in addition to observing the Sabbath and it is besides or in addition to any gifts, vows or freewill offering one may desire to offer to the Lord. This offering is the gateway or the prerequisite by which one can have access to the Most Holy place in the presence of God

This offering is the practical fulfillment of Jesus’ statement when He said; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This statement was endorsed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19-25).

This offering is the medium by which the worshiper is sanctified and granted access to the throne of grace to serve the Lord in righteousness and true holiness and it is also the medium by which members of the body of Christ become one with each other and have fellowship with the Father and the Son as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote; “I speak as to wise men; judge for your-selves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1Corinthians 10:15-17).

This offering is also the formula by which one becomes holy, righteous, irreproachable and acceptable before the Father, for this is what the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ' By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.' Now the way one regards the Lord holy is by being holy themselves, for this is what we have been duly admonished saying; “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 10:3; 1Peter 1:14-16).

Now, the process by which one attains holiness and righteousness is through the same process that the Lord ordained for the children of Israel. One should not forget that the Lord’s dealing with the children of Israel was simply a shadow or copy of the reality, but now what is in effect is the reality itself which includes the tabernacle, the priesthood and the sacrifice being offered.

And so, under the new covenant, in the heavenly sanctuary, we have been instructed saying; “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:11-14).

The way of sanctification under the old covenant we are told; “was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience ---concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.”

The animal sacrifices were insufficient to sanctify the worshiper in that, they were a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. If they were sufficient to sanctify the worshiper, then they would not have ceased to be offered! For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 9: 9-10; 10: 1-4).

And so when Christ came into the world He said; “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come ---In the volume of the book it is written of Me ---To do Your will, O God.' "Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10: 5-10).

This once and for all, signifies that, once and for all there is an offering which can present the worshiper perfect, sinless, blameless, and irreproachable in the presence of God. Remember, if animal sacrifices could present those who approach the presence of God perfect, they would not have ceased to be offered. But because they could not, God took away the first, which were the animal sacrifices and established the second, which is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

One important thing that has eluded the minds of many professing believers especially those who do not follow the protocol for true worship is that, God’s dealing with the children of Israel was symbolic a shadow and copy of the reality: When Moses was about to build the tabernacle the Lord instructed him saying, “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40).

And the apostle Paul echoed a similar sentiment with regards to the new priestly service by stating; “For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Hebrews 9:3-5).

What we are to learn from that is, the necessity to appear before the Lord at His appointed time and bring Him the food for His offerings is still relevant and in force and has not become obsolete, but has rather been reformed, and the truth, which is the word of God and represents Jesus Christ Himself endures forever, does not change and remains the same yesterday, today and forever. 

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Lucius Joseph

 

How the Lord's appointed time ascribes to Him the glory due to His name

 

Let us now seek to understand the spirit and rationale for ascribing to the Lord the glory due to His name and how this is accomplished by observing His Sabbaths. We have been duly instructed saying; “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Let us take for example the tremendous effort, money, time and sacrifices people exert in commemorating events such as, D -Day, Labor Day, independence day, creole day, mother’s day, father’s day and all other national, global and personal events such as birth days, anniversaries, Christmas day which are all pale in significance to what the Lord has performed. So the question is what is the rationale for exerting so much time, energy and resources in the observance of these worldly and pagan days?

The logical answer is that these days and events commemorate what may or presumably took place on that particular day and the celebration is a form of expressing gratitude and appreciation for what transpired and a means of perpetuating the event for future generations. This is exactly the rationale for observing the Lord’s festivals, for example, the Lord's Sabbaths and appointed times which the Lord has ordained for His people to appear before Him and offer to Him the food for His offerings it is to show and express gratitude and appreciation to the Lord for what He did for humanity and these time and occasion consist of the following:

·         Morning and Evening

The Lord instructed Moses saying: “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time.' The first appointed time to offer the Lord the food for His offerings is morning and evening known as the regular offering. The rationale for the morning and evening offering is as described by king David who wrote; “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” This therefore glorifies the Lord as our Protector, Provider, Sustainer and Deliverer (Psalms 92:1-2).

·         The seventh day weekly Sabbath

The second ordained time to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings is on the seventh Day weekly Sabbath and this is in commemoration of the creation of the world, and glorifies the Lord as the Creator. It is also the sign to confirm when the end of the week is and that the following day is the first day of a new week. Therefore, it is a perpetual sign to indicate when the end of a week is and when is the beginning of a new week. By disregarding, rejecting or altering this basic principle is a major cause for dissensions and confusions allowing everyone to walk after the imagination of their evil heart and doing what seems right in their own eyes. It will not be a surprise when sooner than later, Monday be regarded as the first day of the week instead of Sunday.

·         The New Moon

According to the law which governs the universe the New Moon commemorates the beginning of a new month. Offering the Lord the food for His offerings on the new moon is a law and practice that will be upheld even when the new heavens and the new earth will be established, for we have been duly admonished saying: “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me," says the LORD," So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD” (Isaiah 66:22-23).

·         The Passover and days of Unleavened bread

These days commemorate man's deliverance from sin and death and gives honor and glory to the Lord as our Redeemer and Savior.

·         The Feast of First-fruits/wave sheaf offering,]

This festival is the Sunday which falls during the seven days of Unleavened bread and commemorates the ascension of Christ to heaven after His resurrection and presented Himself to the Father on our behalf and this day gives honor and glory to Him as the Resurrection and the life.

·         The Feast of Pentecost,]

This festival is fifty days after the feast of First fruits and commemorates the arrival of the Holy Spirit and gives honor and glory to the Lord as our Helper, Comforter. Teacher and Guide

·         The Feast of Trumpets

This festival commemorates the giving of the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations and to "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell God’s people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins,” This day gives honor and glory to the Lord as our Conqueror and Deliverer.

·         The Day of Atonement

This day commemorates and acknowledges Jesus Christ as our sin bearer and honors and glorifies Him as our Advocate, Mediator and High Priest.

·         The Feast of Tabernacles

This festival commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, and honors and glorifies Him as the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

·         The Eighth Day

This day commemorates the circumcision of our Lord and the day He received the name Jesus, the name which is above all other names and honors and glorifies Him as the Eternal God.

It is imperative to be reminded at this juncture that the true worship of God is not out of compulsion, coercion or legalism, but something performed from one’s own volition as we have been duly admonished saying; “One person esteems one day above another, another esteems every day alike: Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it” (Romans 14:5-6).

It is something one does out of love, gratitude and appreciation for what the Lord did for humanity on that particular day which far exceeds in significance the worldly and personal anniversaries that we esteem so dearly. And the sad thing about it is that, there are very few people who know about them, and even those who know about them are paying little or no respect to them.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The fourth integral component of true spiritual worship

4.         Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name

Before delving into the other four integral components of true spiritual worship I would like us to know, ponder, understand and take into consideration the fact that truth, is the word of God and it endures to all generations: Now, the Word is Jesus Christ Who is the same yesterday, today and forever, for thus says the Lord; “For I am the LORD, I do not change;” And of course, there is no partiality with God for thus it is written; “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Psalms 100:5; John 17:17; 1:1 Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6;;.Deuteronomy 10:17; Romans 2:11).

Therefore, whatever has been ordained by the Lord especially in the area of worship is applicable to both Jews and Gentiles because Gentiles are to glorify God together with His people and that is from generations to generations for thus says the Lord; “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people" (Deuteronomy 32:43; Romans 15:10).

It is only if we truly believe that the truth, the Word of God endures to all generations that we will be able to comprehend and fathom the profoundness and the rationale for the other four integral components of true spiritual  worship.

And so, the fourth component of true spiritual worship is to ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name and this is fulfilled by observing the Lord’s Sabbaths. For thus says the Lord; “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord”. The reality is, there is no other God but One; but it is also a fact that, other nations have their own gods; and therefore, we have been instructed saying; “there is no other God but One.  For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).

Now the only way one makes a clear distinction between worshiping the one true God, and the one Lord Jesus Christ from the many other so called gods and lords, is by observing His Sabbaths, which glorifies Him as the Lord, and ascribes to Him the glory due to His name. For this is what the angel (messenger) with the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people has been instructed to say; "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water" (Revelation 14:6-7).

Now the way and the reason the One who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water instructed us to worship Him is as follows:

•           Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20: 9-11).

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people” (Exodus 31:13-14)..

Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them...I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God” (Ezekiel 20:12, 19-20).

 " If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 58: 13-14).

“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me," says the Lord, "So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:22-23).

Appearing before the Lord on days other than the Lord's Sabbaths is an abomination, for thus says the Lord; “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies --- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:12-15).

And to ignore them, is profanity. For thus says the Lord; “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26).

No wonder Jesus Christ said; “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." And remember that, Gentiles are to glorify God with His people, because, “Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: " For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name." And again he says: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!"

And again: "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!" And again, Isaiah says: "There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.” Therefore, the instructions given to the children of Israel are applicable to the Gentiles as well (Romans 15:8-12).

Now, what is the rationale for the Sabbaths! How do they ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name? The rationale for the Lord's Sabbaths is that they commemorate significant events which the Lord performed for the salvation of man.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The third component of true worship (continued)

So the importance for singing when appearing before the Almighty is to express our gratitude and thanksgiving to Him for His majestic powers, as it is written; “But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy” (Psalms 59:16-17).

And despite of His awesome power He is also very merciful and so we express our gratitude and thanksgiving to Him for His tender mercies and faithfulness as we have received the consolation saying; “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations” (Psalms 89: 1).

And of course not forgetting His righteousness as demonstrated by David saying; “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall show forth Your praise” (Psalms 51:14-15).

And so, as one can clearly see, singing praises to God especially when having a holy convocation is an offering of praise that should be offered to the Lord as long as we live, as we have been admonished saying; "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Psalms 104: 33; 150:6; Hebrews 13:15).

The apostle James in the New Testament encourages us by saying; “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” And so, the main reason for living is to worship the Lord; because this is the way by which one expresses his/her gratitude and thanksgiving to God and the means by which the Lord is glorified.

We proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day by singing to the Lord and declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens: Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place: Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength” (1Chronicles 16:25-28; Psalms 96:1-7).

Now, in addition to giving to the Lord Glory and strength that is due to Him on a daily basis, this is also incorporated with offering to the Lord the food for His offerings as a thanksgiving offering for His loving kindness in the morning and for His faithfulness in the evening as illustrated by King David who wrote; “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night” (Psalms 92:1-2),

Now the way one declares God’s loving kindness in the morning and His faithfulness every night is by offering to the Lord the food for His offerings as He instructed Moses saying; “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time” (Numbers 28:2).

Now, the appointed times are clearly defined in the book of Numbers 28th and 29th and clearly supported by King David who gave his final instructions to the Levites and asked them; “to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening; and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the LORD” (1 Chronicles 23:30-31).

What has eluded the minds of most believers is that, the presentation of the burnt offering which has to be presented to the Lord at His appointed time has not been abolished but it has rather been reformed, it is the new and living way by which we can draw near to the Father as confirmed by Jesus Christ Who said; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

The sad thing as I previously mentioned is that, many of us do not take the word of God literally we perceived them as metaphors and do not truly understand the spirit and the rationale of the things we are instructed to do.

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To be continued stay tuned.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph