Acceptable Worship

There are two subjects in the Bible that I love to study. The first is the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. The second is worship. Both are very important and vital in our relationship with God.
As a teen, our Sunday School class spent a year studying the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. Our Sunday School teacher, Mike Power, who later had the privilege of being my father-in-law (maybe that should be the other way around) used a unique method in teaching us about the Tabernacle. We would come to class and for one hour we would study the Tabernacle. We dissected it and looked at each part and its significance. There was no item, piece of material or article of clothing for the priest that was not studied. The second hour of our class was spent building a model replica of the Tabernacle. Again, time was spent on each and every item making sure it was done as close as possible to the original. We even tried to make shew bread just to know what it tasted like.
Later, as a Pastor, I again became fascinated with the Tabernacle. I was given a set of lessons by one of my mentors, Elder Kenneth Baglin, and taught for eighteen weeks on the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. I was able to find some slides, for the overhead projector, that were of a model of the Tabernacle.
Now, understand that this doesn’t make me an expert on the Tabernacle by any stretch. It just means that I really enjoy studying about it. One of the reasons for this is that there are so many types and shadows and parallels found in the Tabernacle. It was laid in the shape of a cross. It speaks of our approach to God. It speaks of the plan of salvation. It speaks of worship and our relationship with God. In fact Paul, in Hebrews, goes back to the Tabernacle and uses the rituals to explain the role of Jesus Christ in our being able to obtain mercy.
Worship, of course is something that should be important to all of us. It is paramount in our relationship to Jesus Christ. In fact, I will go so far as to say, without worship there is no relationship.
There is a difference between praise and worship. Praise is simply telling how good and how great God is. It is bragging on God for what He has done. It is telling what God can do. It is thanking Him for His blessings. Praise is vital and important. We are instructed to approach God with praise and thanksgiving. We do this because He is deserving and we want to let Him know that we hold Him in the highest regards.
Worship is the result of praise. Worship happens as we enter into His presence and begin to realize we are in the presence of the Most High. Worship is recognizing who He is. He is God. He is the Almighty. He is the Creator of all. He is wonderful. It isn’t about what He has done, but who He is. As the song says, ". . . it is not about what He did, it is all about who He was. If He never worked a single miracle, Jesus would have still been God."
Our worship is so important to God. He wants us to worship Him and yet at the same time He is very particular how we worship Him. Because of who He is and because of His Holiness just any type or form of worship isn’t acceptable to Him. Let me show you what I mean.
When you approach the Tabernacle of Moses you see a tent with an outer court which has walls which were made from fabric stretched between post made of wood overlaid with gold. As you enter into the outer court, the first thing you will see is a large altar that was used to offer the sacrifices of the people. Just beyond the altar was a large basin which was called the "Brazen Laver." This was used by the priest to cleanse himself before they were allowed to enter into the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle of Moses was a large tent. It had walls that were again made of wood and overlaid with gold. These walls were not seen from the outside because of several layers of fabric that covered them. When you passed the curtain and entered into the Tabernacle you saw three articles of furniture. There was the Table of Shew Bread, the Seven Gold Candlesticks and the Altar of Incense. This is where the priest ministered on a daily basis. It was called the Holy Place.
Dividing the Tabernacle was a large curtain or veil. Behind this veil was another room where only the High Priest was allowed to enter and they could enter only one time each year. In this room, called the Holy of Holies, was the Ark of the Covenant and atop the Ark set the Mercy seat. It was here that the High Priest would apply the blood from the sacrifice once a year.
When the priest entered the Holy Place he had to be careful to first cleanse himself. A sacrifice had to be made. Cleansing had to take place at the Laver. It wasn’t good enough to have cleaned up at home. It had to take place at the Laver after the sacrifice was made. After washing the priest was allowed to enter into the Tabernacle.
The Altar of Sacrifice is a type or symbol of repentance. It speaks to us of repenting of or confessing our sins to God. 1John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Just as the priest offered the sacrifice and cleansed himself at the Laver, we are to die to sin and allow God to cleanse us.
The Laver is a type of water baptism. The second step in the salvation plan is to be water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission or removal of our sins. The priest had to cleanse himself at the Laver to remove all that was unclean and unworthy to be in the presence of God. As we confess our sins, God is always faithful to forgive and cleanse us.
The priest then entered into the Holy Place. He ministered to God there. This is a type of our praise. Our praise is not about getting a blessing! Our praise is about ministering to God. Here they ministered with the Shew Bread which is a type or symbol of the Word of God or Truth. They also were able to see to minister because of the Seven Golden Candlesticks which were always lit and was the only light in the Holy Place. They refilled the oil on a daily basis in the Candlesticks. This is a type of the Holy Ghost. Oil in the Bible always speaks of the Holy Ghost in our lives. It has to be refilled on a daily basis. It is the illumination to the Word or Truth. The Bible speaks of worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth. The third article of furniture was the Altar of Incense which stood just in front of the veil. The aroma of the incense filled the Tabernacle. The Bible speaks of our prayer with uplifted hands coming up before God as incense or aroma and the evening sacrifice (Psalms 141:2). One of the Hebrew words for praise is Towdah. This word speaks of the extension of the hand in acknowledgment, acceptance or adoration. To honor God by taking Him at His word. The Altar of Incense is a type of our vocal praise to God as we enter into worship.
Now, I want you to notice something of great importance. In Leviticus 10:1 we are told of two men, Nadab and Abihu who were sons of Aaron. They came to the Altar of Incense with fire they had gotten from somewhere other than the Altar of Sacrifice. God sent fire from heaven that killed them. The Lord then spoke to Moses and had him give Aaron this message, "Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified . . ." (Lev 10:3) God demands those who approach Him in praise and worship must be cleansed.
Let me break this down a bit and try to explain what I am trying to say. When we come to God in praise and worship, there is a proper way to approach Him. Our hearts and minds need to be cleansed and pure before God in order for our praise and worship to be acceptable and blessed. Time should be taken to come before Him in repentance and humility. We should stop and realize that we all are sinners and need to confess and repent before God. John reminds us that we all have sin in our lives and if we say we are not sinners we are liars and the truth is far from us. However if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then we are ready to enter into praise and worship. We have stopped at the Altar of Sacrifice and the Lave to cleanse ourselves. We are now ready to worship in Spirit and Truth.
When we begin to praise. Him. As we lift our voices to brag on who He is and what He has done. As we begin to talk of the blessings that He has bestowed upon us, we steadily approach the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The uplifted voice and extended hand! The offering of a sweet-smelling sacrifice from our lips takes us to a place where our whole attention becomes focused on God! Who God is! We enter into a spirit of worship.
It is in the Holy of Holies that the Ark of the Covenant or Testimony was placed. This was a symbol to Israel of the presence of God. It was upon the Ark that the Mercy Seat was placed. It sat between the Cherubims which sat facing each other atop the Ark. Listen to the promise that God gave Moses for Israel.
　
"And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two Cherubims which are upon the ark . . ." Ex 25:22
We no longer have to go through the physical rituals with a High Priest, animal sacrifices and the shedding of blood. We no longer have to depend upon a man to take our atonement before God and hope that all is acceptable. We are now able to enter into the very presence of God through our worship. Hebrew 4:16 speaks of us now, as New Testament believers being able to come boldly to God to obtain mercy. We enter into that Holy of Holies, approaching the place where God will meet with us and commune with us. We can obtain mercy! We can obtain help! We can further a relationship with God.
The Psalmist asks the question, who can stand in the Holy Place? Then he answers, he that has clean hands and a pure heart and he will be blessed of the Lord. Clean hands and a pure heart come from repentance.
Being careful to approach God in our praise and worship by first taking time to purify yourself before Him is so important. Praise comes more readily. Worship becomes the spontaneous product of our praise. God’s blessings are poured out in response to the pure praise and worship. There is now nothing standing between us and God. There is now nothing hindering our praise and worship. There is now nothing causing us to feel guilty or condemned.
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." ( Heb 10:19-22)
Well, it’s just a thought! God Bless . . .