As we begin our study of worship I
would like for us to consider a few of God's characteristics. The
Bible tells us much about the nature of God, and His nature directly
impacts man's relationship with Him. Since we are all created in
His image (Genesis
1:27) every human being has a relationship with God. However,
that relationship may be either good or bad. An understanding of
God's nature will allow each individual to determine whether their
relationship with their Heavenly Father is positive or negative.
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God doesn't change.
Unlike human beings, who frequently change from one position to
another, God is unchangeable. Malachi records, "For I am
the Lord, I change not;" (Malachi
3:6). We read in Hebrews
13:8 of the unchanging nature of Jesus: "Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever." The
fact of God's unchanging nature is a tremendous blessing to mankind.
We don't have to wonder what God's "mood" will be today.
I'm sure everyone reading this study has experienced repeatedly the
changing moods of their fellow man and the frustration these changes
bring to a relationship. In our relationship with God, we are
the only ones changing! If we have a poor relationship
with God, it's our own fault! If we strive to learn what God
expects from us and are obedient to his will, we know
we have a good relationship with Him.
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God is no respecter of persons.
Peter states in Acts
10:34,35, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and
worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him." Paul, in Colossians
3:25, records: "But he that doeth wrong shall receive
for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of
persons." Again, in 1
Peter 1:17, we read, "And if ye call on the Father, who
without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work,
pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:” Again
consider the frustration you've likely experienced when another
human being wrongs you simply because their respect for another
exceeds their respect for you. It happens on the athletic
field, at work, and at home. You know your
qualifications exceed those of another but still you aren't given
the promotion at work simply because of man's respect of persons.
However, in your relationship with God you don't have to worry about
God's unwillingness to accept you. If you fear Him and work
righteousness you will be accepted. But does He
accept everyone? No! If He did He'd be a respecter of
persons! Think about that statement for a moment. On the
right hand we have a person who has diligently feared God and kept
His commandments to the best of his ability. On the left hand
we have one who has no fear of God and has refused to keep His
commandments. Does God love them both? Yes! We
read in Romans
5:8 how God showed his love for us in His willingness to send
Jesus to die for us while we were yet sinners. However, will
both be accepted of God? No! He cannot accept the one
who is disobedient and continue to be one who doesn't respect one
person over another. Only the one who has feared Him and kept
His commandments will be accepted of Him. Please consider this
point in light of point number 1. Since God doesn't change and
He is no respecter of persons, He has never been and never will be a
respecter of persons! Since the creation of mankind God has
accepted those who fear Him and keep His commandments, and He will
continue to do so until Jesus comes again!
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God seeks men to worship Him.
Jesus states in John
4:23, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship Him." Let's break
this verse down. First, we learn that the hour of which Jesus
speaks has now come ("But the hour cometh, and now is").
But what hour is that? The time when true worshipers will
worship God in spirit and in truth ("when the true worshipers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth"). He
concludes the verse with this statement: "for the Father
seeketh such to worship Him." So we are now in the period
of time when those who truly worship God will do so in spirit and in
truth. But Jesus doesn't say that all worshipers will worship
in this fashion. Only the "true worshipers" will
worship God in spirit and in truth. If there are "true
worshipers" present today there must also be "false
worshipers." (Since Jesus refers to one group of people
there must also be the second group. There would be no need to
include the adjective "true" when referring to those who
worship the Father in spirit and in truth if there weren't also
those who worship in a false manner.) What separates the true
from the false? How they worship! The true
worshipers worship in spirit and in truth, and the false worshipers
don't. Do both worship? Yes! Is the worship of
both groups acceptable to God? No! Only those who
worship in spirit and in truth are sought by God to worship Him.
Notice how a true worshiper applies both spirit and truth to
his worship of God. A false worshiper may fail to apply either
or may apply only one of the two. Now please consider
characteristic 3 in light of numbers 1 and 2. God has always
sought men to worship Him in the manner He authorized and He always
will. Those who did so were always accepted and those who
failed to do so were always rejected. This will not change.
(I've published more of God's
characteristics to another study on this site. Please follow this link
if you'd like to learn more about God and His nature.)
