Title: In the Temple of God
Contents
crisis of worship
It was during the reign of Louis XIV of France. On Sunday, Louis XIV attended the church of Archbishop Penelon with the royal family and his family. The church was always crowded. The Archbishop intends to test his members. He wanted to know whether the members of the church were coming because of Jesus or to see the king. So, after the king left the church, the archbishop advertised, "The king won't come next Sunday." Next week. The king and royalty have come to the church, but there are no members, only the archbishop. Louie was startled and asked, "Where have all the church members gone?" Then the Archbishop answers. "It seems that the members of the church are not coming to worship God, but to meet His Majesty. His Majesty said he could not come, and this is what happened."
It is said that the present age is an era of worship crisis. It means that we cannot worship in the spirit and truth that God receives. Worship is surrendering to God with all your body and mind. It is to give thanks, praise, and exalt what God has done. Worship must have emotion and must have passion. However, they confess with their mouths, but their heart of worship cannot follow them. There is a form of godliness, but no power. The churches, the temple of God, are falling into incompetence. We must worship in spirit and in truth. That's where the power comes in. A relationship with God is established. The spirit is revived. The minds that were piled up with worries and worries are freed. Physical ailments are healed.
The temple of God in the text means the temple. The temple is a place where God dwells. Solomon was the first to build the temple. He did not regret the construction of the temple, but rather recalled it and rejoiced. That is why we send those who want to know the vanity of the world and those who seek happiness in creation needlessly to the temple. Therefore, when we are disappointed in the creation, we too must turn our eyes to our Creator God. The more we do this, the more we need to rely on God's word and come before the throne of grace. Then, when you pray in the temple of God, He will hear you. When we offer sacrifices in the temple of God, He accepts them. The temple of God must be a place to meet God. It should be a place where communion with God takes place. What is your priority in the temple of God? Is meeting people a priority? Are conversations with people a priority? Is socializing with people a priority?
God speaks through Isaiah 1:12. "You come to show me before me, and who has required it of you? You are only treading on my yard." Jesus warned in Mark 7:6, "He said, Isaiah well prophesied about you hypocrites. It is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." In other words, you will not receive formal worship that separates the body and the mind. This text presents the principles to be observed by those who go to the temple of God.
should refrain
This is verse 1. "When you enter the house of God, watch your feet. It is better to come near and listen to the word than to offer sacrifices to fools." The word 'to refrain from' here means 'to fence around with thorns' in the original language. It means to be thoroughly guarded and preserved. In other words, 'Take care of your feet' means to keep and preserve the encounter with God who is the Spirit. Worship without spiritual encounters is futile worship. For spiritual encounters, we must refrain from arrogant acts in the temple of God. We must act prudently and holy. You must refrain from going for any purpose other than worship. We need to focus only on getting closer to God and listening to His Word. We must not only listen with our ears, we must listen and accept and obey.
Have you ever felt that God's Word was penetrating your life? Or are you unable to feel love, not comforted, not remorseful, and not pierced even after hearing the word? Wasn't this worship that took place without repentance and resolution? The Israelites always heard the voice of God through Moses, but they trembled at the word. Because they believed that it was the word of God. I could not have imagined that it would not be implemented according to the word. So, they refrained from doing other things in the temple of God, and their only purpose was to listen to the Word. In order to meet with God, we must refrain from human things. Please be more zealous in defending spiritual values.
have to pray
This is verse 2. ?쏡o not open your mouth recklessly before God, and do not speak with a hasty heart.??This is the attitude toward the worshiper's prayer. It doesn't just mean keeping prayers and words short. It means not to do it with a 'ruthless' and 'hurried' mind. We must always keep in mind that we pray before the Sovereign God. Therefore, we must do our best and pray with an attitude of living as we prayed. If you talk long and talk a lot, you need to know that there are mistakes. The same goes for prayer. Jesus warned against babbling in prayers. Concise and appropriate words with sincerity are as beautiful as golden apples on a silver tray, they open people's hearts and make each other happy. What are you working on in the temple of God? Or are we not turning the temple of God into a den of robbers brimming with human words?
Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz's book 'Prayer' has a shocking subtitle. "Most of our prayers are treated like junk mail in heaven". If you look at your e-mail, you will receive countless e-mails like garbage. So I delete it without even reading it. That's spam mail. Our prayers may be treated like this in the kingdom of God. Prayer should be a letter that is read preciously in the kingdom of God. Never be treated like garbage. We must pray rightly with a heart that loves the Lord.
In his book 'Prayer', Richard J. Foster argues that God is wounded by our prayers. God is hurt when you make a one-sided request from a distance without coming close to God. He gets hurt when he prays in vain without loving God. What God has prepared is that when you turn away and unconditionally demand a lot and unconditionally great things, you will be hurt. Isn't your prayer a prayer that leaves a scar on God's heart? Normal fellowship with God through prayer is the greatest happiness. Prayer differs not in length, but in power. God looks at the depth rather than the length of prayer. Even if it's a short prayer, praying before the throne of God is moving. You can feel the warmth and earnest love. Please do not use only human words in the temple of God. I hope that you will become a saint who offers the right prayer that God desires.
to be in awe
Verse 7. ?쏻hen dreams are many, they are in vain, and many words are so. But you must fear God.??Being overly busy with worldly affairs and speaking indiscriminately means that it becomes an obstacle to the right path of faith. Before you get busy planning anything, you must first fear God. There are many important and urgent things in the world. However, if it takes precedence or considers the fear of God as important, it becomes an idol that God hates. We must remove idols from the house of God. First, we must fear only God. In every way, God is first. You are the center, not the edge. God first, you must live a God-centered life in order to prosper. God takes responsibility and solves it. If you serve God rightly as God, you will receive amazing blessings. This is because the fear of God leads to life. You must know that the fear of God is the way for the soul to prosper, the way for everything to prosper, and the way to become healthy.
Do you know the prayers of Pharisees and publicans? The Pharisees lack the fear of God. That is why he does not see his sins and only thinks of boasting and contemplating. We are not afraid of God, so we have nothing to do but advertisements. But the publican was before God. So God was afraid. Without daring to look up to heaven, he beat his breast and prayed while looking at sin. You should know that God received the publican's prayer, which was offered in fear of God rather than the prayer of the Pharisees. What are you looking at in the temple of God? What are you heading towards? Do you only fear God and live your life of faith?
We must meet God through worship in the temple of God. We must start a new life with the strength God gives us. When worship is restored, we must believe that the restoration of life begins and offer it correctly. We must listen to the Word with faith that fears God. And in the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that all the blessed saints living in the temple of God will open the door of answers by praying the prayers God wants.