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Ch012 The Worship of God: The Principle Obligation of the Believer

Ch012 The Worship of God: The Principle Obligation of the Believer examines the Bible’s teaching on what is worship.

The Worship of God
The Principal Obligation for the Believer
By David Cox

[ch012] v3.2 ©2023 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this for non-profit purposes

Let us think of God as the worthiest Being who deserves a spiritual response from our souls (which should be surrender, dedication and obedience). He is first and foremost our Creator. Salvation is in essence, trust (or faith) in the person of God. His promises of salvation are real, and He is always ready to save us. If we believe this “we are calling upon God in our lives”. And this is what saves us.

Salvation is not a prayer of magic words, which, being vain or feigned (lies), neither affects nor changes our lives. It is putting great trust in God, knowing His character and imitating Him (Ephesians 5:1).

To worship Him is to recognize His character, to trust and exalt Him to be our only pattern. To worship Him is to express faith through words and actions (meditations on His divine character). And it is in Sunday worship given to us by God that we best focus our worship of God.

What is Worship?

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

One’s attitude toward God is of supreme importance. God punishes pride, and rewards humiliation before Him. Access to God is by recognizing His Sovereignty. The second and third commandments speak of wrong forms and objects of worship, the fourth commandment speaks of the day of worship (dedicated to the Lord). Worship is simply the exaltation of God by the person who honors Him. Worship is a spiritual activity, it is an imitation of the morality (moral character) of God, it springs from the soul, it is the response to the Creator with esteem, actions and words that exalt Him in all that He deserves. William Ames explains that there are two forms of worship, formal (in worship) and informal, of which he says, “One cannot give honor to God in any other way but by expressing faith, hope, and love.” That is, true worship is seen in one’s activity and attitude.

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

At this point, says William Ames, “God requires only one thing: worship of Him. This has to do with a fearful attitude (reverence), walking in His ways, loving and serving Him. This is the heart of worship.”

Who do we Worship?

Matthew 4:9 And (Satan) saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

It is striking that Satan wanted Jesus to worship him, and God emphatically insisted that worship is only for God Himself. Firstly, “our Lord” is our Master, the one who rules our lives. Secondly, it is important that Satan wanted Jesus to worship him “prostrate”. That is; to be valid worship, it must be exactly as Satan commanded him.

Satan wanted worship as a sign and in a position of submission (prostrate and humbling himself). That is, worship must deal primarily with the object of worship (God alone, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit John 5:23), and then the form (the humiliation and exaltation of God over us and our will). Satan wants to rob God of His worship. Worship is to keep our eyes fixed, and to give Him attention and priority, offering Him what He requires, and it must be in the form God specifies. Satan intends to draw us away from the right object by corrupting the proper forms. Also, it is very clear that we must never worship anyone other than God Himself, the Creator.

Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

“Giving worship” is the word σεβάζομαι (sebazomai) which means to give reverence or adoration. It is forbidden to worship any creature, or thing, especially wealth. In Colossians 2:18 and Revelation 19:10 it is forbidden to worship angels who literally are “messengers” (which can be preachers or spirit beings appearing in vision with a message).

The Elements of Worship

Worship comes from the fact that we are creatures made by God for His glory. It is the primary obligation of every creature to worship God. This is the reason God created us. It is the response of every creature to God, their Creator. Worship implies that we should prostrate ourselves before the superior God (exalting Him).

The forms are not specific because the attitude is more important than the position of the body, but what the Scriptures command is that we kneel before God, bow our heads to the ground, and be still and maintain silent listening before Him. In general, let us show reverence, awe and humiliation in the presence of God. (Children whose parents do not accustom them to behave well in church will always have problems with worshiping God as adults. The teacher’s authority in school comes from God, and these children will also not be good students in school and will suffer in life).

How should we worship God?

Genesis 4:5-7 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

When we examine Cain, we do not understand his sin in a very clear way. Cain’s sin was that he worshipped in a way that did not please God (the same thing that Nabad and Abihu did in Leviticus 10:1-11 by offering “strange fire”). Many commentators are of the opinion that Cain offered a bloodless offering, a requirement demanded by God, although this could well be, God does not explain it to us. His mistake was not to give importance to the details of his worship, when one has precise instruction from God, one must obey faithfully.

Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Numbers 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

We must study how it is that God wants us to worship Him, and fulfill it exactly. It was God’s constant concern that His people that they not forsake His commandments to follow the thoughts of their hearts. Worship begins with God, and continues with hearing, studying, understanding and applying the Word of God to our own lives.

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Exodus 20:4-5 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

God forbade worship of that which does not have God as its object, and especially not worshiping using images of any kind (of God himself, or of persons, of saints, or of animals, plants, stars, the sun, the moon, etc.). The method of worship is spiritual and not in symbols. The form or method of worship is very important.

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The woman doubted the right place to worship (Jerusalem or Samaria). Jesus declined both centers of worship (which was of great contention between Jews and Samaritans) and focused on spiritual worship, through the truth of God spiritually, dwelling and living visibly within the life of each one.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

The most important part of worship is that we live God’s moral character (morality) in our daily lives. Thus, we will worship God in the way that pleases Him. Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.

The most essential parts of worship in services are: 1) To know and understand the spiritual truth that we need to follow by reading the Bible itself. 2) To insist on this in our way of worship (hymns, Scripture reading, testimonies, etc.). 3)encourage our brethren in faith and love, using spiritual examples, (testimonies and actions of grace) where God shows His character in us, through our experiences.

The “Lord’s Day”

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…

It is extremely important that one worships God. Salvation is not really within you if you do not worship God WITH YOUR OWN LIFE, with your expressions, your words, and your deeds. Furthermore, as a permanent habit of the child of God, there is a specific time and place to worship God, and this is in the church services (in the company of the brethren) every first day of the week.

The observance of the Sabbath (which is a rest from normal life) was of supreme importance in the Old Testament. Breaking the rules of reverence for God on that day was punishable by death.

1 John 1:5, 7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

John observed that there are some people who do not easily fellowship with the brethren. (1 John 2:19 “they went out from us, but they were not of us”) They abandon the church and the brethren. These people do not want to identify with the redeemed of God. John saw the purification of sins, or moral change (1 John 1:7; 3:3, 6) and the love between brethren (1 John 3:10) as the clearest demonstration of a child of God.

Conclusion

The worship of God is the result of having changed one’s life, leaving sin and living together with the brothers and sisters in the community of faith. This is emphasized in the formal worship services.

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ch24 The power of an example

power of an Example

In the power of an Example, I examine the power of spiritual examples, both good examples for good influences, and evil examples for bad influences. This principle is a spiritual principle in the Bible, by which God affects his children through men of God. Likewise, I look briefly at the power of evil examples on others, to trip them up into sin. We touch on Pastors and leaders in the local church, as well as parents’ influence on their children.

The Power of an Example
By David Cox
[ch24] v1 ©2011 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes

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pc102 Having Integrity and Righteous before God

pc102 Having Integrity and Righteous before God is an honest discussion of Christian integrity and righteousness.

By David Cox
[cp102] v1 ©2024 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes

We have to understand that salvation is a set of issues. They are all integral one to each other. They are dependent on each other. Going to heaven when we die is one of these issues, but another is the moral change that salvation represents.

Yet another issue is our sanctification, or living godly. We must understand that God saved us because He has a purpose for us to fulfill before we die. That is to announce the virtues of God.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

In this matter of our salvation, God wants us to “proclaim the virtues” of God, that is, for other human beings to recognize His moral character. But how? Because we personally and individually live this character in our lives.

It is very frustrating to see that the lives of the brothers are not constant in the good, nor do they have this faith that is the same as constancy, nor are there signs of repentance (which is faith, leaving what is not the will of God, to seek and implement what is).

For this reason, an unsaved person goes to a saved person because he sees victory over sin in his life, and then it is easy to guide him to the Savior. It is because he has the power of God showing it in his life. For this reason, too, they do not pay attention to Christians who have their lives in disaster. Who wants what a Christian has when he is still losing the fight with sin in his own life?

Integrity is to do what is Correct

Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. 2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

The character that a Christian must have and demonstrate to the world is his integrity. The idea is to be “complete,” that is, not divided by different interests and gods (motivations of the heart). He serves God with all his life, trusts in God, and his hope is not in the things of this world, but in his Savior. Things as “insignificant” as a store that has its way of weighing its products with alteration demonstrates the good or bad character of the seller. The heart of the human being is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). And the wickedness of each one will be judged.

God Weighs the Heart

Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. (1 Samuel 16:7 “the LORD looketh on the heart”)

Every person fights as best he can for life and for the good in this life. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses, and sometimes he doesn’t even know if he won or lost. But the true Christian is someone who has this concept that God is his Judge, and will reward and punish him one day for everything he does. (Heb 11:6 “he is a rewarder of them”)

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That is, nothing is overlooked with God. Everything we are and everything we do, God can see to the depths of our soul in His judgment.

2 Chronicles 6:30 Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

(Discovery is one thing, but punishing us with our own sins is worse.) God judges according to our actions, words, thoughts, attitudes and motives, and worse still, God deals with us in the same way that we are morally. (Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.) If one is harsh, aggressive, malicious, in his spirit toward other people, God is going to give the same back to the person. “According to the fruit of his doings,” God is going to give this to the person. So what you want from God, this you must give to others.

Proverbs 24:12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? (Rev 2:23)

The Desire of the Christian Should Be to Be Clean and Holy

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Sinful man cannot walk in straight paths, and it is only by submitting to God and obeying His will that we can walk as we should. This implies that the Christian lets the Holy Spirit guide him.

Integrity is the same as righteousness. Integrity is controlling your life to stay in the will of God. Righteousness is walking on this straight path. These two moral qualities are the seal of salvation.

Psalms 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee. This is so that the saved follows the way of God. (Psa 26:1, 11) Psalms 41:12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

God promises us that as long as we walk in integrity before Him, He will sustain us and ensure that we enter heaven. This speaks of a constant faith. Faith means that your life conforms to these beliefs and faithfulness, and you never vary from them but are always faithful to walk in them.

Proverbs 10:9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

Integrity is so wrapped up in salvation that they are almost one and the same. A “Christian” who doesn’t care how he or she walks in sin, or how he or she is led astray by other interests, is not really saved. So, to review, integrity is about being whole, complete, and in this context, we are talking about having a commitment to God, your relationship with God. “Fractured” people are people who have a heart divided between God and other priorities.

Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

This is what God wants from us. Notice the “all” and “with all your might.”  To have God and anything else fighting in your heart for your attention, your efforts, your time, your energies, etc. is to be “fractured” or with a deviation that wins against God means you have not understood salvation yet. If one is a new Christian, new to the faith, he needs to understand that he must follow God entirely. To value salvation so much that he is actually saved is to put supreme value on salvation and despise everything else.

Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

Not bearing fruit is like saying that they are going to hell. Recognizing how you are before God is very easy. Are you fractured or are you completely loving God with all your being? The Christian is a person in whom you see that God is in his whole life. He puts God in everything he is, what he does, what he thinks, what he desires, in his goals, in his ways of living. Even a housewife who sweeps the floor well, does so because she sees that even with this little thing, she is worshiping God.

Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

Job 27:5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

Job 31:6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. (Psalm 7:8)

That is, in the example of Job, his integrity was his faith. He never left his walk in integrity, nor left his integrity before God.

Salvation is to make this your Priority

Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Jesus placed supreme priority on saving your soul. There is nothing more important, no interest or profit in this world equal to the salvation of your soul. Your actions and interests should reflect this intense interest and priority.

Exhortations for Integrity and Righteousness

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

People lie because it suits them. A Christian of integrity never says something that he is not convinced is the truth. To say something that is not true is a deception. A Christian does not deceive others for any reason.

2 Corinthians 8:21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

The Christian makes all his life straight, with nobility, honoring the LORD.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

The Christian is an example of being firm in faith, of having strength and virtue (moral strength) in his decisions and in his life habits.

1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

“Finding God” is dependent on you seeking Him to serve Him with a life dedicated to Him, with a pure spirit, without fracturing your life between interests for God and interests in other things on a par with God.

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pent02 Spiritual Baptism: baptism in the Holy Spirit

Spiritual Baptism: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
By David Cox
[pent02] v1 ©2005 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely photocopied and reprinted

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When? What is it? Who does it? Requirements? The Earnest, It is not speaking in Tongues.




The Spirit in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon and left individuals. Samson (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14), Saul (1 Sam 10:6, 10), Ezekiel (Eze. 11:5) all had the Holy Spirit come upon them to fill them for a service to God. Few believers had the Holy Spirit “in” them (Eze. 2:2; 3:24) even though King David had the Spirit always in him (1 Sam 16:13). Even so David felt that God had cut fellowship with him when David walked in sin. Psalm 51.11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Also, the Spirit of God is that which fights against sin within man. Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled, and vexed (angered) his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Genesis 6:3 And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh… (Acts 7:51). Continue reading →

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pc21 God hears only the Contrite

God hears only the Contrite
By David Cox

[PC21] v3 2018
www.coxtracts.com/pc21
This brochure can be freely photocopied and printed

In God hears the contrite, we examine the problem of why God does not hear some prayers, but actually, He does hear, but he doesn’t act on those prayers. This is because of the attitude and life of the person praying, he is arrogant and not contrite and humble. TOPICS: My will or God’s will? | God does not tolerate Arrogant People | How to get my request? | Mercy is Essential | The Spiritual war over kneeling




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pent04 Modern tongues speaking

Modern Tongues Speaking
Why we do not practice or endorse modern Speaking in Tongues
[pent04] v1 ©2005 www.coxtracts.com
This tract may be downloaded (above) and freely printed.

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1 Corinthians 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.




Their Accusation against Us

If we are people who truly follow the Bible to the setter of the law, then some accuse us by saying, “Why don’t you speak in tongues like they did in the Bible?” We will reaffirm first off that we do follow literally the Bible, except when there is obviously a reason to not follow it like in the case of King David’s adultery. That was not given for us to follow as an example. We also understand that some activities are limited and temporal, such as the sacrifice of animals on the altar in the temple. Hebrews explains that this has ceased for New Testament believers.

The principal problem with modern tongues speaking is (1) they do not define biblically what is tongues speaking, (2) they do not practice what they claim is tongues according to the rules set out by God.




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SSTeens2-02 Why is it Important to Know God?

Why is it Important to Know God?
By David Cox
© 2012

Sunday School Volume 2, Number 2
https://www.coxtracts.com/free-teen-sunday-school-classes/

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.




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fam21 Child Kings Parents that let their kids Rule

Child Kings: Parents that let their kids Rule

By David Cox

[Fam21] v1r ©2009 www.coxtracts.com
You may reproduce if you give it away for free.

Summary of Parents that let their kids Rule

In Children that rule the home, we examine families where the parents have given up their administration and governing of their home and children to the children, where the children make all the important decisions. Topics: The Critical Point | The excesses of Bad Kids | The child that curses their parents | Children that honor their parents | Children are not to command in the home
In our world, there is every kind of evil. While in the past, the evil was not so developed, today it seems that wickedness knows no limits. The Bible imposes rules and principles on us so that things would work in order to be pleasing God. The relationship between children and parents is one of those things that has become very distorted. Besides the abuse of children by their parents, there are parents who are abused by their children. These are children who manipulate and control their parents in some form. They do not respect the authority that God has placed in parenthood.




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