As we worship God, we give Him ourselves. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethern, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.” Under the Old Testament some of the Jews were not offering their best and were condemned for it. In Malachi 1:8 we read, “And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?” Is it not just as evil today when we do not give God our best?
Under the New Testament we do not offer animal sacrifices as the Jews did under the Old Testament; but we give Him our lives in service to Him as a living sacrifice. In doing this we must give Him our all. Anything we do for God must be our very best. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind.” All our heart, soul, and mind, or in other words, our total being must be in our worship.
How do we show our love to God? Our Lord says in John 14:21, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” We show our love to God when we keep His commandments. We do not show our love to God if we only keep the commandments we want to keep or if we add some of our own commandments.
In Matthew 28:18, before Christ ascended into heaven, He was giving His apostles some last minute instructions concerning those they would baptize. Jesus said, “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Everything the Lord has commanded us is to be observed. We are to do all that God says and in the way He says to do it. Jesus says in Luke 6:46, “But why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
In worship we must do all God has commanded and we must not do anything He has not authorized. Our worship must be from the heart with all reverence and sincerity. We must give Him our very best. Then and only then will we be worshipping God “in spirit and in truth”. The purpose and holiness of true worship to God is a precious privilege available only to those who are obedient to the will of God.
(Romans 12:1) We are to give our bodies to God
- WRONG, We are to give our bodies to God now as a living sacrifice.
- CORRECT, We are to give our bodies to God now as a living sacrifice.
- WRONG, We are to give our bodies to God now as a living sacrifice.
As we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, they must be holy and acceptable to God.
- CORRECT, We must present our bodies holy and acceptable to God.
- WRONG, We must present our bodies holy and acceptable to God.
(Malachi 1:8) When we do not give God our best
- CORRECT, If we do not give God our best it is evil and sinful. We cannot give God our second best.
- WRONG, If we do not give God our best it is evil and sinful. We cannot give God our second best.
- WRONG, If we do not give God our best it is evil and sinful. We cannot give God our second best.
God is well pleased even when we give less than our best to Him.
- WRONG, God is displeased when we do not give Him our best. Many people will loose their souls because they do not give God their best.
- CORRECT, God is displeased when we do not give Him our best. Many people will loose their souls because they do not give God their best.
(Matthew 22:37) How must we love God?
- WRONG, We must love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.
- WRONG, We must love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.
- CORRECT, We must love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.
We must love God with our total being.
- CORRECT, We must love God with all our total being if we truly want to go to heaven.
- WRONG, We must love God with all our our total being if we truly want to go to heaven.
(John 14:21) We show our love for Christ by
- CORRECT, Only when we keep His commandments do we really love Christ. Those who say they love Christ but do not keep all His commandments are lying.
- WRONG, Only when we keep His commandments do we really love Christ. Those who say they love Christ but do not keep all His commandments are lying.
- WRONG, Only when we keep His commandments do we really love Christ. Those who say they love Christ but do not keep all His commandments are lying.
Those who do not keep Christ’s commandments still love Him.
- WRONG, We show our love and respect for Christ by keeping His commandments.
- CORRECT, We show our love and respect for Christ by keeping His commandments.
(Matthew 28:18) Those who are baptized are to be taught
- WRONG, We are to observe all of the commandments of Christ not a church creed.
- WRONG, We are to observe all of the commandments of Christ.
- CORRECT, We are to observe all of the commandments of Christ.
Everything Christ has commanded is to be observed.
- CORRECT, We must obey everything Christ has commanded. We cannot pick and choose what we are to obey.
- WRONG, We must obey everything Christ has commanded. We cannot pick and choose what we are to obey.
