Focus: The Worship God Requires

Text: Ex.8:26

"And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the ABOMINATION OF THE EGYPTIANS to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the ABOMINATION OF THE EGYPTIANS before their eyes, and will they not stone us?"

The worship that God requires would not appeal to the flesh or to the carnal man. The worship that God requires is neither sensational nor entertaining to the natural man. The worship that God requires is essentially spiritual and sincere - worship that has spirit as its nature and truth as its standard.

True worship is born out of divine revelation and predicated on divine demands. True worship is offensive to the flesh. The world abhors spiritual worship. The worship that God requires of us is beyond entertaining; it is wholly spiritually uplifting and radically transforming.

It is either that real worship is solely repugnant, repulsive or repelling to the sinner, or it is arresting to his soul. There is no middle ground. It is said of the outside world that "of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them" (Act.5:13).

Egypt, as a symbol of the world, is opposed to the kind of worship that God requires of His people. What the believer in Christ calls worship, the sinner sees as an abomination. Paul says, "I am crucified to the world, and the world to me." There is nothing binding us together. We share nothing in common. We are not moving in one direction, and we certainly do not share a common destiny. The world worships many gods; we worship only one God. Paul declares, "For though there be that are called GODS, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be GODS MANY, and LORDS MANY,)" (1Cor.8:5). The world worships ignorantly; we know for sure what we worship.

Pharaoh says to Moses, "Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land." But Moses would not consent to that. He responds, "It is not meet so to do…" Moses is essentially saying, 'Pharaoh, what you are suggesting or instructing me to do is not proper. 

Good idea is not the same as God-idea. Our worship must be done in God's way and in God's appointed place.

God wants us to worship Him, and it involves taking a trip outside of the land of Egypt. More so, the articles of sacrifice required by our God are offensive to your people.' Luke says that "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Lk.16:15). Truly, true worship does not appeal to the flesh, for as Paul had acknowledged, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom.8:8). If the world is comfortable with our worship, then something is out of place. 

If the world feels comfortably entertained by our worship, we have failed to glorify God.

Whatever makes the flesh comfortable in the presence of God is an abomination to God. No flesh can stand the presence of God. No wonder Christ said that "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."

The Lord Jesus Christ tells us about carnal worship, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" (Mt.15:8). Again He says, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Lk.6:46). This kind of worship does not threaten the devil and it certainly does not offend the world. It is not in any way an abomination to the Egyptians or the people of the world.

I pray for the restoration of authentic worship in our hearts, in our lives, and in our churches! Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter