“The LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.” “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Genesis 4:4, 5; 1 Peter 2:5

The first recorded instance of worship was Cain & Abel God accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s, showing that He makes a difference. Christ, as high priest over the house of God, now makes the worship of the holy priesthood acceptable.

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” “We… worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh” John 4:23,24; Philippians 3:3

Christ spoke to the woman at Sychar’s well about the difference between: Old Testament worship in physical places, with physical rituals, and “true” worship which is spiritual Our worship today is spiritual, by means of the Holy Spirit within us.

1 Peter 2:5; Romans 15:5,6 “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” “Be be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Worship in the house of God is collective - by a people. They offer spiritual sacrifices to God (especially as “the God & Father of the Lord Jesus”), through Him as their high priest.

Hebrews 10:19-24 “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,… …let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

The worship of the house of God no longer takes place on earth, but spiritually in the presence of God in heaven - “the holy place” - where Christ is. His humanity (“flesh”) & His sacrifice (blood”) permit our spiritual access as redeemed & cleansed men & women. We are therefore now summoned to enter & draw near together and confess Him to God.

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16; Hebrews 10:19,20 “Having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh…”

Remembering the Lord Jesus’ death regularly with the bread & wine is vital for each church of God; it begins worship to God for Him. The link between this act of remembrance and our access in spiritual worship is seen in the emblems we use: bread (“His flesh”) & wine (“the blood of Christ”) - Hebrews 10:19,20).

Hebrews 13:15; Ephesians 5:19,20 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” “Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Music is sometimes equated in the Christian world with worship. True worship is the expression of our hearts through our mouths to God, whether by speaking or singing. The whole focus of praise in the New Testament is singing from our hearts with our voices.

Matthew 5:23,24; 1 Corinthians 11:28,29 “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”

Hindrances include: unresolved inter-personal disputes unconfessed sin (since it impedes our fellowship with God) failure to appreciate the significance of what we are doing It is important when we draw near in God’s presence that we “come clean” We are to examine ourselves beforehand.

1.God alone deserves our worship and He desires it from us. 2. Not all worship is acceptable to Him; He has told us in His Word what He wants. 3. Worship is more than thanking God for what He’s done for us; it involves praising Him and expressing our awe and adoration of Him for everything He is and does. 4. Nothing pleases Him more than us expressing to Him genuine appreciation for His Son. 5. True worship is offered not by physical means in physical places, but in spirit and truth in heaven itself. [continued]

6. Gospel preaching, sermons, music and service to others is for people’s benefit; but true worship is directed to God and gives Him what He wants. 7. God wants audible worship - speaking and singing out loud what comes from our hearts. 8. God doesn’t want rituals; He is looking for genuine, informed confession of His name to Him. 9. Our highest privilege as disciples today is to engage in the collective offering of spiritual sacrifices to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus. [continued]

10. This collective worship is offered by the holy priesthood of the house of God; the offerings are made acceptable to God through the high priestly service of Jesus Christ in heaven. 11. The remembrance of the Lord Jesus in the bread and wine leads naturally to collective worship. 12. Many things can interfere with true worship, such as failure to confess sin, defilement from living in the world, disobedience, and inter-personal conflict; we need to make it a priority to correct these things so that our worship is not invalidated.

If these then are the conditions of true worship today, each of us as a disciple of the Lord Jesus should ask ourselves… “Am I a true worshipper, part of the holy priesthood”?