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Houston, Texas 77037
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10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
KEEPING HOUSE FOR
THE LORD
Written by H. Frank Fort
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.
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House for the Lord,
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Today we shall consider the man addressed in the
commandment, "he is thy Lord, worship thou him" Ps. 45:11.
The blind man of Jn. 9, said, "If any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his
will, him he heareth" Jn. 9:31.
This is not true, because the blind man said it, but because the scriptures
teach it. The blind man, at this time was not saved; but his statement was based
on the teaching of the law, of which he said, "We know that God heareth not
sinners". It is written "He that turneth away his ear from the hearing
of the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination" Prov.
28:9. Again, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the
Lord" Prov. 15:8. Again, "The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination:
how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?" Prov.
21:27
·
Only
living stones are able "to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ" 1 Pet. 2:5.
Therefore, "let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that
is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to
communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" Heb.
13:15,16. Notice:
·
"The
sacrifice of praise …the fruit of our lips". Praying, singing, and
praising.
·
"To
do good." That is, exercise the principle of 1 Jn. 5:2: "By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and keep his commandments".
·
"And
to communicate forget not". This speaks of giving and sharing.
·
Notice
that "praise”, "do good", and "communicate" are
called "sacrifices". The question is who can thus sacrifice
acceptably. In the Psalms, where we read, "The Lord is nigh unto all them
that call upon him" (What all?). "To all that come upon him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear their cry,
and will save them" Ps. 145:18,19.
Now let us notice the order of truth to this promise.
·
"Gather
my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by
sacrifice" Ps. 50:5.
·
"Call
upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify
me" Ps. 50:15.
·
Who so
offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright
will I shew the salvation of God" Ps. 50:23. Salvation here refers to the deliverance of people from
the evil of this world, but what are the conditions?
·
That they
be "saints" according to a covenant of sacrifice.
·
That they
"call upon me"
·
That they
order their conversation (behavior-course) aright".
·
In the
next Psalm, David demonstrates in his own life the faithfulness of God in thus
delivering. Wherever there is "a right Spirit within"
Ps. 51:10,
"then shalt thou (God) be pleased with the sacrifices of
righteousness" Ps. 51:19. This
is the order of truth
·
"A
right spirit”
·
"Sacrifices
of righteousness"
Let us now consider the man whose spirit is addressed
in the responsibilities of worship.
Man
is a triune being consisting of "spirit and soul and body" 1
Thess. 5:23.
·
The
"spirit of man is the candle of the Lord" Prov. 20:27, and "the inspiration of the almighty giveth them
understanding" Job 52:8. Thus
Paul wrote, "What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him" 1 Cor. 2:11. Or
as Daniel said, "the spirit in the midst of my body" Dan.
7:15. Or even as Zechariah said, "The Lord…formeth the spirit of man
within him" Zech. 12:1. The "spirit of man" is identical with
"the heart of man". Compare 1
Cor. 2:9, 11, also 2 Cor. 3:14,15,
with 2 Cor. 4:4,6. Thus, Paul said
that the things he wanted man to know he "revealed…by his spirit" 1Cor.
2:10 to prophets Heb. 1:1, 2 Pet. 1:21, and that the testimony of the Holy Spirit is "with
our spirits" Rom 8:16. It is
therefore clear that by "the things of God" are to be understood by
"the spirit of man".
·
The soul
of man reacts to what the spirit understands, and like the spirit, is
"within him" Job 14:22.
· James wrote, "The body without the spirit is dead" James 2:26.
·
In 1
Kings 17:21‑23, we see that death occurs at the departure of the soul,
for life of the body depended on the residence of the soul within. Notice,
Elijah said, "let this child's soul come into him again"; as the
result, the prophet said, "thy son liveth". The soul is the seat of
inexpressible emotions. Mary said regarding "the man child", "My
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" Luke 1:46,47. The truth of Jesus was made known to her spirit, and
her soul magnified the Lord. Notice the testimony of David in this respect.
"My soul shall make her boast in the Lord", then he called on others,
"O, magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together" Ps.
34:2,3. When men are overwhelmed at the goodness of God, their souls praise
the Lord in a language human tongue cannot express. Too seldom in our lives do
our souls accord such worship to our God. It is the pinnacle of spirituality,
and once tasted makes the taster desirous that others shall feast. Notice
David's exclamatory appeal.
·
"O,
magnify the Lord with me".
·
"O,
taste and see that the Lord is good".
·
"O,
fear the lord, ye his saints; for there is no want to them that fear him"
Ps. 34:3, 8, 9.
What the "O" cannot express by the tongue, the soul feels. One whose
soul magnifies the Lord will seek others to do the same, "with me".
Hence, it is practical value in the testimony of the believer.
·
The body
is the tabernacle in which the spirit and the soul reside in "the life that
now is" 1Tim. 4:8, or "thy
life time" Luke 16:25. Time is
but a part of eternity, and as related to life, speaks of "the days of our
years" Ps. 90:10. In the
experience of death, "this tabernacle" is "dissolved" 2
Cor. 5:1. Or as Peter said, "put off" 2
Pet. 1:14, while the spirit of the saved reside in it however. He is to
subject it as a servant to the will of a master. Paul said, "I keep under
my body and bring it into subjection" 1
Cor. 9:27. Through the doing of this "the life also of Jesus" is
seen to be "manifest in our body" 2 Cor. 4:10. The body is the instrument by which the spirit of the
redeemed accomplish their "reasonable service" Rom. 12:1.
Now
notice the language God has employed in addressing the man whom he has
"purchased" Eph. 1:13,14 by
paying "a price" 1 Cor. 6:20.
"Ye present your bodies a living sacrifice" Rom.
12:1. Notice, "ye" are addressed, and distinguished from
"your bodies". This commandment is delivered in view of, as Paul said,
"the renewing of your mind" Rom.
12:2. Notice that the commandment to "be not conformed to this
world" is evident to the extent that "ye have put off the old man with
his deeds" Col. 3:9. Moreover, the transformation required in Rom.
12:2, as the product of the renewed mind. Is effected to the extent that we
"have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of
him that created him" Col. 3:10.
·
The
"new man" is the result of being "in Christ", called "a
new creation" 2 Cor. 5:17, the
product of God's "workmanship" Eph. 2:10, thus "of him are ye in Christ" 1
Cor. 1:29,30. Those who have "learned Christ" Eph.
4:20. Are to manifest that fact by putting "off concerning the former
conversation the old man; which is corrupt…and being (margin) renewed in the
spirit of your mind…put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness" Eph.
4:22‑24.
This
follows a list of things that the child of God is to put away, that "the
life of Jesus may be manifest in our mortal flesh”.
·
The
putting on of the new man is the result of following Christ, and is evidenced in
making "no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" Rom.
13:14.
·
In Rom.
6:11, we have the same "ye" that we have in Rom.
12:1, and in Rom. 6:12, we have
the same "body" that we have in Rom.
12:1. The "ye" is ''the inner man" Eph. 3:16, strengthened by the indwelling Christ, and the body is
the instrument "the inner man" subjects to prove the presence of the
indwelling Christ to others. Now hear Paul:
·
"Yield
yourselves unto God" Rom. 6:13.
This is addressed to the "inner man", in the worship in spirit.
·
"Yield…your
members as instruments of righteousness".
The
inner man is to do with the outward man concerning the acts of formal worship,
Thus "they that worship him (God) must worship him in spirit and in
truth" Jn. 4:24.
·
"In
spirit", Consider Phil. 3:3.
·
"In
truth”, consider Eph. 5:8,9.
Prepared
by:
H.
Frank Fort, Minister, Berean Baptist Church,
Houston, Texas.
July 3, 1956.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"