The Four W's 03 the Worship of God — Stan Ford

Therefore, laying aside all malice, and guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living soul, disallowed in deed of man, but chosen of God and precious, ye also, as lively stones, have built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious, but unto them which are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the Word being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.

The Chosen People and the Worship of God

But, ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. May the Lord just add his blessing to these so familiar words on his own precious Word.

Sir, we're glad to see you back in your seat of honour again. You had a good time in prison last night? I was most concerned as to whether they let you out. It's good to know the man with the key, isn't it?

Oh, you have one! He is the man with the key. So, let's turn to our core sheet, and we're all going to sing. Let's turn to our core sheet, please, and you know what I'd like us to sing, number 7. 1 Timothy 1, 17.

Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, beyond glory, forever and ever. Amen. If you haven't a core sheet, please raise your hand. Our good steward at the door will hand one out.

There's one on the back row needed, sir. Thank you very much. And a very good singer that young fellow is, too. I might have him up the front in a moment. Well, here we are. Chorus number 7, but it's 1 Timothy 1, 17.

So, as long as you read from the authorised version, you can read it from your Bible, sing it from your Bible. Of course, if you've got one of those new-fangled ones, don't frust. But 1 Timothy 1, 17.

Thank you. It's the only time I get you to say amen, and you say it three times. Look, it's, you know, Revival Training Act, isn't it? So, all together, once again, please. Thank you.

Now unto the King is our call. King of all, King of all. The only...

Lord Jesus, what a wonder you are. Do we know this one, sir? Don't we? Oh, well, the learned one. Do you sisters know her on the front row? Don't you? Your education's been neglected. Do you know you're a lot of head-knotters here?

Are we ready then, please? Number 8, and our pianist will play it right the way through. We'll remind ourselves, or learn the tune, and then we'll sing it together. Thank you, sir.

King of all, what a wonder you are. Something like that. Would you girls like to come up here and...

I say, where's my friend from Sunday morning? He's hiding in the back somewhere, I think. Oh, well, there we are. We'll try it together now. Thank you. Number 8, and if you're not certain, well, it don't matter if you make a mistake.

You'll soon learn it. I know this. It's got something to say. Now, actually, the chorus says, Jeeva. Jeeva. But, I like the name Lord Jeeva, don't you? Lord. Lord Jeeva. What a wonder you are. You're brighter than the morning star.

You're fairer, much fairer, than the lily that grows by the wayside. Precious, more precious than gold. That's what the Bible says in every line. So, come away. That's really fine. Thank you. Lord Jeeva.

I tell her what we'll do. Really wise, now. Open up and sing. Are you ready? Good for ladies. Ready to go. Lord Jeeva.

What a wonder. Try just one of her. You have a favorite. Thank you, sir. Number 12. Number 12. Oh, I know who asked for that one. Number 12. Who can move the mountain. Thank you. Who can move the mountain.

He's a friend of mine. Are you ready? Oh, no need to turn around.

He's lost in his laughter. That was not lovely, really. Lovely. We've time for one more. Someone else has a favorite. Number 9. 13. I beg your pardon, sir. Number 13. Ah, he is Lord. And what better one for tonight.

He is Lord. He has risen from the dead. He is Lord. Number 13, please. Don't we have a music partner? Oh, well, you can play without music, I'm sure. That's very kind of you. Well, that's something, I guess.

Let's get in there for a moment. Right.

They're all there, the notes. It's just a matter of sorting them out. You know, putting them in order. Are we ready? Thank you. He is Lord. He has risen from the dead. And he is Lord.

The Word of God, the Will of God, and the Worship of God

God and Father, we do rejoice that there is coming a day when every knee shall confess. No, every knee shall bow. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But we very simply want to say tonight that there are many of us, if not all of us in this service, who would own him as Lord now.

Grant, we pray thee, that we may be able together to grasp something of the wonder of the Lord in his name. Those of you that have been with us in the past evenings know that we are dealing with one or two rather simple and yet, I believe, very important subjects.

In the first evening, we dealt with the Word of God and how to read it. Of course, we did not exhaust that. We never will. But I trust that we may have, as it were, set alight a thought that will give to all of us a desire to become more earnest in the reading of the Word of God.

And then we dealt not only with the Word of God and how to read it, but last evening we thought a little of the will of God and how to know it. And we found out that the will of God was not some mystical thing that we can't know, not something that appertains to one or two little problems that meet our life, but the will of God is something that is written about in the Word of God.

And it affects our motivation, and it affects our morals, and it affects our manner of life, it affects everything. The will of God. And we are not left without a definite recording as to what the mind of God and the will of God is in most of the things that encircle our lives.

Tonight I want to talk a little about the worship of God and how to present it. And you will appreciate from my last remark last evening that I believe this to be one of the most important of all subjects.

For you will remember, as we were leaving last evening, I made this statement that there are many, many, many verses that tell us that God can serve in prayer. I could give you now fifty verses, almost just like that, that tell us that God can serve in prayer.

But please remember there is not one verse that tells us that God can worship. You and me is given the most important, the greatest of all privileges, that we must worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

You and I is given that privilege. And while I think that we will see tomorrow night when we deal with the work of God and how to do it, while I think that the service of God is a most important thing, never let us forget that worship, always, it is important that we worship.

Worship Begins With Recognizing God's Greatness

Now I have a contention that where worship starts, I know there is a place in which we serve as in our worship, and we worship as in our service. But because the Word of God speaks of the two as separate things, separate things they must be, although the two run together, so terribly, maybe you've come to him for that worship.

Maybe from his heart when he cried out in the words of 2 Samuel chapter 7, he cried, Wherefore thou art great, O Lord? None of this. Or, what of this? We found the feeding, and maybe we entered a little into worship, and we found the feeding, how great thou art.

I didn't know we were going to sing that hymn. And it was a requested hymn, whoever requested it, was right in the line of what the Spirit has laid on my heart to do. Wherefore, cries David, wherefore thou art great, O Lord?

For there is none, have we come to realize that? Have you and I come to realize that there's none like unto our God? For there are many gods in the world that men worship. Not many gods in the world, please, please, but many gods in the world that men have made and worshiped.

But never let us forget this, that as far as the Word of God is concerned, we are left in no doubt whatsoever that God is, and that God is love, and God is a consuming fire, and God is life, and God is life.

It is not what God has, it's what He is. It is not an attribute of God, it is the very character, the personification of God, and a God that alone can exist. I have come across many so-called gods in my traveling in the world.

I want to say this of them, that I've come across gods that are corrupt gods, cruel gods, and I think of the one and only God, and none of those things can exist. I remember the first time I ever had to face in a very real way Buddhism.

I was away in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, and I had to face really for the first time in my life, a vast number of people who were Buddhists. And there were many things I found very difficult, extremely difficult to take.

For instance, I found it extremely difficult to take their attitude towards me. I saw these Buddhists who had their feet to burn, mostly asses, junkies, and upon their backs they would lay one such waste that no normal junkie could be expected to carry it.

And I would see them and they'd beat them and beat them and take them. I wondered how anyone could... Still dear Mr. Adams, he served God for so many years, 47 years in Malaysia. He said to me, Brother Stan, don't say a word.

Don't forget this. What they're doing is because of their God. It is part of their religion. They believe that when a man dies, as he has lived, so he will come back into this being. If he has lived a poor, evil life, he will come back as a creature, he'll come back as an animal.

If he's lived a decent life, there's a chance he'll come back as a man, maybe someone higher in society than he is today. I am doing what my God desires of me, that I shall punish the man that now is in that deep pore.

Don't tell me it's unimportant who you were. It affects your whole life. And my Bible tells me that that God, the God, the God, the creator of heaven and earth, who is love, who is light, who is life, who is the consuming fire, that that God, the God that desires from us, not just us, but our worship.

The Lord Jesus says, the Father seeks a son to worship, to worship. I am indebted to a day, dear friends, away in the town of Lar, on the west coast of Scotland, and the America. I have a very dear friend, he's somewhat aged today, Willie Whitelaw.

I know not a man. I don't think I have met a man, blessed is the friend of heaven, to whom the Lord has just called. But I don't know if I've ever met a man who could lead God's people in worship. And I am indebted to him for what now I'm going to say.

The Worship of Heaven: From a Solo to All Creation

The Lord's day morning, as we were gathering lard around the entrance, the cattle was poor. Very, very much larger cows than we have the other people. And suddenly, dear Willie Whitelaw, rose to his feet, a little female embody now.

And he said, Reverend, I've been thrilled this week as I've been reading again the last book of the Bible. I noticed that it started off with a solo, as John sings unto him who loves us. Isn't it wonderful that our God is too big for a solo.

And so next, we find there's a quartet. There are four living creatures who are singing. And they're singing unto him. And they're singing, wonderfully. But our God's too big for a quartet. And so he tells us of four and twenty elders.

I suppose there had to be a junior choir, wouldn't it? He tells us of four and twenty elders who join their voices and they sing the same. Wonderful act! But our God's too big for that. You need more than a solo.

You need more than a quartet. And you need more than a junior choir. So he tells us of.

Ten thousand times ten thousand. I say, that was a real command-a-ganny.

Why, here are ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands singing with a loud voice. What have you for man to proclaim? And I can see it now. He looks at us and he points. Ah, my brethren.

Ah, my brethren. He needs more than a solo and more than a quartet and more than a junior choir and more than a command-a-ganny. I know he didn't use that but I do well. But then he goes on and tells us of all creation singing the same song.

Worthy is the Lamb of the Lord. Brethren, this is whatever else we remember. Remember this! That our God is big enough but worthy is the Lamb that was slain. I was scurred and I'm sure you were as I was scurred.

Sing the lovely words of the fifth chapter, brethren. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power. And Richard, you've noticed this and you've noticed this and thrilled with it, haven't you? That everything that Jesus is worthy to receive is what he gives.

Giving Away What We Receive

May I please remind you of this? We only receive what we give away. Is that right? You think of that in any fear we only receive what we give away. You young folk want to have friends well I'll tell you how to get them.

He that would have friends must show himself friendly. You know, it's a bit of a job to be friendly with someone who's just blah blah blah blah blah you know, all the time. Yeah. The Bible says he that would have friends must show himself friendly.

You give away friendship and you all get it. You know, when I went well I went to one of those old English schools because I left school when I was thirty and a half and there I was. But I went to an old school where there were fifty boys in a class.

You know, and it's like I hear some of these school teachers today say that that's a lot of men. They have about twenty in a class and they grumble about two bigger classes. You imagine fifty boys in a class like me it's huge to me.

You know, there's no big deal about that. But there were we used to find out this that the way you learn is by giving things away. We had to learn our tables, you know. Twice two is four. Twice three is six.

We learned it giving it away by telling them how to answer it by keep repeating it. Do you think I've any interest yet? Because you know I can still stand up and say great voices because I've been in class.

You've never met that brother who can always remember a verse. And you wonder how he got there. I'll tell you how he got there. He'll read a verse and maybe the verse not fits the fact. Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive power and riches.

Never. And he reads it again. Never. And then down the road he goes and he pokes a cough from when he's dead. Do you know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this capsule revelation today. Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive and he gives it away.

He makes it his own. He never made it his own before. He goes down the street a bit further and he bumps across someone else and he says do you know I would be here if it wasn't for this capsule revelation today.

Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive power. And by the time of the end of the day he's given that verse away about twenty times. He's made it his own so he'll never ever forget. You want to remember the word of God you give it away.

He's given it away and you'll never forget. And isn't it remarkable that in the birth and after death of God everything that Jesus received Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive is what he gave away.

Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive power. Doesn't your Bible say to his name that was received to them that he gave his heart and his blood with him and with him and with him and with him.

Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive riches. Doesn't your Bible say though he were rich for our sake he became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich. Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive.

What was the third one did you say? I don't know you forgot Oh I said Worthy is the Lamb that was Well that's never embarrassing. Worthy is the Lamb that was claimed to receive riches. Doesn't your Bible say Christ is made unto us with him.

When James took his end and he like if he lacked wisdom asked of God who give us. Well please you go through the sevenfold worthiness of the Lord that our sister thanks.

And everything she's done about is what Jesus gave to her. And he probably gave her and he's going to receive her. Here I suggest we have the secret of worship. Here I suggest we have the secret of birth and appreciation of what Christ has given us and we return to him.

Worship as Response to Christ's Gift

I remember when he met the woman at the well. He looked at her and said Give me to drink. Isn't it remarkable how quickly he turned away from earthly water and began to speak of water. That was not earthly water at all.

So would I not be right in suggesting to you that behind his first request for earthly water there was a further request for heavenly water. Give me to drink. Isn't it remarkable how we spend so much time in telling people what God will give to them.

I said to someone over the past week. Now please I don't know where it was or who it was because I say all sorts of things to all sorts of people. But I said to someone just over the course of the week.

As we were looking at the 23rd Psalm or talking a little about it I said this. Tell me Is it the shepherd's work to look after the sheep or the sheep's work to look after the shepherd. You know this good person immediately said Well it's the shepherd's work to look after the sheep.

Well I want to tell you. You see I come from a county where we grow sheep. Real sheep. That's something you don't grow over here. You know all the times I've been here I've never had a leg of lamb when I've been out to people to sit in.

But oh if you came with us you'd have a leg of lamb every week. I said Let me tell you something about sheep. I've never let them. We come from a county where we grow sheep. No need to take them out mom.

No need to take them out. If you can't manage you can't come up to me. Now let me make something very clear. If you bring the children and they cry I don't bother. He doesn't bother me at all. Now I mean that I'm not being funny.

I mean that I preach many a time with my children and they are. It won't be the first time I've done that. So children don't bother me. I've just made an account. They're saying Amen. No one else has anything to do with it.

There's no better place in the world to bring your children than the church. I've never yet met.

The Altar, Sacrifice, and the Lamb God Provides

A shepherd who keeps sheep as a whole I'll tell you why they keep sheep because they like a nice wool suit on their back. I'll tell you why they keep sheep because when Sunday comes then they like a nice wool suit on their sheep because they like a nice wool suit on their back I'll tell you why they keep because when Sunday they like a nice suit on their back I'll tell you why they keep as a Sunday comes then.

When Abraham said to his servant, Hurry here, while I and Maliah go yonder to worship. And it's Maliah's men. It's the God of Israel. But this man Abraham had never entered before. When God said, Abraham, I want you to lay your son Isaac upon an altar.

And there there was an altar. And there there was to be a sacrifice. And there Abraham was to learn that God would supply himself a land for a sacrifice. If you and I will know anything about worship, we will come to appreciate an altar.

We will come to appreciate a God who has given us a land for a sacrifice. For I have said this so many times, and every God who puts it like this. And you young folk never need to forget. That when Abraham stood and answered his son Isaac's question, Where is the land? He said, God shall supply himself a land.

Never forget these things. Never forget. If you forget that, you will never understand the Old Testament, will you? You were taught in your family school class. You were taught in your Bible class. That that is the fundamental truth of the twenty-second chapter of Genesis.

But God didn't do it. No need for people here, although you don't grow teeth here. There's no need for me to tell you the difference between a lamb and a ram. It was a ram that was caught by a coin from the picket and died in the stead of Isaac.

Not a ram. But the promise of God to supply himself a land. Testament in every sacrifice. Whether it was a morning sacrifice, an evening sacrifice, a Passover sacrifice. Whatever it was, this was the passion.

Is this the land of God before me? And every one of them were lands of man before him. One day, looking upon Jesus as he was. Would you mind me stopping and saying, Hallelujah. One day, looking upon Jesus as he was.

And as long as God kept his word. A thousand years is a day, and a day is a thousand years. Behold the Lamb of God, who bareth away the sin of the world. The first mention of worship is a statement of exact righteousness.

God shall supply himself a land. And you will never be able to worship God. You will remember as you turn with me in your thoughts. The first chapter of Revelation again. He hath made us kings and priests unto God.

And, O blessed be his name. He hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. And to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Oh how important it is to remember that it springs from the Lord.

There is a little verse that is often used. And I want to use these verses that we're all familiar with. There is a little verse that is often used of a Lord's statement. You must have heard it used here.

A thousand times I've said it. Now maybe that's not enough. But nevertheless I want to use it. It comes from the Old Testament. There is a sense in which it is not associated with worship. And yet I want to use it.

There is a little verse that's tucked away in the Old Testament. And this is what it simply says. The thirteenth verse of the forty-fifth chapter of Genesis. When Joseph looked at his brethren having revealed himself to them.

He said, Go, tell my father of all my glory that is in Egypt. How many times have you heard brethren use that verse? Go, tell my father of all my glory that is in Egypt. In the verses that we have read in the epistle of Peter, you will remember we were told that we were holy priests.

And we were told we were royal priests. And is not that remarkable as well? You also have lively stones. I've built up a spiritual house. A holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices. Expect no more than God might do for us.

Are we doing that? A holy priesthood. I like those words, don't you? He did not say, please, please note this. He did not say, but they, Paul and Peter and Apollos and Bartholomew. He did not say, we are a holy priesthood.

He's writing to all the believers and he says, ye are. And is it remarkable that there are holy priesthoods, not an educated priesthood. Not a trained priesthood. A holy priesthood. You see, just previously, in the previous verses, he speaks of them as newborn babes.

But although they're newborn babes desiring the sincere work of the milk of the word, he says, but ye are a holy priesthood. Listen you young people, never you forget this, that before God you are a holy priesthood.

Priesthood is not something that is shut up. The curse of Christendom today, you see, the curse of Christendom today is what they term laity and clergy. There is nothing in the word of God to support it.

Not one bit. We all are holy priesthoods and we are all just against our worship. I sometimes put it this way, I've done it here before, but let me do it now. As holy priests, and see the difference between royal priesthood and holy priesthood is obvious.

Holy priesthood always is associated with our worship, addressing God. Royal priesthood, we go out into the world to represent him, who has called upon his name. And praise God, holy priesthood is associated with the crown of God.

Royal priesthood is associated with our daily work and our daily life. But as holy priests there are three things we are ordered to present with our sacrifices. First, we are ordered to present our person.

Romans 12 and 1 presents your body, the living sacrifice. Holy and acceptable unto God, which is to take the revived person, your intelligent worship. We present our person. As holy priests we present not only our person, but as holy priests we present our person.

He who serveth to sacrifice the praise to God continually. Isn't that important? That you and I, as holy priests, we not only present our persons and present our praise, but as holy priests too, we present our person.

To communicate and do good for God, for his sake. Brethren, sisters, if we were to lift our giving unto the plane of our priesthood there never would be a lack in the service of God. And to present our praise and present as holy priests, as royal priests we go forth.

I beseech you, royal priests, that you'll go forth in this season, in this work, to represent him who has called us out of nature's darkness into his glory. Our worship and how to present it. First of all it must be presented in absolute sincerity.

Sincere and Consistent Worship

Out of a deep appreciation of the lamb that was slain. It has not only to be presented with sincerity, it has to be presented with consistency. To sacrifice the praise continually. It's the fruit of our labor.

And it's the fruit of our labor. In other words, brethren, and I want to emphasize this, I believe that it takes as much time to prepare for our worship as it does to prepare for our prayer. There's not a brother here this evening who, if he were asked to stand here on a Lord's Day evening or a Lord's Day morning and preach the gospel, there's not a brother here who would spend time in preparation and time in prayer.

You stand here having spent maybe a whole week in preparing what you're going to say. I want to ask you, how much time do you spend in preparing? When you come to the Lord, my father in the faith used to say there are two things that ruin a prayer evening.

Long prayers and long pauses are two things that ruin our worship. Long worship. You know where a brother's been during the course of a week of a Lord's Day morning. Please, you young men, don't you think that when these brethren stand up and lead us, so willingly as so many of them did last that Lord's Day morning, what a thrill it would be with you last Lord's Day morning.

Really proud that that Lord would get you. But those brethren that took part last Lord's Day morning, don't you think that it just came spontaneously. It's because they've been walking with the Lord in the week.

They're able to say, you young men, remember, you are believers. I wonder about that. When was the last time some of you young folks thought to lead the Sabbath day? You see, when the Lord instituted this wonderful thing, this communion thing, this breaking of bread, the scripture says, and they sang a hymn.

So we are quite scriptural in having our hymns. And Godly men have written hymns that will lead us in our thoughts and our work ethics. And it's important that we are familiar with our hymn book. Not more familiar with our hymn book than with our voices.

And there's many a young man here who God is looking to for something for his own heart. Maybe it's the presentation of a hymn. Maybe it's just standing to one speech thing. Thank you for being such a wonderful people.

You never know. Oh, how I would love to see all of you. The Lord loves you. Dear Lord, again, we bless thee for the wonder that you ever in your love came into this world to speak and to say the Lord.

In the words of the old hymn we want to say, none of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed. Or how dark was the night that the Lord passed through where he found the sheep and was lost.

But Lord Jesus, we're so glad that you found the sheep and we're those sheep. We want tonight to say thank you. Please accept our thanks. And give up of the days come and go such an appreciation of thyself that from our hearts there may flow to thee the acknowledgement of thy worth.

As we ask it in the Savior's name. Amen. We wish you good night. Wish you well. Please, if there's something I said you haven't fully grasped or understood, I'd love to talk to you. If I can be a help in any way, either pointing you to Christ or helping you in your Christian life, if I can help at all, I'm your servant for Christ.

The Lord bless you.