VIRTUES OF THE CROSS 2C – (UNDERSTANDING WORSHIP I)

Lev. 2:1, “And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon. And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD”. In the Old Testament ordinance, you don’t just walk into the presence of God to worship him anyhow. Remember that Old Testament ordinances are types of things to come. This scripture is about how to worship God acceptably; it must be an offering that is burnt, indicating the fire of the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Holy Ghost.

Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit. Frankincense is a type of sweet aroma mingled with worship. Every sacrifice that is not mingled with worship is not acceptable. That is what the scriptures say. You are not to worship God anyhow because not all worship is acceptable. If you want an acceptable worship, it must be in tune with the Holy Spirit of God as enunciated and revealed in his word. It must be according to the will of God and not according to the imposition of the will of man. 

Every imposition of the will of man reduces worship and sacrifice to zero. Your giving may be colossal but it may also end up a colossal waste if the spirit is not right. No matter how huge your sacrifice, if the spirit is not right, it amounts to nothing. That is one of the things that differentiates Christian ethics from other ethics. It is very easy to operate in the flesh. If you remove the spirit, it can no longer be acceptable; anything that is done in flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8).

What does the cross do? Jesus said take up my cross daily and follow me. Wherever you drop the cross, you stop crucifying the flesh, self begins to manifest. You don’t cast out the works of the flesh, you can cast out the demons, yes, but the only thing you do to the flesh is to crucify it. You can always tell someone who has not been to the cross. One of the ways to know such a person is manifestation of self – I, me, myself. No worship, no acceptable sacrifice. God wants the sweet fragrance of your worship.

Pray –

• Eternal most Holy God, Father of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, I worship you. Grant that forever my worship shall always be acceptable to you as a sweet smelling savor in Jesus’ name. Amen.

TO BE CONTINUED…….