“And I will stretch forth my hand against the prophets that see false visions, and those that utter lies of divination: they shall not partake of the instruction of my people, neither shall they be written in the roll of the house of Israel, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 13:9).
And they shall know that I am the Lord. This phrase is repeated more than sixty times in the prophecies of Ezekiel. Jehovah keeps saying that when they see what He is doing, they will know that He is the Lord. And so they did; but it made no difference to their rebelliousness. Nor does it to the Church. The Church knows that He is the Lord but this knowledge does not restrain them in their lawlessness.
The love of many Christians for God seems centred upon what He has done for them; such love is self-centred and immature. Many people are grateful to God for His goodness and mercy and are delighted to give their testimony in which His blessings are recounted; this is good and proper as far as it goes.
But where are those who love and admire God for what and who He is?
As long as the worshipper is engrossed with himself and the good fortune that has come to him as a result of God’s benevolence, he is a babe who can digest the milk of the word only. Worship is elementary until it takes on the element of delight and admiration for the Holy Person and His qualities. We begin to show signs of maturity as our worship proceeds upward from thanksgiving to admiration and joy in the Holy Presence.
Modern worship is based upon a misunderstanding; that God exists to help Christians get ahead in this world. Nothing could be further from the truth; God will not aid men in their selfish desire to accumulate worldly treasures and attain ends that, in themselves, usurp the place in the heart that rightly belongs to Christ Jesus. The outcome is that people have faith in “faith”, whereas faith should be in the person of Christ Jesus and His work. That faith amounts to having confidence in Him because of His character.
“But an hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father seeks such as His worshipers” (John 4:23).
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