Jeremiah 6v16

 

Jeremiah wrote these words at a time of great uncertainty for God's people, Israel. They were about to be conquered by the Babylonians and it was all their own fault, because they had become just like the nations around them. Judgment was about to come upon the earth.  So Jeremiah called the people to stop in their tracks – at the crossroads and consider the  ANCIENT PATHS.

 

There are many well-worn paths which mankind has trodden over the centuries - ancient paths like - man’s inhumanity to man, injustice, greed, war, licentiousness, idolatry – these paths lead to the cliff edge and the abyss below.

 

Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that in the last days this will become worse than ever.

 

But there are other ANCIENT PATHS which are “the good way.”  

 

Over the next few months I would like to look at some of those ANCIENT PATHS, trodden by those from ancient times who have gone before us.  If we focus on these and walk in them, the promise is that we will be safe and find rest for our souls...

 

So at the beginning of a New Year let's begin with God Himself and the ANCIENT PATH of WORSHIP.

 

Worship is truly an ancient path.  From earliest times we find those who trod the path of godly living and this involved them in being worshippers.  Here are a few of those who have gone before us along this ancient pathway of worship:

 

Abel brought a blood sacrifice as an offering to God as his act of worship

(Genesis 4v3-6).

 

Enoch walked in close communion with God for 300 years and went into His presence without dying (Genesis 5v21-24).

 

Noah after being saved out of the flood, built an altar - which was his way of worshipping God (Genesis 8v20).  

 

Abraham after becoming a man of  faith –  he became an obedient worshipper (Genesis 22v5).

 

There are some lessons in worship from these examples that we do well to apply to our lives:

 

1. We must worship God on His terms – not ours (Abel)

2. Walking in worship is a daily lifestyle (Enoch)

3. Worship is a sacrifice where we lay all on the altar  (Noah & Abraham)

4. When we offer ourselves - our bodies to God, this is spiritual worship (Romans 12:1)

 

Whenever we worship we join with those who have walked the ancient path of worship before us and are now among  the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” who are already in heaven (Hebrews 12v1).  

 

They are cheering us on to keep walking the ancient pathway of worship as they did!

 

As time went by, worship became more and more developed.  King David was at the forefront of pushing out the boundaries of worship both in terms of content (see the psalms!) and in terms of the outward practice of worship (see 1 Chronicles 15v25-29).

 

I do not want to strike a negative note here, but I am sorry to say that a lot of what passes as “worship” today misses the mark. Where has entering “His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” gone?

 

So maybe it's time to look at the content of our worship again. So many of the songs we sing today do not lead us into deep worship and the lyrics are often shallow and secondary to the music and often get in the way of real worship.

 

The early Methodists worshipped using Charles Wesley's hymns which were theologically accurate expressions of deep truth. This Christmas many of us will have sung one of the hymns that Charles wrote nearly 300 years ago -  "Hark the Herald Angels sing" - Have you ever really looked at the words?  

 

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:   (worship!)

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

 

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see (theology!)

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

 

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die  (the gospel!)

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

 

There are 2 other verses which we do not sing these days that go even deeper!..

 

Come, Desire of nations, come,

Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,

Bruise in us the serpent’s head.

Now display Thy saving pow’r,

Ruined nature now restore;

Now in mystic union join

Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

 

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,

Stamp Thine image in its place:

Second Adam from above,

Reinstate us in Thy love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain,

Thee, the Life, the inner man:

Oh, to all Thyself impart,

Formed in each believing heart.

 

Yes we need to sing and use real Biblical lyrics in our worship again.  Back in the 1970's the movement for Scripture in Song – singing the words of the Bible was a wonderful aid to worship. See links below if you are interested:

 

http://www.davidanddalegarratt.com/index.php  

 

http://www.scripturesongsforworship.com/

 

David's psalm which he wrote for the occasion of bringing the ark into Jerusalem

(1 Chronicles 16:8-36) is a great example of powerful praise with beautiful words that involved David himself (dancing passionately before the Lord), along with all the people and the choir and orchestra of Aspah and his associates.  David wanted this constant daily worship to continue long after that glorious event (16:17-44).

 

I first learned to worship as a young man, newly baptised in the Holy Spirit, with groups of Spirit-filled people who spent time tarrying in the presence of God.  Where worship was open for all believers to contribute, where each one had “a psalm, a hymn, a spiritual song” (Colossians 3:16). We entered His gates with thanksgiving, and moved into His courts with praise - and we ended up in the Holy of Holies!

 

Where has that kind of deep worship gone?

    - Where, as the old hymn says, we are “lost in wonder, love and praise.”

 

Finally, since we have just finished celebrating Christmas, let us look at the Magi who turned up after the birth of Jesus, having literally travelled an ancient pathway of maybe up to 2,000 Km to find Him.  

 

Matthew reveals that the intention of the Magi was “to worship” the newborn King.  The word used here is the standard word used in the New Testament for worship - proskuneo meaning bowing in homage – literally “to kiss the hand.”  

 

The main Old Testament word for worship has the same idea of doing obeisance – of bowing one’s whole life - one's whole being down before God.  It is worthy of note that when the Magi found Jesus that they followed through on their intention and “fell down and worshipped him” (Matt 2v11).  

 

Wise men (and women) still worship Jesus!  What better way to start the New Year and to continue throughout the year, than to focus on bowing our lives before God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?!