February 16, 2012 … God’s Protection of Worship

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 11-13 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Leviticus 11: 24-25 : … [Purity for Worship]… 24 “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. 25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

My Journal for Today: As I read though Chapters 11-13 of Leviticus this morning, one could get the idea that God felt that those who touched unclean things, women who had babies, or people with skin diseases were sinful because of their circumstances and conditions. But that would be a misinterpretation of these very careful regulations God was imposing – through Aaron and the Priesthood – on God’s children and their worship in the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the Tabernacle.

No, what God was doing with all these careful instructions to protect the conditions of worship was to set the worship of their living God, Jehovah, apart from the worship of the pagan gods in the cultures surrounding God’s chosen people, the Israelites.

And immediately in reading these three chapters, I was drawn back – by the enlightenment of God’s Spirit, I believe - to instructions which the Apostle Paul gave to New Covenant worshippers, those who’ve come to the Living Tabernacle, Jesus Christ, in faith and desire to worship Him forever, having been purified by His blood on the cross. Jesus was/is the reason why we don’t have to have the same protections which are written of in these three chapters of God’s Book of the Law in Leviticus. And Paul exhorted us – Christians – how to prepare ourselves for worship, when God had him write in Romans 12: 1-2, ... 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

My memory also reflected back to the instructions to believers by the Apostle John’s vision, about preparing for the coming BrideGoom, our Savior, Who will be coming for His Bride, the Church, for the wedding feast of The Lamb. The instructions for the preparation of the Bride for the Groom (i.e., our preparations for the worship of the Lamb of God at the wedding feast) are found in Revelation 19: 7-10, where it says, ... 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) … 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” … 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

And by combining the exhortation of Romans 12 with the instruction of Revelation 19, we can glean God’s desire that we – His chosen Bride - be purified for worship … that we be prepared to bow before God with our lives, … purified by keeping our linens clean (i.e., living righteous lives and avoiding the impurities of this world). We are to live lives of “living sacrifice,” pure and undefiled, which was symbolized by the detailed instructions for purity given to God’s people as they prepared themselves – by their living the way God instructed – to avoid those parts of the world and their own flesh which would render them defiled for worship.

God simply wants His Bride – His chosen church (i.e., that’s you and me, fellow Christian!) – to be in a ready and purified state of “living worship” (as Paul wrote in Rom. 12: 1), having our lines clean and purified for the BrideGroom, Who will come to get His Bride for the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.

Are you ready for Him coming for you, my friend? Are we living lives, purified and prepared for worship on a 24/7 basis in life? I don’t know about you; but I could use some more cleansing of my linens as I prepare for my Groom to come for me.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me prepare for You today by cleansing my linens in the purifying blood of Calvary. Amen

February 8, 2012 … Dressed for [Spiritual] Success

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 28-29 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Exodus 28: 1-5 … : … [Dressed for Leadership in Worship] … [Yahweh’s Instructions to Moses … 1 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. …
31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die.”
==========
Exodus 29: 44-46 … : … [Consecrated for Worship] … [Yahweh’s Continued Instructions to Moses … 44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”
==========
1st Peter 2: 9-10 … : … [A Royal Priesthood] … [Yahweh’s Continued Instructions to Moses … 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.


My Journal for Today: Today, in my chronological trek through the Bible, I was led to read from Exodus, Chapters 28-29 where God instructs Moses in the establishment of the line of Levite priests, … as well as, in detail, how these descendants of Aaron were to dress and be consecrated for worship. And, from the highlighted passages, which I’ve copied above from these two chapters in Exodus, that’s why I titled my devotional today, Dressed for [Spiritual] Success. There was great detail from God about how the Tabernacle Priests were to be outfitted and God took great lengths to give instructions to Moses about the leadership of the Tabernacle and how He, Yahweh, was to be worshipped during His people’s trek through the desert.

And as I read through and meditated upon these chapters this morning, another passage reference from the New Testament bubbled into my consciousness [i.e., 1st Peter 2: 9-10], which I’ve also copied above for your edification. I brought up the latter passage because, not only are we, as His chosen New Covenant Christians, charged to be worshippers who are “living sacrifices” [see Romans 12: 1], we are, according to the NT passage above, The Lord’s “royal priesthood.”

And as I was meditating on all of this, it caused me to contemplate on how our corporate worship has become so contemporized and “culturalized” (I know, not words – but concepts which hopefully communicates) that our attempts to accept anyone to “come as they are” to our worship services has “dressed-down” our roles as God’s “royal priesthood” in our world of corporate worship today.

Now please don’t mistakenly take what I’m about to say as prideful or judgmental; but, I’ve been asked by some in my church why I choose to ALWAYS wear a suit and tie or the best threads I have to worship service in our church on Sundays. Many come to our worship service in their everyday jeans or very casual “threads.” And I have to confess being “turned-off” a bit by such dress for Sunday worship.

Years ago, my Christian grandmother taught me a lesson about how I should dress; and this was years before I became a Christian. She told me, in preparing to go to our church on Sunday, “Bill, when you go to someone’s wedding or funeral, your mom and dad will always want you to wear your best to honor the couple being married or the person being buried. So, shouldn’t you wear your best to Church each Sunday to honor God?” I’ve never forgotten that lesson; and I apply it today to the way I dress for “Spiritual success” for my worship. And this is especially the case since I happen to be one of the Elders in my church as well as an “Ordained Minister” of the Gospel by my church.

But really, and I have to guard against being judgmental here, since we’re all part of God’s “royal priesthood,” when you read the above passages, wouldn’t you say that we – God’s royal New Testament priesthood – who have become God’s temple of worship (see 1st Cor. 6: 19), should be dressing the part and witnessing our worship in the same way God instructed for worship by the Levites in the time of their exodus toward the promised land. We – in the New Covenant – are also trekking through life toward the “promised land” [of heaven]; and we have God’s tabernacle in our hearts. Therefore, I think (just my belief and opinion) we should be witnesses to our LORD, the Yahweh of the Old AND New Covenant, by the way we dress when we come for corporate, or Temple, worship. Hence, I don’t see myself wearing my jeans or khakis and a sweatshirt on Sunday mornings. I choose to wear my best – as I would to your wedding or funeral – honoring the One true and living God, Who mercifully saved me and has sanctified me to be part of His “royal priesthood.”

My friend, you can wear what you want to church; because God will, in fact and in truth, accept anyone’s genuine and humble worship from the heart, no matter what they wear. However, if you come to Collierville, TN, and to Central Church on Sunday mornings, you will see Bill Berry wearing his “Sunday best” as I come into the House of God to worship and praise the LORD Who saved me. And I hope you don’t think that’s an “uppity” attitude. It’s just one member of God’s “royal priesthood” trying to live up to the instructions God has given to His line of priests [see above] as to how our LORD is to be worshipped.

And as Lily Tomlin used to say with a childish lisp as “Edith Ann,” on Laugh-In … “That’s the truth!” … [and you can see it with this link]

My Prayer Today: … Lord, there is no laughing at the way we present ourselves as Your “royal priesthood” and as we worship You in loving witness, coming to Your tabernacle of deliverance on Sunday mornings. Amen

December 18, 2011 … The Privileges of Christ’s Exaltation

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 9 [see highlight passage in bold/underlined] …
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My Journal for Today: Yes, we’re back again in Phil. 2: 9 this morning as John MacArthur continues to help me (us) appreciate the explanation of the reverse of the incarnation of Christ. Having become a babe in a manager, … having chosen to be a servant, … even a slave; and having died ignominiously on a cross, … Christ was raised from the grave, brought by God’s Spirit into Heaven, seated on God’s Throne, crowned as King of kings and Lord of lords, and established to His Royal Priesthood as Head of His Church.

He, Who was rejected by man, was accepted by God. He, Who had chosen obedience and humility to His Father, was once again given all power and authority in heaven (see Eph. 1: 22 – 23, which states, 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.) … And so, He, Who had been spat upon by the religious leaders of His day, became the High Priest for God’s Church and our intercessor/advocate forever.

Is this not the most glorious thing that one could ever contemplate – especially in this time of year, the Advent Season, when we remember His incarnation and the promise of His second coming? And John MacArthur closes his exposition and devotional on this date by emphasizing a point of enormous importance, doing so by quoting the Puritan, Thomas Walton, who wrote, “As sure as Christ is exalted, … so sure will He instate believers in all that glory … (read Christ pleading this for His Church in John 17: 22).”

What an incredible hope and encouragement this is, especially for those of us who’ve been lifted out of the tarpits of habitual sin and rebellion by His wondrous gift of saving grace. To be able to walk with Him and for Him in this life is truly the realization of the words of John Newton’s Amazing Grace (hum and sing those first bars with me), “Amazing grace … how sweet the sound … that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost; but now I’m found … was blind but now I see.”

But wondrously, it doesn’t stop there; … yes, … there’s more! Stay tuned!

My Prayer Today: All praise and thanks, dear Lord, for your exalted place in glory; and a place saved for me! Amen

2010 – April 17 – Service, … the Great Equalizer

Study from God’s Word… 1st Chronicles 23: 1 – 32; 1st Chron. 24: 1 – 19; 1st Chron. 25: 1 - 31 … Passage for Reflection: 1st Chronicles 25: 8 … NIV Young and old alike, as well as student, cast lots for their duties.

My Journal for Today: In my service to God, I’m an Elder in my church; and I have achieved the title of “Reverend,” being an ordained Minister of the Gospel. And also in my local church, I’m designated as “Director” of a ministry outreach to Christians who are trying to walk free from patterns of sexual sin. Now aren’t you impressed? Well, other than the fact that God is pleased for me serving Him, I know He’s no more impressed with my Eldership and my being “Rev. Bill Berry,” maybe even less so, than others in our church who have no titles and are given no worldly credit in their service of God. But they are warriors and servants who serve “behind the scenes,” doing all they can with their time, talent, and treasures, with no regard to titles or recognition by the world, to serve their LORD.

Do you find it interesting, as do I, from today’s reading and Smith’s highlighted passage, that David had the duties of the Levites, when he was planning for the building and establishment of the Temple by his son, Solomon, that this tribe of “Priests” would divide up the duties God would ascribe for them by simply casting lots? It seems so capricious and random, doesn’t it? There was no strategic planning, as a worldly corporation might do it today, making sure that the duties matched up closely with the experience, rank, seniority, or titles of those needed to carry out the duties of the organization. No, God simply had David find all the Levites and designate what duties were to be handled by these men; and then he had them, thousands of them, cast lots for the duties. And if any of these were ascribed a given duty, no matter what it was, it was for God’s glory in the overseeing of the Temple by the Levites. No titles were given. No earthly credit system was established to reward a given servant with more recognition than any other.

This, I believe, is much more like God would have us go forth to serve Him in the church today. Oh, I’m not saying that gifting or volunteer commitment should not be utilized; but we who serve God and His Kingdom, especially in the church, put far too much credibility and credit on those with known years of service, or titles, or staff name badge recognition. It is a major fault of the modern church, I believe, to look to the paid, so-called “full time” church staff, to do the work of the church, rather than individually to seek out our God-given gifts, find our calling into service, and then, just dive in and do it for God.

Besides, God clearly designates, through His word, that all of His servants in the age of grace – i.e., in the Church - are “Priests” [see 1st Peter 2: 9 - linked], So, there are many priestly duties out there in the world to perform for God’s glory. So, we all need to find out is how God has gifted us; and then – almost as if by lots – just jump into the fray of service and serve our Lord, with no expectation of title or recognition … except the aspiration to hear in glory, from the lips of Jesus, Himself, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

My Prayer for Today: Serving You, my LORD, is all the recognition I need. Forgive me if I aspire to more. Amen