From the Pastor’s Pen – July 2007

A.W. Pink wrote an excellent article on worship and his final point was hindrances to worship. This is a vital subject that we must understand to experience worship. “What is worship? Praise? Yea, more; it is the adoration flowing forth from a heart which is fully assured of the excellency of Him before whom it bows, expressing its profoundest gratitude for His unspeakable Gift. It is apparent that the first hindrance to worship in a child of God is lack of assurance. When I entertain doubts as to my acceptance in Christ, as long as I remain in a state of uncertainty as to whether my sins were atoned for at Calvary, I cannot, really, praise and adore Him for His death for me; I cannot actually say, “my Beloved is mine, and I am His.” It is one of Satan’s favorite devices to keep Christians in the “Slough of Despond,” his object being that Christ should not receive from them the homage of their hearts. Another hindrance is failure to judge ourselves by the God’s Word. The priests of Israel did not remain at the brazen alter in the outer court of the tabernacle. Before they passed into the holy place, to burn incense, they were required to wash at the laver. Approach unto the laver of brass speaks of the believer’s unsparing judgment upon himself. The using of its water points to the application of the Word to all our works & ways. Just as the sons of Aaron were required under pain of death to wash at the laver before they entered the holy place to burn incense, so must the Christian today have the defilements of the way removed before he can rightly approach God as a worshipper Failure at this point brings in death, that is, I remain under the contaminating power of dead things. The defilements of the way are the result of my passing through a world which is “alienated from the life of God”. If these are not removed, then I continue under the power of death in a spiritual way, and worship becomes impossible. This is taught in John 13 when the Lord said to Peter, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me.” How many Christians there are who, through failure to place their feet in the hands of Christ for cleansing, are hindered from exercising their priestly functions & privileges. Another hindrance is worldliness, which means the things of the world obtaining a place in the Christian’s affections, becoming “conformed to this world”. An example of this is found in the life of Abraham. When God called him to leave Chaldea & go to Canaan, he compromised: he went only as far as Haran & settled down there. This was Half-way House, the wilderness lying between it and the borders of Canaan. Later Abraham fully responded to God’s call & entered Canaan, & there “he built an altar [which speaks of worship] unto the Lord”. But there is no mention of his building any “altar” during the years he dwelt in Haran! O, how many Christians are compromising, dwelling at Half-way House, & in consequence they are not worshippers. O, that the Spirit of God may so work upon & within all of us that the language of our lives, as well as that of our hearts & lips, may be “Worthy is the Lamb”—worthy of whole-hearted consecration, worthy of unstinted devotion, worthy of that love which is manifested by keeping His commandments, worthy of real worship. May it be so for His name’s sake.”

Praying for you. Pastor Thomas Winn