True and False Worship Contrasted

TRUE AND FALSE WORSHIP CONTRASTED by Tom McElmurry of Dardanelle AR, as printed in The Baptist Waymark, Vol. IV, No. 1, Jan-Feb 1996, p. 4

Exodus 40:33-38; Deuteronomy 42:1-5

I. (Direction of choice)
A. The nations sought to establish the places where they would worship the gods of their choice.
B. God selects the places where He will be worshiped by the people of His choice.

II. (Location)
A. Their gods were supposed to come to the place of their choice.
B. We come to the place that our God selects.

III. (Image vs. Spirit)
A. They made images of their gods to worship.
B. We worship our God in the truth of what He says—He is Spirit.

IV. (Elevation, exaltation vs. humility)
A. They went to the tops of the highest elevations to be physically closer to their gods.
B. We draw clearer to God the more we spiritually lower ourselves in humility before His presence.

V. (Manifestation)
A. Their gods never appeared to them to show their approval of the places selected by the people.
B. Our God has manifested Himself time after time to put His seal of approval on various places He has chosen for His people to worship Him in various times.

VI. (Monotheism vs. Polytheism)
A. They had many different gods for many different things.
B. We have one God for all things, because He made all things.

[Note: the words in parentheses were added for this electronic edition.]