“True Worship of the True God”

From those two laws, we can discern three people whom every person should love. These three are:

1. God
   This is where it begins. You cannot do anything else before you first love God genuinely, purely and with your whole being. You have to love God with everything you have.
   
2. Neighbor
   That includes everybody. Not just the one who cut your grass, lent you a cup of sugar, or kept your child. Your neighbor is anybody and everybody. Even your enemy. Even the one who talks behind your back. Even the brother who walks by you like you don’t exist. Love everybody!
   
3. Yourself
   Some of us have a problem with this one. We do not mind loving God or our neighbor, but you can’t love your neighbor correctly before you have learned how to love yourself.

In meditating on this text, I find that this simple analysis is not enough. You must love the True and Living God (see Mark 12:32). There is one God and He is God all by Himself. There isn’t one god over here, one over there, one at my house, one at your house. There is only one God, and if you are not worshipping Him then your worship is in vain.

If you have two jobs, which do you love? Do you love your day job, or do you love your weekend job? Some people say that they love God. However, do they really know who God is?

For them, the holy trinity is "Me, myself and I."

For them, the temple is the shrine of self.

For them, the motto is, "Get mine before you get yours."

For some people, God is a name… a figment of their imagination… or a tool to keep people poor. These people are fools, according to Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, "there is no God."

God exists whether you believe in Him or not. There is the story of a boy who went to college and lost his religion. He told his granny that he was now a scientist, and that he no longer believed in God. He could not see, hear, or touch God. For him, he had no proof in which to base a belief in God. One day, this boy had a terrible toothache. He asked granny to call a dentist. She asked him, "How do you know you have a toothache? Can you see the pain? Can you hear the pain? Can you touch the pain? Can you scientifically measure the pain?" The boy said, "No, I just feel it."

Well, Granny told him, "Son… that is how I know there is a God. I can’t see Him, hear Him or touch Him. But son… I can feel Him."

Some people waste their worship on false gods. When you worship a fake and a phony, your worship is in vain. Some worship the dollar. Money is important, that is true. However, money is not all-important.

Money can buy you a house…
  but, money can’t give you a home.

Money can pay for a doctor…
  but, money can’t give you healing.

Money can buy you booze or dope…
  but, money can’t give you joy.

Some people serve the god of MasterCard, American Express and Discover… but those cards all have expiration dates. God is the Alpha and the Omega. God is the beginning and the end. God has NO EXPIRATION DATE.

Some people worship false gods of flesh. In the old days, the people worshiped Baal, Ashtaroth, Dagon and Diana… these were all gods of fertility, sexuality and war. These people lived by their feelings and emotions. In the 1970’s, they said, "If it feels good… do it." In the 80’s and 90’s, people changed it to, "Just do it."

False gods are:

• High class possessions
• Crack cocaine
• Loose morality
• Debauched upside-down sexuality

Some people in the church worship Pierre Cardin and Tommy Hilfiger. Some people in the house of God worship reefer and ingest cocaine.

We are not here because we are perfect. We want to get perfect, but we are not there yet. If you are on crack cocaine, bring it to Jesus and He will fix it.

False gods have no power. You need a God Who works! False gods do not work, but our God works!

• When you are in distress, our God works
• When you are on the firing line, our God works
• When you are attacked on every side, our God works

In 1^st Kings, Chapter 18… Elijah was on Mount Carmel, challenging the prophets of Baal. Those false prophets worshipped their false gods all day and all night. Nothing happened. Elijah simply said, "Lord, it’s Your turn now." Then, the fire fell down from heaven.

The True and Living God puts joy in your heart.

If your worship, praise and service are to mean anything, we need to know who God is.

• God is not fake.
• God is not man-made.
• God is not a figment of your imagination.
• God is the True and Living God.

1. He is Elohim (the God of gods)

He is King of kings. He is Lord of lords. He is God of gods. There are gods of marble, stone and wood… but they will all be destroyed.

2. He is El Shaddai (the All-Sufficient One)

God is complete in Himself. He does not need help from anybody.

3. He is Jehovah Jireh (our Provider)

Whatever you want or need, our God will supply all of your needs.

4. He is Jehovah Rapha (our Healer)

God said, in Exodus 15:26, "I Am the Lord that healeth thee." You can call on the name of the Lord and He will pick you up. You can pick up your bed and walk in the Name of Jesus.

5. He is Jehovah Nissi (our Banner)

The Lord is a flag or an ensign over us… a Symbol. When the children of Israel passed through the wilderness, there were deadly snakes. When the symbol of the Lord was held high, the snakes could not bite them. With the symbol of the Lord, when you hold the banner of the Lord and lift Jesus higher, you can walk without fear.

6. He is Jehovah M’Kadesh (our Sanctifier)

He is the Lord who sanctifies us. We were born in sin and shapen in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). However, the Lord sent Jesus to cleanse us from our sins. Then, He sent the Holy Ghost to sanctify us.

7. He is Jehovah Shalom (our Peace)

The Lord is our peace in a world of sin and confusion. We serve the Prince of Peace.

8. He is Jehovah Rohi (our Shepherd)