Psalm 26 Worshiper or Hypocrite

Daily Bible Study for Wednesday August 3, 2016

By: Hanny Lynn Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.

“Multiplying God’s Word Around The Globe”

Chapter Reading for Today: Please read in your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version, that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I will keep it with the New King James Version.

One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my own writing. I am adding red to the letters when it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.

Bible Gateway Verse of the Day

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Psalm 100:4

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Song: Power in The Blood of Jesus   By: Smokie Norful

Psalm 26

Worshiper or Hypocrite?

Today we are led by Holy Spirit to look at the life of a true worshiper compared to that of a hypocrite. The church has both - probably more of the latter than any of us would like to admit. Nevertheless, we need to look at these truths and learn from them as the Lord leads us. Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

We come to Your throne of grace and mercy today with a humble heart. Lord, we desire to draw close to You with the assurance that as we do, You will draw near to us. You are so good all the time, and Your desire for Your church is to come to You in spirit and in truth. Father, we ask You to teach us as Your children what we need to see for our own lives today. Father, I ask You to speak through me in this lesson to bring a message that is deeply needed by the church today. Lord, may this go forth unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. Cause Your face to shine on us as we study. Grow us up more and more. We desire to eat the rich meat of Your word, not milk only. We will make it our aim to be doers of Your word and not forgetful hearers. Thank You for always watching over Your word to perform it in our lives when we trust and obey You in Jesus name. Amen.

David, we know, was a man after God’s own heart. He loved the Lord and the things pertaining to His house. The Psalms have been a wonderful insight into the life of a true worshiper of God. He was humble, and willing to be examined, or we could say, closely scrutinized by the Lord. How many can say that of themselves these days? The numbers might surprise us all if we really knew. Because of his love for the Lord, there were certain things he did, others that he didn’t do, and many that he refused to do. We will look at this in more detail in a bit. One thing David made it a point to do was to avoid hypocrites. What is a hypocrite really? Let’s look at Webster’s definition. It is quite accurate indeed…

Hypocrite

One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion.

Most, if not all of us have encountered people like this. And many of us have even been a hypocrite at one time or another. Ouch! Please keep in mind that this lesson is not intended to beat any of us up. It is meant to reveal truth. What did Jesus say happens when we know the truth? We get free – hallelujah! God is always on our side and He always wants to bring us up. It is never His goal to tear us down. Please remember this as we study today. Another point we need to remember as we study this lesson is that if we feel “guilty”, it is our hearts that are condemning us. Holy Spirit never condemns – He convicts. It means He draws attention to something that needs to be corrected – but He is never, ever condemning. That only comes from a person’s guilty conscience when they know they are doing the wrong thing and unwilling to make it right.

Let’s look at some scriptures that the Lord has called to our attention today in Matthew 23, the entire chapter. It will tell us well what hypocrites (in the church) look like – back then, and now…

Matthew 23 The Entire Chapter

23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.³ Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. ⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. ⁵ But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ ¹⁷ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’¹⁹ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. ²¹ He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. ²² And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

³¹ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. ³³ Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? ³⁴ Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, ³⁵ that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹ for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

There is so much in this chapter, so let’s just start at the beginning. How sad is it that Jesus had to tell His listeners that day to observe and do what the scribes and Pharisees were telling them to do, but not what they saw them actually doing? Does that sound like some of the leadership we have seen in today’s church? The reason is that things (unfortunately) haven’t really changed. What happened then is happening now – there is nothing new under the sun. There were hypocrites in the church then, and there are now. The “Do what I say, not what I do” mentality is a common command of many.

In so many churches we see people burdened down with men’s traditions, or in other words, men’s rules. This church says we have to do this to get saved. That church says we have to do that. If it’s not one thing, it is another. The fact is that Jesus never set up the church to be divided by denominations or men’s traditions. He set it up to be one – just like He and the Father are one. He designed His body, the church just like He designed the human body – one head and one body, all functioning as one unit for a common goal. Imagine your hands off in a field somewhere and not attached to your body. They wouldn’t help you very much, would they? As ridiculous as that may sound, it is a perfect description of what is happening to the body of Christ today.

  

It is divided and split into pieces as if someone sliced it up for dinner. And isn’t that just what the devil wanted? If we look at the word DENOMINATION, and take the first “N” and the “M” and swap them, what do you get? You guessed it? DEMONINATION. That’s right. The devil is all over it. Many churches have twisted the scriptures to say this, and another to say that. Some believe in speaking in tongues, while others take this precious gift of the Holy Spirit and say that it is of the devil. It is absurd and very sad. 

Back in the time when Jesus was addressing the crowd, He was getting right to the point about the leaders of the church. Jesus was meek, He was humble, He was one we can learn from. But He never held back telling them like it was as the Father led Him. He was not afraid of what men would think of Him or what they would say to Him. We can learn a lot from Him in that, can’t we? The truth must be said, no matter what.

The scribes and Pharisees weren’t very interested in truth. They were interested in making a show of themselves. In addition to bringing a heavy burden to the people, one they couldn’t possibly bear, they dressed up in fancy robes and even wore the scriptures for everyone to see. Those were called “phylacteries”, or a piece of paper with a scripture from the law on it. They wanted to be seen, heard - honored and respected as if they themselves were gods. We see that in churches today too, don’t we? Big flashy shows of prominence while behind the scenes there is all kinds of evil deeds being done. This gives the Lord a really bad name, and He is blamed for the very things He Himself despises!

Those leaders wanted people to “step aside” and take notice when they walked by in the marketplace. They desired to be addressed with titles, such as “Rabbi” and teacher. But Jesus said that we should call no man a Rabbi. He is the only Teacher. He also warned against calling someone “Father” because there is only one God and Father in heaven. No man should be addressed as “father”. We see a lot of that going today too, don’t we? A man or woman can be a minister of the word and a leader in a church. They can have the office of a Rabbi or Pastor, but they are not to be addressed as such. Try telling that to some of them and they will take offense immediately. They think they have to be respected by being called “Father so and so” or “Pastor so and so.” But this is not what Jesus taught.

At our church we call our pastor “Brother Moore” because he wants to honor the words of Jesus and refuses to be called by any title. The church needs more men and women like that, doesn’t it? Humility is a sign of being like the Master, not seeking one’s own glory. But seeking glory is exactly what those scribes and Pharisees were doing, and it hasn’t stopped today. People want to be noticed. They want to have high positions, get the best seats wherever they go, and almost have people bow before them. It is ludicrous! It should not be so!

In verses 11 & 12 of Matthew 23, Jesus is telling His listeners that anyone who would be the greatest among men would be the servant of them. That is what He was. He was the greatest, yet He never exalted Himself. He made Himself a servant of all. He only magnified the Father – only Him did Jesus give glory to, not Himself. He further stated that anyone who exalts themselves will be humbled. There is much said in the Bible about this. We can be sure the Lord hates pride. It is of the devil. It should not even be a word in our vocabulary. Pride in any form is evil and Jesus made a strong point on this.

Some additional things we see in this chapter is how difficult those leaders made it for people to get into the kingdom of heaven. With all their rituals and traditions and man-made rules, it would seem impossible for anyone to qualify to enter into the kingdom of heaven. It reminds us of the day Jesus was talking on another occasion about a rich man having a harder time getting into heaven than it would be for a camel to go through the “eye of a needle”, or a tiny gate in the wall surrounding Jerusalem. But Jesus responded to them like this…

Matthew 19:23-30

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Notice what Jesus said to them when they asked how a man could be saved. After all, those disciples had money. They were business owners. These weren’t poor beggars that Jesus scooped off the street somewhere. Luke was a physician, Matthew was a fisherman, etc. Jesus point was that a man’s way cannot provide salvation; but God could and did through the One who was standing before them. It was the same with those leaders of old. They laid all these man made rules on people so that they would be left wondering how they could ever get to heaven.

I will give you an example from an evangelism experience I once had. I was talking with a lady about how to get saved. She was of a particular denomination (there’s that word again!), and she said that she was nowhere near ready to die because she had not done enough good deeds to get into heaven. She really believed it with all her heart. She had been taught in a church that she had to do a certain amount of good works to get into heaven. She knew nothing of Jesus blood and what it had already provided for her. She was heavily burdened with a yoke of slavery. I have spoken to several others who thought the same way. It is heartbreaking to say the least!

In Matthew 23 we see Jesus addressing the same problem. He noted that the leaders were taking advantage of the poor widows. They didn’t care about people. They cared about the money and the status. Many think it a great thing to be “on the platform” of the church, dress in nice clothes and travel the country speaking and getting notoriety from people. But what those same people may not realize is that the ones who are there because God entrusted them with those responsibilities are responsible for so much more than what meets the eye.

First of all, they have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. They have to be living examples to everyone around them of what Jesus lived like in order to be one of His true representatives. They have to spend hours in prayer and sometimes fasting to seek Him and His will. They have to spend a great deal of time studying, listening and waiting on the Lord in order to really hear the Lord’s heart and the message He wants His minister to give to His people. It is a demanding job and many do not understand what goes on behind the scenes. They only want to look at the fame and all the things that appear before the audience.

We have in our day many leaders who are getting “fat” themselves while others are doing without – the true word of God, and physical help as well. True leaders are givers. They do nice things for the poor, and always consider it more blessed to give than to receive as the Master said. The leaders Jesus referred to had no such intentions. They worked hard to get people on board with their “group”, but once they were in, they taught them all the wrong things – back to the “Do as I say, not as I do” principal. Jesus said doing this was making those poor unsuspecting folks even more a child of hell than they were.

They would pray long drawn out prayers and swear by things without backing them up. Their words and intentions were meaningless. Again, we see a lot of that today. And it is not only with leaders in the church, it is among the members too. It is so SADD-U-CEE! The leaders were called out on the fact that they obeyed the law to bring in the tithes, but they left out the thing that matters the most to the Lord, the mercy and faith. Let’s look at this…

Isaiah 58:6-10 NIV

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

Loving people by helping them in tangible ways is what the Lord is all about – whether we are leaders or not. Jesus said they should tithe – it is an offering to the Lord that is our reasonable service to Him. We don’t “pay” Him a tithe, we offer it to Him, willingly (hopefully) and cheerfully. And as a result He blesses our finances in a big way. He said it, we believe it and that settles it, right saints?! Amen!

Jesus went on to point out that the leaders were “nit picking” as the vernacular of our day goes. In other words, they were making a big deal out of one little mistake; like washing a person’s hands on the Sabbath, but they themselves were “swallowing a camel” by ignoring the bigger things in life that really mattered, like helping people in need and being kind and tender hearted to folks. They were “fault finders.”

Jesus never minced words. Many did not like to hear the truth. There was a time after many thousand saw the miracle of feeding five thousand from a few small loaves and a couple of fish, that they wanted to “jump on the band wagon. They were ready to follow this guy who did such great things. Since they benefited from His good works, they thought they could get a “free ride”, but when the party was over, and Jesus went into another teaching mode, they backed off and quick…

John 6:60

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

The people in Jesus day were no different than today like we have already mentioned. They want to follow leaders who will show them a good time. They want to hear nice stories and be made to feel good, but they do not want to change their hearts or the way they live. So they go from church to church, preacher to preacher, looking to mark off the box that they went to church. They like going to see this one and that one at big convention centers, but if we follow them home afterward, we might be surprised at the lives they are really living behind closed doors.

When folks hear a leader who will tell it like it is from the Bible, many turn away, just like they did Jesus. They will mock and criticize the true men and women of God who is laboring hard to bring the truth from Holy Spirit as they lead. We see newspaper articles tearing them down and calling them names, when they are the ones that are really living the right kind of life and telling the truth. It just isn’t PHAR-I-SEE – but then this life is not fair, is it? 

Jesus also made a note that the leaders were dressed up all pretty on the outside, but on the inside He told them to their faces that they were hypocrites. And He wasn’t one bit concerned about what they thought of His comments or how they would react. Talk about bold! That was Jesus. Strong, yet soft, like a velvet covered brick, amen! Jesus continued to remind them about how they did one thing, but it was not their true hearts that were being revealed. We looked at what a hypocrite is as defined by the Webster 1828 dictionary, and it looks like the definition really hits the mark after reviewing this chapter, doesn’t it?

David wanted no part of the hypocrisy he saw around him in his day. He said, in essence that he wasn’t going to “mingle” with, or have anything to do with folks like that. Remember David was a leader of many people. He was a king. What he said and did would influence thousands of people. And they were watching – just like folks do today. We may not think people are watching our behavior, but be sure that they are. They are silently observing to see if a leader, or any Christian for that matter is the real deal. Or, are they like so many they have encountered in the past – pretty on the outside, but full of death on the inside. David was determined to avoid wicked people. He knew that bad company would corrupt good character…

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

In our chapter today, we see a few things if we break it down into divisions. I find that to be extremely helpful in studying the Bible. I attended an international Bible study group for 4 wonderful years where I learned a lot about prayer and Bible study. They showed us how to break the verses down into divisions so we could begin to see the overall theme. It is really great to see the chapters come alive through Holy Spirit when we take the time to break it down, line by line. 

All of that said, we see a few things about David that we can point out…

1.    He knew God as being a God who was full of lovingkindness. If one knows God, then they don’t see Him as a hard task master like the scribes and Pharisees tried to make Him out to be. He is a good God – all the time. He does good, and He is the ultimate in kindness – praise His name forever!

2.    David acknowledged the things he has done before the Lord. He told the Lord that he had walked in integrity, and in God’s truthful ways. He despised evil doers and he loved the house of the Lord. God would certainly know if his words were true – He knows everything, including the depths of our hearts…

1 Chronicles 28:29

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. 

3.    What David would not do is make company with those who were vain – or, in other words, fruitless, useless, not making progress in the things of God. He set a good example for us all in that, didn’t he? We have to be careful who we are close to – it can have a dramatic effect on our walk with Christ. Many times in this life, a true disciple of Jesus will have to walk alone with Him. That’s a good thing!

4.    As David approached the Lord in this particular conversation, he said that there were things he was determined not to do. Things like slipping. Why could he say that he wouldn’t slip? Because he was walking in God’s ways, and that would keep his feet from slipping off the paths of righteousness (doing the right thing).

Psalm 116:8

For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

Philippians 2:13

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

And as we already discussed, he made up his heart and mind that he would avoid hypocrites and wicked people. Can that be said of us saints?

5.    Now we can talk about the true worshipers – hallelujah! Can that be said of you? Are you a true worshiper of God? Is your heart tender and humble before the Lord? Are you willing to have Him examine the depths of your heart? Are you willing to be tested by Him and be proven to be innocent? David came to the Lord asking Him to do these things and more in the verses we read today. Let’s bullet out a list of what he was asking of the Lord in this Psalm…

Ø  Prove him to be just

Ø  Examine him

Ø  Test him (his heart and soul)

Ø  Keep him from evil people

Ø  Redeem him

Ø  Be merciful to him

David came humbly before the Lord his God with a willing heart to be examined, tested and proven to be found innocent. Look at what the book of Jeremiah says…

Jeremiah 17:10

I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

And let’s look at some other verses to back up what David asked of the Lord…

Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.

Psalm 139:23

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties;

Psalm 140:1

Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,

Psalm 26:11

But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.

David was willing to be known in the deepest part of his heart by God, and he longed for the Lord’s ways of doing things. How about you? David was a worshiper. In almost every Psalm we see worship, praise and thanksgiving. Because David was a worshiper of God – there was nothing false about him. His heart was laid bare in these many scriptures, making it more than obvious that he was the real deal. There was no hypocrisy found in him. Let’s look at what James says about humbling ourselves before the Lord. It ties in well with what Jesus showed us regarding the rulers He was speaking to in Matthew 23 (as well as the rulers of our present day)…

James 4:1-10

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

It sounds a lot like many in our world today, doesn’t it? Strife comes from the enemy. Anyone who is willing to humble themselves before the Lord is on the right path. He is just waiting, searching for those who are humble and willing to worship Him in spirit and in truth…

John 4:23

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

A person who worships the Lord like this is a true worshiper indeed. It is all about the heart – it is never about the show, or outward appearances. Friends, we must examine ourselves, just like the scriptures say…

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified.

We will know in our hearts if we really love and worship the Lord. Let’s look at the final points about what David was saying he would do in today’s chapter…

1.    Wash his hands in innocence

2.    Embrace God’s altar (His presence)

3.    Tell others with a grateful heart about what the Lord had done for him

4.    Walk in integrity

5.    Stand on level ground for all the congregation (church) to see

6.    Bless the Lord

David was going to be found innocent as he delighted himself in the wonderful and righteous ways of the Lord. He loved the presence of the Lord in his life. He knew he was on solid ground with God and he was determined to live a life of integrity. Can that be said of you? David would bless the Lord, just like this Psalm says…

Psalm 103:1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

David was eager to tell people about the great things that God had done for him. Does that describe your heart? If not, remember this friends. There is power in the blood of Jesus – to save one’s soul from hell, to heal and to make complete in every way. He is the only way to heaven. There is nothing that can’t be forgiven by the already shed blood of the Lamb. His blood was the final and complete sacrifice for every person’s sin. Nobody has to “try to work their way” into heaven – only Jesus could give us the path in. He is the Way, the truth, and the Life…

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

As we end this wonderful lesson, may it be said of us that we are the true worshipers of the Most High God! Praise His name forever!

Questions:

What was the main characteristic of the Lord that David focused on in today’s chapter?

List some of the things that David had actually done.  

What did David avoid doing?

List the things that David refused to do.

What did David ask of the Lord?

What things did David plan to do?

What about this lesson meant the most to you?

How would you describe your walk with the Lord?

There are three main points to consider from today’s study…

God searches the heart, not the outward appearance

God is looking for a people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth

The life of a true Christian will be one of innocence and integrity

                        Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for showing us the difference between a hypocrite and a true worshiper. Father, I love Your presence and I desire to be a true worshiper. Lord, if there is anything false in me, I ask You, like David, to search me, examine everything about me, test and try me Lord so that I may be found praising You with my whole heart. Lord, it is You in me that can cause me to do and act according to Your good will and purpose. Make me into the child of God, fully developed that You want me to be by showing me what I need to change. Thank You in advance for all You will do in response to this prayer. I believe I have already received my answers and I thank You for them in Jesus name. Amen.

Are you a true worshiper of God?

And God Said… You fill in the blanks.  

Hebrews 1:1-4

 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.