Tag: worship
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No Hoof Left Behind – Exodus 10:24-26
Exodus 10:24-26 And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle also…
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No Halfway Obedience – Exodus 10:9-11
Exodus 10:9-11 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I…
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Tell Dad About the Son – Genesis 45:12-13
Genesis 45:12, 13 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. Joseph now…
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Meeting the God of Bethel – Genesis 35:6-7
Genesis 35:6-7So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. Jacob finally gets back…
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Some Goodbyes Stay Cold – Genesis 31:54-55
Genesis 31:54–55Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place. After all…
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From Chasing Love to Praising the Lord – Genesis 29:32-35
Genesis 29:32-35 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore…
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If You Will Have Me – Genesis 28:20-22
Genesis 28:20-22 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And…
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From Separation to the House of God – Genesis 28:17-19
Genesis 28:17-19 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar,…
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Led While Walking – Genesis 24:26-28
Genesis 24:26-28 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.And the damsel…
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Planting Something for the Lord – Genesis 21:33-34
Genesis 21:33-34 And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days. I love this because Abraham does not just settle a dispute and move on. He plants something. He marks that place with worship. The word…
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Lavish Fellowship – Genesis 18:6-8
Genesis 18:6-8 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And…
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Running to Meet Him – Genesis 18:2
Genesis 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him… and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, What a picture this is. Abraham is ninety nine years old, sitting in the tent door in the…
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Bread and Wine in the Valley – Genesis 14:18-20
Genesis 14:18-20And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.…
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Altars and Tents – Genesis 12:7-8
Genesis 12:7, 8 … and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent… … having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and…
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The Sweetness of Sacrifice – Genesis 8:21-22
Genesis 8:21-22 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the…
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Altared Before Anything Else – Genesis 8:20
Genesis 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord… and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. What was the first thing Noah did when he stepped into the new world? He built an altar. That tells me a lot about what had happened…
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Set Apart for Worship – Genesis 7:2-6
Genesis 7:2-6 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the…
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Tents, Cattle, Harps, and Organs – Genesis 4:20-21
Genesis 4:20-21 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. These verses are fascinating because they show us something very important about the line of…
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No More Leaving – Revelation 21:22
Revelation 21:22And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. That is a remarkable statement. In a city filled with glory, jewels, gold, gates, and light, John notices something missing. There is no temple. For a Jewish man, that would be striking. The temple had…
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Revelation 19:9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy…
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The Sound of Heaven – Revelation 19:5-6
Revelation 19:5-6 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for…
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So Be It, Praise the Lord – Revelation 19:3-4
Revelation 19:3-4 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. Heaven is not embarrassed by the judgment of God. That is what stands out here. Babylon…
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Two Cities – Revelation 17:5
Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The Bible could almost be called the story of two cities. One is Jerusalem, the city of God.The other is Babylon, the city of rebellion. Those two cities keep showing up all…
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Come and Worship – Revelation 15:4
Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. This is where all of history is headed. The nations that raged, resisted, mocked, and rebelled will one day bow. The overcomers…
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Water Walkers in Heaven – Revelation 15:2
Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. John is still in…
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The Final Call to the Creator – Revelation 14:7
Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. What a word this is in the middle of a world gone mad. The angel does not…
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The Song Trouble Teaches – Revelation 14:2 3
Revelation 14:2 3 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:…
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Marked by a Counterfeit – Revelation 13:16-17
Revelation 13:16-17 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. By…
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Pointing the World to the Wrong Christ – Revelation 13:12
Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Now John makes the role of the second beast unmistakably clear. Who is the first beast? Antichrist. And the second beast, the…
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At Home in the World, Amazed by the Lamb – Revelation 13:7-8
Revelation 13:7-8 And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. One of the saddest phrases in this passage is the phrase dwell…
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Not Just Admiration – Revelation 13:4
Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? This is where everything darkens even further. The world will not merely follow the beast politically. It will worship him spiritually. What…
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Sing Before the Sea Opens – Revelation 11:15-17
Revelation 11:15-17 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their…
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A Measured Temple in a Shaken World – Revelation 11:1
Revelation 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. We are now at the halfway point of the Tribulation, and what John sees here is remarkable. He is handed a reed…
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A Song Too Big to Count – Revelation 7:9-11
Revelation 7:9-11 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon…
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Every Voice Says Yes – Revelation 5:13-14
Revelation 5:13-14 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and…
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When the Lamb Is Seen – Revelation 5:11-12
Revelation 5:11-12“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and…
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The Music of Heaven and the Memory of Prayer – Revelation 5:8
Revelation 5:8“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” The moment Jesus takes the scroll, heaven responds. No debate. No delay. No hesitation. The living…
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Made for His Pleasure – Revelation 4:10-11
Revelation 4:10-11“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they…
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Crowns at His Feet – Revelation 4:9-10
Revelation 4:9-10“And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne.” When…
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The Beauty That Never Disappoints – Revelation 4:8
Revelation 4:8“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” John describes these living creatures with six wings and eyes within, and at…
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Seated Near the Throne – Revelation 4:4
Revelation 4:4“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” John sees twenty four elders around the throne, clothed in white, crowned with gold, seated in heaven. Some see in…
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At His Feet, Then on His Feet – Revelation 1:17-18
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not I am the first and the last I am he that liveth, and was dead and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen and have the keys of…
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When Worship Turns – Jude 6
Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Jude now moves to his second example, and it is a staggering one. Not only can the delivered fail to keep themselves in the…
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Grace at the Center – Hebrews 13:9
Sometimes people miss the feel of religion more than the reality of Jesus. They miss the movement, the ceremony, the visible structure. They miss the sense of doing something tangible. It feels spiritual to handle sacred things, to follow a sequence, to smell incense, to keep a rule, to observe a ritual. And because of…
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Strangers Here, Steady in Faith – Hebrews 11:13
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. There is something both strong and tender in this verse. These people died in faith. Not after seeing…
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The Daily Ministry — Hebrews 9:6
Hebrews 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. After the tabernacle was set in order and everything placed where it belonged, the priests began their daily ministry. Their service was not occasional. It was constant. Every day they entered the Holy Place.…
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The Place of Meeting — Hebrews 9:1–2
Hebrews 9:1–2 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. When God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle, He was establishing something remarkable: a meeting place between…
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Consider How Great This Man Was — Hebrews 7:4
Hebrews 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. The writer slows us down here and says, in effect, “Stop and think about this.” Consider how great this man was. That is a remarkable statement, because Abraham was no small figure. Abraham was…
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The Voice Beside Ours — Hebrews 2:12
Hebrews 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. Most of us walk into a time of worship thinking about one thing. We are going to sing to the Lord. The music begins. The voices rise. Some strong, some quiet, some…
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Lifted Hands — 1 Timothy 2:8
1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Paul gives us a picture here. Not clenched fists. Not raised voices in argument. Lifted hands. Open hands do not fight. They do not grasp. They receive. They surrender. And Paul says this is to happen…
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When Grace Turns to Praise — 1 Timothy 1:17
1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Paul cannot talk about mercy for long without lifting his eyes. He has just remembered who he used to be. A blasphemer. A persecutor. A violent man convinced he was right. Then…