gifts of gratitude & appreciation to those we love and respect.

The obvious goal:

Please the recipient. We are successful when we know their needs and desires. Success is measured by the pleasure of the one we seek to honor.

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Receiving sincere gratitude, appreciation, love, honor and respect are the most sought after things in the human race. Parents / Children Husbands / Wives Co-workers / Employers Entire industries created to fill this need. Greeting Cards Flowers Jewelry Stores

What about God?

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You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things And by Your will they exist and

were created. Rev 4:11

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no

variation or shadow of turning. Jas 1:17-18

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What about God?

How do we gain the knowledge necessary to properly honor him?

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For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isa 55:8-9

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It will have to come from Scriptures

The Teaching of Christ

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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. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

John 4:23-24 Genuine Worshipers – Spirit & Truth The Father seeks such to worship him Must Worship in Spirit and Truth

The Teaching of Christ

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These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Mt 15:8-9

Worship is vain if not in truth.

Can draw near with mouth!

Can honor God with lips!

But Can’t draw near without truth.

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And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Gen 4:3

Both brought offerings God respected Abel & his offering.

God did not respect Cain & his offering ???WHY???

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The Missing Ingredient?

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By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh. Heb 11:4

God identifies faith as the issue!

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17

God Spoke to Both; Abel heard; Cain didn’t

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A Universal Principle

And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Sam 15:22

Cain’s disobedience not only made his worship vain(no respect) but an evil work

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not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 1Jn 3:12

Can this happen today?

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Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. Jude 11

If we are not worshipping in Spirit and Truth then we are following the commands of men. Those who do so are going in the way of Cain.

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Think of all the times God has tried to get his people to see this truth.

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Nadab & Abihu struck dead failed to sanctify and glorify God

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Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. they died before Jehovah. Moses said to Aaron, This is what Jehovah spoke, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

Lev 10:1-3

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David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader. the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart David and all Israel played before God with all their might Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. The anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put forth his hand to the ark; David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzza; David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? 2Sam 6:1-8

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David went home and began to study the Scriptures. He soon found the passage he needed

when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: Num 4:15

David knew exactly what they had done wrong. They had made the same mistake as Cain.

For because ye (bare it) not at the first, Jehovah our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not according to the ordinance. 1 Chr 15:13

God is serious about these warnings

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God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.

What About Instrumental Music?

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The truth or a commandment of men?

speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; Eph 5:18-20 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms (and) hymns (and) spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. Col 3:16

What About Instrumental Music?

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The truth or a commandment of men?

Not one time in the NT Scriptures do the teachings of Christ authorize anything but singing.

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They did it in the Old Testament?

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace Gal 5:2-4

What About Instrumental Music?

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The truth or a commandment of men?

We are commanded to sing Psalms and the Psalms are to be sung with instruments.

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The Psalms also speak of entering God’s temple, offering animals, etc. We do not sing any psalm that asks us to do what we are not authorized to do

What About Instrumental Music?

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The truth or a commandment of men?

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Not mentioned in any writings for the first five centuries

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Sought to be used about 600 but rejected as a liberal idea. Greek Orthodox church never used it at all. Roman Catholic church started after 700 ad.

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... I further believe that the use of such instruments of music in the Christian church is without the sanction and against the will of God, that they are subversive of the spirit of true devotion and that they are sinful... I am an old man and an old minister and I here declare that I never knew them productive of any good in the worship of God and have had reason to believe that they were productive of much evil. Music as a science I esteem and admire, but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. Adam Clark Methodist Preacher

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Musical instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting up of lamps, and the restoration of the other shadows of the law. The Papist, therefore, have foolishly borrowed this, as well as many other things from the Jews John Calvin - Founder - Presbyterian Church

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I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels provided they are neither seen nor heard. John Wesley - founder Methodist Church

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The early Reformers, when they came out of Rome, removed them as the monuments of idolatry. Luther called the organ an ensign of Baal; Calvin said that instrumental music was not fitter to be adopted into the Christian Church than the incense and the candlestick; Knox called the organ a kist [chest] of whistles. The Church of England revived them, against a very strong protest, and the English dissenters would not touch them. (from McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia,