Key Verse: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Has Christ made a difference in your worship? There was something different about Jesus and
His disciples. They didn't worship the
way that other religious people did. It
was different enough that it was noticed by others.
The disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees, took
their religious observances seriously. They
fasted and prayed and grieved over the sad state of affairs. They honored the traditions that had been
passed on for many generations in an attempt to keep themselves pure and to
please God.
In contrast, Jesus' disciples seemed to be having a party. They ate and drank without a care in the
world. The observers, including the
disciples of John and the Pharisees were incredulous. They wanted to know "WHY!"
"Why?" Perhaps Jesus showed mock surprise here
with a lifted eyebrow and, perhaps a slight twinkle of a mischievous grin. He knew what the buzz was about. He knew what the old way was. He knew what man had done with worship, which
was not exactly what the creator had intended.
God's intention had always been that worship would be a heart issue, but
man had made it a list of rules, dos and don'ts. Who could truly love that way? He knew what was expected of the truly pious
by the religious! Yet, he turns the
question back on the observer. "Why
should my disciples be sad while the bridegroom is with them?"
"Bridegroom? What
Bridegroom? Jesus, are you betrothed? To whom?" No one would understand what He was referring
to here. The Church, Jesus’ bride, had
not yet been born. He would leave, and
she would be created. For Him, she would
bring about a new way. She would be sad
while awaiting His return to her, yet, within her, a new form of worship would
be created. This form of worship could
not be poured into the old forms of religion with its rules and regulations. It would be led by the Holy Spirit. It would be freeing. If you simply tried to attach it to the old
ways, both would end up being ruined. If
you tried to hold it in old containers, it would burst the old and spill the
new.
In Christ, we are made a new creation that can contain the
new way. Through the Holy Spirit, a way
of worship will come. This worship will
be led by God's Spirit, and His truth, which is what God desires for all of us.
If you are in Christ, you are part of that new creation. Put away the old ways. They cannot contain the new. The old traditions are no longer enough. The new has come. Seek His way and rejoice, for the bridegroom
is with you.
Hymn: "The Church's One Foundation"
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