Ecclesiastes has taught us that God has placed eternity in our hearts. This means we will always have a deep longing for God. Now, in chapter 5, Qoheleth gives us some instruction on the ways we should go about approaching God to worship Him. Join Pastor Jim as he unpacks this short passage, shows us how it connects to New Testament teaching and ultimately, finds its completion in the Gospel of grace through Jesus Christ.
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
Matthew 5:23
“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
1 Corinthians 11:27-28
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Mt. 11:15; 13:9 & 43
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Romans 10:17
“God never ceases to speak to us, but the noise of the world without and the tumult of our passions within bewilder us and prevent us from listening to him.”
Francois Fenelon, born this day in 1651!
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”
Matthew 6:7
“Many words and hasty ones, used in prayer, show folly in the heart, low thoughts of God, and careless thoughts of our own souls.”
Matthew Henry
“I surrender all.”
“I have decided to follow Jesus. Though none go with me, still I will follow.”
“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
“Thou, and Thou only, first in my heart”
“I will follow you all of my days.”
“In Christ alone, my hope is found.”
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”
Acts 9:31
“The modern church is missing a good, healthy fear of God. Fear is only part of a relationship with God, and I am not proposing that we forget the love of God. However fear seems to be the part that we most easily forget, and maybe that is why Scripture mentions it so often.”
Dr. Dan Zink
“We come before God in humility, recognizing his majesty and his right to our lives. We seek his guidance and listen to his words.”
J. Stafford Wright
“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose. And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable.”
William Temple
“What good is our busy religion if we have lost majesty, reverence, worship–an awareness of the divine?”
A. W. Tozer
