"So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the
Worship is a sacrifice beloved and we are the temple now. Think about that in relation to these verses. Please note that from these verses we can be assured that God does not care if you think you are right! The verse reads that if you realize that someone else has something against you not the other way around! Your intent is simply not relevant to God. The only thing that is relevant to Him is that their not be division within the body. That we do not perpetuate the work of the enemy by contributing to that division. I know it is hard beloved, especially if the other person is truly wrong, or the offending party. It takes a tremendous amount of grace and mercy to be able to reconcile and forgive not merely with words but from the overflow of the heart. That grace and mercy we simply do not possess. We can only achieve it through Christ. As He forgave us to reconcile our souls to God, so we are called upon to extend grace and mercy to those who simply may not deserve it. Then we can go to the altar, cry out to God and expect that our sacrifice will be acceptable. Then we will be worshipping within the Spirit God has given us and in the truth that directs our lives.
But the time is coming--indeed it's here now--when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4: 23-24 (NLT)
The altar is a sacred place. The act of sacrifice is a sacred act. It is not the place for lengthy shows of emotionalism but for sincere communion with God. But to do so, it must be in a spirit that is of God. We must worship out of a pure heart. A heart that is not bitter or angry. A heart that is not holding anything against someone no matter how grievous the offense may have been. The act of raising ones hands in worship is a sign of surrender beloved. But God doesn't want our hands surrendered; He wants our hearts surrendered. He wants us broken before Him:
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Psalm 51: 17 (NLT)
Out of a repentant heart an overflow of the goodness and mercy of God will burst forth. We will speak the grace and mercy of God instead of the arrogance of man. We will seek to build the body and not tear it down. We will be concerned with the commands of God not the rules of man.
That bring us to the last question from the key verse - how is our relationship with God today? The Pharisees had made their own rules and claimed them to be from God! Too often Christians today can claim God is in any poor decision they make. The truth is that God does not desire religion. He wants relationship. In religion we can get lost in the rules of man. In relationship we learn the heart of God. We replace our own selfish motives and faux self-righteousness with the garment of humility before an awesome and holy God. This is how religion is discussed in the Book of James:
If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1: 26-27 (NLT)
