2. God-Directed Devotions! Psalm 66:3-4

Text: “Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works!  Through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee.  All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy Name.”

Psalm 66:3-4.

Good morning, truly devotional Christian!  Formal ‘religion’ is the furthest thing from your Spiritually regenerate mind/heart.  Praise God it is so!  Your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is first, Bible-based, and because it is Bible-based, you seek to sincerely come into the Holy Presence of the Living Lord God, the Creator of all things, in Christ Jesus, and in genuine God-directed devotional praise.  Thanks be to the Lord for truly devotional Christians!

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”  (John 4:23-24)

So much that is being passed off for ‘worship and praise’ in churches today, is nothing short of humanistic ‘religion’.  Too many are chosen to serve God in the services, not because of Spiritual lives of devotion to the Lord, or Spiritual gifting from the Lord given to enable worthy service – but because they can play a guitar, or beat upon a drum; or sing like a pop-star on the church dais.  This in not ‘God-Directed Devotions’, but merely a form of humanistic religion, as the performers can see it merely as ‘just another gig’.  So sad.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come…Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”  (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

True worship, on the other hand, must be inspired by a heart that is in full fellowship with it’s Lord God; a heart that has acknowledged its sins and sought continued sanctification by confession to God and forsaking of such daily sins.  Our offerings of worship and praise cannot be brought to God’s throne of grace, by hearts that are polluted by unconfessed, and unforsaken sin.  Our God is a righteous and Holy Lord God Who cannot even look upon sin without punishing it by His judgement.

“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest Thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest Thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous that he.”  (Habakkuk 1:13)

Without true regeneration in Christ Jesus; without being ‘born again’ of His Spirit – it is totally impossible to offer up genuine worship and praise unto the Lord God Almighty. “Ye must be born again.”  (John 3:3-8)

For such genuine worship and God-directed devotions, our Living Lord God is looking to us, ‘His people’.  If we are going to do this properly, then it must be from sincere, Spiritually regenerate hearts.

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”  (John 4:23-24)

Verse 3.  “Say unto God.  Devotion, unless it be resolutely directed to the Lord, is no better than whistling to the wind.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 283)

Verse 3.  “How terrible art Thou in Thy works!”  Too many professing Christ today, in this increasingly apostate 21^st Century church, seem to have no notion of the ‘terrible’ power of the Lord God Jehovah.  It is as though they have a vision of God as some old man with a beard, Who is just so glad to receive any attention from sinful mankind that He will accept just any service or musical offering, and be grateful to have it performed for Him!  What nonsense!

The Lord God Jehovah is an Almighty Creator Lord, the God of Holiness, Whose righteousness can consume the very rocks of the earth! 

“Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire.”  (Hebrews 12:28-29)

“For (a conclusion) if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries…It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.”  (Hebrews 10:26-31)

Verse 3. “Through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee.  Power brings a man to his knees, but love alone wins his heart.  Pharaoh said he would let Israel go, but he lied unto God; he submitted in word but not in deed.  Tens of thousands, both in earth and Hell, are rendering this constrained homage to the Almighty; they only submit because they cannot do otherwise; it is not their loyalty, but His power which keeps them subjects of His boundless dominion.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 283)

The Lord God’s power, when clearly seen and contemplated, will scare the life out of any gross sinner such as you and I. However, it can have no comparison to the sheer and true awesomeness of Divine love – once felt and revealed in one’s heart through the Gospel of Christ and Him Crucified for us, the human heart melts with devotion; the human tongue cannot but shout for sheer and untrammelled joy; the regenerate soul is lifted in a full anthem of heartfelt worship.

This is true God-directed devotion; this is heart-worship; this is the praise the Living Lord God requires from hearts that He, by His Spirit, has redeemed by Christ’s sinless Blood.  You and I should always remember this standard of devotional worship and praise, and seek to sanctify ourselves continually that we might be enabled to offer it to the One true God.

“Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.  Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed (blessed with all blessings) be Thou, Lord God of Israel our Father, for ever and ever.” (1 Chronicles 29:9-10)

David’s God-Directed Devotion: “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all…Now, therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious Name.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-13) 

Thought:  Let’s begin to worship the Lord God in Spirit, and in His truth today.