“…we will follow the steps of Jesus, wherever they go…”1
Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
Psalm 15:1 (NLT)
As the Psalm opens, King David expresses how the people of Israel should worship in the Lord’s Presence. Some Bible scholars believe that David wrote this Psalm when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem.
Here is a link to help you understand how important it was for the people to treat God’s Presence with great awe and reverence. gotquestions.org/thearkofthecovenant
Our devotion to God should reveal total awe, humility and honor for Who He is. Our words, deeds and motives should only ever be inspired by a deep sense of gratitude and love, and that can only come from the Spirit inside you.
Although our redemption is secure, we still must deal with our daily sin honestly. We must seek the Spirit’s help when dealing with habitual sin. .
As we live each day we should grow to be more like Jesus.
So, let’s take a look at the Spirit-inspired attributes David wrote about that should be a part of our daily lives, in honor and reverence to our King.
Who may worship the Lord?
Those who-
- lead blameless lives (not sinless but upright)
- do what is right
- speak the truth from sincere hearts
- refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors
- refuse to speak evil of their friends
- despise flagrant sinners (despise their sinful ways)
- honor the faithful followers of the Lord
- keep their promises even when it hurts.
- lend money without charging interest (usury)
- cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent
Such people will stand firm forever.
Psalm 15:5
Go back to the sixth attribute. Does God really mean we should despise someone who is lost?
We should despise their sin because all sin is against God.
Human beings have hatred that is driven by our sin nature. We are arbitrary, vengeful and react controlled by emotion.
But believers can overcome that emotion by the Spirit living in our hearts.
We must follow scripture when dealing with hate for sinners.
We should grieve for the lost and be compelled to share the Gospel.
We should despise all sin, and not tolerate any dishonorable behavior that is against God.
We should seek justice for others, especially persecuted believers and those who can’t fight for themselves.
Realize that every person has a choice. God is not a tyrant. His moral law is not to lost sinners. The Gospel is for everyone. But lost people don’t accept the Word, Jesus.
And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Jude 1:22-23 (NLT)
Believers are often seen as hateful because of their hatred for sin. We should first address our own sins and never judge others. However, we must also be clear about God’s changeless moral law.
The honesty of the Gospel is kind.
Sugar-coating the reality of sin’s cost is to disregard the reality of Hell and separation from God.
Not telling lost people about the wages of sin is what is truly hateful.
Share the Gospel in your world.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
- Sweetly, Lord have We Heard Thee Calling
MBC Slade
Ca. 1871 ↩︎
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 