Power & Purpose of Praise & Worship: Return to HIS Original Purpose!!

Psalm 8


We are walking in today:  Power & Purpose of Praise &  Worship: Return to HIS Original Purpose!!

Witness likeness throughout the Bible:  H1823 dĕmuwth--likeness, similitude, resemblance; model, shape; manner

Gen 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: H1823 and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.


The Torah testifies...............
 Gen 5:1
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness H1823 of God made he him;


The prophets proclaim..................
 Isa 40:18
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness H1823 will ye compare unto him?


The writings bear witness...........................

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Gen 5:3
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, H1823 after his image; and called his name Seth:




“The Most High came near. I know He was right there with me.” What wonderful words! What a glorious experience! Sadly, such experiences come all too infrequently to most of us. Yet life without The Most High’s presence was not His original plan for us. He designed us to know Him, living in close, intimate fellowship with Him. That’s why life is so difficult and unfulfilling for so many people. We are living without the one thing that is essential for our fulfillment and well-being. We are living without the continuous, enduring presence of The Most High.


Whenever you live without a vital, ongoing relationship with The Most High, you have no hope of finding true happiness or of fulfilling the purpose for which you were born. You simply cannot function properly and effectively outside the environment of The Most High’s presence.

The purpose of this teaching, is to show you the conditions under which The Most High’s presence draws near to us. For you see, The Most High’s presence is conditional. He doesn’t come simply because we want Him to. He comes when the conditions are right. Only as we learn to establish and maintain the conditions that He has ordained for His coming, can we hope to know the joy of living in His presence on a daily, moment-by-moment basis.

So read and study this teaching until the principles and truths taught here become a natural part of your thinking. Allow them to equip and inspire you to create the conditions in your life that will welcome the presence of the Yeshua Ha Maschiach and of His Holy Spirit. Then you will grow and flourish, finding the joy and fulfillment that only life in the presence of Almighty God can bring.

THE MOST HIGH’S ORIGINAL PLAN FOR MANKIND
The Most High’s greatest desire as revealed in the Scriptures is for a family.

In the beginning The Most High created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). Land and seas, plants and animals, birds and sea creatures all came forth at His spoken word.


Then The Most High said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So The Most High created man in His own image, in the image of The Most High He created him; male and female He created them. The Most High blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:26-28).

This crowning act of creation was a result of The Most High’s desire to have a family. He wanted someone to be His friend and to live with Him as a son. The Most High’s original plan was that man would share in His authority and rule, not serve Him as a servant. This is why Yeshua HaMaschiach is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16b), not the King of subjects. The Most High was interested in a completely different kind of relationship than we normally think of when we talk about a king. He wanted sons who would not only be led by the King but who would also exercise the King’s authority and rule on earth.

This relationship between The Most High and man is of paramount importance to The Most High. Creation shows this to be true. The first thing The Most High gave man was His image and likeness, because that was the first thing The Most High wanted man to have. The second thing The Most High did was to place man in His presence, which is the meaning in the Hebrew language of the word Eden. Therefore, The Most High’s greatest desire was that man would act like Him and live with Him.


THE MOST HIGH WANTED MAN TO HAVE HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS AND TO LIVE IN HIS PRESENCE.

The word image means “resemblance” (Strong’s, H6754) or “exact likeness” (Webster’s, “image”). Therefore, to be made in The Most High’s image means that man resembles The Most High and is an exact likeness of Him. He has The Most High’s true nature and His spiritual and moral character. In the Scriptures, the word Eden refers to a place of The Most High’s presence (see Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 28:13). So The Most High gave man His nature and then put Him in His presence. These were The Most High’s priorities.

The Most High did not establish reverent patterns, pious traditions, or religious activities in the Garden of Eden. There was simply a relationship between The Most High and man. Establishing and maintaining this relationship continues to be The Most High’s primary concern. He is much more concerned about our fellowship with Him than about our works, our activities, our traditions, and even our busyness. The Most High wants relationship—that’s the bottom line—and everything The Most High established for man was built on this desire for fellowship.

Thus, The Most High created man for a specific purpose: to have dominion over all the earth; with an image different from that of all other parts of His creation: His own spiritual and moral nature; and with the ability to function like He does: seeing things that are not yet visible (faith). The Scriptures clearly show this intent of The Most High that man would be more like Him than the rest of creation, and that he would think and act like The Most High.

What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet (Psalm 8:4-6; see also Hebrews 2:6-8).

Truly, the creation of man was The Most High’s greatest production, and He described the man He had made as being “very good” (see Gen. 1:31). Sadly, what The Most High intended for man and man’s current experience are quite different. This difference is a result of man’s choice to disregard the principles that are an inherent part of The Most High’s creation.

The Most High Is a The Most High of Principles

Man’s ability to fulfill his purpose and to be all The Most High intended him to be is predicated on the requirement that he obey the principles The Most High established when He created human beings. Why is this true? The Most High is a The Most High of principles. Everything He created was established to operate by certain principles that guarantee its proper function. This pattern in creation includes human beings. We were created to operate by principles that The Most High established before He created us.

These principles or rules of operation for human beings are found throughout the Bible, although they are not always referred to as principles. They may also be referred to as The Most High’s laws, ordinances, precepts, statutes, commands, commandments, decrees, instructions, word, and ways. Although the meaning of each of these words carries a slightly different nuance from the others, they all carry within them the basic concept of a principle, which is a law that is established to preserve and protect a created thing and to assure its maximum performance. So each time these words occur in Scripture, the particular word used may be removed and the word principle may be inserted in its place. These varying words for The Most High’s principles can be clearly seen in Psalms 19 and 119:
The law [principles] of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes [principles] of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts [principles] of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands [principles] of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances [principles] of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is Your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11).

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law [principles] of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep His statutes [principles] and seek Him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in His ways [principles]. You have laid down precepts [principles] that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying Your decrees [principles]! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all Your commands [principles]. I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws [principles]. I will obey Your decrees [principles]; do not utterly forsake me. How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word [principles]. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands [principles]. I have hidden Your word [principles] in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, O Lord; teach me Your decrees [principles]. With my lips I recount all the laws [principles] that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes [principles] as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts [principles] and consider Your ways [principles]. I delight in Your decrees [principles]; I will not neglect Your word [principles]. Do good to Your servant, and I will live; I will obey Your word [principles]. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law [principles] (Psalm 119:1-18).

Characteristics of Principles

Since a satisfying relationship with The Most High, each other, and the rest of The Most High’s creation is predicated on our obeying His principles in creation, let’s look now at some of the characteristics or properties of principles. Understanding these properties can help us to understand how principles function in our life.

Principles are permanent. When The Most High created human beings, He created them to breathe oxygen. Although many years have passed since The Most High first formed man from the dust of the earth, and man has found many ways to “better” his life experience, man still needs oxygen to survive. In essence, any environment where oxygen is absent is deadly to man.

Principles never change; they remain constant. In the English system of measurement, a yard has been determined to equal 36 inches. Now, you may create a stick that measures 35 inches long and call it a “yardstick,” but this in no way changes the principle that a yard is a unit of measurement equal in length to the sum of 36 inches. In essence, a stick 35 inches in length is not equal to a yard no matter what you call it, because a yard, by the principle of its definition, contains 36 inches. In a similar manner, modifications by our society to The Most High’s standards of conduct do not change The Most High’s law. The Most High’s law is constant, even as He is constant (see Num. 23:19).


Principles work anywhere. One of the laws of nature is that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degrees Celsius). It doesn’t matter whether you freeze water at the north pole or at the equator, water cooled to 32 degrees F (assuming the water is not contaminated with other substances that skew the water’s freezing point) will turn to ice. In the same manner, we can expect that The Most High’s laws apply to us no matter where or when we live. His principles are applicable in all times, cultures, and geographic locations.

Principles protect the product. This characteristic of principles can be illustrated by the care labels that many clothing manufacturers sew into their garments at the collar or a side seam. These specifications by the manufacturer regarding the garment’s care may include requirements concerning water temperature for washing, line drying versus the use of a clothes dryer, and washing in water versus dry cleaning. The manufacturer provides these instructions to protect the clothing from possible harm that could result in shrinkage of the fabric, color loss, premature breakdown of the fibers, or other damage. The Most High’s laws are also intended to protect us from harm. Although they may at times appear to limit our choices, these limitations are always given by The Most High to protect our freedom and well-being.


Principles can never be broken. The laws of gravity state that the mass of the earth, the moon, or another planet will exert a certain pull on objects at or near its surface. This pull will draw the objects toward it. With the invention of airplanes, helicopters, and other modes of air transportation, one might say that the laws of gravity have been broken. Such a statement can never be true because a principle of creation cannot be broken. What can happen is that man devises various means to combat or redirect the forces of gravity. Then, although the principle of gravity is not evident in a particular event or circumstance, the principle itself—that is, the rule that objects at or near the earth’s surface are pulled toward the earth if they are not in some manner prevented from doing so—still holds true.






Principles, when violated, produce destruction. What seems right to you for the use of a product is not necessarily in agreement with what the manufacturer of a product intended. For example, when you buy an iron, the box it comes in contains a little booklet that lists the commandments or laws of the manufacturer concerning its function. These are often called the operating instructions. They tell you how to use the iron so you get the maximum performance from it.


Now you could take that iron, plug it into the wall, and put it into the bathtub with you to heat up the water. Since an iron is supposed to get hot, that way may seem right to you: “The iron is hot and the water is cold, so I’ll just put the iron into the water to make it warm.” Guess what? There’s a way that seems right unto man, but the end of it is a shocking experience! Both you and the iron will suffer damage because of your choice to violate the iron’s operating instructions (principles).


Principles contain inherent judgment. This last characteristic of principles is particularly important. For example, the principle of fire is heat. When you put your hand in fire, you can expect to get burned because fire produces heat. In other words, you don’t get burned because The Most High burns you or the devil burns you. You get burned because heat is a principle of fire. In essence, the judgment—the burn—is inherent in the principle.

Thus, much of what we call “acts of The Most High” are simply judgments that are inherent in The Most High’s principles of creation. For example, The Most High has killed no man. Rather, “the wages [natural result] of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23a). When you play around with sin and start flirting with things you shouldn’t be doing, you don’t have to worry whether someone will find you out, because your own activities will tell on you. Why is this true? Sin contains an inherent judgment. When you violate The Most High’s principle, the principle itself contains your discipline or punishment.

The Most High’s Use of Principles

The verses previously quoted from Psalms 19 and 119 also clearly reveal the necessity of understanding and obeying The Most High’s principles of creation. This is true because only the manufacturer of a product knows what factors are necessary to obtain the maximum operation of the product. In essence, you can’t use a product according to your own ideas and expect it to fulfill what the manufacturer promised it could and would do. If you want a product to work, doing all that the manufacturer said it would do, you have to obey the principles (laws, commandments, instructions, etc.) of the one who designed and made the product.

The Most High’s demands of us are always based on His principles, because He knows we cannot fulfill our purpose and enjoy fulfillment in life unless we operate within the parameters (principles) He has set for us. The effects of His laws cannot be avoided because they are inherent to the law. Therefore, our relationship with The Most High, both our perception of Him and His response to us, is based on how we respond to the principles He has established throughout creation. He is not capricious in His responses to us, but rather is “faithful and just” (see Ps. 111:7 and 1 John 1:9).

We may prefer lawlessness, which is the freedom to do whatever we want to do, but our very creation by The Most High, our Manufacturer and Source, requires that we follow His principles. Should we choose lawlessness—doing what we want, when we want, how we want—we can expect to reap the inevitable results, which include slavery, death, and the loss of privileges or freedom. This is precisely what happened to the man and the woman in the Garden of Eden.

Disregard for The Most High’s Principles Carries Consequences

When The Most High placed the man in Eden, He gave him some instructions that were to govern his life in the garden. One of these instructions concerned what he could and could not eat.

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

Please note that this command contains an inherent judgment. Death is the proscribed consequence for disobeying this principle. Thus, The Most High’s pronouncement to the man in Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return,” is nothing more than the logical consequence of man’s choice to disobey The Most High.

This physical death that will inevitably claim every person, whether in infancy or in old age, is not, however, the only death man suffered because of his disobedience. The more serious consequence of man’s disregard for The Most High’s principles for life in the garden was his loss of the Holy Spirit and his subsequent separation from The Most High. This spiritual death, as it may be called, is at the root of all the ills that plague us as individuals and as a society. In truth, man cannot and will not live up to the potential and purpose The Most High built into him until the love and intimacy The Most High and man enjoyed in the garden is restored. Because life in the presence of The Most High is man’s ideal environment, The Most High’s presence is also his greatest need. Man cannot truly live until the relationship between The Most High and man is restored.

PRINCIPLES

1. The Most High created man to share His image and authority.

2. The Most High is more interested in relationship than in rules and traditions.

3. Everything The Most High created is governed by principles.

4. Fulfillment of purpose requires obeying The Most High’s principles.

5 Principles contain these inherent characteristics:

Principles are permanent.

Principles never change.

Principles work anywhere.

Principles protect the product.

Principles can never be broken.

Principles, when violated, produce destruction. 

Principles contain inherent judgment.

6. The Most High’s Word contains the principles that govern men and women.

7. Disobeying The Most High’s commandments brings natural and spiritual consequences.

Shema selah for those who have thrown out the law, His principles and statues do not have the proper way to worship the Most High! Put down those inherited lies!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjl3ogBNgDM