If we could approach the Supper with this desire to give to the Lord what will please His heart, we would make sure that we had something. It need not be much. A brother, not accustomed to public speaking, stood up at the Lord’s Supper one morning and simply said “O God, we just want to tell Thee how much we appreciate Thy Son.” He broke down in tears and sat down. The whole assembly responded to such an honest outpouring of the heart.
The word translated “worship” in the New Testament means literally “to kiss towards.” It bespeaks an attitude of love, of obedience, of allegiance, of adoration. Worship (from worth-ship) is the response of the spirit in appreciation of the worthiness of the object.
Worship is beautifully pictured for us in Leviticus 16. on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest was to enter the holiest of all, he was to take his hands full of the sweet incense beaten small into the Holy of Holies, place it upon the burning coals of the censer that the cloud might fill the place. Without that, no further service was to take place. The sweet incense speaks of the fragrance of the Person of Christ. This is to be presented to the Father as we enter in as holy priests.
We see the Lord Jesus do this in Luke 24. He joins the two on the way to Emmaus. He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself That is the sweet incense beaten small. He placed it on the burning hearts of those two, and at the end of the chapter they worshiped. Nothing will produce a worshipful spirit like a sight of the Lord before the eyes of the heart, “loving, giving, bleeding, dying.” That is why some feel strongly that ministry at the Lord’s Supper should be in the character of that meeting and fulfill the purpose of it. It must direct the hearts of the people to Christ. It is not a case of legislating the kind of ministry, but having an intelligent view of why we are there.
The enemy of souls, the antagonist of Christ, seeks by any means to rob Him of worship. He does this, not by open opposition but by subtle diversion.
Peter, on the mount was thus diverted. He said, IT … good for US, the experience was good for him. But the Father had to remind him that they were not on the mount to be occupied with any subjective experience, but to be occupied with the Lord and His Word. Let all believers be awake to the danger of diversion away from Christ and from that great sacrifice and all its glorious implications.