This question recently came into my world and would appreciate any feedback you may
have? This is an excerpt from a sermon by MacArthurTrue Worship, Part 3
John 4:20-24 January 10, 1982.
Now I thought about it this week, as to how I could illustrate to you unacceptable worship. And there are many illustrations that I could use but I ... I chose this one because I think it's important to the issue today.
In 1717 there was a group that began, for all intents and purposes, known as the Masonic Lodge, or the Masons. While they do not wish to be known as a religion they are, in fact, by definition clearly a religion. And they are, I think, a classic illustration of unacceptable worship.
The Iowa Quarterly Bulletin, way back in April of 1917, says this (and this is their own publication), quote: "Masonry is a Divinely appointed institution, designed to draw men nearer to God, to give them a clearer conception of their proper relationship to God as their Heavenly Father, to men as their brethren and the ultimate destiny of the human soul," end quote.
Now that is a religion. Anything that says it's a divinely appointed institution, designed to draw men nearer to God, to give them a clear conception of their proper relationship to God, to men and the ultimate destiny of their human soul—that's a religion. Masonry is a religion even though they don't want to admit it.
Now, do they worship God? They say they do. They say they worship God, they say they worship the true God in the true form, in the true manner, and with a true attitude.
Albert Pike, who has been called by fellow Masons one of the most distinguished Masons the Western World has ever produced, has written one of their very important books called Morals and Dogmas. It's so important that it appears in their edition of the Bible. They have their own Bible known as the Hertel's Bible. And this is what he has written: "Masonry reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews, in Confucius and Zoraster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the Arabian Iconoclast, great teachers of morality, and eminent reformers, if no more, and allows every brother of the Order to assign to each such higher and even Divine Character as his Creed and Truth require. We do not undervalue the importance of any Truth. We utter no word that can be deemed irreverent by anyone of any faith. We do not tell the Moslem that it is only important for him to believe that there is but one God, and wholly unessential whether Mahomet was His prophet. We do not tell the Hebrew that the Messiah whom he expects was born in Bethlehem nearly two thousand years ago; and he is a heretic because he will not so believe. And as little do we tell the sincere Christian that Jesus of Nazareth was but a man like us, or His history but the unreal revival of an older legend. To do either is beyond our jurisdiction. Masonry, of no one age, belongs to all time; of no one religion, it finds its great truths in all. To every Mason, there is a God; One Supreme, Infinite in Goodness, Wisdom, Foresight, Justice, and Benevolence; Creator, Disposer, and Preserver of all things. How, or by what intermediates He creates and acts, and in what way He unfolds and manifests Himself, Masonry leaves to creeds and religions to inquire," end quote.
In other words, they say they believe in God but you can decide who He is, what He wants, and how to get to Him. And then they claim all these secret words and they are told that when they come into Masonry they're not allowed to speak certain words. And if you've known a Mason you may have known the fact that he would not reveal those words but I would like to reveal them this morning.
The most sacred word that is given to the Master Mason when he stands at the...what they call the "five points of fellowship," he stands with the one who is initiating him into the Master's class, stands toe to toe, knee to knee, chest to chest, cheek to cheek, and mouth to ear, and is whispered into his ear, “Mah-Hah-Bone.” And that sacred word is supposed to be the name of God.
In a different order of the Masons they have another word, the Knight's Templar, it is the word "Jah Bul On." And they say it is the Divine Trinity—Jah, from Jehovah; Bul, from Baal; and On, from the name of the Egyptian sun god.
Pike in his Morals and Dogmas further says, "To achieve salvation the Mason must first attain a solid conviction founded upon reason, that he has within himself a spiritual nature, a soul that is not to die when the body is dissolved, but is to continue to exist and advance toward perfection through all the ages of eternity, and to see more and more clearly, as it draws nearer unto God, the light of the Divine Presence," end quote.
That's hocus pocus meaning nothing, frankly. In the Mason's Bible it says: "In the opening of the lodge, the Great Architect of the Universe must be worshipped." That's what they say. The Great Architect of the Universe must be worshipped.
And then Pike says: "At the Masonic altar, the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, and the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God. The chaplain of the Masonic Lodge who prays as the voice of the lodge, does not pray in the name of the Carpenter of Nazareth or the name of Jehovah or the name of Allah. He prays to the Grand Artificer or the Great Architect of the Universe. Under that title men of all faiths may find each other his own deity. Failure to mention any deity by name is not denial but merely the practice of a gracious courtesy, so that each man for whom prayer is offered can hear the name of his own deity in the all inclusive title of Great Architect," end quote.
Well, I think you understand, that's enough…that's enough, frankly, to sicken anyone because that's a Satanic false religion. It says, “Yes, we believe in the true God,” but it reduces Him to a wrong form. It worships Him in a wrong manner and with a wrong heart attitude. It is unacceptable. And there are myriads of such unacceptable kinds of worship. And destiny is determined by that. You may think you're worshipping God, but you're not
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