Hello friend; I’m Mack Lyon. The program’s “In Search of the Lord’s Way.” Many people attend church and participate in what they call “worship.” But do they understand what they’re doing, and Who it is they’re worshiping? This is Phil Sanders’ second sermon in this series this month. It’s titled, “The Nature of Worship.” Oh say! You’re going to want to stay tuned for this one.
Thank you, Mack. Hello, I’m Phil Sanders and we’re here to search God’s Word for the Lord’s Way. The Bible always teaches us the truth, and that’s why we go to it again and again. Thanks for spending this time with us, and we love to hear that you’re watching or listening. We want to be a part of your life each week.
When churches assemble to worship God, you remember that God is very much present with His people. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 18 and verse 20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Now, ask yourself this question: What do you think about being in the presence of God? What if right now, you found yourself in the very presence of God? Perhaps it’s frightening. You remember John fell at the Lord’s feet “as though dead” (Revelation 1, verse 17). Perhaps it’s exciting. Perhaps it alarms your conscience to be in God’s presence. You may be thinking like Isaiah of the sins in your life and realize that God knows all about them. Perhaps God’s presence is comforting to you, or reassuring to you in the midst of your storms. Perhaps being with God makes you want to say “thank you.”
Worship is a spiritual matter; and true worship exhibits a sense of awe and reverence in the presence of the Divine. The word “worship” (in Greek proskuneo) means “throwing oneself on the ground to show respect and awe.” Many Christians today have little sense of the difference between what’s holy and what’s common. God has always expected to be treated as holy in worship.
Some people think God ought to be happy and thankful that He received any worship from us at all. People who act like that forget the grandeur and the majesty of our great God who created us. God isn’t obligated to us; we are completely dependent on Him for life, for salvation, and for our future.
We offer the information on this program free; and we’re especially offering this little booklet of our programs all month on worship. If you’d like a printed copy, a CD or tape of our study, mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or by e-mail that’s searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, if you like, call our toll-free telephone number. We’ll pay for the call. That number is 1-800-321-8633. We also stream this program on our website at www.searchtv.org.
Ken Helterbrand will lead the Edmond church in song, and then we’ll read from the Bible, from Psalm 103, verses 1 to 5.
Our reading from God’s Holy Word today comes from Psalm 103, verses 1 through 5. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Oh, how wonderful it is to read from God’s Word. Let’s pray together. Heavenly Father, we are grateful to be Your children, and we hallow Your great and precious name, and we are so thankful for the honor of being able to know You as our Father. And Father, as we think of worshiping You, help us to humble ourselves and to exalt You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
We must take the holiness of God seriously. To be holy means that one is separate from others. To be holy means to be set apart for a special and a higher purpose. Something that is holy is special in that it has no contamination. We must never treat what is holy as if it were something that was common. God is not just holy; He is utterly holy. He is worthy of reverence, of awe, and adoration. For instance, the Lord’s name is so holy that one must never take it in vain.
Holiness is the absence of evil and the presence of righteousness. God’s holiness means that He is absolutely pure in being and in nature. He also is completely pure and righteous in His will and in His acts. Holiness, on the one hand, implies entire freedom from moral evil; and, upon the other, absolute moral perfection. The God of the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament is utterly holy—He sets the standard for morality. And unlike the Roman gods, He is not warlike, or adulterous, or spiteful. Unlike the gods of the pagan cults popular in the first century, He is not bloodthirsty or promiscuous. He is the one and only God of mercy and justice who cares personally for each of his followers.
The Bible says in 1 John 1, verse 5 that, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” There’s nothing impure or common about God. Habakkuk 1:13 says about God that, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.” Our God, whom we worship and serve, is holy. He is sacred, not common; He is pure and clean; and we can never treat Him as if he were human, or weak, or flawed. He is holy and perfect, far above us!
Isaiah describes what it’s like to come into the presence of a holy and awesome God in the book of Isaiah chapter 6, verses 1 to 5. The Bible says, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one called out to another saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
How we approach God in worship matters greatly. We should not presume that God will accept whatever we have to offer. God has always distinguished between what He desires and what man dreams up. And just because someone calls something an act of worship doesn’t mean that God accepts it. What men think is worship may not be what God regards as worship.
To worship God acceptably we must ask God what He requires for worship. True worship always thinks of pleasing the One Whom we worship, and only God can determine what acceptable worship is. After all, He is God and He is the One that we’re worshiping. Shouldn’t He have a say in how to worship?
The Bible says in Leviticus chapter 10, verses 1 to 3: “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, (that is that held incense) and after putting fire in them, they placed incense on it and offered strange (or unauthorized) fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, It is what the Lord spoke, saying, By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.” This event in the Scriptures is there, so that we might learn from it.
Now, Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron, the high priest. They were nephews of Moses. For several days before this incident they had participated in their own consecration and the consecration of the tabernacle with many sacrifices. Leviticus chapters eight and nine tell of this beginning of Israel’s worship in the tabernacle. And ten times Moses had given them instructions, telling them what the Lord commanded them to do. And they did just as the Lord commanded until they decided to act on their own authority. Carelessness did not excuse Nadab and Ahibu; hearts wanting to praise the Lord didn’t excuse them from going beyond the authorized commands. You see, they acted on their own authority and they paid a dear price.
They presumptuously took their firepans and placed incense in them. Then they went to an unauthorized place to get “strange” fire for their incense. They offered up something different than what God instructed. They offered it spontaneously in response to the glory of the Lord coming down. Well, the Lord didn’t command them to do this and didn’t give them permission to use “strange” fire. And so God punished them for acting on their own authority.
God has never accepted worship that ignores what He instructs and He never has accepted what’s invented by man. People are not always interested in what God desires; they think they have something better than what God wants. They think they need to do something to tickle the ears or to draw a crowd.
The Lord Jesus, you remember, in Matthew 15 and in Mark 7 clearly condemned using the traditions of men. The Lord said that when people follow the traditions of men, they transgress the commandments of God. In those days they were taking money that should have been used to support their elderly parents and declaring it “Corban” or devoted to God. And by pronouncing this money Corban, the Pharisees could use this money selfishly in their worship and offering gifts.
Well, in Matthew 15, verses 6 to 9, the Lord said, “So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; and in vain do they worship me, (listen to this) teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
When people act on their own initiative they show that their hearts are not right with God, because they have not listened to Him but to men. Listening to men rather than to God makes our worship vain. Why? Because in listening to the teachings of men, we stop listening to God. We treat God as less than men. We haven’t given Him the holy place in our hearts that He deserves.
In Colossians chapter 2, verses 20 to 23 the Bible says, “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch! (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) — (and they are) in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? (Why are you doing that?). These are matters (he says) which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion or will worship and in self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but (he says they) are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
“Self-made” religion or will worship is when people act on their own authority and do not regard what God teaches. God doesn’t permit “self-made” religion, because it does not show Him the reverence that He deserves. Now, they may appear to have value to people, but they have no value to God. People may enjoy what they call worship; they may think it draws a great crowd; but forms of worship that ignores God’s teaching and originates in the mind of men violate God’s will. True worship to God always comes from listening to the teaching of God.
The churches in the New Testament did not have choirs or special music. You see, they all sang from their hearts as a congregation. To worship means “to adore or pay divine honors to a deity; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration.” They didn’t fall prey to the notion that worship was for them. Worship was how they gave of themselves to God rather than what they received from others. They didn’t think of themselves as an audience or spectators. They came to worship, not to see a performance.
God wants all His people to worship Him and to praise His name. He seeks for true worshipers. True worshipers worship Him in spirit and in truth. The New Testament has no special class of worshipers such as the Levites under the old covenant. According to 1 Peter 2 and verse 5 all Christians are members of a holy priesthood and their place is “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Early churches did not have theatrical performances, light shows, or bands. They didn’t hire professional musicians to perform for them. There’s a difference between worship that comes from the hearts and lips of everyone in the pews and a performance that comes from professionals on the stage. The Bible says in Hebrews 13, verse 15, “Through Him (that is through Jesus) then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” God doesn’t choose the talented and then exclude everyone else.
To worship is to revere God; but to entertain means “to engage the attention with anything that causes the time to pass pleasantly; or to amuse.” Entertainment may be interesting, it may be fun, it may be diverting, it may be amusing; it may be a wonderful show or performance. Now, entertainment in and of itself is not sinful. But God never intended for a form of entertainment or a performance to replace the worship of the church. The purpose of worship is to glorify God, and in many places what some call worship focuses not on God but on the performer or performers.
Some assemblies at churches today contain very little worship of God and a great deal of show. Performers become religious “stars.” We now have an entire entertainment industry devoted to Christian praise music. Why have Christians made an enterprise out of worship? Why have we focused on the talent of the performer, glorifying people rather than glorifying God?
Worship is an expression of reverence and adoration toward God. Worship is our response to a gracious and holy God, and it needs to be placed in this context if it’s to be properly understood. It’s right to remind ourselves in church that we’re not the audience. God is! He is there to receive our praise and adoration. And we’ve met there to honor Him, and our task is to “please Him.” And this is why we can never cheapen our worship by turning it into entertainment. We must glorify God and Him alone.
Some folks don’t find any value in worship; they prefer something more exciting or appealing. They think worship is supposed to be for their benefit; and they come to worship to “get” rather than to “give.” Well, there are certainly many things in church that bless our lives; but we get out of worship what we put into it. One man endures worship and leaves bored and empty, while another leaves blessed and refreshed by the experience.
Why? Well, the man who leaves empty has his mind on himself, while the man who leaves blessed has concentrated on God. He’s taken time to count his blessings, to remember the cross, to meditate on what God has done, and to be thankful. He can see the value of singing songs of praise, and he values speaking to God in prayer. He grows spiritually by remembering Christ in the Lord’s Supper. And he cheerfully gives of his means! He loves to hear God’s counsel in the Word, because he loves God; and love makes the difference. Worship is declaring our love, our praise, our adoration, our thanksgiving, and our commitment to our gracious God in heaven. Let’s pray together. O Father, may our hearts be filled with love and may we humble ourselves always as we praise and adore Your name for all the good things that You have done for us. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen!
Before we worship, let’s prepare our hearts and spirits to praise God and glorify our God. Let’s enter worship with praise and thanksgiving. And in worship let’s devote ourselves to God with loving hearts. When we leave worship, let’s show Him that we love Him by living holy lives. The Bible says in Hebrews 12, verses 28 to 29, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
God seeks people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. God is seeking for you to make your heart right with Him. We truly worship when we revere the right Person, doing the right thing with the right heart. Does the worship where you go to church please God? Is that worship according to the teaching of Scripture or does it involve the traditions of men?
Is your heart right with God? To get your heart right, you must approach God in faith and love. You must be willing to obey Him in all things. You must be willing to repent. This is to give up what is sinful and human and to embrace what is Divine and what is true to God’s will. With your faith, and love, and repentance, you must be willing to confess Christ as the Son of God and to be baptized. Baptism is the time when the blood of Jesus Christ washes away your sins according to Acts 22 and verse 16.
When you are baptized, the Lord causes you to be born again into the family of God. He forgives you, adds you to His church, and gives you eternal life. Such blessing ought to make you want to worship and praise Him all the days of your life. Please attend worship at one of the churches of Christ in the area served by this station. They strive to worship according to the teaching of God. They focus on worship not on performing, and they want everyone to participate. And so they would love for you to worship with them in spirit and in truth.
We hope that you’ve been blessed today, by today’s study of God’s Word. Now if you want one of these little booklets “Worship” that details all of the things that are appearing in our program all month long write to us. Write to us In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Or e-mail us at searchtv@searchtv.org.
Or, you can call the Search office toll-free: 1-800-321-8633. Now, our programs also appear on our website: www.searchtv.org. Now, you can access our programs; download them in a printed or audio form. Or ask for this free book. We want to send it to you. We don’t charge anything. We don’t charge anything for our programs because we love people and we want them to have it free.
Now, we hope that you will continue to study with us God’s Word. Mack and I will be back next week, Lord willing. So keep searching God’s Word and tell a friend about the program. God bless you and we love you from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way.
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