[Steve Myers] You may have heard the story about the old cowboy, for the very first time-traveled
to the big city to go to church. He comes to a city congregation, first time ever there, visited,
travels back to the ranch, and has to tell all the cowhands about it. So, he starts to tell a
story. He said, "You know, when I got there, I pulled my old truck into the corral." Of course,
one of the cowboys has been to town he said, "Oh, you mean the parking lot?" "Well, I walked down
the trail to the door." The other cowboy says, "You mean the sidewalk?" he
said, "Oh, yeah. Okay, fine." He said, "Well, I got inside the door, and
there was this dude." He said, "Oh, you mean an usher?" "Okay, well, that usher he led me down
the chute." "You mean the aisle?" he said, "Well, he led me right down to a stall and
told me to sit down." He said, "Pew?" "Yes, that's what that fancy lady
said when I sat down next to her." We may use different terms, but
when you talk about going to church, we get an idea what we're talking about. It doesn't matter what we call it, the stall,
the chute, the usher, well, maybe a little bit, but you know what does matter? Worship
matters to God. Worship matters to God. Is it possible that sometimes we go to
church and we don't worship, we sing songs, but we don't worship, we listen to
sermons, and yet, we don't worship, we serve, but we don't worship? Now, those are all elements of worship, but in and
by themselves, they aren't worship. The amazing thing is you can do all of those things,
and yet, have failed to truly worship God. Is it possible that you could be
accused of perfunctory praise, don't you love that word? Perfunctory
praise, what does that mean? Perfunctory, it's an action that takes
place with a minimum amount of effort. It's perfunctory, it's casual. It's
something that's superficial or careless. Maybe half-hearted would be another
synonym, one that's not really attentive, going through the motions. All
of those things are perfunctory. So, is it possible that we're just
going through the motions, we're just playing church in a perfunctory way,
rather than truly worshiping God? Let's think about that for a moment.
What is real worship, true worship? Well, it's got to begin with
the act of acknowledging and praising God, and not just praising God,
but praising God as God, praising Him as our God. It's our loving response of a grateful
people to a powerful, passionate, loving Creator. Worship means I put God dead in focus. He is
the focus of my praise. He is truly the one to be desired. He is the one to be honored. He is the
one that we should focus on. He is the one that we express our appreciation, our adoration. We admire
our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, for who they are, for what they
represent, for what they've done, for what they do, and for what they will do. And so we begin to recognize that worship is
not based on what I like, or what I desire, or what I don't like. It's not based on any
of those things. It's not based on my personal preferences. It's not based on my priority.
It's based on recognizing our Almighty Creator. It's interesting that if you were to page
through the Psalms, everyone has a sense of praise and worship in every one of those
psalms. But as you get to the end of the book, there are five psalms to conclude the book
of Psalms, that all focus on this very issue, how we worship our Heavenly Father. What does
godly praise and worship really look like? When you read through Psalm 146 through Psalm 150,
every one of those psalms begin with "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord." Every one of them. “Praise Him
in the sanctuary, praise Him in the congregation, praise Him at all times." And it goes
through over and over, recognizing the fact that He rules supreme in our life, and it should
be something that's constantly on our minds. Something that we can't help but think of as we
recognize He is omnipotent, He is all-powerful, He is omniscient, He knows everything, the
smallest thing about us, and the greatest. He is all-knowing, and He's everywhere. He is
omnipresent. He knows everything that's going on anywhere. He not only is aware of it, but He is
the one that we worship, as Creator of everything. In fact, He's in charge of it all, from the
tiniest, littlest element to the gigantic, galactic filament that is out in the universe.
Just reading an article about this gigantic, galactic filament. I just didn't make that up.
It's actually something they discovered a couple of years ago, this amazing group of galaxies that
they call the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall. Thinking of the Great Wall of China? This
amazing set of galaxies, imagine this, 10 billion light-years across this wall of
galaxies. Have we got an awesome Creator or what? It's Him that we honor. It's Him that we
bring respect. It's Him that we give awe, and we stand in wonder for all that He deserves. Psalm 33 characterizes this praise and worship
that is due to God by saying this, Psalm 33:8, it says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all
the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." You see, it points to the fact that with a
God like we have, this cannot be something where we worship casually. This is not a
God that will be worshipped carelessly or superficially. We don't have a God that
we come to half-heartedly or routinely. Well, we do this every week, in and out. It's
the same, same, all the all the same. So, we in attentively come and go. No, we stand
in awe of an awesome God, a powerful God, who should be feared for the power that He wields,
for the Creator that He is. Because there will be a day every inhabitant of the earth will stand in
awe. They will either stand in awe and worship, or they will stand in awe and fear the
consequences of their lack of repentance. So, we have an awesome God, and we delight in
the opportunity to praise Him, and worship Him, and extol Him because our God is worthy of praise.
And so we stand and sing, not in a way that we forget to think of the words that we're mouthing,
not in a way that we just do it again because we always do it this way, three songs, a prayer, and
then… No, we're singing about His excellencies, we are extolling Him because of His power, and
His prestige, His purity, His beauty, that we have an amazing God who loves us, and grants us
mercy and care, and His favor, His loving grace. And so we raise our voices. If you could imagine
raising our voice with a chorus of heavenly angels in an amazing celestial choir, can you
imagine what that must sound like to God? We have an amazing God. And from the very
beginning, He's called us to that. He's called us to praise and worship Him. We are to be
a people of worship. In fact, we're told how to worship Him. We're told when to worship
Him. As God worked with His people, Israel, and they came into the Promised Land, He instructed
them of that very thing. If you take a look at Leviticus 23, a familiar section of Scripture.
We know this section of scripture outlines God's feast days, His Holy Days. God's days of
worship are mentioned throughout Leviticus 23. And so as a part of those feast days, in
fact, the first one that's mentioned, God inspires instruction about the Sabbath. In
Leviticus 23, notice verse two. Leviticus 23:2, God says, "Speak to the children of Israel,
and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
these are My feasts." So, we recognize that these aren't Israelite feasts, these aren't
Jewish feasts. These are God's feasts. God says, "This is how you worship on My feast."
He says, "Six days, work should be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy
convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." And
so immediately, as we step back to consider this, do we worship on the Sabbath in a perfunctory
way? It's just casual. It's just careless, it's thoughtless. I just got dressed,
and I showed up, and I came to church. Or is there something more that God expects? He tells us very clearly, this is not just church
services. Sometimes we get that a little confused, well, I'm going to services. While that may be
true, what does that look like, especially to a spiritual people? We're not just Israel, we
are spiritual Israel. So how does this command apply to us as God's spiritual people today?
It's no wonder He calls it a holy convocation. That's a sacred assembly. That is a
powerful service where we come together in a commanded assembly, not just a church
service, but in this commanded assembly, this sacred gathering, this holy convocation.
We come together to collectively worship God. He outlined that right from the very beginning,
and it points to something that comes in addition to worshiping and extolling God. It also
recognizes the fact that we need to worship. God's created us with a need to worship. God
is to be worshipped, and yet we need worship, as well. Now, if you've ever built a campfire,
you know how much we need to be together. Because if a single little
ember gets off there by itself, we know what happens. It starts
to cool, and it fades and dies. But you push those embers together, and you
fan that flame. It creates a furnace effect. And God's people are like that. We are so thankful
for that furnace effect on cold days like today, aren't we? Yeah, when we are together, we
are warmed, and we are filled, and we are encouraged by our faith. We recognize that we
are built together so that even when we are down, God upholds us as we come together. Even if
we're struggling, even if we're challenged, that we can be encouraged as we come
together to worship and praise Him. It's no wonder that the apostle Paul
reiterated this command that God gives, to keep that holy convocation, to recognize that sacred
gathering is something very, very special. The apostle Paul said in Hebrews 10:25, "Do not
forsake the assembling of yourselves together." Don't do it. We're commanded to keep this holy
convocation. Paul recognized that as well. Even though God calls us as individuals,
there's something about being together, placed together in His Body. That function, at
least one of the functions of that Body is to come collectively together for the very purpose of
worship because there're some aspects of worship we just can't accomplish on our own.
We just can't do it by ourselves. And so, collective prayer, collective praise, the instruction of Scripture, congregational
singing, collectively praising and honoring God. These are all parts and parcels of things that
are designed for worship. In order to do this, I think it's fair to ask the question,
what is suitable for God-honoring worship? If we have a God that is an amazing Creator of
all things, what is appropriate as we worship Him? What does that look like? How can
we be assured that it's not just perfunctory? That we're just not exhibiting
perfunctory praise, just a casual come-what-may, whatever happens, casual
approach? Perhaps just playing church. You know, what is it? How does that look? What is
the true nature of worship, and how can I be sure that I'm not just going through the motions?
How can I be sure that when I worship, and when we come together collectively, that
we're not doing it in a way that dishonors God? A couple of things to think about. First, when we think about what is suitable for
honoring God in worship, we should remember His instructions on holiness. The Bible talks a lot
about holiness. Old Testament talks a lot about holiness, New Testament has much to say about what
is holy and what is not. And so that core concept of holiness, you could find it throughout the
pages of the Bible. When you think of holiness, the concept that goes along with that so often
in the Bible is the concept of set-apartness. Being set apart. We are God's people who are set
apart. When we think holiness, you think being set apart, whether it's food, or whether it's days,
or whether it's offerings, or whether it's places, or whether it's God's people themselves. To be holy is to be dedicated to God. There's this
intricate connection between worship and holiness. The apostle Paul encouraged Titus in this. Titus,
a young minister, is being instructed how to take care of God's people, the proper way to come
together and worship, and honor, and extol God. Over in Titus 2:14, he's emphasizing
a couple of things as he instructs Titus, and it's interesting how it connects
with this concept of being set apart, this concept of holiness, and what that
looks like as we come together to worship. He instructs Titus 2:14 recognizing that God is
the one who gets the credit. God is the one we recognize. God is the one who deserves a holy
people. And so in Titus 2:14, I'll read this in the King James. He's talking about Christ
here, "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity." Of course, there's
the opposite of holiness. We have sinfulness, iniquity, lawlessness. So, Christ was given to
us so that we might be forgiven, that we can have a relationship with God, so that we could be
a holy people, that He could forgive us for sin. And he says, then, "To purify unto Himself
a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Now, of course, if you're reading in the New King
James, it says it just a little bit differently. Yes, to redeem us from iniquity, that we
can be forgiven. But it's interesting, it points back to God. It's not just about us. It
says, "To purify unto Himself," to purify for God, a peculiar people, a special people. We're
different. We're not like everybody else in the world. God has called us out of this world, and so
we are peculiar. We're special. We're different. And we're to be different and dedicated to God
because He's purifying us as His special people. When you consider holiness and worship and being
set apart, God designed us for that very purpose, to be special for Him. In fact, Peter exemplified
this as well. 1 Peter 2:9, you're probably familiar with this passage. It connects with that
same concept of being set apart, of being holy. Notice the way that Peter has recorded it for
us in 1 Peter 2:9. 1 Peter 2:9, once again, in the King James, it says, "You are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation." Yeah, that sounds different,
that sounds separate from the iniquity that's out in the world, the
lawlessness that… God has taken us out of that frame of mind as a chosen people,
he says, a royal priesthood. We're called to be a kingdom of priests, kings, and priests in
His Kingdom, in fact, a holy nation. Then he says, "A peculiar people." There's that word again.
New King James, a special people. But not just because we're separate, not just because we're
to be holy. But he says like Titus was told, for Him, to worship, to praise, to bring Him
honor. That we should show for the praises of Him, to worship Him, to honor “Him who has called
you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” You see, we can't separate this concept of
holiness and worship, being called out of this world by God's great mercy and His
love to be His own special people, to be a special people. Some translations say, "For His
own possession." That God owns us. God owns us, and yet so often when it comes to worship,
we don't recognize that. We don't recognize who the real owner of our life is, and so He's
reminding us to be holy is to be set apart, or to be sanctified. That's another word that carries
as much of that same meaning, to be set apart. To be sanctified means that very thing, to
be set apart for a special purpose for God. Of course, when you think of holy, you might
turn it around for a second, and think about what unholiness is. Sometimes we get caught up, maybe
thinking not far enough, maybe not thinking deep enough about that, because oftentimes we'll
say, well, being unholy means being wicked, or being unholy means profane. And that's
true. Certainly, it carries that definition. But you know what's more than that? Being unholy
can also carry the meaning of what is ordinary, of what is common. What's common? What's ordinary? If
you follow that line of thought through the Bible, it makes an interesting study to see
how oftentimes, things that are unholy are connected with ordinary, casual, common.
By considering this fact that God is holy, Titus and Peter are telling us God is holy and
He requires His people to worship in holiness. In fact, He expects everything that we offer
Him to be delineated by that very fact, that very holiness. He expects it, He demonstrates
it in every aspect of our relationship with Him, and so He calls us to this special relationship
to bring Him the honor and glory and praise and adoration that He deserves. That's
what He deserves, and nothing less. And so, holiness has to be where we begin
when we consider what is God-honoring worship? Of course, when we think of that as well, we could
also consider the concept of firstfruits. When we consider what kind of worship brings God honor,
certainly, we've got to consider holiness. We also have to recognize this concept of firstfruits.
Firstfruits are found everywhere throughout the Bible, and yet it doesn't just refer to that
first piece of grain that came out of the field as the crops matured. There's more to it than
that. There's more to it than just being first. In fact, maybe a section back in Numbers describes another way that we could consider this concept
of firstfruits. If you go to Numbers 18:12, Numbers 18:12 has an interesting description as it
ties into firstfruits. Firstfruits, of course, are mentioned a number of times throughout Scripture,
Old Testament, New Testament. The connection between those firstfruits and the spiritual
people of God becomes evident in the New. As we look back at the significance of the Old
Testament, Numbers 18 carries some significant meaning that goes beyond the physical, that
goes beyond just what was given to the priest. Because here in Numbers, the priests
are being instructed on how to worship, how to praise, what to do.
Well, here in Numbers 18:12, God instructs the priests that “All the best
of the oil, all the best of the new wine, and the grain, their firstfruits which they
offer to the Lord, I have given them to you.” Initially, people brought firstfruits to
sacrifice to God, to honor and worship Him. Once they were sacrificed, the priests were able
to eat of those offerings. But it wasn't just that they were the first crop, or they were
the first oil, or they were the first lamb. Do you see what this is telling us? It's not
just a reference to the type of offering, it's a reference to the quality of the offering.
Firstfruits has a connection to the quality of the offering, so now we're talking about
the best. The choicest grains, the choicest oil, the best lamb from the flock.
That's the sacrifice that God expects. In fact, I think we could say God demands that
we give Him our very best. God demands that we give our very best. That's a hard principle to
deny as we go through Scripture and connect those dots throughout the ages. God demands that we give
Him our best. Otherwise, we could say, "Hey, I can worship God any way I want. I could worship Him on
any day. It doesn't matter what I eat, it doesn't matter what I do, none of those things matter,
because I can worship God the way that I want to.” God says, "Unacceptable. Unacceptable, I
am Maker, I am Creator, I am Omnipotent. I am Omnipresent. I am Omniscient. I know
all. I deserve the best." God expects that. He expects the best. So, what does that look
like then in our lives? Do we give our best? Someone was reminding me about that this morning.
Even as it comes to our worship and services, they were telling me that in some
ways, we may be like football games. Of course, here we are in the playoff season, and some of our teams are in the playoffs, which
is really, really nice. We'll see if it lasts. But someone was telling me, is it too often
that our praise and worship and services somehow connect to football? You
think of the quarterback sneak, that's a member that comes into services
quietly after about a quarter of services are already over, and they sneak in the
back, right? Or perhaps the draft choice. They sit near the door so they can get out
quick after services. Or perhaps the draw play. Too many older children and too
many adults do that during services. They have the draw play. Or
maybe they stay in the pocket. The money that should be offered and given
to God stays in their pocket, instead of used for God's purposes. Maybe it's a fault start.
Fault start, making two or three trips to the bathroom during services. You know, is that the
kind of worship that God deserves? Or maybe then there's, well there's also sudden death. That's
when the pastor goes over time, sudden death. Is that our best? Is that what God expects? I
mean, this is a common problem that the people of God has experienced throughout time, that
God demands the best but all too often, we read our Bibles and we see that isn't what God's
people have offered throughout time. It was true during Moses' time, it was true during Joshua's
time, it was true during the time of the kings. It was true during the time of the Minor Prophets.
In fact, one of the Minor Prophets, Malachi, addressed this very issue of how God demands
our best. Turn with me over to Malachi 1:11. Malachi 1:11 addresses this fact of how
the best, how the firstfruits should be honoring and worshiping and praising God. Malachi 1:11,
what were the people of Malachi's day doing? Of course, a lot of the passages in the Minor
Prophets and Malachi are directed as prophecies for the future as well, so see if there's a
connection here in the future today, as well. Malachi 1:11, it says, "From the rising of the
sun, even its going down, my name shall be great." So here's God saying, "I'm a God of excellence.
I'm a God of perfection, my name shall be great," and not just among God's people,
but He says, “'Among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered
to My name, and a pure offering: my name shall be great among the
nations,’ says the Lord of hosts." But what God's people doing? They scoffed at God's
expectations. They dishonored God with inferior worship. Verse 12, he says, "You profane it, in
that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; and its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
You also say, ‘Oh, what weariness! What a nuisance,’” some translations say.
Other translations say, "How boring this is." Church is just boring. He goes on, “'You sneer
at it,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘And you bring the stolen, the lame, the sick; thus you bring an
offering! Should I accept this from your hand?’" God says there's no way that's acceptable.
That kind of worship and praise, those inferior offerings, are unaccepted. Verse 14, "Cursed
be the deceiver who has in his flock a male, takes a vow, but sacrifices to the Lord what
is blemished." You see, that's a perfunctory offering. That's a casual offering. That's
an insincere offering. That's an offering that is inattentive. That's just going through
the motions. That's superficial. And God says, "Unacceptable." He says, "For I am a great King,
and My name is to be feared among the nations." And it should be. It should be feared
among the congregation, among us, that there is a healthy awe and respect,
certainly, but there's a healthy fear, as well. Because this is our opportunity. This is our
moment, this is our time, now's the time. And if we don't respond to God's call, and repent, and
change, and grow there's a fearful thing that lies ahead. It's a fearful thing for the nations. If
they don't repent, they face the same conclusion. Here's God telling His people, "I am infuriated
by your disrespectful approach." Your, well, just-going-through-the-motions attitude, that
is uncalled for and unacceptable. He says, "Cursed is that individual who can appropriately
sacrifice, who has the means to sacrifice, but offers up something less." Certainly
drives home the point, that as firstfruits, God expects the best. Not the minimum
effort, not the perfunctory, not the, "Well, I hadn't really thought about
that very much," but what's best? Now, that brings us to a third consideration.
When we consider what is suitable for God-honoring worship, what really honors God as we
come together to praise Him and worship, what honors God in our everyday life?
Something we need to take into consideration is costliness. Costliness. Now, it doesn't
have anything to do with our pocketbooks. It's not talking about money. Now, there is
an example about money that ties in with this, but it's really not about money. But this
particular example draws a spiritual analogy from this action to true spiritual costliness.
Go over to Mark 12:41. Mark 12:41, is the familiar story about the widow who gave her two
mites, gave just a little bit of an offering. Mark 12 gives us the story about this elderly lady who gave an offering at the temple. There was
something interesting in this particular story that came to Christ's
attention. He uses this example to bring about consideration in the way that
we worship. So, in Mark 12 notice Verse 41. It says, "Jesus sat opposite the treasury" so He's
on the temple grounds, "and He saw how the people put money into the treasury. Many who were rich
put in much." Verse 42, "Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.”
Two mites, that's like nothing. That's like a partial of a penny, today, so it's hardly
anything by today's standard. It was nothing then. All the rich people were throwing
everything, it seemed like, in there. Well, Christ calls His disciples, Verse 43, "He
called the disciples to Himself and He said, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow
has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all
put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all
that she had, her whole livelihood.” Now, when you think about a fraction
of a penny going into the offering, that's nothing, and yet Christ
draws the connection here, that what she gave amounted to more than the
whole sum total of what everybody else gave. And yet he draws this spiritual connection,
as well. It was not about money. What did she really give?
He says she gave her life. She gave her whole livelihood, she gave her
whole self, to God, everything about her, including these two little mites that were
basically worthless, she gave it over to God. In other words, the implication is every aspect
of her life was devoted in praise and worship to God. Christ pointed this out, and
it can't help but ring true in our ears as we consider, are we willing to give of
ourselves sacrificially? Are we willing to sacrifice? Are we willing to have an attitude that
we recognize the costliness of true spirituality and give it all, give our whole self to God?
It's what He expects. It's what He wants. In fact, there's a wonderful example that King
David set when it came to this very concept. He modeled that spirit of sacrifice in
his later life. This example is found in 2 Samuel 24. 2 Samuel 24:21, we find an example
of the king, King David, king of all Israel, the United Kingdom. He basically owns everything
as this is his kingdom. And yet in 2 Samuel 24, it tells a remarkable story about his perspective, about his attitude, but
his approach when it comes to true worship. Well, he wants to purchase someone's
field, their threshing floor, where they had threshed grain. This Araunah's
threshing floor, David wanted to buy. He wanted to purchase it for a place of worship. Now imagine
that. Okay, here's the connection. He wants to buy this property from Ornan, sometimes he's
called, but Araunah, here in 2 Samuel 24. He wants to buy this piece of property,
and Ornan says, "Let me give it to you. You don't have to buy it, I'll donate it. In
fact, I'll not only donate this property but let me donate the sacrifices, too. Let me
donate the oxen that you're going to need in order to sacrifice to God. I'm more
than willing to do that very thing." What's David's response as Araunah
offers, you know, this amazing offering? What is David's approach when it comes to worship?
Verse 24 of 2 Samuel 24, this was David's answer. "The king said to Araunah, ‘No, I'm not
going to take your offer, I'm not going to take your donation, but I will
surely buy it from you for a price." He says, "Nor will I offer burnt offerings to the
Lord my God with that which costs me nothing." David recognized there is a costliness to
worship. There's a costliness to truly and spiritually following God. He couldn't take
what was someone else's and then pretend to offer it to God on his own behalf. It
wasn't going to happen. So, what did David do? He bought the threshing floor and the oxen.
So, he buys the oxen for 50 shekels, probably several hundred dollars in today's, you know,
currency, plus, he also buys the threshing floor. And it wasn't just for a couple of bucks
as a token offering. If you read 1 Chronicles, it tells us it costs him thousands and thousands
of dollars for that very threshing floor. So David was unwilling just to take a
donation. And so it points to this very fact that it can't be perfunctory, it can't be
casual. It can't be not thought out. True worship costs something. If you were to look throughout
the Old Testament, it points to that specialness of what it means. It points to what is best.
It points to what is sacrificial. Of course, all too often we think, "Oh, yeah, they offered
these animals and they sacrificed and all that, but that don't have anything to do with us because
we know those sacrifices are done away." Right? Well, are they? In the church today, what
replaces those Old Testament sacrifices? What replaces those Old Testament
offerings, we could say? Is it just that little green envelope we bring once in
a while? Is that what replaces that? Is it just the fact that Christ fulfilled sacrifices,
and that's all there is to it, or is there more? What replaces those Old Testament
offerings? It's the worshipers themselves. It's those that come to worship God. Worship is
literally, the act of offering ourselves to God. Offering everything we are. In fact,
Romans 12 makes that very point. If you turn over to Romans 12, right at the
very beginning of that section of Scripture, New Testament offerings and sacrifices
are shown to be what they truly are. That worship is literally, an act
of offering our whole self to God. Look at Romans 12, here we see very plainly
as Paul writes to God's people in Rome. He makes this point and it just jumps out at you.
He says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourself,
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service." Well, that's our duty. That's our calling.
If you read this in other translations, NIV says, "You offer your body as a living
sacrifice, because that points to true and proper worship," not just, this is our reasonable
service. But it's true worship, real worship, authentic worship. The NRSV says,
"This is your spiritual worship." As we dedicate our lives
thoroughly and completely to God, that's the very point, that worship costs us
something, costs us our entire life. When you consider us coming together on the Sabbath,
that becomes even more emphasized in that way, as we come together. We do this not just once
in a while, but consistently. We do it often, every time we come together. You might write
down Hebrews 13:15 because it points to that very fact as we worship and praise God because we have
dedicated ourselves completely and totally to him. Hebrews 13:15 reminds us, "Therefore by Him let us
continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God." Let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God. He says that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks
to His name. Not just that we talk about God, or we talk about worship, or we sing a song, or
we mention God in a conversation. No, he's saying, this is on our lips because it's in our heart
because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. This is who
we are. This is our identity. We are God's people, and our lives are
fully, completely, totally dedicated to him. That's the kind of wholehearted offering, that's
the kind of complete worship that God expects. That's the kind of worship that God demands, and
that's the kind of wholehearted giving that Jesus talked about when he said, "The Father is seeking
those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth." In Spirit and in truth, that's true
worship, right worship, spiritual worship. Certainly, when you consider the Old
Testament, there was a place of worship. There was a specific place, whether it was the
tabernacle, or whether it was the temple. And everything about it was not casual. Everything
about the tabernacle or the temple wasn't an afterthought. Everything about the tabernacle
was not something that was half-hearted, it wasn't something that was routine.
Everything about the tabernacle or the temple was designated holy. It was designated holy.
And so God's people came and they worshiped, and they approached that sacred place
with awe, and reverence, and respect. Now, we consider that today, both
individually and collectively. Okay, we don't go to some sacred place, do we?
We don't have to go to a tabernacle or temple. There's a critical difference today. When
you consider that sacred place today, we constitute that sacred place. We are
that sacred place. We are the temple of God. That's what Paul reminded God's Church in Corinth,
he reminds us. Look at 1 Corinthians 3:16. 1 Corinthians 3:16 makes this point so powerfully,
because sometimes we can get a little off track when it comes to thinking of our worship, and how
we honor God and that sacrifice that God demands. That we are that sacred place. We are His Church. Paul said it a little bit differently in
Athens when he went to Athens and he went to the Areopagus, and he went to Mars Hill,
and he talked to the Athenians about this. Do you remember what he told them? He said that
God doesn't live in temples made by human hands. Right? That's not a sacred place anymore. God
doesn't live in temples made with human hands. Oftentimes, that's the only thought that we
think of. Okay, yeah, we don't have to worry about temples and tabernacles, and stuff like
that today. But what Paul was saying was even more than that, and if we don't think
a little bit more deeply, we miss it. It's not just the fact that there isn't a
temple or a tabernacle that we worship in today. The point is that God does dwell in a temple.
He dwells in a temple made with His own hands. He doesn't dwell in a temple made with human
hands. He dwells in a temple made with His own hands, He dwells within the Church. He dwells
within His people. That's why Paul wrote what he did here to God's Church in Corinth, he wrote
it to us today as well. Look at Verse 16 of 1 Corinthians 3, "Do you not know you are the
temple of God?" Yes, that's collectively, but later on, he also says individually, as well.
He says that the Spirit of God dwells in you. That marks us as that sacred dwelling place. He says, "If anyone defiles the temple of God,”
you better have some fear. You better watch out, “God will destroy him. For the temple of God
is holy. The temple, which you are.” When you consider that every aspect of our worship, like
every aspect of that ancient tabernacle or temple, was considered holy, spiritually speaking, should
it be any different today? As we come to worship God, as we come collectively to praise and
honor Him in this temple made with God's hands, do we come in a casual way? Do we come as
an afterthought? Has it just become routine? You see, that's the challenge for each and every
one of us. Sometimes, we fall into that same kind of thinking that God's people, throughout the
ages, all too often fell into. Does God care? Absolutely, He cares. I mean, it gets right
down to the smallest of things, the littlest of things God cares about. I mean, think about it
for a second. Does God care about what you wear? Well, we probably think, no, God looks on
the heart. That's what's most important. Really, is that all, or does an
awesome God demand awe and respect? I think we deceive ourselves if we think for
a moment that God doesn't care what we wear when we come into His presence, that God
doesn't consider… Does He care about our hearts? Absolutely. What is an expression of our hearts?
What does that show God? What does a relaxed, casual approach say about us? What does it say,
more importantly, what does it say about God? What does it say about the one who is Master,
Creator of all? What does that say about our God? Psalm 29:2, I think should bring that
home without any doubt. Psalm 29:2. God certainly, isn't into perfunctory. He's
not into casualness. He's not into… He is a God to be worshipped and praised. Psalm 29:2
makes that point, especially as we consider what is holiness? What is the best? What
is the cost? Where is our dedication? Psalm 29:2 says, "Give unto the Lord the glory
due His name. Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness." In the beauty of holiness, not in our holiness. That God is beautiful, God
is holy. Our worship should recognize His Holiness and it should influence everything that we
do. It should influence everything, including all the way down to this little minor-sounding
thing. Yeah, even the way we wear, what we wear. When you think about that, is there
really anything casual worship? I think you'd have a hard time
proving that out of the Scripture. Think about how God is worshiped at His
throne right now. Think about what the book of Revelation talks about, as those angels, angelic
beings, elders, bow down and worship and sing before Him. Yeah, it even talks about appropriate
clothing that they wear. Imagine that. As you consider that, just think about
that for a moment, what do we say when we dress no differently for church as we do when we go to the mall? What does that say
about our God? What does that say about us? What does it say when we dress just the same
as though we're hanging out with friends? What's the implication there? Is that
a reflection of an equally casual, "I can't be bothered by, it's really not that
big a deal. It's not my best, it doesn't really matter. It's so weary to have to deal with that.
What a nuisance. How boring all of that is?" Is it a reflection of that attitude toward true
spiritual worship? Is it a reflection of that? I think in Scripture, it would be hard to prove
otherwise. Because shouldn't even, right down to the clothes that we wear, communicate that this
is an awe-inspiring occasion, that we are coming before the very presence of God? In fact, doesn't
it also encourage others, as we send this message that this is an important occasion? This is
a time that we come together to worship the great God of the universe, so even in a little
thing like our choice of clothing should express to God and those around us that this event
matters. This is crucial. This is critical. It says, "I view this as a spiritual, holy
occasion. This isn't just an every day, come-as-it-may, I'm just going through the
motions," kind of thing. This is something that deserves my greatest attention, my highest regard.
And so when we gather for worship, we recognize this is a sacred event. This is a special
occurrence. This is a holy convocation. We've been summoned by God and commanded to assemble together
to worship the Almighty Creator of the universe. That brings a true sense of
praise, and honor, and awe, and reverence. Our God deserves no less, and so we
recognize that very thing when we come together. We recognize that just like the priesthood, that
veil has been ripped from top to bottom and we have access directly to the throne room of God.
There's nobody standing between us. We can enter right into His presence, and so we come into
that glorious presence, that awesome presence. You could say, that awful presence
because God is awe-inspiring, that glorious, loving, gracious, merciful presence
of the living God, as we come together to worship, anticipating, knowing, recognizing that Jesus
Christ is present among us and promises, without a doubt, to teach us, and to reach
us, and encourage us by His living power. We never want to grow oblivious to that very fact,
to take the significance of that holy convocation in a casual way, and so let's always be sure
that we are prepared. We're prepared not just for the Sabbath. Certainly, we want to prepare
ourselves, we want to prepare our family, we want to prepare our children for the Sabbath, because
it is a holy occasion. It's a special occasion. We should be ready to be refreshed.
We should be ready and focused for the presence of God. We should be
prepared because we recognize the fact, I can't worship collectively at home, I
can't worship collectively in front of a computer screen. In fact, I'm not even keeping the
Sabbath if I don't attend the holy convocation, because that's commanded as well as the rest. I
have to come together to praise and worship God. To think otherwise reduces the
significance of what is holy. And so we should commit ourselves, never, never to
bring something inferior to God's presence. Never bring something mediocre before God, to never
bring something that is dishonorable before Him, to never, never enter into His presence,
never to live our lives in a superficial way, to present our bodies as a living sacrifice
in a careful, thoughtful, wholehearted way, which is exactly the opposite of
perfunctory. To live in a fashion that we understand that any of those things that
are less than our best, it's unacceptable to God. He still is honored by what is holy. He still
is honored by what is best. He still is honored by what is sacrificial. Let's never forget
that. We can be assured if we focused on our one true God as we consider His awesome
holiness when we recognize what truly is set apart, what truly is our best,
when we recognize that and understand the cost of discipleship, what it
means to be a living sacrifice, as we certainly, surrender our lives to the
great God and truly worship and honor Him, we would never be accused of perfunctory praise.
