DEUTERONOMY 12:1-9
WAYS OF WORSHIP, 8/8/04
OLD TESTAMENT TREASURES #5
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was present at the Vienna Music Hall, where his oratorio The Creation was being performed. Weakened by age, the great composer was confined to a wheelchair.
As the majestic work moved along, the audience was caught up with tremendous emotion. When the passage "And there was light!" was reached, the chorus and orchestra burst forth in such power that the crowd could no longer restrain its enthusiasm.
The vast assembly rose in spontaneous applause.
Haydn struggled to stand and motioned for silence. With his hand pointed toward heaven, he said, "No, no, not from me, but from thence comes all!" Having given the glory and praise to the Creator, he fell back into his chair exhausted.
You are in a worship service this morning! You are here to give your adoration, your praise, your thanks to God!
My own understanding of the word worship means that worship is a heart response to God. I respond to all that God has done and all that He is. My way or response in worship is through reading, singing, praying, learning, and giving.
SOMEONE HAS WRITTEN WHAT IS WORSHIP?
It is the exposure of what man is to what he ought to become.
It is the knife of conscience removing that which offends.
It is the medicine of the great physician for tired bodies and weary souls.
It is the door into the abundant life.
It is the hand of a small child seeking the hand of his father.
It is permitting our bodies to rest while our souls catch up.
It is our little soul seeking the bigness of God.
This morning, as we continue our search for Old Testament Treasures, I want you and I to consider some principles for worship which are outlined in Deuteronomy. The instruction given here to the children of Israel gives us some very definite hints as to what our worship should be like today. In this passage we see 4 Ways of Worship. They are:
ASSIGNMENT FOR WORSHIP
AREAS OF WORSHIP
ACTION IN WORSHIP
ATTITUDE IN WORSHIP
ASSIGNMENT FOR WORSHIP Vss. 1-4
Vs. 1 - These conditions were for Israel after she arrived in the Promised Land. This was how they should conduct the way they should worship.
While we have no need to do things the way they did as far as sacrifices and a specific geographical location for worship, there are principles which remain the same.
Vs. 2-3 - God is here making specific assignments in the way the worship should be carried out. God is a jealous God, and insists that it is He that is to be worshipped, HE AND HE ALONE!
Exodus 2:1-5 - And God spake all these words, saying, I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
WHAT GOD IS SAYING HERE IS:
· THERE IS TO BE NO COMPROMISE
Matthew 6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus said no man can serve two masters.
Therefore, there is not to be worship of idols and worship of the living God. there is to be no double standard.
When we compromise, we lose, because both things we worship want us full time!
There was once a soldier in our civil war, wanted to play it safe. He thought he would compromise by putting on a blue union jacket and gray confederate pants. He went out on to the battle field and was shot at by both sides.
THERE IS TO BE NO COMPROMISE
· THERE IS TO BE NO ASSOCIATION
God had no intentions of there being a temple to idols and a synagogue, or church in the same town in Israel. There was to be no way that they should even be seen near an idol.
Everything contrary to true religion was to be destroyed.
Why was this so? God knew that Israel's hearts, as well as ours, have a bent towards worshipping idols. And remember, an idol is not necessarily a statute of some kind. It is anything that we make more important than God in our lives.
God knew that if he allowed association, if He was tolerant with false religions, it wouldn't be long before the Israelites would be worshipping the wrong God.
THERE WAS TO BE NO COMPROMISE
THERE WAS TO BE NO ASSOCIATION
· THERE WAS TO BE NO SYMPATHY
Some people are sympathetic to false religions today.
And, while we are in this free land, we must allow everyone the right to chose their faith. However, we need not show sympathy to a false religion.
As I mentioned earlier, today we do not have wooden idols.
There are, however, many idols in our land today.
There is one idol which is prevalent among Christians, and non-Christians alike. It is an idol that each born-again Christian must be aware of, and deal with.
Worship of this idol has us in a state of compromise.
Worship of this idol has us in a state of sympathy.
Worship of this idol has us in a state of association.
This idol is the oldest idol in the book. Turn please to Genesis 3:5-6.
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Eve wanted to be as a God. Eve wanted to worship herself.
This is exactly what we are doing in our nation today, worshipping ourselves. It is called humanism, and it is being taught in our public schools, and is often practiced by you and I.
Humanism is self worship. Bill Gothard describes humanism this way.
It dethrones God and deifies man's achievements.
It exalts human reason as supreme.
It trusts education and science to solve its problems.
it believes that man is evolving into perfection.
it replaces God's moral standards with situation ethics.
It promotes sensual pleasure and instant gratification.
It strives for a world utopia of prosperity and peace.
It makes the state sovereign dictator over everyone.
How do we as Christians end up worshipping ourselves? Let me give you some examples of the things we say and do, in the way we would say them:
· I don't want to go to church tonight, because I'm too tired!
· I won't go to prayer meeting because I can't pray out loud, and even though they say I don't have to pray, I feel uncomfortable not praying.
· I won't tithe to the church because I don't like how they spend my money.
· I won't read my Bile every day and study it because I don't like to read.
· I won't come to church because I want to visit.
· I won't be baptized, though the Bible says I should be. I want to go my own way.
We as Christians make our decisions based on how we feel and what we want to do. We worship ourselves.
We should not compromise with ourselves.
We should not have sympathy for ourselves.
We should not associate ourselves with things that rob God of time, money or devotion.
Luke 9:23 - And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
THE ASSIGNMENT FOR WORSHIP
AREAS OF WORSHIP Vs. 5
GOD had appointed first the tabernacle, and then the temple as a point or place of worship for the Jewish people.
Today, God has appointed two places in specific where worship should take place. First there is the heart of the person who is saved. One who knows they are going to heaven because they have trusted Christ as Savior.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Ephesians 5:19-20 - Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Hebrews 13:15 - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.
The second place where worship can take place and should is in the local assembly, the church. Not the building, but wherever the saints are gathered for worship.
It was said of the early Christians in Acts 2:46-47,
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Every time we meet, it should be to worship the Lord.
Think of the choruses and hymns as an expression of worship.
Think of learning the Word as an expression of worship.
Think of reading the Word as an expression of worship.
Think of prayer as an expression of worship.
Think of giving as an expression of worship.
It has been said, and I'm afraid in some cases it's true, that ,
Those who come to church Sunday Morning love the church.
Those who come Sunday Night love the pastor.
And those who come on Wednesday night, love the Lord.
Coming together should stimulate worship.
ASSIGNMENT FOR WORSHIP
AREAS OF WORSHIP
ACTION IN WORSHIP Vs. 6
Many of us have learned to sit, soak, and sour in the pew, but real worship is going to mean participation that will cost you something.
There are three key words in Verse 6.
SACRIFICES
TITHES
OFFERINGS
They were not to come empty hand to worship.
· SACRIFICES
The supreme sacrifice has been made.
Jesus Christ has paid for my sins.
There is no need to sacrifice in order to have sins forgiven and be saved. That sacrifice was made, I just need to believe it!
1 Peter 1:18-19 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
No, the sacrifice for salvation has been made.
We as believers have different sacrifices to offer, including our bodies, our time, our gifts, and our good works because we love the Lord for what He has done for us.
Remember this: Anything worth doing for the Lord will take sacrifice.
· TITHES
I am convinced that under grace today we should give the ten percent that God required of the Israelites. Why? We have salvation in Him. Isn't our salvation worth paying a tithe? Isn't it worth giving something special?
· OFFERINGS
Offerings are giving over and above our tithes.
Very often this church has been good at this, especially in giving for missions and special projects.
May it ever continue! This kind of giving, which is also sacrificial, expresses our real love for the Lord and His work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 - But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
ASSIGNMENT FOR WORSHIP
AREAS OF WORSHIP
ACTION IN WORSHIP
ATTITUDE IN WORSHIP Vs. 7
The attitude that is to be expressed before the Lord in worship is to be one of joy or praise.
When you and I come to worship, we are to come to the Lord thanking him and praising him for the blessings that he has given us.
Nehemiah tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Psalm 103:1-2 says, 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.
Beloved let's remember to come to church with a joyful attitude of worship.
Not preoccupied with ourselves.
Not angry.
Not worried.
Not day dreaming.
Not planning ahead.
Let’s heed the warning of Deuteronomy 28:47-48
Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; [48] Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
ASSIGNMENT FOR WORSHIP
· NO COMPROMISE
· NO SYMPATHY
· NO ASSOCIATION
AREAS OF WORSHIP
· IN THE HEART
· IN THE CHURCH
ACTION IN WORSHIP
· SACRIFICES
· TITHES
· OFFERINGS
ATTITUDE IN WORSHIP
· PRAISE