A People Called to Prepare the Way

Mechanical Worship

This weekend we gathered as a group of worshippers and declared praises to the King of Kings.

This was the work of several months of preparation, and for me kicked off with a dinner with a phenomenal family as we watched a movie that tells of the importance of proper worship not staged mechanical worship.

This was progressed by our final worship practice for the Worship at the park event in which the Lord’s presence was so palpable, and followed by prayer over the area friday night in which such a powerful and tender word was spoken. Each moment relating to genuine worship that was preparing the way for the event.

So what is mechanical worship? Well in as much as we are taking in the work the Lord is doing in our midst… This weekend there are pastors preaching from the pulpit a gospel that satisfies the senses but denies the power of Christ… To quote one of them:

“I cannot and will not worship a God who demands a blood sacrifice for my sins… declares a pastor… I am tired of living a lie which we force people to believe that their sin is responsible for crucifying Jesus.”

Serving mechanically is serving the Lord out of tradition… wrote memory… out of obligation.

Today The teachers of scripture are abandoning their posts and are accepting atrocities:

1. Using the Bible against LGBTQ is an abuse (the bible is not the word of God)

2. The bible is pro-abortion because life does not enter the body until the breath of God comes into them which is not until they take their first breath.

In one extreme we have people of God refuting the authority of scripture and serving God mechanically… on the other a people of God who is being awakened to the work ahead to prepare the way.

The Real Church of Christ Is Being Awakened to Prepare the Way for the Lord’s Return

A Closer Look At Mechanical Worship

Malachi 2:17 ESV

You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Consider what it means to be wearied and how the Lord could be wearied

You have exhausted me… you have caused me much pain… you have caused me to need rest from you

For the Lord to speak such a harsh word what must have His people done?

The heart condition of the people.... “pfftttt… what are you talking about… look we are worshipping you.

we show up on Sunday? We read the bible? Look we even pray for our food? how much more do you want?

Calling the bad good… all we have to do is look at those who are creating an emotional encounter and calling it good...

evil prospers… but its not the evil of the world the evil things happening in the body are called good

A people who say… “we pray and still bad things happen… we give our offering and Im not prospered… we sing and dont see you…

each of these things being done out of duty and obligation.

Consider Cain who gave an offering…

from the left over

out of obligation

out of duty

begrudgingly

What we see in Cain today we see across the body of believers… We give but only if we will see a return… We serve and dare to ask “what is in this for me?” this is mechanical worship

Commissioned to Prepare the Way

Malachi 3:1 ESV

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Double prophecy “I am sending my messenger” “I will send a messenger”

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ first coming… In the spirit of Elijah he upended the religious institution… Back in that time Jesus came to the temple

The messengers preparing the way for His arrival are being commissioned now…

The promise is that Jesus is coming and will return…

The promise is that there are those who are to prepare the way for His Arrival/return

The Work Ahead The Church

Malachi 3:2 ESV

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

The church is not yet ready but is being made ready for His return

Refiner’s Fire

1832 degrees F to refine Gold

The process for His ministers as they go through this… its intense

Fuller’s Soap

used for cleaning clothes

Bleaches cloth to white

The Lord has taken His priest and they are in the process now of being

purified

refined

and their clothing is being washed

All of this so the offering will once more be acceptable

Many of you have been through sooo much to this point… know that it was for your refining.

The Work of His Return

Malachi 3:5 ESV

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Note He doesnt say im coming for them… He is coming to deal with His body...He is not returning to deal with sin once more… that work was completed on the cross

His return is one in which He draws His body close and deals swiftly with the body...

What things inside the body

Sorcerers-those who act as mediums between the human and spiritual

Adulterers-both physical and Spiritual

Falsely used by God

Deal harshly with servant body

The ones who are looking for a place to worship or have been displaced

And the ones who are still dead but seeking life

In other words its a warning to the Body to quit playing house with the church… its time to take the call seriously

Exhortation to Return to the Lord

Malachi 3:6–7 ESV

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

The promise of the Lord is unchanging

I will fulfill my promises

What I have spoken will come to pass

Return to me and I will return to you...

This promise remains for us… church we need to seek Him… we need to seek His face… if we return to Him all of His promises to us will come to pass.

That means its not enough to do things out of obligation or duty… or even religious tradition… we cannot offer up mechanical worship and expect to live in the promises of the Lord. Which means we must give our everything.

As we are awakened we are drawn to prepare the way for is return.