How We Worship Matters: Don't Dishonour God with Will-Worship!
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We know our sin and our misery, we know how Jesus delivers us from it, and now it is our task, our calling to figure out how since the Holy Spiriti s renewing us to be like Jesus -dow do we live a life of thankfulness back to him in all areas - bring glory ot Jesus. Tools for confirming our faith - the Word, and the sacraments get us holding on to Christ and His promises; well the ttols for us groiwng in sanctification, becomniong more like Christ, offering a thankful life back to God - the tools are God’s law and prayer! And the Law’s most basic command, and the one that runs through eacho f other 10 and all our obedience - is to honour the covenant God, THE LORD - as the absolute the one and only God and master of our lives - give him the place of weightiness in our lives. The first commandm negativbely say No idolatry. Itis a general and broad principle - applies to all our living - so easy to put something elser atthe centre of our lives, instead of the living God - whterh that be idol - be church, family, work, sex, food, acceptance, thrills, populairty, aflse ideas of god. Must have God and God alone in that place in your life.
Well that second comand to our modern ears, may seem like the same thing, don’thave an idol. A carved, a graven image. But it is not the same thing at all is it. What is God saying here, don’t have a carved image of whom? Don’t have a carved imageo f the true God. This is not talking about having other gods. The LORD spoke from heaven to say to us: I care so passionately apbout how you know and experience and communion with me, that when you gather in my presence - I have a prescribed way - for you to know and experience me. It is not enough just to have me as your one true God. I am after more, and you need more to walk in joyrful service and partnership with me. This evening we must consider what the path of true worship he is lying down for us - we must udnerstand where the path of Biblical worhsip leads. And we must understand what exactly he is forbidding in thepaths of false worship, and where the false worship leads!
The Key Truth: Honour God in worship, by obeying His prescriptions. Obey his prescriptions, by honouring God in worship.
We will obey his prescriptions, as he honour Him in worship.
Now that may sound like a grudging duty. But think about when you honour someone - fallen soldiers on Remberance Day - deeply internal thinig, where feeling the weightiness of that person - you outwardly disply this - acceptable way - moment of silence. What God is afgter and he also says here is the best the accetpacble, good for you how you are wired and how I am glorified. Remember the LROD said to sirael and jesus quoted it too:
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
The LORD in his prescriptions for worship is after heart engagement that mere outward behaviours and words, the commandments of men can’t get too. The way this works is that we think we’ve done well to have the one true God, but then we defect from him by placing our ideas of who he is and how we can worship HIm, above His revelation and His commands. Whether through ignorance ofHis Word, or just wanting to suppress some partts of treu God - we suppress and distort: ,.
It happens because as John Calvin says, the human heart, is an idol factory. Not just false God’s, but take teh true God - and little by little we add human inventions to our worship. I am not talking about differences in style or culture. I am talking about the heart the basic of what worship is for, who it is about, how it is done, what is incldued and excluded in ti. Who is in charge of that. has he left this up to individuals to decide , is it the pastors and elders - who can make this up, what best fits people trying to reach. Innovate new forms and elements of worship based on their ideas. Or has God actually and specifically revealed how He desires to be worshipped- Has he given us prescriptions for true biblibcal worship. Does God regulate worship or do we?
A) Will-Worship Leads Away From Fellowship with God
This command not to
Look at this command as an answer to how worship is to be regulated, presecribed and carried out by us, and how it’snot:
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Not that God isn’t saying don’t ever make images. Commanded beautiful art depicting life and beauty. He used an image of bronze snake to symbolize healling life - after disobedience. But what is the imoprt of those first words: Don’t YOU make for YOURSELF. The problem is not with a mere image of something. The problem is with them them making it for themselves for the purpose of serving and bowing down - them inventing an image for the purpose of worship. God’s syaing you don’t have the freedom too do that. The prpblem in this command is not with idols, having something in our life in place of God. It is idolatrous worship. When we take a human-made form and attach that to our worship of the living God - what we are doing is clinging to our own speculations of what God is like. With that form we have added to worship. As Calvin put it: GOd’s glory is corrupted by an impoious falsehood, ehevener any form is attached to it.
Do you get the basic problems with using human addons to represent God in our worship? With whqat ever human made liittle addition to worship - we are saying God is like this, we are saying we can approach him and get close to him in this way - we can worship in the manner we prescribe not how he prescribes. That’s the heart of using human made form and images and additions to worship - instead of worshipping God in allHis uniqwueness -we are bringing him down to our level - and that path will lead to false knowledge really no real knowing of the true and living God!
Let me tell you a story about when the Roman’s finally sacked Jerusalem, enter temple scared - heard the rumours, what would they find. Nothing no mimage, they worshipped thin air. Now temple had become shell, and Christ is the new temple - But the point is every other religion - fills the centre with their own ideas about God. Persians sun and stars, Eygyptians -figure of every animal. Greek and Romans, though so advanced because God’s in human form - but the making up what God is like and how God is to be worshipped - is worship without supernautal revelation. there is knwolege of a god, surepeme eternal all powerful Creator but addeto it human ideas. And in place of true worship - all we have is what the Bible in calls will-worship!
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
self-made religion, literally vounatry abritrary, unwarranted piety, that the heart of idolatrous and false worship. Literlaly will-wroship worship basedo n human will not God’s. In Paul’s casse, all these added ceremonies harsh tereatment of the body - but ceremonies and practices dreamaed up by humans put in place of how God says we are to worship him. In ancient Israel’s case the issue was iamges. Why was that the same thing? Listen to how God Himself explains it
“Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
“Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
The whole point of there being no man-made image is taht God is too unique for us to come up with our ideas to worship him. The lLiving God the True God of heaven and earth is pure Spirit he is invisible - whole point of no image is taht spiritual relfgetion of who God is only seen in REFLECTING HUMAN NAUTER _ PERSDONHOD BEFORE Sin. It could only now be seen in living loving, just and holy a dn compassionate and perfect LORD JESUS> . The whole point of not having any phsyical represtention of God, of not seeing any form - but what did they receive - GOD”S VOICE HIS WORD< That’s what was in teh Tabernalce - . And what was that worship he prescribed with no physical image but with His freal voice His Word, what was that path of worship heading towards - Not like the pagan worship - to manipulate the gods to twist their arms - so owe you have to give you favour. But teh WOrd of God, Gospel proclaimed believed, the design was that we would meeet with him, commune with Him at the tabernacle - from the lowest slave to the the hieghest officials, All live in fellowship with God!
And the manner of His worship must be as unique as His being. Who here has the audicity - to dream up what God is like
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
Making up our own forms, for worship - means we end up with teachers of lies.
The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the Lord will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away. The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.
“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!
When we put human inventions in place of teh living God who reveals \hiwmseel fthroughteh word what does say:
Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.
Do you see what the problem is - it’s not that we have said Oh I am going to worship a false God, no the problem is that we have exchanged Goood’s glroy for folly and it leads \not to fellowship and communion with God - but distortion of who God is and of what our goal iss - from fellwoship with him, to some soert of focus on what blessing, whether material, or emotional high I can get from my distorted form of worship!
Paul saw that this is what this world is doing and said in the NT:
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
And John warns the NT people of God Little children keep yourselves from idols! This could mean don’t be influenced by pagan worship, but more likely, false teachers in the church didn’t understand Christ, and therefore introducing false worship.
Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
And John warns the NT people of God
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
This could mean don’t be influenced by pagan worship, but more likely, false teachers in the church didn’t understand Christ, and therefore introducing false worship.
This should alert us to the fact that will-worship, idolatrous worship si a danger to us still inthe church today and not jsut an OT Israel thing. The principle of the 2nd commandment is not jsut for those with stone idols in temples, but for any who put human-made forms, tirauls, ceremnoies in place of God presecribed ones.
This should alert us to the fact that will-worship, idolatrous worship si a danger to us still inthe church today and not jsut an OT Israel thing. The principle of the 2nd commandment is not jsut for those with stone idols in temples, but for any who put human-made forms, tirauls, ceremnoies in place of God presecribed ones.
This is the second reason will worship doesn’t ultimately work.
B. Human-made forms of Worship Lead us to False Mediators
Here we need to understand how the ancients and still many today who use physical images thought of them. When I went into a Hindue temple it was not as if they thought the rock was a god, but rather that the God used that image to mediate some of his presence his power, - kind of channelded through the image and the right rituals of prirest. The word PSL carved or molten image was not thought to be a look-alike of a deity, but that through that shape spupernatural power resided - and they want to get into contact wit htath power through the idol.
Now this gets closer to the method and goal of true bibilca worship. God has designed worship for us to get in touch with HIm, His power HIs golry, His loving kindness- it is not some magic exchange or euphroic spiritual high - but God meets with His people in speicial covenant relatinoship in worship and does that through the mediation of the WORD!
Do you see waht the purpose of adding humaninvestion s to worship was in the first defection Exodus 32:48, it was the same thing as the goal of King Jeroboam - remember N and S split, can’t get to Jersuaelmf. So what does he do - Dan Beersheba -
So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
These weren’t intended to be portarits of God, but the calves were like the pedestals or chariots on which the Power of God were to dweel or ride - get in touch with god in my way. But what happened God comanded that the godlen calf be ground up.
And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”
Even legitamte iamges like taht Bronze Stafff wehn uysed in worship as meiating power instead of God’s Word same thing: Hezekeiah remembered for being the king that smashes the high places. He is remember for mbeing a king who in
He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
Whyindeed images like a baptism font, Lortd’s Super Table no venerated palced a t at front centre but side - God uses them only two authroized symbols but not mediators. God’s Word stand at the cetnre and He who is the Word!
Do you get that? That living relatinoship with invisible God mediated through the WOrd and He who is the Word is to be at the centre of wour worship and the the method of how we get ot the goal of worhsip - which is not my escatci high nor my manipulating God to bless me, but real and living ling communion with Triune God.
We don’t have imagies or add to God’s Word in worship - because who neesd an image to mediate God’spresence or some new rituals ceremenoies to get in teh groove - if we truly have Christ. who is the Word of God. The One who makes visible the invisible God. The One who mby His Word and psirit reveals treu knoweldge of God. In the OT Iserael was to be pleased to live with the mediator’s God provoded the prothets the priests teh kings. They didn’t need statues to mediate god’s presence. But now we have Christ through his Word - And listen to who he is to us:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
EIKON, the only image, icon we need is the living Christ - wee don’t need aids in worship , objects or pictures to venerate - evenwhen the Book of Revelation uses pictures to describe God ever notice that they are visual metaphors - not actual descriptions God is pictured as being like lighteneing, rainbows, colours, sea, fire, lamps , throne. It is not that we are against art or against even depictions fo Jesus as truly human, poweful message in Christ depicted even in different nationalities, truly made human. bUT IMAGES NOT TO BE USED IN ANY WAY IN WORSHIP, NOT TO REPLACES THE lIVING wORD AT THE CENTRE O WORSHIP. rOMANS 10:13-15 sAYS FAITH COMES BY HEARING, wORD OF GOD. nOT VIDEO CLIPS AND SERMONETTES BUT LVING PREACHING OF TEH wORD. tRUST WE HAVE THE MPERFECT IMAGE OF GOD IN cHRIST MADE KNWON AND DRAWN TO LIVING COMMUNION THROUGHT EH WORD.
How the Protestant Reformation made decisions, whatever distracted from living Christ in worship thrown out - This is thecore meaning of what jesus said, when the Samaritan woman asked - we Smaaratins worship at Mt Gerizim and you jews at Temple in jersualem. Who’s geot the right rituals. At which holy place get real blessings? Do your emember Jesus answer?
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Jesus wasn’t just saying, God’s invisible, and can’t be wsatified merely with outwrd rituals and sacrrfices. He is saying, because the Messiah is here, the question is no llonger where to wroship and with which rituals. The reality that all the OT God-presecribed rituals and pictures poitnted to is now here. now you must not only worship in spirit and truth, but you must worship in the Spirit of Jesus and in the Truth of Jesus. Andhere is the rub - in the OT God prescribed in detail the how to of worshipping Him - which book in particular - Leviticus - how can a Sinful pepole draw near ina dworship a dn fellowship with a HOly God. Well the whole NT is designed to show that is all now through Jesus:
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
And this book of Hebrews in particualr is the Christain commentary on how to worship. That’s the only authentic worship - no longer long list of rules and details of liturgies and sacrfices all in Christ - taht ceremnoial that worship law fulfilled, in him, and now in HIm through HIm - worship greatly simplied - Christ the Word at the Centre as our Mediator - God’s Word regulateing - with Chrsit intereceding at every ponit - So herat of worship , elements are given - prayer, blessing, offering, praise, confessing, preaching. Circumctances of our worship may change - but not these biblical eelemtns that God has commamnded, and these elements can’t be separated from Christ.
And with that I must conclude with a wrod of arning. Just like OT Israel -may say, not appealing enough, like mediveial times say -pictures are the books of the educated, let’s introdue videos, and pictures of Jesus as we sing , pray , may say let’s add dramas, may even take the singing part of worship - and say - let’s eelvate that with most spine tingling adenalin puimping performance - feel really intouch with God!
Startto be satisfied with the winter sun - all hear with no influence. Instead of Christ being at the cntre, we place our desires, our styles intereests and emotianl state at the cetnre of worship. So interesting - Professor of mine study of Adrenallin and Contemporary worshi p- like drug addiction, like pornography - relase of chemical s - eventually just crave that release not the thing itelf, and need more of it - element in contemoparyr worship - No wonder as one perosn said to me recently - feels more like a rock concert, than it does worship I have nothing against rock conderts per se, and enoy great concerts and music. But worshi is not entertainment, and the question we msut be asking is Who wieghs most - my insterest, tstyle, our music muscieans, or MY God. Every element of worship we should hear God saying
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
And even more particularly, our focus not on human inventions, but on My Christ who mediates and through whom all our worship and all God’s blessing come through!
And here we must see that God has ordained and commanded praise ans worship and fellowship, spiritual worship through Jesus Christ, and if we add human invention to that we are styaing in to will worship and no longer seeking t he path God has indeed laid out for worship. Do you remember how that ended in th OT when High Pires sons, Aranon’s sons’ Nadab and Abihu - decided didn’t need to seek God’s will for worship ,
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.
But Jesus says, don’t need worship with all that ceremony in it, but fullness of My Spirit and my Truth -simpole worship , revenrnt and full of God’s power and presence, Here the catechism don’t try to be wiser than God, God really cares about our worship, desires that under the proper form he’s commanded really enter into fellowship with Him together, really receive blessing … not human devices and imaginations of men. But Christ Himself by His word and Spirit leading us even in our singing!
This also is why this commands concludes with such a dire warning and such a beautiful promise.
C. The Curse of Will-Worship; The Blessing of Biblical Worship
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
God’s passionate for us as his children, he passionate for us as His bride the Church. And palin fact, that the single most greatest influence that parents have on children, on household, 3 or 4 genreations. is what they really worship in life. ie. Guy worshipped biredss,obsessions - \wrecked marriage, relatinoship with only child his son. Wrecked how that guy did life and family. You worship your work - communicate that life is all about winning admiration and acceptance of otehrs as hard worker - you are shapping genrearion s by what your are worshipping. you disdain and prfane worship of God - passing that to the people around you. Of course weach answer to Lord themeslves, but the inflence is communal.
But listen you experience and value and seek God in the ways he has commanded, you hnour him by runig down the path of true worship and finding the goal of true communion in Christ - and though its not a one-to-one correspond or guarantee, it is a certain and sure influence - a God influeence in this world, that great influence \you can pass dwon - This person touched by glory of God, this person comomuned with, and changed by the LORD Jesus Christ - that will have influence for a 1000 genreations. Oh that it may be said more and more often, even as it was with timothy
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
Timothy’s grandmother and his mother - had the real McCoy - and that influence of real encounter and wroship of God, just like real prayer and real engemagnent with God in HIs Word - not just emotional fireworks that got them steamed up, but over the lnog ahul - jappetite for glory of God in Christ. Imges, and human ceremonies not prescribed by God which distract from Christ, - praise more focused on man than on God - tehese won’t lead top growing knowledge and obedience and honour of our God. Will-worship never does. But true and simple biblical worship with Christ at the cnetre - we will find it, even through the generations -over the long haul
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.