Tremble

Tremble: Worship on Demand

Philemon/ Hebrews Bible Class

All true worship is a response to the self-revelation of God in Christ and Scripture, and arises from our reflection on who He is and what He has done…The worship of God is evoked, informed, inspired by the vision of God…The true knowledge of God will always lead us to worship. - John Stott

Philemon/ Hebrews Bible Class

brad strelau / General

Misguided Worship

Session 12: Philemon, Hebrews

Instigated by man and on his terms

For the benefit of man and is fueled by pride

PHILEMON: EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN SOMEONE BECOMES A FOLLOWER OF JESUS

Holds no eternal significance

Although it has no bearing on how we understand the message of the letter, it is worth noting that the letters to Philemon and the Colossians are closely related. Eight of the ten people mentioned in Philemon are also mentioned in Colossians (Timothy, Archippus, Onesimus, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke).What does this tell us? It makes it likelythat the letters were written and delivered to the same general group of people at about the same time. Philemon likely worshiped in one of the house churches located in Colossae or nearby.

Authentic Worship ; ;

Philemon seems like a strange letter to include in the Bible. It is a letter from Paul to a leader in a local church (almost certainly Colossae), and it deals with very personal matters. Paul does not address false teaching or what church life should look like, as he does in his personal letters to Timothy and Titus. Instead, he addresses the issue of a runaway slave.

The reader enters into the middle of this saga without being provided the backstory. The

Instigated by God

Onesimus had every right to expect justice from Philemon, he had wronged him; but something important had happened that changed everything. Onesimus ran away and became a follower of Jesus Christ. That made him Philemon’s brother in Christ! “Slave-master” no longer fully defined their relationship.

Is for the glory of God, entered into with humility

Results in change_

Paul is clearly asking Philemon to “deny himself” by casting aside his rights to justice and instead treating his slave as a brother.

__________________________________________________________________

Onesimus returns to Philemon with Paul’s ringing endorsement but with no guarantee that Philemon will honor it. Like the lost (prodigal) son returning home, he can only confess and cast himself on the mercy of his master. We do not know the outcome of this appeal, but the inclusion of this short and intimate letter in the canon suggests that it was successful. It reveals how the Christian faith breaks down what seems to be insurmountable social walls ( Gal 3:28 ; Col 3:11 ).

Alright I’m going to ask you to turn to Romans chapter 12. Page 1123 in the bibles in front of you.

Galatians 3:28 ESV

The apostle Paul writing to believers in the midst of the secular centre of the universe; first century Rome writes these words. And I am reading out of the ESV, so it may be a little different.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11 ESV

Paul writes in verses 1-2:

Romans 12:1–2 NLT

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers,£ by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.£ 2Do not be conformed to this world,£ but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Prayer:

Imagine- the scene

Onesimus shows up. Walking down the road to the house.

Well, when Mark told me that we would be doing a series on worship I was very excited. And when I heard that I would be doing one of the messages, I was even more excited. Because I knew that I would finally get my opportunity to respond to all the emails and notes (with no name on them) that I receive regularly. I thought, this is great they will have to sit down and listen.

And Philemon maybe hasn’t hear the story of the returning prodigal son yet!!

Then I realized that is stuff for a blog and for tweets. So you are safe!!

He is angry and ready to bring down justice. And Onesimus cowers and says, Master…I know I deserve punishment. I now I deserve wrath. I know what you do to run away slaves.

But please before you do anything to me, please read this letter.

But as a worship pastor this is obviously a topic close to my heart, and a concern for me each week as I attempt to aid this church in worship.

Paul, a prisoner for (NIV says a prisoner “of” )Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

I started here 4 years ago although some of you still ask me if I work here.

The first week here, I was set to impress. I wanted to make sure everyone understood, the I was the right choice for a worship pastor. I had beautiful awe inspiring songs and images ready to aid God’s people in the very worship of their God. The band was rehearsed, the guitar was going to be just the right volume. The lyrics were ready, the band was prayed up, the sound was just right, the projectors were focused, the lights were set to dazzle and impress.

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

The POWER WENT OUT!

If I am called into Sam Romijn’s office (our executive pastor) and he starts a conversation with.... “First I want to say, I love the way your are serving in the church, the love you have for the congregants is great, and so proud to have you as a brother.”.......I know what’s coming next..

I went from presentation to survival and we ended up singing out of the hymnals. By candle light. With one acoustic guitar.

8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

It was a great way to be welcomed into the ministry at this church.

Since then I have learned that when I step onto this platform or any other platform to lead God’s people in worship, I will not make everyone happy.

19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

I’ve learned what makes some you happy and what some of you cannot stand

Between both campuses of CAChurch, there are close to 1500 people who attend, all with their own walk with God, all with their own ideas of how worship ought to look and sound, some with a prophet like conviction of which instruments and music styles are spawned by the devil and which ones are ordained by God.

What stands out?

What are some things you notice?

vv4-7- what do you think is going on there?

One was from a younger attendee that stated his frustration that “all I ever do is hymns.”

Hoping that the other letter I received would offer some encouragement, I opened it to find that this letter was from an older individual complaining that “we never ever do hymns.”

buttering him up!!

Discipleship in Philemon

And so I quickly learned that the most common place for a worship pastor to be is between a rock and a hard place.

Since the beginning of the church there have been issues concerning worship.

This short letter has some very important things to teach us about the nature of the Body of Christ, the nature of the gospel, and the nature of discipleship. Although we may not live in a country where slavery is part of our experience, we do live in a land where “fighting for our rights” is expected. This little letter from Paul to Philemon reminds us that the gospel changes everything. Those who have committed wrongs against us can quickly go from being enemies to being a brother or sister in Christ. When that happens, we should be quick to lay aside our rights or our pursuit of justice and praise God that someone else has found the grace of God rather than facing his justice. This little letter beautifully illustrates Paul’s words in Gal 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The things that matter in the world, the things that determine our relative status in society, have no place in the Body of Christ. We all have equal access to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. And within the family of God everyone is to be treated as family.

Trying to aid everyone all with different backgrounds and fitting a different demographic and somehow find music both in lyric and style that helps the largest amount of this group to enter into worship.

So we’ve got ROCK..ok rock is here,. We’ve got hard place over here…and then…and me I’m here!!!

Right?

I mean one of the things that has always made the church stand out as a strange community is how it is made up of people that in many other circumstances you would not hang out with. (don’t look around and nod)

Since the beginning of the church there have been issues concerning worship.

Reading through. The rainbow of emotions that he must have gone through.

It was said at one point in history that the organ should never be allowed in the church since its sounds where like the bellows of hell.

But it was allowed in and since that time many have made it their mission to remove it.

anger, confusion, conviction, and maybe repentance?

A major shift in his view of society, not easy for a guy seemingly sitting at the top!

I read an article recently from a US Newspaper, that complained about modern worship this way…

You would imagine that he would say to Onesimus.

There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money making scene and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.

Ok Onesimus,.....all is forgiven. Go inside, wash up, get some food, sleep, head back into the fields tomorrow. It’s like it never happened.

Now I said I read this recently, but it was not written recently.

It was the writting of this guy that has this pastor so upset!!!!

Pic #1

And maybe Apphia or Archipus (or both) are reading over his shoulder and they say.....um.....honey or dad?

Let me read to you lyrics from the songs this pastor was concerned about—Isaac Watts

I sing the mighty power of God, That made the mountains rise, That spread the flowing seas abroad, And built the lofty skies.

Thats not what Paul said....he said here “receive him as you would receive me.” v 17

If Paul came,....would we tell him to wash up get a good sleep and head out into the fields in the morning?

Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King. Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, And heav'n and nature sing, :|

And Onesimus would say of course we wouldn’t I’d give him the best room the best food!

When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

Paul is like family!!

In 1723, this pastor wrote that the church would be fine without these songs. That preceding generations got along without them, and so should we.

And now we look back on these songs as the pure songs of the good old days.

And I can imagine that the truth of Gal 3:28 hit him pretty hard.

So what does this short letter about a personal matter teach us about being the church?

Some things never change.

Some thoughts, before we move on?

So, concern for proper worship is not new, and I don’t think critique should of worship should be ignored necessarily.

We should be concerned with how worship is done.

Reflection and Response

The bible makes it very clear that there is a difference between misguided worship and authentic worship.

1. Is there anyone in your life, perhaps in your church, that you view in light of their worldly status rather than in light of their status as a brother or sister in Christ?

2. Can you think of times in your life when you have put your desire for personal justice above treating someone as a member of the family of God?

Worship that follows the demands of God, and worship that follows our demands; that treat worship like a self serve, and makes it up as we go along.

HEBREWS: DON’T ABANDON THE NEW AND BETTER COVENANT

What are some thoughts on Hebrews? From those who have read it this week?

Cain’s sacrifice was rejected by God because it was misguided worship ().

The writer certainly knew the readers and vice versa ( 5:11–12 ; 6:10 ; 10:32–34 ; 13:23–24 ),

Pastor Mark has spoken several times about the priests Nadab and Abihu who offered unauthorized fire before God, scripture says. They worshiped in a way that was not the way God said they ought to. And they were the priests. The leaders of God’s people in worship. They messed up and it cost them their lives.

(maybe something every worship pastor needs to be reminded of.)

Hebrews 5:11–12 NLT

The kingdom of Israel was divided because of the idolatry and false worship of the nation ().

11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.

The fall of Jerusalem is directly attributed to the apostasy and false worship of the nation (; ; ). –the people of Judah are worshipping created gods, and it costs them the great capital of Jerusalem

6:10 - the love the have for each other

10:22- they had gone through some suffering

In the first chapter of Romans, Paul wrote that God was justified in condemning all of humanity because all of humanity worshiped in error:

- he seems to have a gage on their spiritual maturity

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen ().

Most scholars would say that Hebrews is about “the supremacy of Jesus Christ.” As you look at Hebrews from above, you certainly cannot miss that major theme. The writer presents extended arguments to show that Jesus is superior to angels (chapter 1), Jesus is superior to Moses(chapter 3), and Jesus’ high priesthood is superior to the old covenant high priesthood(4-5). The focus on the supremacy of Christ should lead our hearts to sing the praises of our glorious Savior and Lord. We should meditate deeply on these passages and let them spur us to deeper devotion to Jesus.

So it is an important issue that we get our worship right.

So today we are going to look at the difference between misguided worship and Authentic Worship.

Ultimately, though, the emphasis on the supremacy of Jesus Christ serves another important purpose in Hebrews. The focus on the supremacy of Jesus Christ is intended to showcase the supremacy of the new covenant to the old covenant so that the readers will not abandon the new in favour of the old. And by emphasizing the supremacy of Jesus Christ, God through the writer is reminding the original readers of just who they would be rejecting if they abandon the new covenant that Jesus instituted through his sacrificial death and serves as a great, compassionate, and faithful high priest. The overall message of Hebrews, then, is essentially, “Don’t do it!” “Don’t abandon the new and better covenant and return to the old and inferior covenant.” “Don’t abandon your devotion to Jesus Christ, who “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb 1:3).

with every don’t do it there had to be a why?

And so we need a working definition of what true worship is.

John Stott has stated it well…

any parent knows that the child doesn’t simply obey and it is no different for a heavenly father as well!

The Warnings of Hebrews

All true worship is a response to the self-revelation of God in Christ and Scripture, and arises from our reflection on who He is and what He has done…The worship of God is evoked, informed, inspired by the vision of God…The true knowledge of God will always lead us to worship. - John Stott

The book of Hebrews is famous for its “warning passages.” In reality, though, Hebrews is one big warning passage from beginning to end. It calls us to be careful so that we do not “drift away” or “fall away” from the faith, and it uses very vivid language to drive that warning home:

With that in mind we are going to look at two different versions of worship. Misguided worship and authentic worship.

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Heb 2:1-3)

In we find the Israelite nation waiting at the bottom of Mt. Sinai. Moses their chosen leader has been on the top of the mountain speaking with God. And what God has been doing for the last 40 days is explaining to Moses how His people ought to worship Him. He has been explaining that when His worshippers approach him they should not do it with a cavalier attitude, but with reverence.

And so to help with that. To help His people remember that they are worshipping a God like no other, he has given Moses instructions on how to construct His tabernacle. The place that would be at the center of Israelite camp. The place where the presence of God would visit His people. God explained the different objects that would be found within and without the tabernacle. He explained how the priest should be dressed and conduct themselves. And in all this the best was to be given to Him.

“And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Heb 3:6)

He gives Moses every minute detail of how things should be done. All the time reminding Moses that He is a holy God and should not be treated like the multitude of common gods worshipped all around them, which are only thought up in the minds of men, made by human hands, and created by the same stuff that gets thrown in the fire to warm your home. In other words made out of perishable stuff, that will burn.

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” (Heb 3:12)

“Do not confuse me or equate me with such things”, God says. I am the Creator of all. Do not worship what I have created, worship me. And be careful when you do. Follow my instruction, and it will aid you as a nation to have reverence me.

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (3:14)

“For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” (Heb 3:16–4:1)

Bring your best before me!!

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Heb 4:11)

And while God is revealing how worship with His name attached to it ought to be done, we see the opposite take place at the foot of the mountain. Rather than wait for instruction, rather than wait for God’s chosen mediator (Moses) to return, the Israelites give worship a shot and mess up big time.

Turn to

“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” (Heb 6:4-6) ??????? rejection- not an issue of God giving up on the individual but the individual giving up on God.

Exodus 32:1–4 NLT

1 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” 2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

[32 :1] When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” [2 ] So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” [3 ] So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. [4 ] And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb 6:11-12)

“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:26-31)

PAUSE

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, ‘Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’ 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Heb 10:35-36)

Misguided worship at its core is

I. MISGUIDED WORSHIP (EXODUS 32:1-17)

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Heb 12:15-17)

A. Instigated by US and is done on OUR terms

“Make us gods.” The people say.

“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking (Jesus). For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth (Moses), much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.” (Heb 12:25)

We don’t want to wait on YHWH any longer. We want worship and we want it now!!

OK, breathe!

And so we see a small group of people get together who want to take control.

Thoughts?

Now taken out of context that is pretty heavy. And we cannot forget that weaved around all that we have just read is the Gospel, salvation, an invitation to be bound to God.

They had little concern with how worship ought to be done. They only knew that they wanted to do it. So much so that they decided to break the commandments of God to do it.

See they had already agreed to a covenant with God in chapter 24 of Exodus.

--------

God revealed his heart by offering a covenant with the Israelite nation. In chapters 20- 23 we see God’s revelation of the 10 commandments. Laid out in detail.

When we take all of these passages together, along with the rest of Hebrews, we find that God is giving his new covenant people a powerful warning to be careful to avoid turning away from the faith. Hebrews urges followers of Jesus Christ not to live with a false sense of security. Hebrews urges disciples of Jesus to vigilantly guard their hearts from drifting away from the Lord.

___________________

In the first verses of Chapter 20:

God’s is saying to His people

You may have noticed two significant gaps in the verses listed above. There is nothing from Heb 7–9 or from Heb 11. This is important. If we look at Hebrews from above, these two gaps point to two major landmarks.

I am the God who brought you out of Egypt. I want to be your God forever!

___________________

1. So do not have any other Gods, except me.

A Better Covenant

2. Don’t make any idols of other false gods

In Heb 7–9, the author fleshes out in great detail why the new covenant is so superior to the old covenant. This is a key point for the letter of Hebrews. One of the ways that the writer shows how the new covenant is superior to the old covenant is through his distinctive comparison of Jesus to Melchizedek.

3. Do not profane my Name by using it in an inappropriate manner.

A mysterious priest who shows up to Abraham and kind of disappears. He was before the Levitical preisthood and is therefore superior to it.His name means “king of Righteousness”

And God goes on explaining to the people how they are going to live as a nation in order to be seen as different than all other nations and be seen as those who follow the true living God.

Melech Tzedek

On Oak street in Vancouver there is a synagogue called Schara Tzedeck Schar means “gates”

And in response to all that God had said, the people cry out in one voice in chapter 24:

“All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

Gates of Righteousness

Exodus 24:3 NLT

3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

The original audience was almost certainly Jewish believers who were being tempted and pressured to return to Judaism to avoid further persecution. We know that they had experienced great suffering in the past (Heb 10:32-34) and had stood firm; but now as another wave of persecution is coming they are wavering. They know that going back to the synagogue would free them from their suffering; (43) but that would also mean renouncing Jesus Christ as the one sacrifice for sin. It would mean abandoning the new covenant and returning to the old covenant, a covenant that can never deal with their sin problem. So, the writer of Hebrews reminds them of just how inferior the old covenant is—in fact, he tells them that it is obsolete (Heb 8:13) now that the new covenant has come through Jesus Christ—before returning to his focus on warning toward the end of Heb 10.

Pic#2

Sounds like some of the songs we sing in worship!!

Yet, here 40 days later in one fell swoop, we have those same people who cried out together in agreement “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” Breaking the first three commandments.

(43 The synagogue had many legal privileges under Roman law, which protected Jews and allowed them to worship God in accord with the Old Testament, but there were not such privileges for followers of Jesus. )

Creating first in their hearts another god.

The Hall of Faith

Hebrews 11 has a different focus. Here we find a beautiful and unmistakable landmark in the book of Hebrews, the famous “Hall of Faith” chapter. The entire chapter is about faith! And it plays a critical role in the argument of Hebrews. God through the writer of Hebrews has been issuing an extended warning to the readers to guard themselves from falling away from the faith. Now, he pauses for an extended description of what it looks like to live by faith in challenging circumstances, and to continue to do so right to the end of one’s life. He makes it very clear that we cannot expect God to make everything right in this life: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (11:13). These early saints persevered despite not seeing the realization of God’s promises. Life was very, very hard and painful, but they still continued to follow God. Hebrews 11 is there to remind the original readers and us that if these people could persevere, so can we.

Creating out of the fire a golden idol of a calf.

Key Language in Hebrews

And by attributing to it their salvation from Egypt, they used the LORD’s name in vain.

And in verse 4 of this group of people take over a position given by God to Aaron the priest and begin to steer the course of worship to suite their own desires.

As we look at Hebrews from above, in addition to the major landmarks we also notice words that cluster around a particular theme occur frequently.

The word for “covenant” (διαθήκη, diathēkē) occurs 17 times.

They look to the rest of Israel and say “These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt.”

The word for “sacrifice” (θυσία, thusia) is used 15 times.

Now don’t get caught up on the plural here. In Hebrew the same word here translated gods is elohim, which is also the most common word used for God himself in scripture.

It appears that they are using this calf to represent YHWH. And if we look at Aaron’s words in verse 5, it seems quite clear that this was a very misguided tainted version of YHWH worship. Taking maybe the form of the Egyptian god APIS or one of the many gods they may have come across in there wanderings, the Israelites mixed the worship of Almighty God with the common worship of manmade statues.

The word for “offer (a sacrifice)” (προσφέρω, prosferō) is used 20 times.

The word for “priest” (ἱερεύς, hiereus) is used 14 times.

Because worship instigated by men, gets a little fuzzy on truth. Lines often get blurred.

PAUSE

All of these terms, each of which is used extensively, relate to covenant relationships between God and mankind. But there’s one other word that is particularly prominent.

We also see here that misguided worship often is….

The word for “better” (κρείττων, kreittōn) is used 13 times. Taken together, this repetitive language shows us that God through the writer of Hebrews wants to make it clear that of the two covenants the new covenant is infinitely better than the old covenant. Therefore, it would be very foolish for the readers to return to the old covenant.

B. For OUR benefit and OUR pride

Can a Genuine Christian Fall Away?

The sustained message of warning throughout Hebrews, along with the specific warning passages, naturally raises the question of whether or not a genuine Christian can fall away. This is a question that has been debated for centuries. If you are a Calvinist, you will probably simply say, “No. Every genuine Christian will persevere to the end and be saved!” If you are an Arminian, you will probably simply say, “Yes. Genuine Christians can renounce their faith and go from being saved to being lost!” Sometimes in all of the theological debate we forget that Scripture is our authority, not our theology. And I fear that many devoted followers of Jesus who are rightly careful to be committed to sound doctrine are in danger of doing the very thing that the Pharisees and teachers of the Law had done in Jesus’ day: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions” (Mark 7:8, NIV). So, Jesus goes on to rebuke them using stinging irony: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:9).

It is where God is not calling the shots we are calling the shots. God does not set the parameters, we set the parameters.

It is not about bringing pleasure to our God, it is about bringing satisfaction and comfort to ourselves.

When we face a debate like the debate that surrounds the warning passages in Hebrews we face a great danger of setting aside the Word of God in favor of human traditions. Whether you believe that a genuine Christian can lose his or her salvation or not, we need to take the warnings in Hebrews seriously. We need to be careful to avoid missing the point of the book in an effort to make all of our theology fit together nicely. And the point of the book is a call to be vigilant to guard against drifting away from Jesus, the anchor of our souls, because otherwise we run the risk of falling away and facing very serious consequences. Hebrews calls us as Christians to live with a healthy fear of falling away so that we won’t fall away.

Exodus 32:5–6 NLT

5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” 6 The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.

Vv5-6 tell us that…

Jesus does the same thing in his parable about waiting for the arrival of the Kingdom- Matthew 25- bridesmades, talents, and righteous living.

Vv5-6 tell us that…

[5 ] When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” [6 ] And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

Discipleship in Hebrews

Ironically the last time the people of Israel offered peace offerings and burnt offerings it was part of a covenant ceremony in which they agreed never to do all the stuff they were doing!!!

The book of Hebrews beautifully shows us that the life of a disciple of Jesus is the life of faith. And that faith is a faith that perseveres even when it does not receive what has been promised.

If you are using the ESV this morning verse 6 says they rose to play....

A faith that is not just wide but deep!

It is not just loud it is steadfast.

And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose to “play”.

This is not UNO or Settlers of Catan.

It is a faith that lives in light of the life that is to come, even when life now is extremely painful. It is a faith that is vigilant to guard against “heart drift” that can come when our spiritual senses are dulled by the trials of this life, or by the temptations of this life. It is a faith that really believes—believes at a heart level—that Jesus is better than anything else in this universe, and the covenant he has given us is so full of astounding promises that to abandon it would be unthinkable.

Let me clarify that the word play here is not the kind of thing that we might normally think of as play.

Jesus is everything that the OT and all of creation anticipates, so the writer of Hebrews says why would you look elsewhere?

They weren’t pulling out UNO and Guestures here!! They weren’t signing up for lawn darts.

So that is the book of Hebrews! Thoughts?

The word for play or pagan revelry in the Hebrew is used elsewhere to refer sexual encounters.

So, if there was any question earlier on about who was being worshipped in this story, we now have an answer. Was it baal, was it APIS of Egypt, was it YHWH? It was self!! It was birthed out of fear and boredom and became what appears to be a drunken dive into physical pleasure.

How can we find ourselves getting caught up in other covenants? In other words what are other things we BIND OUR HEARTS TO?

It had nothing to do with God and everything to do with self.

Reflection and Response

And anytime worship is approached with a “what can I get out of this” mentality, it is going to be misguided worship. Any time we come with our own personal list of what worship must look like in order to be useful to me, we have ceased to worship the Almighty God.

So what is the balance we want to have between grave and warning? How do they work together?

And that kind of worship...

1. Have you taken seriously the warnings of Hebrews? Or, have you tended to ignore them since you know that you are a child of God?

C. Holds no ETERNAL significance

2. In what ways does your life reflect the faith that is described in Hebrews 11? How do you need to grow in faith?

PAUSE

3. Take some time to reflect on and perhaps make a list of how the new covenant is vastly superior to the new covenant. Hint: It has nothing to do with one being a “covenant of grace” and the other being a “covenant of law.”

At the end of this story, later in this chapter, after Moses pleads for the lives of the people who have so offended God. He comes down the mountain to witness their idolatrous display.

Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:25 AM April 11, 2019.

Vv 19

And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

In ancient times when a covenant was broken, whatever contained the words of the covenant was destroyed. Symbolizing the end of that covenant, because someone didn’t hold up their end.

He throws down the stone tablets inscribed by God’s hand. The tablets that represented the covenant entered into by God and His people.

This misguided worship had done damage to their relationship with God. It had the language of YHWH worship but it was tearing a chasm between God and his people.

Verse 20 tells us that Moses

[20 ] took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

Hmmmmmm. Now there’s a flavour Gatorade hasn’t conquered yet.

When worship is done without a proper focus on the proper object of our worship ( The living, Almighty, Holy, Sovereign God, the only one worthy of our praise, WHO HAS MOST FULLY EXPRESSED HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST) worship will become stale and bitter.

The longer we take the focus off him and place it on our needs during worship, the more bitter we will become.

And I have witnessed ANDI HAVE BEEN THE GUY who sitS and complain and long for the olden days (not here, but in other places)

And the only language they have concerning worship is lament and complaint. Because it doesn’t speak to them.

I just need to say-- The minute the words “that worship didn’t speak to me” escapes our lips. We have stepped into dangerous territory. Our theology is way off.

I certainly hope it didn’t speak to you. That would mean that either the worship leaders aim is way off or you are sitting on a seat you have no right to be sitting in.

God is worthy of our praise even if we don’t feel like it.

And to suggest that the music needs to speak to us, is like a child opening gifts at someone else’s party!!!—And I’ve seen that. It’s not pretty.

And as long as I am here there will be hymns sung in this church. But not simply because they are hymns, but because they proclaim God’s worth.

Not to fill a quota and not in response to notes slipped under my office door from anonymous people.—bless their hearts

It’s not about us.

May the Spirit of God guide us clear of..worship that is

Worship that is

done on our terms

is for our benefit

and because of that it can often become worship that holds no eternal significance only bitterness-where we walk in and out without any movement in our soul.

PAUSE

So where do we look for authentic worship in scripture?

Fortunately we are not left to figure it out!!

We see in Scripture, pure, unadulterated, intimate worship. It is not always pretty. It is not always comfortable!

II. AUTHENTIC WORSHIP (; ; )

I would like to quickly look at 3 of them.

Turn in your bibles to

Exodus 3:1–6 NLT

1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Isaiah 6:1–8 NLT

1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Isaiah 6:1–7 NLT

1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train£ of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

Revelation 1:12–18 NLT

12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

    the whole earth is full of his glory!”£

4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. 

8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 

PAUSE

In these 3 episodes we see men coming before God offering possibly the most authentic worship offered by mere men.

Worship that.

A. Is instigated by GOD

It is a response to his revelation

It is not entered into with an opinion of how it ought to be done, but simply hears the voice of God and responds. Moses hears God’s voice and responds “Here I Am”

Isaiah with the same words at witnessing the revelation of God’s glory says “Here I Am”

There is a sense of submission here, because they started with an understanding the God they are worshiping.

It is the same as when we open our hands in worship in submission. I am here! Do with me what you will. I am at your service.

We don’t raise our hands in approval of the song. It is a sign of submission.

And although John does not say these words in this text, the very fact that we have his recorded revelation, tells us that he said Here I am. Do with me what you will!

We see in these episodes of authentic worship, there is no competition for God’s glory

That it

B. Is for the GLORY of God, entered into with HUMILITY

PAUSE

If we have no sense of the holiness of God, we cannot worship.

HOLINESS means “other”— “completely different from”- “not to be thrown in with everything else” — “set apart as sacred”

When Moses comes before the bush, he is told to remove his sandals.

Like a priest walking into a temple removing his sandals so as not bring the impurities of the world with him, God’s calls on Moses to remove his sandals, if for no other reason than to establish in Moses heart and mind that this area that he had been leading sheep through for 40 years had become holy, because God had shown up. It was no longer common, it was other.

Then overwhelmed by the holiness of God, Moses covers his face. When he encounters the Almighty there is a striking understanding of who he is. In light of God’s holiness, he must hide his face.

There is no suggestion on Moses lips about how this encounter could be improved.

Just awe-inspiring perspective.

We see this again in Isaiah, and not only from him. We see it in the seraphim (ANGELS) themselves.

Created to be in the presence of the Almighty, holy God, it seemed necessary that they possess two extra sets of wings. Echoing the story of Moses, one set of wings covers their feet and another set hides their face from his glory.

And they call to one another “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts” the whole earth is full of his glory.

PAUSE

Different languages and different cultures have different ways of expressing emphasis.

We can use different words. Over at Charles Best Secondary you can see on the side of the school –Good, Better, Best!

Some times we add words to produce emphasis. We add words like “very”, “amazingly”, etc.

When my mom wanted to emphasis how close I was to getting in trouble she would add to my name.

It started as Brad, moved to Bradley, until it reached the height of warning—“Bradley David Strelau!!!!”

The Hebraic method of emphasizing something was to repeat it.

In this text we hear the seraphim repeating that God is Holy 3X.

PAUSE

Of all God’s attributes. The only one that necessitates repetition 3 times in all of scripture is his Holiness.

Not mercy mercy mercy. Not justice justice justice. Not even love love love.

But---Holy, holy, holy.

If we are going to worship God in Truth, then we need to grasp more and more that He is a Holy God.

And the humility of Moses and Isaiah and John naturally follows, and out of that follows authentic worship.

Isaiah after witnessing this, responds by saying

“It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man.”

“Woe is me! For I am lost; (some texts say—I am undone—literally my body is going to fall to the floor in pieces )—

“Woe is me! For I am lost; (some texts say—I am undone—literally my body is going to fall to the floor in pieces )--for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

“I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

You are God and I am man, and there is a big difference between us, and I see it now more than ever. Please hold me together!!

Moses covers his face, Isaiah fears he will literally go to pieces, and John

tells us, “falls down as if dead!!”—he’s just done

There is no such thing as meeting God, experiencing his holiness, and walking away unchanged.

Authentic worship results in change!!

Authentic worship.....

C. Results in TRANSFORMATION

Ultimately change in how we see God and ourselves.

But it must result in a completely new outlook on all of life.

Family, work, school. Corporate worship!

After Moses encounter, I have a feeling that when he worshipped alongside others, he was less likely to concentrate on those kinds of things that often cause other people minds to wander during times of worship.

Rather than finding fault in the new song Aaron wrote for worship, and that it might take time for people to learn. Rather than thinking about the fact that his sister Miriam never really was a good dancer in the first place, we always made fun of her when she was younger, and now she’s dancing as part of the worship service. Rather than thinking about the soccer match been Levite United and The Asher Astros, coming up that afternoon, I believe he could not be torn from focusing on holiness of God. He didn’t have time to think about all these other things, because they were so insignificant to who God was and what he deserved.

I have a hard time believing that John who had met the resurrected Christ would be able to think about anything to complain about when he was given the opportunity to gather with God’s people to worship the risen Christ together.

PAUSE

Here’s the thing….

The best way to improve worship in a church is not to get a new worship pastor (if you could write that down and underline it, Sarah would appreciate it).

The best way to improve corporate worship is to improve personal worship.

To not see the weekend as our sole opportunity to worship, but as a culmination of the worship we have been engaging in throughout the week, before a holy God who has called us to Himself. Before whom we’ve come in humility with heads bowed in submission and with hearts tuned to his grace.

With our minds set on the joy of meeting with God’s people for the sole purpose of giving to God!! To say as the psalmist “I was happy when they said to me “Let us go to the house of the LORD”

It is difficult to find fault in worship when we are lifting our eyes to Him who is enthroned in heaven.

PAUSE

All true worship is a response to the self-revelation of God in Christ and Scripture, and arises from our reflection on who He is and what He has done…The worship of God is evoked, informed, inspired by the vision of God…The true knowledge of God will always lead us to worship.

Instigated and fueled by God’s revelation to us

Is for the glory of God, entered into with humility with a strong sense and reflection on His holiness

Worship that results in change, in our hearts, our minds, our corporate worship.

If we call ourselves Christ followers. Those who have been bought with a price. Those who have encountered the living resurrected Christ.

Those who have understood the consequence of our sin before a holy God, and experienced the grace that has reconciled unholy people to a Holy God, and has allowed us to approach a Holy God without being consumed. Then scripture makes it very clear what our response should be.

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way in Hebrews chapter 12:28-29.

Hebrews 12:28–29 NLT

28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.

28Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29for our God is a consuming fire.

PRAY

PAUSE

Pray

Father help us to get this right!

May our worship be acceptable to you. May we be very careful to never approach you with cavalier indifference.

May we set you apart in our hearts and minds as Holy!!. Completely other and beyond all else that we can see and hear and experience.

Thank you that although you are holy, you call broken people to yourself.

We are people of unclean lips and we are surrounded by people with unclean lips.

Let our response to your acceptance be grateful adoration and reverence.

May we be willing to offer you the worship that you deserve, not simply the worship that we are comfortable with offering.

For Holy Holy Holy

Is the LORD God almighty.

Who was and is and is to come.

Amen

Revelation Song

Benediction