Don't Put It On.
Notes
Transcript
Did you watch the football? It was glorious wasn’t it! My kids now how a very skewed perspective on supporting England. Harry Kane went from questionable player to national hero in 4 minutes. I loved seeing the crowd at Wembley last game. It’s like a cork removed from the national spirit. The singing, the chanting, the adoration. We’re beginning to feel like all our adoration is grounded on a real hope.
And that’s worship - giving worth to something. Some do it for football. Some have other things they give worth to. We do it for God.
But how do you approach worship? Whats your preferred style? Did the video make you squirm? or secretly think “I told you so”?
Perhaps you draw your worship from the contemporary worship Bible
Psalm 95 (NIV)
1 Come, let us sing for joy for ourselves; let us harmonise to soft rock tunes. 2 Let us come before him with pretty tunes turned all the way up to 11 so you can’t even hear yourself sing. 3 For the Lord is my buddy, Even greater than Chris Tomlin or Bethel’s latest singer . 4 In his hand are the depths of the bass beats, and the male lead vocal peaks belong to him. 5 6 Come, let us stand up in worship, let us wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care before the Lord our Maker;
Or do you prefer a more traditional hymnal interpretation
Psalm 95 (NIV)
1 Come, let us sing without expressing any joy to the Lord; let us not sing very loud to the hymn of our salvation because its not the done thing. 2 Let us come before him with appropriate attire and extol him with only the most holy organ. 3 For the Hymnal is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In Charles Wesley’s hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 6 Come, let us sit or stand at the appropriate time in worship, let us kneel on the holy embroidered cushion before the Lord our Maker;
Feeling offended at all… dig a little deeper. Lets be real. Do you think God has a preferred musical style? Or do you think God perhaps values something more that just the tunes and words we use to worship him? Do you think he looks down and smiles every time we sing your favourite songs?
Worship is singing our praises but it’s so much more. Lets look at the passage. 2 Sam 6:12-23
We don’t put on worship casually
We don’t put on worship casually
2 Samuel 6:12–14 (NIV)
12 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might,
There’s a great picture of a fully committed David here. He did not “Put It On” - it’s not casual dancing, a light sway, a little arm movement. It’s full on Strictly Ballroom, Mosh Pit at a heavy metal Gig dancing. Its all the topless Men at Wembley. Here’s my first point, we should put on worship - an act - we shouldn’t put it on casually.
He was serious about his Worship as he know the cost of being frivolous.
7 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
What do you make of that? I know were not meant to think these things but don’t you think “he didn’t even mean it”. Bit harsh God!
We must not overlook the Holiness of God. We can now approach God because of Jesus but he’s still Holy. I have a good minister friend who talked to me about a retreat on a mountain. She relayed a moment when the very presence of God arrived. Do you know what she did? She ran! So would I!
There is a price in casual worship - Look at 2 Sam 6:3 and compare it to 2 Sam 6:13 Note how first time they put the Ark on a cart but second time they carried it. Scripture told them to carry it. They approached the Ark too casually first time. We no longer suffer the price of approaching God casually...
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
But does that excuse a poor sacrifice of praise? That’s what scripture calls us to offer
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Surely because of the very amazing sacrifice of Jesus we should prepare and bring our best offering to God. The word sacrifice isn’t just a turn of phrase. Our praise should cost. We should prepare it. This sermon is my praise offering this morning. Do you think I just turn up and speak? I prepare - I re-write until it feels complete. Our soon to be band are preparing for next Sunday when we’re bringing live worship. We’re preparing a sacrifice of praise.
Don’t put on the pretence worship. When you worship commit. When you worship be aware of the seriousness of what you do.
We don’t put on worship for others
We don’t put on worship for others
So lets look at this act of worship then with David as a role model. What do we see?
David wasn’t worried about other people.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
He was king. It wasn’t the done thing. Michal has expectations about who he should be, how he should act. He did not put on the roles others expected him to fulfil. He did not worship for the benefit of his wife!
That’s my second point. We don’t put on worship for others. Its not a public performance.
My little Hannah has started dance lessons but we knew she was a dancer before she did. You’ll often catch her dancing to herself in her room. No-one watching, no concept of performing dance. Its just what she does to express herself. I think that’s how we should worship. In the same way we do when alone. If your worship looks and feels different when you’re alone to when your gathered I think you need to think about that.
We don’t put on worship for ourselves
We don’t put on worship for ourselves
David didn’t put on worship for himself either though. That’s my third point. Don’t put it on for ourselves.
2 Samuel 6:22 (NIV)
22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.
‘Humiliated in my own eyes’. Can I let you into a secret? This is my big struggle. To let go of my own pride and allow myself to be humiliated for God. I resonate with David here. I think this is no small throw away comment.
Lifting hands in worship - the barrier of embarrassment. Hill songs conference, the pocket hand. The basket ball player. The shoulder lift. I do it freely now because I want to not care what people think. I don’t want to care what I think! Its a sign of commitment to God.
Whats your barrier? I don’t pray my praise as I’m embarrassed I may say the wrong words… I don’t raise my hands - they’ll think I’m odd. I don’t sing out - I can’t sing in tune. I don’t think making a fuss - it’s not British. All are putting our pride before our praise. Lets be praise before pride.
We do put on worship for God
We do put on worship for God
So we don’t put worship on casually, we don’t put it on for others and we don’t put it on for ourselves. In what way do we put it on?
Ever came away from Sunday saying “that worship did nothing for me”… me too. Here’s the thing, the key thing, worship isn’t about you. You don’t worship for your benefit. Worship is about offering to God a sacrifice of praise that he deserves.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
We bless God, not ourselves. Worship is give to God not get from God
Romans 12:1–2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Don’t get me wrong. When we’re aware of the presence of the creator God, the Holy of Holy God we’ll be changed. It isn’t though the very point of worship. It is giving God what he deserves.... Ponder that, what he deserves. What does Jesus deserve? Just singing without embarrassment? Just us having a great time with Him here on Sunday? You just putting up your hands if the feeling takes you there?
But what does this worship look like? What is it to worship like David? I tell you what it isn’t. It isn’t singing the songs you enjoy. It isn’t participating in worship in the way people expect - head bowed, arms raised, dancing, no dancing, drums, kneeling, sitting, standing, quietly, loudly.
What did David put on? It was a linen Ethod. In wearing the Ethod David dressed, acted and became a priest to the people, he stepped into the holy gap between his people and God and pleaded before God for Gods presence. For God to be among the people. He did for his people what they couldn’t do for themselves. Here’s the thing through Jesus we are all now priests.
Look. I’ll put it simply like this. You being a Christian should benefit the world around you. Your presence should bring God into a place. You are to be Jesus to the world. We’re called to seek Gods Kingdom, his plan for the people of this place, this world that we’re in. We’re his instrument. Jesus’ mission has a Church in the world to carry it out.
The worship God seeks from us is to live out every day in every way for His glory - to give him worth. What does God deserve from you? How can we show God what he’s worth? I’ll tell you. He deserves that you eat, sleep, work, wash-up, go shopping, relax, do your tax return, go to the toilet, clean your car, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, petition for justice where there is injustice, love the unlovable to the glory of God. Every bit of you having a heart that says I do this for your glory - the best of what I can do for the glory of you. That is a sacrifice of praise God finds pleasing.
So how is your worshipping heart? Too much casual in the way you approach it? Too much worrying about other peoples opinions? Too much worrying about your own pride? Too much contained just to 90 minutes on Sunday? Perhaps you realise you’ve never found what David did, never worshipped like he did. Can I ask you step out now. Step into embarrassment and away from pride. Come forward so we can all pray for you. Come stand with me at the front. Or if you can’t move raise a hand.