Acceptable Worship (manuscript)

“Acceptable Worship”

Text: Hebrews 12:18-29

Series: Christ-Centered Endurance

What acceptable worship is (Intro)

Hebrews 12:28 seems to be an odd place to bring up the matter of worship, but the writer of Hebrews tells the hearers to worship God acceptably. For a long time we have said that the most important thing in the church’s life is missions, but that is not true. Mission will no longer be needed one day. Missions is temporary but worship is eternal.

Missions is the means to accomplish worship. Missionaries are sent to places where people are NOT worshipping God, are sent to preach the gospel and make worshippers of men and women.

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because God is ultimate, and not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.” - John Piper

So, if worship is of such importance, then we must know what worship is and what makes it acceptable to God; but part of the problem is that everyone seems to have their own ideas of worship.

For some worship is a style of church service. Others see worship as only the music part of a church service.

So, we need to answer, “What is worship? Especially in light of the entire book of Hebrews.”

This means that we must consider this worship in a congregational setting rather than merely individual, since Hebrews is congregational in nature.

“Worship is an engagement with God on the terms that he proposes, and in the way that he alone makes possible.” - David Peterson

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“Worship is exulting in the exaltation of Christ” - Daily Grace Co.

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What is worship? The essential and simple meaning of the word, and therefore the fundamental thought is that of prostration, of bowing down. Worship suggests that attitude which recognizes the throne … It is a word full of force, which constrains us, and compels us to the attitude of reverence. - G. Campbell Morgan

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To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God. - John MacArthur Jr.

In Hebrews, worship is the stunned response of mankind to the Person of God, as He has spoken in the Son.

There is an even more precise way that we should consider worship, based on our current passage:

ANSWER: Acceptable worship is our careful response to God’s Greatness. Acceptable worship is an all-consuming, passionate, fear-filled, holy celebration of God’s Holy Person based upon God’s holy Word.

What is the goal of the sermon?

Worship God acceptably!

Why needed?

The ditch of worship without reverence. This is the worship of experience. This is unacceptable.

To pretend a homage to God, and intend only the advantage of self, is rather to mock him than worship him. When we believe that we ought to be satisfied, rather than God glorified, we set God below ourselves, imagine that he should submit his own honour to our advantage; we make ourselves more glorious than God. - Stephen Charnock

The ditch of worship without awe. This is the worship of form. This is unacceptable.

True worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God that the idea of a transfer of affection never even remotely exists. - A.W. Tozer

What leads us to acceptable worship (v. 18-21)

The Necessary Ingredient of Acceptable Worship

ANSWER: What leads a people to worship is an exceeding fear of the just God caused by an encounter with the all-powerful word of God.

As you see these verses and the matters enumerated, the writer is calling the hearers to recall Exodus 19:12-19. The presence of God was so fearful, but it was sound of the word of God that led the people to request a mediator. The elements the writer uses point to what is still called “Acts of God” in insurance.

Illustration: Recent lightening strikes in DC or Tornados…etc or Lightening strikes in the ocean. These events leave you feeling little and helpless. This is one of the chief problems. We don’t feel little and helpless anymore.

In Isaiah 6:4, it was the voice of the LORD that caused the door posts to shake. The voice of the Lord caused the insides of these people to sink into a kind of despair.

Without this kind of inner tremble, there is no stunned worship.

For the original hearers, this is a call to fear NOT those who can kill the body and not kill the soul, but to fear him that has power to kill both body and soul. There is no true worship without a holy tremble.

Notice also that fear of punishment of the OT people. This recognition shows us the kind of fear the author is speaking about…There is a fright!

Application:

We must return to God-centered worship. A worship that does not soften the edges of God’s Person. We cannot appreciate the love of God if we do not have a sense of the fear of God.

We must return to a reverence for the word of God. Worship must be according to how God has revealed Himself in his word. See Hebrews 12:19.

Some have accepted what others have said the Bible says but you’ve not actually read it yourself.

Some have assumed you know what the Bible says.

Some know enough to be dangerous by twisting what the Bible says.

The fear of the Lord leads us to acceptable worship, but it cannot cause us to worship acceptably. All we can do is tremble and hope for a mediator.

What makes acceptable worship possible (v. 22-24)

The writer now contrasts the OT event at Mt. Sinai with the present position of the hears. They have been converted to and gained entrance to something better.

Illustration: Imagine it. Describe it. The Breaker’s Mansion.

Summer getaway for Cornelius Vanderbuilt

Ocean front views

50 foot high ceilings

13 acre property

70 total rooms

48 bedrooms

27 fireplaces

Crystal Chandelier

The Breaker’s Mansion is a real place, though you have never seen it, but I can describe it to you and lead you to imagine what this real place is like. So does the writer here. There is a real place, and these individuals who have believed on Christ have come to this place spiritually.

Contrast:

Not Mt. Sinai, but Mt. Zion (city of living God)

Not earthly Jerusalem, but heavenly Jerusalem

Not to a miserable gathering but to a festive gathering of angels

Not to stepchildren, but to the church who are firstborn (plural) in the Firstborn (Christ)

Not to a middle-manager, but to God the Judge

Not to commoners, but to saints who have gone before

Not to Moses, but Jesus the Mediator

Not the Old Covenant, but the New Covenant

Not to the blood of Abel, but the eternal blood of Jesus.

So, what the writer is pointing out is that now those who previously did not have access do have access. Those who previously could only fear and tremble now can worship.

What has made this possible is the full, unhindered access to God by Jesus Christ.

Notice: Hebrews 12:24. What has the blood of Jesus done? It has done with the prior blood could never do. Hebrews 9:14-15.

But why? Why would the blood of Jesus be able to cleanse the consciences of the worshippers and allow us access. Hebrews 9:24.

The answer is that Jesus lived with an all-consuming affection for the LORD. He worshipped God alone. Matthew 4:8-10.

True worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God that the idea of a transfer of affection never even remotely exists.

Tozer, A. W.. Whatever Happened to Worship?: A Call to True Worship . Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Though Jesus worshipped God alone, He suffered the fate of an idolator.

ANSWER: What makes acceptable worship possible is the unhindered full access to God through Jesus Christ, by the blood of the New Covenant.

“Because Christ offered himself for us, believers now offer him our whole lives — all we think, do, and say — as a worshipful sacrifice.” - Matt Merker

Application:

Feelings of worship do not change the truth of the worship. Worship is impossible without Jesus.

True worship requires the atoning work of Jesus upon your conscience.

Illustration: Samaritan Woman

A trembling fear of the Person of God leads us to worship but does not make worship possible. Full access to God by Jesus makes worship possible, but what is the foundation of worship? What are the guard rails of acceptable worship?

What is the foundation of acceptable worship (v. 25-27)

There is no evidence that the Hebrews were facing worship wars, as we consider them today. They were not fighting over whether a choir, drum set, or upbeat music was necessary. If you concept of worship immediately takes you to these issues, then you have a warped understanding of worship that is based primarily on form. The question we should all be asking is, “What is the foundation of worship?”

The author draw attention once again to the WORD OF GOD.

ANSWER: The Word of God is the foundation of acceptable worship.

The Word of God is the foundation for Worship. He does this in a few ways: (1) Telling them to heed God’s Word (Hebrews 1:1-2) (2) Reminding them about the judgment of God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12) and (3) Forecasting truth about God’s Word.

In this event, God IS SPEAKING from Heaven. This speech is ongoing. God has begun something through the work of Christ that is still going on; and by this speaking He will accomplish his final work.

There is one more shaking coming. For the original audience this marked a reminder that what is seen is temporary — that their persecution was temporary.

Application:

Acceptable worship is founded upon the word of God. We must be cautious that worship is not a form based on how we subjectively feel.

The Word of God, Jesus, will bring about the end of all temporary things. Revelation 19:11-13.

Are you truly prepared?

Conclusion:

What the acceptable worship principle is (v. 28-29)

Acceptable worship is worship that is thankful because of the unshakeable kingdom received, reverent and awe-struck at the Person of God in the presence of God without any change to his still being a consuming fire.

What was irreverent worship?

What is the difference between OT and now? The difference is NOT God. He is still a consuming fire. There is a change in relationship to God but not a change in the Person of God.

The difference is that we have access to this God, and this access is by Jesus Christ. Thus, we can worship. We must worship. We also must simultaneously revere, tremble, and be awe-struck with Him. The awe must lead to the offer of worship.

ANSWER: The acceptable worship principle is that because of Jesus we can and must worship God with holy reverence and fear.

Conclusion:

App:

(1) Refuse to define worship as only music OR Expand your definition of worship to include more than just music.

(2) Refuse to define worship by your own likes or preferences OR Examine what you miss or what you like with the Bible.

(3) Rely upon the finished work of Christ in all of your worship OR Envisage the simplicity and profundity of the gospel in your worship.

(4) Recognize the centrality of the word in worship OR Exclude all things, if you must, but do not exclude the Word.

(5) Revere and be awe-struck with God in your worship OR Exult in the Person of God.

The goal of congregational worship is not the establishment of a mood according to our whim by the exaltation of God’s majesty according to His word.