(Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - Santa
Barbara – Lesson 2 in a series about Trends)
TRENDS (4)
Man Centered Worship
We are in the midst of a study dealing with some trends that
ought to concern all of us.
These trends are the product of a more liberal attitude toward the word
of God. It is truly sad, but
it seems that where religion is concerned man seems to be more
self-absorbed than ever before.
Sure there are many who join religions to do good for others, but
ultimately, far too many come to God with conditions.
They want to find a church where they can be themselves and have
a degree of freedom to keep being who they are (regardless of what God
thinks). Brethren are
NOT exempt from this attitude which is why this study is so important.
Tonight I want to
talk about worship to God.
In my studies of God’s word I have come to the conclusion that God is
very exact in how He wants to be worshipped and there are reasons for
this – primarily, worship is not about US!
In our lesson tonight we want to talk about where worship has
gone in much of the religious world
and what God expects us to do about it.
a.
Like so
many other elements of the community church movement (and I might add
more and more in the denominations), their worship is designed to cater
to man.
b.
It is no
secret that we live in an age of entertainment and instant
gratification. We spend
large sums of money on being entertained – cable HD television,
expensive sound systems, extensive video libraries on demand, clear and
crisp music that appeals to our tastes, movie screens that are taller
than some apartment buildings, highly refined live entertainment events
and amusement parks that cost a small fortune to go to just for a day.
Even in our cars we have elaborate radios, CD players and even
DVD players to entertain the kids for those long drives to the homes of
relatives. From the time we
wake up in the morning till we go to bed, we seek to be entertained.
As a result we have become entertainment driven.
Add to this that man works hard during the week to provide these
luxuries for himself and to take care of his family. We live In the
busiest of societies and our calendars become so full that we don’t have
time to enjoy all those entertainment gadgets we work for.
Therefore on weekends, if he goes to worship – he wants some
“bang for his buck.” He
wants something exciting and that will keep his attention (The Community
Church offers it with music in all different genres and skits and
big-name speakers, and short, relevant sermons etc.
Whatever it takes to draw in the
masses AND then to keep them coming back
c.
Community Church worship is designed to be entertaining and pleasing to
such a person.
It is also provided “cafeteria style” depending upon the size of
the congregation. For an
example, consider Saddleback Church in Lake Forrest, CA one of the most
successful Community Churches and a model that many strive to imitate.
This is where Rick Warren is the “pastor”.
At their website,
www.saddlebackfamily.com
you can CHOOSE which style of worship you want to participate in.
FIRST, you select your service times (not all styles offered at all
times) – they meet twice on Saturday and at least 5 choices on Sunday.
Their “church” is actually a campus.
NEXT you choose from one of 8 different types of worship service –
i.
There is
the
WORSHIP CENTER where
“you’ll engage in an array of contemporary worship music and enjoy live
teaching that is video cast to our other venues.
ii.
Elevation –meets Saturday
– “If you’re a single adult who enjoys current Christian music, this
service is for you.” It is
followed by planned events.
iii.
Fuel - ”Our newest venue
for young adults ages 20s to 30s (but everyone is welcome.
Join us in Refinery main auditorium for live teaching, worship,
food and relationship building.
All of this and more, packed into a shorter service.”
At an auxiliary website, we read, “Fuel
has live teaching with Dough Fields speaking, he re-teachs Pastor Rick’s
weekend message.”
iv.
Overdrive – “This service
is filled with guitar driven, rock infused worship sure to amplify your
experience. You’ll feel like
your worshipping in a musical concert setting!
The message will follow, video cast live from the Worship
Center.”
v.
Praise – “This venue is
filled with inspiring gospel music that will move your heart and
encourage your spirit. The
gospel choir will get you up off your feet in whole-hearted praise to
God. Worship is followed by
the video cast message.”
vi.
Traditions – “Enjoy a
small, traditional church feeling as you worship with hymns, choruses,
and favorite songs of the faith, all at a lower volume!
The message is videocast on big screens for great viewing.”
vii.
There is
also the
Terrace Café, available at
all service times, “Grab a cup of coffee and relax in this outdoor
worship environment. Located
on the top of the Plaza Building, the terrace Café is a perfect place to
bring your friends for fellowship and a casual worship experience.”
d.
If
it takes this to get them there it will take this to keep them there?
Exciting and fun? Yes!
But is it what God wants?
II.
True Worship
a.
Have you
thought about what is the
real purpose of worship?
WHY is it important that we do things a certain way?
One might ask: What’s the big deal about how we worship God?
i.
Let it be
clear – Worship has NEVER been about pleasing men!
God is the one we must be seeking to please and glorify.
John 4:24, we worship HIM!
Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore
by Him let us continually offer
the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips,
giving thanks to His name.”
Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore,
since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have
grace, by which we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
For our God is a consuming fire.”
Have you ever thought about what
reverence means?
It means to hold in awe or render due respect to one.
That is what God deserves.
We need to keep that in mind when we APPROACH Him.
He is our HEAVENLY FATHER, not some buddy down the street!
ii.
With
increasing frequency, at the beginning of lessons I strive to remind
brethren that we are here to worship God and not for us.
That is WHY we assemble.
Are we edified in the process? We better be!
But that is the BENEFIT!
The reason is to worship God!
I am afraid man has forgotten this fact!
iii.
It is
HIS pattern and instructions that reveal WHAT PLEASES HIM!
Think
about that! If you want to please your boss, do you say, “I don’t care
what he says, I am going to do it my way!”?
b.
A study of
worship reveals that God has consistently and strongly rejected the
innovations of man in worship to Him (cf. Rom. 15:4, 1 Cor.10:1-11).
He is the ONE who rejected Cain’s offering (Gen. 4);
He is the ONE who burned Nadab and Abihu to death for offering strange
fire (Lev. 10);
He is the ONE who said to King Saul through Samuel, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of
rams.” (1 Sam. 15:22)
He is the ONE who sent Malachi and scorned the people because of their
lukewarm and corrupted worship to Him (Malachi 1).
(Much of it had to do with their attitude)
Look at what happened when Jeroboam offered a worship of convenience to
Northern Israel. It became
the downfall of that nation and they NEVER overcame it (1 kings
12:25-32, cf. 2 Kings 17:21-23).
ADD to that the strictness and regulations priests were expected to
follow as they worshipped God.
It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t fun!!!
Killing and lifting animals, the smell of blood and smoke all
day, etc.
WHAT can we learn from this?
God DOES care about how we
worship Him. Too many
today reason that as long as we have a sincere heart, God will accept
whatever we do, however we do it!
Will He?
Worship is NOT about you being
entertained! It NEVER has
been!
c.
What
does it mean to worship God “in Spirit and in truth”? (John 4;24)
i.
In
truth means according to
His pattern. We will ASSUME
we understand His pattern.
ii.
In
Spirit means we worship
God from the heart.
Does worship involve our emotions?
Absolutely!
iii.
In the New
Testament, 5 acts of worship toward God are clearly demonstrated and
taught.
All 5 acts are simple and can be done at any time in history and
anywhere in the world.
ALL 5 acts involve worshipping God in Truth AND in
SPIRIT!
1.
Singing – Ephesians
5:19 – singing to one another…making melody in your hearts to the Lord;
Col. 3:16 – with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
2.
Giving - 1 Cor. 16:1-2 –
lay aside as prospered; 2
Cor. 9:7 – not grudgingly, but cheerfully.
3.
Praying -
Luke 18:13 – the humble tax collector; Matthew 6:5,7 – not
hypocritically, nor to be seen by men, without vain repetitions, etc.
1 Cor. 14:15 – pray with the Spirit and understanding
4.
Studying – Acts 17:11 –
searching the scriptures, Acts 10:33 – ready to “hear
all the things commanded you by God.”
Acts 2:42 says, “they
continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine…”
5.
Lord’s Supper – 1
Corinthians 11:23-30, “do this in remembrance of Me”, “Let a man examine
himself…”
iv.
IF we do
these acts from our heart, it WILL be meaningful and we WILL be edified!
(1 Cor. 14:12, 26)
d.
Is
worship boring to you?
While the pattern God subscribes may not be the most exciting –
it is STILL God’s pattern and it MUST be followed.
Boring is usually more about attitude more than the acts of
worship. If your heart is
right as you worship – it doesn’t need to be enhanced.
How excited are you about being here?
(Psalm 122:1) Is this
something you look forward to?
e.
NOTE:
This is not to say that we should not put
forth effort to improve our worship services when we find they are
lacking. AT times we need to
be rebuked because we forget about the Spirit of worship.
Maybe we need to sing a new song or two, etc.
WE ought to do what we can to help one another understand the
purpose of each act as fully as possible.
Worship ought to engage the heart.
In some things I believe there is room for improvement, but it
is NOT in appealing to the desires of man. There is NOTHING wrong
with seeking ways to keep members engaged, but we must still respect the
pattern AND NEVER forget we are here to worship HIM!
The CASUAL attitude of many is NOT what God wants. He is insulted by the
indifference (cf. Malachi 1:6-14).
f.
The
worship of the Community Church fails miserably as it seeks to entertain
man.
III.
The Casual Attitude
–
a.
The “come
as you are” mantra of the community church is primarily about how you
dress and your demeanor as you worship God.
You can come to have a good time.
“Dressing up” is deemphasized.
b.
The Lord’s
church is not about how casual we can be.
In my studies, I find that as we worship:
i.
We
are in the presence of God.
His church is a manifestation of His wisdom (Eph. 3:10).
The occasion is solemn and worthy of reverence.
“God is greatly to be
feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all
those around Him.” (Psa. 89:7)
The throne scene around God in Revelation 4 & 5 was not a party.
Malachi 1:6, “A son honors his
father, and a servant his master.
If then I am the Father, where is My honor?
And if I am a Master, where is My Reverence? Says the Lord of
hosts…”
ii.
This is a solemn occasion.
When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are to keep that in mind.
We are proclaiming His death (vs. 26).
When we study the Bible we are listening to HIS word! (1 Pet. 4:11)
Our prayers are petitioning Him!
iii.
It
is NOT just coming together to relax and have some fun with friends and
family. (cf. 1 Cor.
11:17-22). Its not like
going to the movies or out with friends.
c.
Brethren I
am concerned about the casual attitude in the community church, but I
am equally concerned about how casual we are becoming.
It is seen in the way we dress and often in our demeanor as we go
through the acts of worship.
And it doesn’t stop there.
With increasing frequency we are seeing it in the ATTITUDE of our
members.
Because of this they can come when they want and miss when they want.
It is in those who are habitually late.
And USUALLY these are the same one who want a more relaxed
attitude in dealing with morality and brethren who are weak.
Brethren, We MUST give God our best and not treat “going to church” like
some social occasion or simply go through the motions.
What does the way you dress say about your attitude?
What does your demeanor in participating say about your attitude?
What does your preparation say about your attitude?
Brethren, HOW we
worship God IS important.
Let us NEVER forget WHY we are here!
It is NOT about me or you!
It is about worshipping God.
But know that when you do it HIS way, HE is the one glorified but
you STILL get the benefit.
That is the goodness of God at work!