True versus false worship

1. Our English word “worship” really means “worthship.”

2. Worthship has in it the idea of “worthy” and “honor.”

3. When we speak of worship and God, we are really saying God is worthy of honor and praise.

WE COULD SPEND SOME TIME DEFENDING THE VIEW THAT GOD IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP. AT SOME FUTURE POINT AND TIME THAT MAY BE DONE. TONIGHT WE WANT TO SIMPLY ACCEPT THE IDEA THAT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP AND THINK ABOUT THE WORSHIP HE IS TO RECEIVE.

a) Stated another way, if God is to be worshipped, how is it to be done?

b) There is not always agreement on how to properly worship God.

c) Suppose someone were to pursue this line of reasoning.

d) A person really likes a certain activity; maybe its golf, cooking, or even eating.

e) When this person engages in their special activity, they feel really involved and very, very good.

2) What if a person said, “I am going to make every golf game I play an act of worship”?

3) Every time I get out on the golf course and hit a ball, I will be honoring God.”

4) What would we saw?

5) A second person we know happens to love Twinkies and other snack products.

6) He says, “I will dedicate all my sweets to God. Every time I eat a snack, it will be worship.”

7) The third reasons, “I am a great cook and I choose to base my worship on that.”

8) “Every time I enter into the kitchen, I will worship God by using my pots and pans.”

9) If worship is just some vague and undefined concept, all three of these ideas have merit.

10) How can we say that the man who eats a Twinkie for worship is wrong, but tonight we are right?

11) How can we say we worshipped here this morning, but the guy out on the golf course didn’t?

12) Unless there is a standard higher than ourselves, we cannot say what worship is and is not.

13) There is a standard that is higher than man, and this standard is found in the book called the Bible.

14) In the Scriptures we find information about worship.

15) First, we find information that says some worship is bad (vain, false, unacceptable).

16) Remember that worship means “worthship” (God is worthy of our worship).

17) God is the receiver of our worship and He has told us that not everything is acceptable.

a) As we think about improper worship let’s introduce a couple of helpful passages.

b) 2 Cor. 5:10 says Christ will be the judge of all men.

c) If the Lord will be the judge, He is in a position to comment on the subject of worship.

d) Jesus also said (Mt. 25:31-33) that He will one day separate people as a shepherd separates sheep.

e) Because of the role that Jesus has, we need to look to Him for guidance on proper worship.

18) Jesus gives us some of that guidance in Mt. 15:8-9, a text already read.

19) In these two verses the Lord spoke of people who “offered worship.”

20) He said that offering worship is not enough.

21) Even though Jesus looked at worship that was offered only to the true God, it was objectionable.

22) Jesus did not approve of worship only based upon the “lips.”

23) Mere outward worship will not please the God of heaven.

24) A right heart and right actions are necessary for acceptable worship.

25) If all we have is worship that looks good on the outside, all we have is an empty shell.

26) If our heart is “far from God,” we cannot properly worship.

27) With a right heart also comes the right beliefs.

a) Just a few days ago I heard a preacher (a woman preacher) say, “my ministry is not local.”

b) This lady wants to trot the globe and preach to masses of men and women.

c) Those who respond are told to go around and start checking out various churches.

d) When one of her converts finds a church they feel at home in, she says “stay there.”

e) People absorb that information like it is gospel, but it is not gospel.

f) No where in the Bible do we find anything like, “pick a church of your church.”

g) Jesus spoke of “vain worship” in Mt. 15:8-9—worship that God rejects.

h) Jesus then explained why the worship was rejected: it involved teachings created from men.

i) In many places of worship, the environment may be just right and the people are friendly.

j) A good atmosphere without truth only leads to a good time, not worship.

28) Mark’s account (7:9) adds an important point to the discussion of vain worship.

29) There Jesus said the people were clever.

30) Jews figured out a way to skirt God’s commandment and impose rules from men.

31) That is still being done today and modern man thinks he has been so creative and shrewd.

32) Cleverness without truth doesn’t please God.

33) Some of the shenanigans being done now are just a repeat from 2,000 years ago.

34) Not only is the same act being repeated, the consequences are the same: vain worship.

35) Jesus said this in Lk. 6:46 – quote.

36) We are also reminded of the Lord’s words in Mt. 7:21 – not every religious person will be saved.

37) Though not specifically in the context of worship, what Jesus said still applies.

38) Just because we worshipped (went to religious services) does not mean we will be in heaven.

39) Jesus said we must receive His commandments (Jn. 8:51).

40) Are there commandments about worship? Yes, and we will introduce them in a bit.

41) When we think about false worship the gospels and Mt. 15 and Mk. 7 may come to mind.

42) Certainly Jesus commented on this matter but He was not the only one.

43) From Rom. 1:18 to Rom. 3:20, Paul commented on how people became involved with sin.

44) He said there were men who “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Rom. 1:25).

45) That doesn’t sound very good.

46) What was the truth that was exchanged? The rest of Rom. 1:25 tells us – READ.

47) God has given instructions about truth but men sometimes “exchange” it.

48) The exchange might be like that in Rom. 1 – worship of animals and other things on the earth.

49) True worship was exchanged for false worship.

50) Or the exchange involving worship may be like that Jesus discussed with the Jews.

51) Not doing what is right in worship means we are “suppressing the truth” (Rom. 1:18).

52) If we allow God to be God, we will worship exactly as He says.

53) If we (the creation) exalt ourselves, will be tempted to worship as we want.

54) When a single person or a group begins to devise, plan and execute their own worship, there is exaltation of self.

55) A person or group takes on a role that is only worthy of God, and Jesus said God is not pleased by this.

BECAUSE FALSE WORSHIP IS BAD IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, WE MUST AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE. IN FACT, JESUS SPECIFICALLY TOLD US TO AVOID THIS IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF JOHN.

a) Jesus said God “must” be worshipped in “truth.”

b) Jesus said truth exists. He also told where this truth can be found.

c) Jn. 17:17 says God’s word is truth – sanctify them in thy truth, thy word is truth.

d) If we worship according to truth (Jn. 4:24), we worship as the Scriptures tell us to worship.

2) Col. 3:2 says we “set our minds on the things that are above.”

3) In the context this means we are headed in the opposite direction of sin.

4) We also see here a principle that is applicable to worship.

5) We seek out what heaven wants in worship and that is what we do (we comply with that will).

6) If we look to the earth, we can find and we can deliver a religion people want.

7) God tells us looking around to one another (or the masses) is not the right way to do things.

8) Worship has never been determined by popular vote.

9) Long ago Nadab and Abihu thought they could do things a little differently (Lev. 10:1-3).

10) They tried it their way and they died.

11) They failed to apply the fact that worship means “worthship” (God must be honored as He has said).

12) Peter said God “calls us” (1 Pet. 1:14-16); He calls us in holiness.

13) Suppose we were called to a high official’s home for an evening meal.

14) Would we tell that official, “this is the food I expect you to serve when I come”?

15) The greater party determines what is to be done, and this is certainly true concerning God.

16) We live in a time when some people simply do not understand what worship is.

17) That’s sad, but there are some who have never been taught about right worship.

18) Such should not surprise us.

19) Acts 17:22-23 refers to “very religious” people who offered “ignorant worship.”

a) These people were not stupid; they had never received proper education about worship.

b) They lacked basic and right instruction on this topic.

c) As New Testament Christians it is our responsibility to teach people about worship.

d) We need to warn about vain worship and practice true worship.

e) A key reason for doing this is found in Col. 2:20-23.

f) Paul spoke to the Colossians about “will worship” in Col. 2:23.

g) This is worship that people devise and even prescribe for themselves.

h) Vine says it is “unbidden” and “forbidden” worship.

20) A lot of what is called “worship” in our day and time is really “will worship.”

21) People come up with their own ideas and proceed with their plans.

22) Such an approach is not worshipping in truth.

23) Worship is really presented in two ways in both the Old Testament and the New Testament:

a) God’s way and man’s way.

b) God’s way is not 80-90% of heaven’s will – it is 100%.

c) Man’s man may be a “little off” (like Lev. 10) or it may be “really off” (like Rom. 1).

d) Here is something that we want to get exactly right.

e) Not only what we do must be right, but the object of worship must be correct.

24) There are those as we sit here who worship spirits, ancestors, and even angels.

25) Would we object to ancestor worship and angel worship?

26) We have no other choice because these objects of worship are not worshipping in truth.

27) Rev. 19:10 says God is worthy of worship—God and God only is the right object.

28) If worship is directed to anyone or anything but Him, it is completely defective.

29) It is important to remember that worship in truth will always clash with worship based on tradition.

30) If we discuss worship in truth with people, we ought not to be surprised by a negative response.

31) Jesus warned us about that in places like Jn. 15:20.

32) The Lord spoke of people who would be in the “synagogues” (i.e. religious people).

33) These people were worshipping incorrectly, and here is how they reacted to the truth –

34) READ. Jn. 15:20.

35) No matter what the world says, God says worship in truth.

36) Tonight we hope you have made your decision on the truth and not error.