Crossway Baptist Church

Coming before God in worship is a serious matter.  How we worship God has eternal consequences.  Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, did not come before God in the prescribed manner and they were struck down ( Leviticus 10:1-2).  Eli did not discipline his sons and because of their abominable actions before God, both sons and Eli were killed on the same day as punishment for their false worship (I Samuel 4:12-18).  Jesus said the Pharisees of his day worshiped God in vain (Mark 7:1-13).  In these three examples there are three dangers we must avoid.

First, we must avoid the temptation to do things our own way. God has written His own worship book and He wants it to be followed.  Nadab and Abihu brought fire, but it was not the fire that God had commanded (Leviticus 16).  It was ‘strange fire’. We can put together our own orders of worship, but what is included in our orders of worship is not optional or exchangeable.  The Scriptures must guide our worship.

Second, we must avoid the kind of worship that comes from a wicked, selfish heart. Eli’s sons were known for their excesses in whatever they did.  They would take more of the sacrifice than was allotted for them and commit fornication with the women who came to worship at the Tabernacle (I Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25).  Worship is not about us, it is about God. When we come together to worship, we must come not to receive but to give.  We come to give worship to God.  We come to give comfort and encouragement to our brothers and sisters.  When this order is followed we will all ‘get something out of’ the worship service, but what we get must not be our focus.

This does not mean we ignore our personal needs.   We must also be ready to receive God’s Word, love from the congregation, and allow the Spirit to work grace in our hearts.

Finally, we must avoid elevating tradition to the place where it obscures God’s rules of conduct and worship. To allow tradition to guide our worship is to render our worship useless.  Vain worship is pointless worship.  It is the observance of ceremony and ritual simply for the sake of ceremony and ritual.  Tradition is fine in it’s place.  But when it is exalted above the authority of Scripture or it’s commands receive as much importance as Scripture’s commands, we have ceased to worship God.  Tradition dictates many things about our worship, but it must be subject to change in closer conformity to God’s Word.

They did not nail him then, but simply bound him. And he, placing his hands behind him, and being bound like a distinguished ram [taken] out of a great flock for sacrifice, and prepared to be an acceptable burnt-offering unto God, looked up to heaven, and said,

“O Lord God Almighty, the Father of thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of Thee, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before thee, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast counted me, worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Thy martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption [imparted] by the Holy Ghost. Among whom may I be accepted this day before Thee as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, according as Thou, the ever-truthful God, hast foreordained, hast revealed beforehand to me, and now hast fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, with whom, to Thee, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen.”

Source: www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.iv.iv.xiv.html

One of the lessons from last week’s Sunday School class was to petition God with specific requests. Why? Well, one reason is so that we may glorify God when we see Him answer those specific prayers. This is what happened to me today.

First, our Sunday School class was full.

Second, nearly the entire body was gathered together for Sunday morning worship.

Third, we were blessed to have guests with us this morning.

Fourth, both brothers Jeremy and Charlie preached clearly, passionately, and powerfully from God’s Word.

I was so excited to see God’s gracious answers that I started sharing them with my family as we were pulling out of the parking lot.

Blessings in Christ,

David

By John MacArthur. As Adapted from Our Awesome God in Do you Draw Near? by Tony Cappocia at Bible Bulletin Board.

Αcceptable worship doesn’t happen spontaneously- you must prepare yourself. Let’s look at Hebrews 10:22. “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” That verse begins with the phrase “let us draw near”-it is our call to worship. What follows are four checkpoints to help you prepare for worship.

The Checkpoint of Sincerity – We are to draw near “with a sincere heart.” That speaks of a genuine heart, devoted to pursuing God. It is hypocritical to be worshiping God when you are really apathetic or preoccupied with self. Draw near to God with your whole heart.

The Checkpoint of Fidelity – We are to draw near “in full assurance of faith.” The Hebrews were clinging to Old Covenant forms of worship to find acceptance before God; but the coming of Christ put an end to ceremony and sacrifice. Each person had to be willing to say, “I’m coming to God in full confidence that I am not saved by a system of ritual. I come fully by faith in Jesus Christ.” You too are to be fully assured that God accepts your worship, not because of what you do, but because of what Jesus did in providing atonement for you.

The Checkpoint of Humility – We are to draw near to God “having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.” That is, you come to God with the knowledge that you are unworthy to be in His presence. The only reason anyone can come to Him is the blood of Christ, which was shed on the cross as a cleansing for sin.

The Checkpoint of Purity – We are to draw near having “our bodies washed with pure water.” That refers to the daily cleansing by the Word of God. The process of sanctification ferrets out sinful thoughts and exposes sinful behavior. Before you worship, confess the sins that God uncovered through His Word so you can draw near in purity.

Every time you worship, whether corporately or privately, try preparing yourself by asking these questions:

• Am I seeing God anew in the Word through discovery and meditation so I am compelled to draw near to Him?
• Am I being sincere? Is my heart fixed on Him and undivided?
• Am I fully assured that only faith in Christ can bring me to God’s throne?
• Am I coming humbly, realizing I can draw near only because of what Christ has done for me?
• Is there any sin in my life I haven’t dealt with?