Worship, Lying, Gain and Sacrifice

I read a quote this morning I wanted to pass on to you. Ergun Caner, head of the dept. of Theology at Liberty University twittered a rough quote from Tozer: Christians do not tell lies, they go to church and sing them. I’m afraid that’s true more than it’s not. I’d read another statement that said that often Christians worship for what they will get in return more than for what they can give in worship. Living a life of worship is synonymous to living a life that cultivates influence – they require sacrifice. If we sacrifice for the purpose of gain, then where’s the real sacrifice? Sacrifice motivated by gain isn’t truly sacrifice, it’s self-serving. If God never spoke into our lives, if He never sent blessings, wisdom or guidance He’d still be worthy of our sacrificing ourselves on the altar as living sacrifices. Yes, we desire to come into His presence, to experience all that He has to offer us as we lift up praise and worship to Him, but if we aren’t willingly sacrificing ourselves for Him simply because He is worthy, we’re missing the point. We worship, not for what we get, but because of what we give – ourselves, every part of us, fully and completely to the King Who redeemed us. We worship because He is worthy, because of His greatness, because of what He has done, because of Who He is. So, let’s not be liars in church when we sing. Let’s give God every part of us now, simply because He is worthy. Leave getting anything in return up to Him.

When we come to worship, be wholly involved in all that goes on when we come to God. Embrace everything that He is and all that He offers, and don’t just go looking for what you think you need. Don’t just dip in your toe into the ocean of worship, dive in. Become an active participant, not just a spectator. Ask yourself the question: Is my worship self-centered or God-centered? If we worship for us, then God gets nothing out of it. If he gets nothing, what can you expect to get out of it besides a temporary emotional high? If you’re looking for worship that lasts, then give everything to it, hold nothing back, make it all about God. Remove yourself as the focus and train your focus fully on God. We get from God in proportion to what we give in our worship. David Jeremiah puts it this way: we can only “take away the sum equivalent of what we bring.” In other words, only offer up partial worship, expect to only receive partial blessing. We should seek to give it all, every part, to worship in both spirit and truth.

If you’re like me, giving every part can be a struggle. It’s easy to hold on to things in life and not want to let go. But, if we’re going to be able to truly worship in spirit and in truth, we must. We must release every part or be willing to ask God to take control of that area from us. Yes, it can mean pain. But pain is temporary. True worship is eternal. Won’t I feel like I’m not in control? Yes, and that’s what you want. We shouldn’t be in control of anything. God should be in control of everything. The challenge is to live your life so that even the small things fall under God’s control, not yours. Are we up for it?

The Events of a Thursday night, recent and far.

Tonight we did something a little different. Usually in the middle of rehearsal we stop for a short time of devotion/study. Recently, while researching something else, I came across information about the Passion Week, which got me thinking. What was it like for Jesus during His last week prior to His crucifixion? I looked at the triumphant entry into Jerusalem celebrated on Palm Sunday up to the crucifixion, which led us to celebrate the cross during church last Sunday. Then, I focused on Thursday. What got me thinking was that we were having our final Easter rehearsal on the day traditionally viewed as the night of the last supper. Rather than the usual time of teaching, something needed to be different.

After we finished the rehearsal, rather simply teaching, we sat everyone in two rows of chairs, facing each other. Starting with the first person on each row, we symbolically washed each other’s feet, telling them we loved them with the love of the Lord. Now, some people might think this silly or not take it seriously, but the imagery was incredible. Acknowledging our love for each other in Christ, our willingness to serve each other and put each other ahead of ourselves, it drove home in my heart the way Christ did that for us, not only in washing His disciples’ feet, but in the ultimate act of placing others ahead of Himself when He died on the cross. It was a gesture not just of servanthood and humility, but of the sacrifice Christ was about to make for all of us.

When we were done, we took a loaf of bread, and, in following Scripture, broke it, blessed it, and passed it to each other, each person tearing off a piece of the loaf to eat in remembrance of Jesus’ body being broken for us. I wish I could paint you a picture of what that looked like. First, breaking the loaf apart – Jesus’ body was broken for us. Then, the tearing off of pieces – I could see the whips tearing into Jesus’ back and body, shredding the skin, the agony He suffered for us. As people ate the piece of bread they tore off it struck me how Christ’s body was consumed in the payment for my sin. (As we celebrate Easter we must always remember that Resurrection Sunday always follows Crucifixion Day.)

Next in the story Jesus passed the cup, after He blessed it, stating that it was His blood poured out in a new covenant. While we didn’t want to pass one cup around for all to drink out of, we gave everyone a small cup. I held in my hands a bottle of grape juice, red liquid, and as we prayed I couldn’t help but think of the fact that we were about to pour out the juice just as Christ’s blood was poured out for us. It was hard to speak for a moment as that thought overwhelmed me. Then, to see each person pouring out the juice into their cups, realizing that Jesus had poured out His blood for each one of them, it was almost as it I could see His blood being applied to each life.

It was a reminder of how costly our salvation really is. God came to earth and died for us. It isn’t something that we can ever take lightly, but a very serious charge given to us to live up to. And, just as we passed the bread and the juice, so to must we take this incredible gift of grace and share it with all around us. We can’t keep it to ourselves. We must all be lights shining the truth of the hope of the gospel to everyone we meet, sharing with them the love and grace that God has so freely given to us. Amazing what washing feet and passing around bread and juice can show a person.

Carry with you the image of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. Ponder it as you think of the crucifixion. Allow your heart to overflow with rejoicing when realizing that Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb but rose again and is alive today, sitting at God’s right hand, speaking for us. Allow God to reveal more of what He’s done for you to your heart as you live out a life worthy of the sacrifice made to set you free. Then, when we get together on Sunday morning to celebrate, we truly do celebrate the greatness of our God with hearts overflowing in worship and adoration of Him.

Malachi 1:14

God calls someone "Hypocrite!" You know you have to done something bad to be called hypocrite by God. In a message dealing with what we offer in worship, God brings this pronouncement. "There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord." (NET) In other words, God calls someone a hypocrite (and promises condemnation) when they come to Him with an offering of worship that is blemished and imperfect when they hold back something much more valuable. God demands our best in worship, and when we come to Him acting like we're something greater than we really are, when what we bring isn't the best we have to offer, rather is something we almost throw together at the last minute, we offend Him greatly. It's a scary thing to offend God, the Creator of the universe and the only All-Powerful Being. Tick Him off and look out.

Just look at what He's said to Israel and her worship leaders (priests) so far in the message He gave through Malachi. "You've strayed so far you can't even see how much I love you and how evident My love for you really is." (v. 2-5) "You have dishonored Me and made light of My name, and you can't even see what you've done. You think you're still all right with Me and don't realize how displeased I am with you." (v. 6-9) "You've profaned My Temple by considering My table as common, something you just do every week because it's required. You even turn your nose up at it and consider it tiresome." (v. 12-13) Pretty harsh words to the people who considered themselves the children of God. In verse 10 God wishes someone would close and bar the door to the Temple rather than have to put up with the false and fake worship the people were offering. Wow. The God of the universe Who desires that all men worship Him would rather close the place of worship than face another day of dishonest worship. No wonder He pronounces judgment on those who don't offer their best to Him.

So, how does that apply to us today, to those of us who call ourselves the children of God? Was this just a warning message to the Israelites over 2,400 years ago, or does this message carry warnings for us today? Well, let's ask the question. If God Who never changes can't stand dishonest worship from the Israelites, do you think He would appreciate or accept less than honest worship from us today? If the blemished offerings gives back then upset Him so greatly, how do you think He feels about our less-than-our-best offerings we may offer today? Somehow, I rather suspect that He probably doesn't care for them too much either (said tongue-in-cheek). Of course, He would feel the same strong emotions about what we do today as He did toward what the Israelites offered then.

What, then, do we need to take away from this message of warning? God sees our hearts. He knows if what we bring to Him, both in church and in our personal worship times on our own, is really our best, from our hearts, completely honest before Him or if we're simply going through the motions, just bringing whatever we feel like at the moment, even trying to fake what we do so others around us think better of us. God desires honest worship, worship from our hearts offered both in spirit and in truth, that comes from deep within us, from the core of who we are. And we're not just talking about worship as we think of it happening in church on Sunday. God's looking at our motivation behind everything we do. You see, the Israelites had to go to the Temple for their official acts of worship, since the Temple was seen as the dwelling place of God. We, on the other hand, who have been indwelled by the Holy Spirit, live every moment of our lives in the presence of God since we have been called His temples. If God focused on the offerings being brought to the Temple in Jerusalem, how much more does He look at everything we do as an act of offering, since everything we do is in His presence?

If we are His temple, then what kind of offerings are we bringing on a daily basis? Are we giving God our best, or are we doing the bare minimums, if that? Do we put on airs when around others so they think us better or closer to God than we are then revert to our "normal" selves when we think no one is around? And, what is our motivation for what we do? Is it God-centered or self-centered? I know we'll not live perfect lives while on earth, but we can live God-centered lives. Do we live saying the right things and being in the right places at the right times and have lost the real meaning of why we do those things, or do we live each day seeking to have a fresh encounter with the God Who redeemed us? Do we live doing whatever we want, or do we live to do what God desires us to do -- to live lives of worship, giving praise and glory to Him, sharing Him with the world around us, seeking to not only draw closer to Him ourselves, but to seek out and help others to become fully devoted followers of Jesus as well? That's the life God desires us to live, and to do anything less is to become guilty of the same sins the Israelites were guilty of 2,400 years ago, sins that offended the God of heaven and brought promises of condemnation and the title of hypocrite placed on them.

I don't know about you, but I have no desire to have the God of the Universe call me a hypocrite. Wait until you read the next few verses in chapter 2. If you thought this was harsh, the next few verses should have you quaking in your boots.

Offer true, authentic acts of worship to God today, tomorrow, and every day of your life. If condemnation is given to hypocrites, just imagine how much more the blessing and grace given for authentic worship.

Be blessed, and remember: Pray for the people in your wallet today.