Conserving Worship

  1. INTRODUCTION

    1. Are you a liberal or a conservative?  The answer you give depends on the context of the question.

      1. To be liberal is to take liberties from constraints, whereas to be conservative is to conserve or preserve the existing constraints.

      2. These are relative terms, and their application depends on context.  One may be liberal in one context and conservative in another.

    2. In the context of biblical principles and practices, Christians are bound to be conservative.

      1. It has never been man's prerogative to take liberties with the word of God (Deut. 5:32; 12:32; Josh. 23:6; Matt. 5:19; 1Cor. 14:37-38; Rev. 22:18-19).

      2. Rather than being liberal, Christians have express directions for conserving the principles of God's word, such as the instructions given in 2Timothy 1:13-14:

        13Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  14Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

    3. As a result, it is our mandate to conserve the church's collective worship as it has been directed in the New Testament.

      1. Jesus laid down the Father's requirement for worship in John 4:23-24:

        23"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  24God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

      2. Presently, let us consider some principles and examples of Scripture that teach us to conserve the church's worship of God in spirit and truth.

         

  2. PRINCIPLES AND EXAMPLES

    1. God has prescribed His will for our collective worship by His word.

      1. New Testament commandments and examples of collective worship give this prescription:

        1. Offering of prayer (Acts 2:42; 12:5; 1Cor. 14:14-17; 1Tim. 2:8);

        2. Singing collectively (1Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16);

        3. Observing the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 11:23-34);

        4. Preaching and teaching the word of God (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; 1Tim. 4:13);

        5. Giving for specific works of the church (Acts 11:29-30; 1Cor. 9:7-14; 16:1-4).

      2. This prescription does not include dramatic plays, music concerts, magic shows, comedy acts, special holiday events, or many other activities that are common in churches today.

      3. An analogy can be made between prescriptions for medication written by physicians and God's prescription for the church's worship in the New Testament.

        1. Pharmacists are not permitted to take liberties with those prescriptions, but rather they are to conserve the prescriptions perfectly.

        2. In a similar way, God has written a prescription for worship, and His worshipers are not permitted to take liberties.  Instead, we are to conserve God's prescription perfectly.

      4. The story of Nadab and Abihu demonstrates God's displeasure with those who take liberties with His prescription for worship.

        1. In Leviticus 10:1-2, Nadab and Abihu, the sons of the high priest Aaron, "offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them."  In reply, "fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."

        2. There has been much debate about the specifics of their sin, but this much is certain: Nadab and Abihu took liberties with God's commandments and were severely punished.

        3. By the liberal standards used for worship by many men today, the service of Nadab and Abihu would be perfectly acceptable.  However, God was offended by their service, for they treated Him as unholy when they disregarded His will for worship.

    2. Worship is not designed for the convenience and desires of men.

      1. This truth has been demonstrated by examples in the Scriptures.

        1. It was not acceptable for Aaron and Israel to construct a golden calf to worship when they became impatient with Moses and God (Ex. 32:1-35).

        2. It was not acceptable for Jeroboam to set up places for worship in Bethel and Dan when he wanted to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem (1Ki. 12:25-33; 13:33-34).

        3. It was not acceptable for the Corinthian church to observe the Lord's Supper as a common meal when they wanted to satisfy their appetites (1Cor. 11:17-22).

      2. An assembly of the church may be made more attractive to men by conforming it to their desires, but it will certainly be made utterly unacceptable to God by doing so.  The question to answer then is this: Whom shall we seek to please in worship -- God or men?

    3. A worship assembly is not a platform for displaying the glory of men.

      1. God equips the church with many talented individuals, but the church's assemblies and worship services are not to be talent shows or ceremonies to honor the achievements of men.

      2. Consider two examples which show that worship is not for the glory of men.

        1. In 2Chronicles 26:16-21, King Uzziah asserted his pride by assuming the right to burn incense in violation of God's regulations.  When he was opposed by the priests, he became enraged, but leprosy broke out on his forehead.  As a result, he was no longer able to reign as king, and he died as a leper.

        2. In Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira misrepresented their offering before the church so that they would appear more generous.  For lying to the Holy Spirit, they both fell dead.

      3. Thus, we should not design worship for the glory of men.

        1. No man should be elevated because he is wealthy or influential (Jas. 2:1-9).

        2. No person should be featured as a demonstration of some outstanding traits.  There are no "rock stars" or celebrities in the Lord's church.

        3. No woman should preach in the assembly just because she is capable or talented.  God has forbidden women from speaking in the assemblies (1Cor. 14:34-35; 1Tim. 2:11-15).

    4. Even when the form of worship is correct, God will not accept worship from sinful people.

      1. If we merely follow the form of God's prescription for worship but live in sin from day to day, then our worship is vain and even detestable.

      2. Consider a few words from Scripture that demonstrate this truth:

        1. In Isaiah 1:10-17, many lawful practices of worship in Judah were rejected by God because the people were corrupt.  In fact, God was offended by them.

        2. In Proverbs 15:8 and 28:9, the Scriptures state that prayers and sacrifices from wicked and rebellious men are abominations to God.

      3. To conserve "spirit and truth" in our worship, we must offer worship from pure hearts and lives.

    5. Incorrect worship is not made acceptable by sincerity or good intentions.

      1. The fact that someone meant well or thought he was right is not a mitigating factor to excuse errant worship.  God has given instructions, and He expects to know them and follow them.

      2. Concerning good intentions, notice the example of Uzza from 1Chronicles 13:9-10.

        1. As the ark was transported on an ox cart, "Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it."  When he did so, God struck him down.

        2. Certainly, Uzza meant well when he steadied the ark with his hand, but he violated the commandment of God (1Chron. 15:13-15). His good intentions did not excuse him.

      3. Sincerity is necessary in worship, but sincerity alone does not make error acceptable to God.  We cannot offer just anything we feel is good and expect God to accept it as worship.

    6. God does not accept worship that is not from true faith.

      1. Consider the example of Cain, who made an offering to God but was rejected (Gen. 4:3-5).  At the same time, Abel made an offering to God that was accepted.  The difference between the two was that Abel's faithful sacrifice was better than Cain's faithless one (Heb. 11:4).

      2. Like Cain, if we offer faithless worship to God, then we will also be rejected.

      3. Like Abel, we may worship God in faith by doing so according to the prescription of His word.  "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).

    7. God does not accept man's rejects, second quality sacrifices, and leftovers in worship.

      1. God required Israel's sacrifices to be from the best of their crops and livestock (Ex. 23:19; Lev. 1:3, 10).  If Israel offered less than the best, God consider it to be evil and robbery (Mal. 1:8; 3:8).

      2. In our worship, if we offer only leftover time, leftover effort, and leftover resources, then God will reject us.  The quality of our worship reveals our esteem for God, and surely He is worth our best.

         

  3. CONCLUSION

    1. Whether in worship or any other practice, we must "learn not to exceed what is written" (1Cor. 4:6).

    2. Therefore, let us conserve our collective worship of God by abiding in His word.