Worship #1

The following series of posts are my notes as part of studying the Christian Worship module of the Moore correspondence course.

Why is worship so important in biblical thought?

Fundamentally, as Grudem points out, God is worthy of worship and we are not. He created us to glorify Him and it is right that God should seek His own honour, for He is worthy of it.

'My glory I will not give to another' Isa 48.11

'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created' Rev 4:11

In both Testaments worship is repeatedly enjoined on the covenant people of God (Carson).

'Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care' Ps 95:6-7

We become like whatever or whomever we worship (Leithart), therefore to become more godly and to be the people God wants us to be, we need to focus not on ourselves but on God.

What are the most important lessons that the Old Testament teaches us about the worship that is acceptable to God?

1. The Old Testament makes it clear that worship is only acceptable when it is from the heart. 'Stop bringing meaningless offerings!' God tells His people in Isa 1:13. They may have followed the rituals correctly but they were not seeking justice and living God's way. Carson points out that 'it has always been necessary to love God wholly'.

2. Worship is only acceptable as a response to God's grace, not as an attempt to earn it. The only reason the Israelites could approach God with the sacrifices for sin was because He had first of all redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and in that great act of salvation set them apart to be His people. It was by grace that God gave them the sacrifical system, as a temporal measure for them to maintain covenant relationship with Him before Christ came to die for sins once for all.

3. Worship focuses on who God is- the lengthy rituals of Atonement were there to remind the people and the priests of God's perfect holiness and unapproachable nature. Part of their worship was to retell God's great acts to their children (Deut 6, 8).

4. Worship was Word-centred as well as sacrificial- the Law was placed by the ark of the covenant (Deut 32), and Ps 119 emphasises the sufficiency of God's word as covering everything from A-Z (it is an acrostic poem covering all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet).

5. Worship is both a response to a covenant relationship and the means of ensuring its continuance (Davies)- God does not want us to pray a prayer asking for His forgiveness and then to go off and live our own life for the next 40-50 years. God wants us to walk with Him in obedience and therefore Christian worship is about continually submitting to God, continuing in faith. This is established in the Old Testament by the repeated words of God in the Law for His people to walk in love and obedience to Him all the days of their life.
'Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.' Deut 11:1

Is Christianity about being good? Part 2

Having established that we are saved by God's grace through Jesus, not by anything we do ourselves, it is important to look at the place of 'being good' in the life of a Christian.

After taking that step of faith to trust in Jesus, and giving your life over to Him, the way you live as a Christian is vitally important for yourself, for others and for God's glory.

When you become a Christian, you essentially undergo a complete transformation of identity. Before, you were a sinner, trapped in darkness. After, you are perfect in God's sight through Jesus, in the light. Before, you had no power to stop sinning. After, you now have the ability to say no to temptation, with the empowering of the Holy Spirit within you.

To become a Christian involves a realisation of how awful sin is. Believing the gospel message means believing that your sin is terrible and deserves God's judgement. Therefore it makes no sense for a Christian to go back to living life the way they want it, regardless of God. As Paul writes,

'Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?' (Romans 6:1-2)

Peter argues that we should 'make every effort to add to your faith goodness... knowledge... self-control... perseverance... godliness' (2 Peter 1:5-6). These qualities prevent us from being 'ineffective and unproductive' in our knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 1:8). This is a crucial point: if we as Christians carry on sinning without any repentance, we are not allowing God to change us, and we are being a very poor example to others of what being a Christian really means. How can you tell people that they need God's forgiveness if you're flouting His gift of grace by deliberately rebelling against His Word? The gospel message becomes 'ineffective' in us if we refuse to let it change every aspect of our lives. We can't just give God Sundays and then use the rest of the week however we want to.

The Christian life should revolve around giving God glory. He is not glorified when we live against Him. He is glorified when we praise Him for His grace in Jesus, and when we seek to live as Jesus did.

'This is how we know we are in Him: whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.' (1 John 2:5-6)

Notice the first part of that verse. John's basically saying that anyone can say they're a Christian. The real proof is in how they actually live life. Christians will still mess up and struggle with sin and their 'old self' (Rom 6:6, Eph 4:22), but the key word there is 'struggle'. Someone who isn't a Christian will not 'struggle' with sin. They'll just do it, without caring what God thinks.

In the light of Jesus' imminent return, we should live 'holy and godly lives' (2 Pet 3:11) to be found 'spotless, blameless and at peace with Him' (2 Pet 3:14). Imagine the embarrassment of Jesus returning and finding you doing something you shouldn't be doing!

And the key to fighting sin is really in replacing it with godly pursuits. Jesus says we should 'abide' in Him and bear fruit (John 15), so we should be seeking to use our lives to get to know Him better by reading His Word, share the good news of the gospel with others, and serve Him in everything we do by doing it whole-heartedly and for His glory, not our own.

Gideon Part 2

Judges 7

God's power and might are shown clearly when He reduces the size of Israel's army to just 300 men, and the Midianites turn on each other. The men of Israel chase them and kill two leaders. It is a thoroughly successful mission, because God is running it!

After all Gideon's indecision, he finally obeys God- with amazing results.

The incident demonstrates how much God wants us to depend on Him, not on our own strength, and how much He deserves all the glory. As soon as God's people forget that they need God they begin to be sinful and disobedience.

It is vital for our spiritual health that we remember who we are and how dependent we are on God for every breath of each day.

Psalm 24-25: How to search for God... and find Him

Lessons from David: Psalms 24-25

In Ps 24, David reflects on God's purity and majesty and how men can worship Him. Earth belongs to Him (1), He is the King of glory (7), strong and mighty (8). Therefore 'He who has clean hands and a pure heart' (4) can seek Him and worship.

Ps 25 elaborates more on what it means to seek God. It involves trusting in Him (1), and looking to Him for guidance- 'Show me Your way, O Lord, teach me Your paths.' (4)

It involves asking for forgiveness (7) and deciding to live God's way instead (8). But it is not just one-way. God is loving and faithful to those who obey Him (10). He makes His covenant known to us (14), and comforts us in loneliness, and anguish (16-17). He actively rescues us and gives us refuge (20).

It is a relationship to wonder at and rejoice in.

Psalm 29: Do you have a right view of God?

Lessons from David- Psalm 29

'ascribe to the Lord glory and strength... the glory due to His Name, worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness.' (1-2)

Do you have a right view of God? This is a life-changing question. And as we look at this psalm, life-changing truths emerge.

We are to give God the attributes of glory and strength. We are to recognise His transcendence, His blazing light, His mighty power that can do anything we could imagine, and much more. Our purpose in life and future glory is to give God the glory due to His Name. Life is not about raising yourself to a higher salary and better living standards, but raising awareness of God and seeing more people praise Him.

Do we have any idea what the splendour of holiness looks like? Probably not, because we are so sinful. But God's blinding purity is the most beautiful sight for sinful men. It is the sight we can be granted only in heaven when we ourselves have been purified.

In v3-9, many great verbs and adjectives are used to describe God's glory: thunders, powerful, majestic strikes, breaks, shakes, twists, strips. He is 'enthroned as King for ever' (10). But even more fantastically, He 'gives strength to His peole' and blesses them with peace (11). We are shown grace from this God of glory, and that is our greatest motivation for worship.

Psalm 4: Giving Him the glory

Lessons from David- Psalm 4

The secret of David's success against Goliath was that he recognised that God deserved glory, and Goliath was trampling that glory. David trusted that God would act for His own glory, and this Psalm explains more about how this relates to our relationship with God.

David's prayer shows that God is a righteous God who demands righteousness from His people. He gives relief from distress and mercifully answers prayer (1), but expects men to give Him glory and worship Him instead of false gods (2). The Lord has set apart the godly for Himself (3)- they are His and He defends them.

So if we seek to glorify God, we experience His protection and care. If we ignore Him, then we forfeit this blessing, and true joy. Our sin becomes a barrier between us and the God of holiness. This is why David says:
'In your anger do not sin... Offer right sacrifices (for us this means believing in Jesus) and trust in the Lord' (4-5).

Only God can show us what goodness is (6), and only He can give us soul-satisfying joy and peace:
'You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.' (7)

A daring act of faith

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 17

The story of how David killed Goliath is well-known, but what is made pointedly clear by the writer of this book is that it was not a victory of skill and strength, but of faith. It's easy to miss that in the thrill of the story.

Saul and the Israelites were 'dismayed and terrified' (11) of Goliath's stand-off challenge. But look at David's reaction:
'Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?' (26)

Is David being young and foolhardy, or conceited as his brother accuses him (28)? No, David knows his God! He sees the 9ft tall armoured giant... then thinks of his God, who made the universe and formed the stars with His hands. No comparison!

David was filled with God's Spirit since his anointing by Samuel (16.13). He spoke with faith and courage from God's Spirit, who reassured him that the God he trusted in would not fail him. In earlier battles with lions and bears (34-36), David learnt the grace of God's protection and strength:
'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' (37)

But more than Saul or anyone else, David recognises (in Spirit-given wisdom) that this is more than a physical battle. God's Name stands trampled by Goliath's pride- he has 'defied the armies of the living God' (36) in his challenge. And God's people needed to act to glorify God's Name. It is no testimony to God's power and might when His people run away in fear.

When he faces Goliath, David does so for God's glory, in God's strength (not his own):
'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty... This day the Lord will hand you over to me... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel'. (45-46)

In humble simplicity, David the shepherd defeats Goliath the warrior- all through God's strength and power. It is notable that God uses the humble, lowly David rather than Saul the King or even Eliab the elder brother, because out of all of them, only David had faith that God would act to defeat Goliath and glorify His Name. We need the same faith.

Why we should love Jesus -1 Peter 1

We, as God's people, have been 'chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father... for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood' (2). We have been chosen to be forgiven, by Jesus Christ's perfect offering and precious blood. The key for loving Jesus more has to be found in understanding more our sinful depravity, His holiness, and the enormity of what happened on the cross for our redemption. We have been redeemed 'with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect' (19). A lamb willingly slaughtered for our salvation.

The second key to loving Jesus more in this chapter is found in the resurrection. God has 'given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade' (3-4). The risen Jesus gives us hope, certain hope, of eternal life and an amazing future in heaven. When Jesus returns those who trust in Him will have praise, glory and honour for their love for Him (7). And that puts us now into a state of 'inexpressible and glorious joy' (8), for we are receiving salvation (9) and eagerly anticipate the 'grace to be given... when Jesus Christ is revealed' (13). The triumph of the resurrection helps us to love Jesus more as we focus on our eternal home and the final victory over Satan, the day when all trials will end.

Who is Jesus? -Hebrews 1

Like John in his gospel, the writer of Hebrews opens his work with the awesome, earth-shattering truth that Jesus is God's revelation of Himself to us: 'In the past God spoke... through the prophets... but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son' (1-2). Sending Jesus to us was not like lazily scrawling on a piece of paper and sticking into a bottle, then casting it out to sea. Jesus came at exactly the right time, to exactly the right place, and He was a divine delegate! The writer describes Him as 'heir of all things' and says God made the universe through Him (2). He is 'the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word' (3). He is God and what He says, goes in the universe. So that God sent Him to us is a very big deal!

But that's not all. Let's think about why God sent Him. The writer mentions Him providing purification for sins (3). He died for us on the cross as a perfect sacrifice, so we could be purified in God's sight through faith in Him. Jesus did what we could never do. He 'loved righteousness and hated wickedness' (9). he never did anything wrong. And in pure grace, He died- taking the punishment that's rightfully ours.

But Jesus didn't stay on the cross. He rose again, ascended into heaven and 'sat down at the right hand' of God (3). Angels worship Him and are His servants (6-7); He is eternal and His 'years will never end' (12). We can love Jesus more as we look forward to seeing Him in all the glory of heaven, and worship Him as our risen Saviour today.

Waiting for Jesus' Return (Rev 1)

Loving Jesus will be so easy in heaven. We'll be with Him forever, rejoicing in our salvation, constantly reminded of His amazing love and grace. But on earth it's hard. We struggle along with various problems that come our way- bad health, difficult relationships, personal failures. And we struggle to understand the reality of heaven and eternity. This can have a devastating effect on how important we place Jesus in our lives, and how much we love Him.

Firstly, since we have little concept of what hell is really like (we often overlook or forget Jesus' teachings that it is a place of fire, torture and eternal suffering in separation from God), we lose a right sense of the enormity of what God has saved us FROM. And since we have little concept of heaven (often distracted by THIS world), we lose any sense of the enormity of what God has saved us FOR.

Revelation gives us a fantastic reminder. A difficult book of prophecy and visions, two things are clear:
1. God's judgement is righteous but terrifying
2. God's salvation is amazing

In Chapter 1 John gives us a prologue (1-8) which kicks the book off with a great reminder of why we should love Jesus:
1. He is amazing. He is the first born from the dead (5)- our risen Saviour!
2. He loves us, and He showed us that by shedding His blood to free us from our sins (5), enabling us to be part of God's kingdom and serve Him (6).
3. He's coming again in glory. 'Every eye will see Him' (7). He will be the ultimate, the only authority, and those who have rejected HIm on earth will 'mourn', whilst those who love Him will rejoice.

Then John relates His vision of Jesus, which again inspires our love for Him:
1. He is majestic- wearing a long robe and a golden sash (13)
2. He is pure- head and hair 'white like wool, as white as snow' (14)
3. He is all-seeing, all-knowing- His eyes are like blazing fire, suggesting His judgment, which He is able to make because of His knowledge (14)
4. He is mighty- His voice is like the 'sound of rushing waters' (15)
5. He is holy and awesome- face 'like the shining sun in all its brilliance' (16)
6. He offers peace and salvation. He tells John not to be afraid- He holds the keys of death and Hades (17-18)
7. He is the Lord of life. 'I am the living One: I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!' (18)

As Christians we need to constantly re-inspire ourselves by returning again and again to the awesome presentation of Jesus Christ in the Bible. That's what will keep our minds in the right focus as we go through busy, distracting days.