How Not to Worship
Introduction: Do not follow the “world” in worship!
1. Do not make or bow down to idols!
NIV Exodus 20:4-5
4. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Elwell's Evangelical Dictionary
An "idol" is the immediate focus of a person's desires and "worship," displacing the worship of God.
Vine's Hebrew Dictionary
“Rapim” - divine symbol.
“Elil” - vanity or lies.
“Gillulim” - dung pellets
Where is your focus? What is your desire? What lies are you believing? What have you stepped in?
(Deuteronomy 11:16-21)
2. Do not make deals or allow worldly things in your life!
NIV Exodus 23:25 & 32-33
25. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,
32. Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.
33. Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you."
Easton's Bible Dictionary
“Covenant” a contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word “berith” from a root word which means "to cut," so a covenant is a "cutting," with reference to the cutting or dividing of animals into two parts, and the contracting parties passing between them, in making a covenant (Genesis 15)
Elwell's Evangelical Dictionary
“Covenant” a compact between two parties binding them mutually together.
We can not bind ourselves to the world, we are different, we are the children of God! (Romans 12:2)
We can not allow worldly teachings and ideas to live in our minds and hearts. They will drain our Spirit!! The word “live” is yashab and means to sit down, to ambush in quiet, to dwell, to settle. The world is waiting to trap us, to hook us!!! The word “snare” is
mowqesh which is a noose for catching animals or a hook for leading an animal.
THIS WORLD DOES NOT CARE!!!!!
This world is passing away (I Corinthians 7:31)
and we are just passing through (Hebrews 11:13-16).
We can not make friends with the world and worship God (James 4:4).
We can’t make deals with the world and expect the blessings of God.
God is jealous for us and knows what is best for us!
What deals have you made with the world?
What worldly things have you allowed to live in you?
Fear? Worry? Anxiety? Anger? Jealously? Envy?
To whom or what are you bound too?
What idols have you made for yourself?
What kind of god have you created for yourself?
Someone easier to get along with?
Someone less demanding?
Who or what is your greatest desire??? Is it to worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone?
3. Do not worship creation!
NIV Deuteronomy 4:19
19. And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars--all the heavenly array--do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
“enticed”- nadach - to mislead, to draw away, to drive away, to go away, to withdraw. This world wants nothing more then to draw us away from God!
We are not of this world!
(I Corinthians 2:12; Philippians 3:18-21)
“worshiping” - `abad - to work, to serve, to enslave,
to keep in bondage. It is so easy to serve creation, with all its temptations and distractions!
(Romans 1:24-31)
What desires are you serving? Work, money, prestige, attention, personal glory, revenge, material gain, to control someone or something, the approval and praise of others, to be accepted by your friends, to have something or someone.
Evil desires - Flesh - (Mark 4:18-19; Romans 6:12;
James 1:14-15)
Good desires - Spirit - (Romans 8:5 & 13:14;
I Corinthians 12:31 & 14:1; Galatians 5:16, 24)
We are called to serve God, which is His desire!!
Everything we see and touch and experience on this earth was made for one purpose to point us to God!
(Acts 17: 24-28)
The earth was not designed for our pleasure alone, but to cause us to look up and out and beyond our desires; to worship and adore our Creator.
(Colossians 1:13-20).
We have to ask ourselves everyday. What does God want? What does He desire for my life? How can I please Him in school, at work and at play?
Don’t let the world, with all it’s deceit, entice you away from God. Put on a new attitude of worship and serve the Creator. Put your desires to work for Him. Bring your desires under the Lordship of Christ!!
Ephesians 4:21-24
21. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23. to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24. and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
4. Do not worship men!
NIV Deuteronomy 13:1-4
1. If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,
2. and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them,"
3. you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
4. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
Who are these men? “prophets and dreamers”- inspired men; people with grand and new ideas and people who want to look good in front of others; people overly concern about their image!
How do we worship these kind of men?
By allowing them to distract us from the face of God!
“Let us follow other gods” - something or someone other then Jehovah God!
Examples: Being overly concern about what other people think about: where you work, how much money you make, what kind of house you live in, what kind of car you drive, what kind of music or entertainment you enjoy, what style of clothes you wear, and the list goes on.
“It is the policy of Satan to try to lead us to evil by those whom we love, whom we least suspect of any ill design, and whom we are desirous to please, and apt to conform to”.
We are very concern about what people think!
We allow people’s opinions and actions to change the way we do things. (I Samuel 8:4-7)
That’s why there called trends and style.
We are not suppose to follow the crowd!
(Exodus 23:2 & Leviticus 18:1-5)
These men are a test of our allegiance and affection for God. Who are you going to listen to God or men!
The test of our allegiance to God is who we pay attention to. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6 & John 14:15)
Love and obedience are wrapped together!
“it is our duty to prefer God…before the nearest and dearest friends we have in the world. Men, like the world, want to entice us away from God. We are called to “serve him and hold fast to him”!
5. Do not worship in manmade rituals or rules.
NIV Isaiah 29:13
13. The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
God is a God of rules, especially when it comes to worshipping Him.
(Numbers 9:1-5; Numbers 15:13-16)
God takes His rules of worship serious.
(Leviticus 10:1-3)
So, what are “rules taught by men”?
They are worship routines taught to the people by the priests. Thoughtless acts of worship.
Rituals preformed to satisfy an obligation to a God you no longer or ever had a relationship with. I
t is fulfilling a empty commitment, going through the motions, getting it over with or punching the clock!
It is what happens when our relationship with God becomes stale and predictable, not fresh and new each day! (Psalms 92:12-15 & Psalms 40:1-3)
God is burdened by these routines.
The phrase “honor Me” literally means - to be heavy, to be burdensome, to be dull, to overload.
(Isaiah 1:11-18)
We can bore God with empty, heartless worship!
The word “mouth” means - blowing air (hot air)?
The word “lips” means - vain talk!
Our speech, our words, reveal what is truly in our hearts.
(Matthew 15:10-11 & Luke 6:45)
Is your heart “far from” God?
Far means - removed, wandered, or receded.
Are you worshipping out of habit or routine?
Conclusion: God wants to restore the joy and meaning of worship in your life. He wants you to worship Him in truth and sincerity. He wants you to experience Him everyday of your life! Worship is not a routine, it is real. God can make it real! God will make it real, either through joy or adversity. He demands that we worship Him with a pure heart and proper motives. We have to make the choice! Don’t follow the ways of the world in worship, follow THE WAY of God in worship! Let Jesus guide your worship experience. (John 4:23-24)