God Doesn’t Need Our Worship

On May 25, 2012July 31, 2015 By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

In the Bible Belt, it’s easy to say you are a Christian. There is relatively no persecution or monetary cost for claiming to be a follower of Jesus. In most places it is even expected by our friends and family that we be a Christian. As humans, we often do outwardly what our family and friends expect of us without changing inwardly, but this is not the type of change the Lord desires.

Israel was the First

Bible Belt Christians are not the first ones to perform religious acts without an inward change. There were many in Israel who did the same. They offered sacrifices to God because it was expected of them, not because they were truly broken and thankful for God’s salvation.

In Psalm 50, the Lord rebukes those who offered sacrifices to Him out of duty rather than thanksgiving. He says in verses 16-21:

¹⁶ But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
¹⁷ For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
¹⁸ If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.

¹⁹ “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
²¹ These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

²² “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
²³ The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

What Does the Lord Desire Then?

Instead of offering sacrifices for sacrifices sake, the Lord desired that they be offered in thanksgiving for their salvation, as well as those offering them be living in a way that honors Him (Ps. 50:23).

For the Lord desires sacrifices from a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

In other words, He does not want the sacrifices of those who are proud, believing they can bring about their own salvation. Rather, He desires sacrifices from those who know they are guilty and need atonement for that guilt. He wants sacrifices from those who realize they are sinners, and as such, cannot, on their own, repair their relationship with God, because they cannot cover their own sins (Ps. 51:17).

We are No Exception

The Lord desires the same from us today. Even though we do not go to a temple to offer sacrifices, the same principle applies. The Lord does not desire those who have no thought of Him to pile into churches each Sunday because their family and friends expect them to be there. Rather, He desires those who know they can’t provide their own salvation to worship Him.

It is Not Enough Just to Show Up to Church

It is not enough to just show up to church. We are not doing God any favors. He does not respect us for attending, if we have not first given our heart to Him, knowing He is the One, who alone provides us with salvation. As He told the Israelites, He does not need their sacrifices, He is the ruler of the universe, every beast of the field is His (Ps. 50:7-11).

Likewise, He does not need us in church to make Him feel better about Himself. He does not really need us at all. We are the ones who need Him, and when we realize that, then and only then is He glorified by our worship.

Questions for Reflection

Do you attend church because it is expected of you? Or do you go because you really desire to worship God?
Do you believe God needs your worship? If so, why?

Is Your Worship Acceptable To God?

On August 1, 2011July 31, 2015 By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical2 Comments

Do you worship God with a pure heart, or do you just go through the motions of the Christian life? Attending church because your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, parent, or child wants you to. Reading your Bible because you feel it is what you are supposed to do. You may even sing in the choir, or serve the church as a deacon, but if your service and actions are not the result of a heart broken and contrite before the Lord, one whose affections have changed from the world and self, to God, then you are no better than the Israelites in the time of Amos.

Amos

God called Amos from his shepherding duties in the field to prophesy against Israel. At this time, Israel had no desire to obey God’s commandments, nor worship Him from a pure heart. Instead of providing for the poor and widowed, they exploited them. Instead of honest and fair business practices, they rigged their scales in their favor, so they could make an extra few dollars with each purchase. Instead of processing their wheat like they should have, they sold the chaff, in order to make more money. Instead of worshipping God alone, they also sacrificed to other gods. It is no wonder God said to them:

“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. ” (Am 5:21–24)

Isaiah

Amos’ prophesy was nothing new. Isaiah had prophesied the same before him:

“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. ” (Is 1:12–17)

Conclusion

We find out in Psalm 51:16-17 that God’s desire is not for us to simple go through the motions. He wants us to worship Him with a heart that is broken and contrite. Our motives for worship must be pure and our heart must be truly repentant. God does not desire actions that look righteous to others; rather, He desires that our actions stem from a heart that is truly affectionate toward Him, one desiring to worship Him and Him alone. If we do otherwise, we are no better than the Israelites and we will be rejected by the Lord. Outward actions may fool the men around you, but they will not fool an all-knowing God.

X-Ray Questions: Evaluating our pursuits

On April 18, 2011July 31, 2015 By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

In an effort to help us root the idols out of our lives, I am doing a series entitled X-Ray Questions. You can view the other two posts by clicking here and here. In this post, we will focus on our aims and pursuits.

X-Ray Question

(3) What do you seek, aim for, and pursue? What are your goals and expectations?

This particularly captures that your life is active and moves in a direction. We are purposeful. Human motivation is not passive, as if hardwired needs, instincts, or drives were controlled from outside us by being “unmet,” “frustrated,” or “conditioned.” People are active verbs.

Understand

The things that we seek, aim for, and pursue, as well as the goals and expectations we set for ourselves reveal the true nature of our hearts. As humans, we are not controlled by external conditions or instincts. We are not animals. We have the ability to make decisions. Decisions that reveal the true nature of our heart.

For instance, if our life goal is to acquire a particular job or success in our career, then we will do everything and anything to make it happen. We may neglect our families, compromise our convictions, or defame a co-worker, in order to achieve the level of success we are seeking.

Our desire should be to glorify Christ, not ourselves. In glorifying Christ, we may miss a particular promotion at work, but our families will be better for it because we are able to spend more time teaching them and building them up in the Word of God. Our witness to others about Christ will be greater because our convictions are not compromised. Our relationships with our co-workers will not suffer, resulting in deeper more meaningful relationships that will hopefully allow us to either share the gospel, or build another believer up in the faith.

Repent

We repent by redirecting our pursuits towards Christ. We must value Him and His glory more than our glory. We must see Him as our provider, comforter, and from whom we gain affirmation. We must see His mission, to reach the world with gospel, as more important than our success.

As you reflect on your aims, pursuits, goals, and expectations, remember that climbing the corporate ladder is only one example. You may not struggle with that particular goal or you may be pursuing your career from a godly perspective, but that does not mean you do not struggle with something else. Other idols may include: acceptance, comfort, a new car, a perfect looking spouse, or a finely kept home. Since we cannot cover every idol, my prayer is that you will honestly reflect on your life this week to determine if any of your goals, expectations, or pursuits are taking the place of Christ.

Scripture

Reflect on these Scriptures as you seek to root this idol out of your life: Matt 6:32-33; 2 Tim 2:22

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.

Christianity Matters

Tag: worship