Selected Sermons
We Gather To Listen
Worship Series: 1 of 5
Collateral readings; I Sam; 15:1-23, John 4
Scripture: Eccl. 5:1-7
Beloved cong….
1. The most intense days of what were called the worship wars are probably past. Most churches have pretty much settled the issues of style and what we do in worship. It would be fair to say that most have adopted a more informal style where music is central and the music has changed. Worship teams lead with the latest electronic equipment, and choruses tend to dominate.
2. At the same time some churches, both Reformed and Evangelical, maintain the more traditional style focused on preaching and congregational confessional singing. And of course some of the larger churches have tried to provide something for everyone by having a traditional service early and then a so-called modern service as well, or at night, or even on Saturday night. .
3. As we seek to listen to the Word of God on worship we are not necessarily going to choose one of these concepts of worship over the other. It's very well possible that the move to a new form of worship is a response to something lacking in what we would call traditional worship. Ye we have to ask the question; "Is the new form a response well grounded in biblical study, or is it reactionary and driven by untested earthly desires?" Is that perhaps why we have already seen a second reaction or the beginnings of a pendulum swing back again? Today we see more an more people leaving the new informal style for high Anglicanism and even Eastern Orthodoxy with their focus on ritual, symbolic images and mystery, even less attention being given to the living word.
4. What shall we do? There does seem to be a problem. There is a sense of dissatisfaction with the church's worship. Perhaps there is some wisdom in the saying that if you are in a small sail boat that seems to be going nowhere you're better off waiting for the wind to pick up than trying to rock it forward. If we want the church to move, let's study the Word of God also on worship and ask for the Spirit wind to blow.
5. It has been said "we will conquer the world through our worship." But it must be worship that honours God. And the issue isn't traditional (meaning dead) vs. spontaneous (meaning alive). The issue is not rock or blues, organ or guitar, candles or incense. The issue is not whether we have more older members or younger members, black or white, or whom we want to reach. Worship is not to be designed according to worldly taste. Our worship is to be directed by the Spirit and Word of God. And that means that delighting in right worship requires increasing sanctification just like anything else. We do not just automatically delight in right worship because we are Christian. Just as we need to learn to resist evil and to delight in the good, so we need to learn to delight in worship that is pleasing to God. It is an acquired taste that takes time, study, prayer and discipline. There are principles that need to be learned, understood, and appreciated.
6. From Ecclesiastes 5 we get our first and foundational principle concerning worship that is pleasing to God and that will conquer the world. Understand, the old nature will not appreciate this as a first principle. The old nature is much more impressed with signs and wonders or pleased by singing sweet songs. The old nature says, "I don't need anyone preaching to me." But from Eccl. 5 and many other passages of Scripture our theme is WE GATHER TO LISTEN. That's not all we do. But that's of first importance for those who would gather in spirit and truth. We gather to listen.
7. Understand first of all the false worship that the "Preacher" of Ecclesiastes is warning against. The old nature of sin is still tempted in the same way. There has been no evolution of the human spirit such that this is no longer a concern. The warnings of the Old Testament must be spiritually understood and applied in the New Testament context, but they are still given to us so that we will not go and do like wise.
8. The issue in worship is perhaps best revealed in Psalm 50. It turns out that the people of Israel were actually bringing their sacrifices to control God. They wanted to be in charge. They had taken a page out of the pagan book on worship from the nations around them. They sought to secure the blessings of God by their sacrifices. They were actually sacrificing to keep God at arms length. They were not allowing God to speak. They wanted no correction. Where was confession? Where was thanksgiving? Where was praise intelligently given? God thundered against them asking, "Do I drink the blood of bulls?" He was asking, do I need anything from you? Is it not you who need me? Is it not my voice and my word that you need more than anything?
9. It was in a similar situation in Isaiah's time that God asked through the prophet, "Who asked of you this trampling of my courts?" They were ignoring his commands to do justice and love mercy. They thought that their many sacrifices would secure the Lord's blessing. They did not draw near to listen to God, but in an attempt to silence him.
10. We have to be clear on this; listening is the heart and soul of worship that is pleasing to God; listening with a humble believing heart. And we don't mean sitting in silence and listening for an inner voice, but listening as our text from Eccl. means it. In the days of the preacher, the Law of Moses was to be read and explained to the people. Law in this case refers not just to moral commands, but to the books of Moses which included the gospel in shadow form. This was the worship God required. The Psalms were sung. They are filled with the mighty acts of God. This was the worship pleasing to the Lord. Even the sacrifices were celebrations of God's mighty acts and promises of deliverance, filled with meaning.
11. And this principle does not change. In the New Testament we find Jesus reading the scroll of Isaiah in worship and giving the sense. We find the apostles commanding that their letters be read in the churches, in worship. Jesus teaches in John 4 that the kind of worshiper the Father seeks is one who worships in spirit and in truth. Spirit indicates the attitude of the heart as we listen to and confess the truth to the glory of God. Again, we gather to listen, not to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know they do wrong.
12. It is right here that we want to engage the advocates of much modern worship. If we do not wish to be foolish we must take this to heart and restore the reading and preaching of the word to its rightful place in our worship. One minister will no doubt communicate the great truths of God better than another. Yet the apostle Paul himself was considered a poor speaker. They said his letters were weighty but his speech despised. Ask yourself, who was used more effectively than Paul?
13. We are agreed on the importance of singing praise to God. In fact we should all want to learn to sing well. We should often sing loudly. We should see ourselves as a choir standing before the throne of God, making a joyful sound unto him, harmonious and clear. But as we know the Lord, to the extent that we are sanctified in our worship, we gather above all "to listen." Worship not centred on listening with an open heart; worship that does not say like the little boy Samuel: "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening," such worship comes from the heart of a fool that does not even know that he does wrong.
14. There is a desire among us too to reform our worship. We could practice singing; not just the choir but also the whole congregation. We could be more actively involved, with responsive readings and confession. We could strengthen our sense of dialogue with God and let the amen be heard. Perhaps we need to give more attention to the Lord's Supper as a strength to faith with regular use. But if we do not gather first of all to listen, it will not be reforming worship, just playing games. And God will not be pleased.
15. But now consider also for a moment why listening is to be the centre of our worship. Without understanding the question why, we will lack the proper motivation and commitment. We will find it difficult to teach our children. We will also always be trying to get as close to a worldly type of worship as we think we can "get away with."
16. There are a number of points that could be brought out, but the issue is best revealed by reflecting on who God is, or the difference between the living God and the idols of the world. The issue is best revealed furthermore in reflecting on the covenantal relationship God has established with us and that he upholds by his Spirit and Word.
17. Clearly when God says "be careful when you draw near to worship, draw near to listen" he is warning us not to worship as the pagan nations of long ago, or as the worldly mind still today would like to worship. It was a warning to Israel not to do like the nations did. In other words we are not to worship God as if he were an idol.
18. Remember, the underlying desire in making an idol is to gain some measure of control over the god the idol represents. The people would devise some sort of rituals and sacrifices by which they attempted to secure the god's favour. They would honour him with songs and gifts working themselves up into a frenzy by the repetition of certain phrases to show their devotion. All in an attempt to secure or maintain his favour. They could not listen to him. He had a mouth but could not speak. So the focus was on the things that they designed and did in their acts of worship, and the more visible the better, even though he had eyes but could not see.
18. Now compare this to coming into the presence of the living God for worship; the presence of the One who is Spirit, who has no mouth but speaks the word of life, who has no eyes but sees all, who has no ears but hears all, who knows the very thoughts of our hearts. Compare idol worship to coming into the presence of the living God; the One who gives life and blessing to his people by grace not for anything they have done, who made us in his own image and delights to have fellowship with us, who saved us because of his great mercy, who has made a covenant of love with us that is sustained by his Spirit and Word, who requires of us not sacrifices but love and thankful obedience.
19. There is no real point of comparison. It is all contrast. With an idol man initiates worship. With the living God he calls us into his presence. He calls us and He greets us with blessing. No, it is not by some disembodied voice from the heavens. But it is God himself nevertheless, through a servant chosen and appointed for the purpose, who speaks by the Spirit of God according to what God has revealed in the Scriptures. In this way we may say without doubt that God still speaks to us in a living way.
20. When men worship an idol they not only initiate the worship, but they control everything that happens according to their own desires as they seek to secure the blessing. We need not wonder why ritual prostitution was so much a part of pagan worship at the temples. But even where the idol worship is austere, the great issue is that man is in control and gains his desired ends by what he says or does & how many times he does it. Where the living God is truly worshiped, He is in control. His people are responding to his gracious covenant of love, delighting in the voice of their God, waiting to be instructed and blessed by his gracious words, willing to be taught and corrected, even rebuked. Our prayers and praise are a believing thankful response to His initiative.
21. This is what we mean by worship of the living God being a dialogue with Him. In our worship God calls us, we respond with a song of praise and thanksgiving. God greets us with shalom, peace, we respond with humble confession. God declares sins forgiven, we respond again with love and adoration in song. God instructs, comforts, exhorts, we respond with prayers and gifts for the poor and the cause of his great kingdom. God call us to come near to eat with him, we celebrate the sacrament. And God also has the last word in benediction, or we leave with the doxology of praise still on our lips.
22. But if true worship is this dialogue with the living God, then obviously listening has to be the foundation of it all. What we hear informs our prayers. What we hear informs our songs. What we hear informs our gifts. What we hear strengthens our hands for the spiritual warfare he calls us to engage in; the warfare won by deeds of love and mercy not guns and suicide bombings.
23. Beloved congregation, when we worship, we gather to listen. We gather to listen with ears that are connected to our hearts. We gather to listen with a heart ready to respond in faith and joyful submission. That's why we say again, "we will conquer the world through our worship." The Spirit wind will blow when the church gathers to listen.
Questions On A.M. Sermon
1. Children; is it more pleasing to your parents to bring them a gift or to obey their instructions? Why?
2. As you read about it in I Sam 15:1-23, what did King Saul do wrong and how did he try to make it seem good?
3. Why is a listening heart in worship contrasted to the worship of fools?
4. Discuss the use of choruses in the singing of the congregation. Try not to be overly dogmatic about it. Consider Psalm 136. Consider the trying to help the children feel part of the worship even before they can read. Using the inspired Psalter as our example, what kind of hymns and songs should be most common?
5. For reflection; do you come to worship with the spirit of young Samuel, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening?" How does this show in your preparations?
6. How can responsive readings and appropriate communal "amens" help us to listen?
7. What about musical instruments, must we use organ or piano? Why might one instrument be better than another? Should we use a variety of instruments if we have the players? What principles should govern their use?
