The Church Jesus Established

Lesson 8 - Worship Christ Designed for the Church

It is an amazing fact of our spiritual lives that God not only accepts but desires our worship. Jesus told a Samaritan woman, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  [John 4:23-24]. How we worship God matters.

The main question underlying differences between Christians in the area of worship is, "May we worship God in any way Scripture does not forbid, or are we to worship only in ways Scripture authorizes?" The answer is given  in a Principle Stated in Scripture:  To worship according to our own desires, or according to the precepts of men, is called "vain worship" (Matthew 15:9).

The Bible tells us:

• "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you."  [Deuteronomy 4:2].
• "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today--every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes." [Deuteronomy 12:8].
• Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it [Deuteronomy 12:32].
• Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to them who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar [Proverbs 30:5-6].
• For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book [Revelation 22:18-19].

These passages emphasize that, in regard to things about which God has spoken, when we do them, we are to do them the way God has said, without substitution, subtraction, or addition.

The Principle Illustrated in Scripture:

Example #1--Cain and Abel - "Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord...And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering" (Genesis 4:3-5). In this, one of the first recorded worship encounters between God and man, we learn something shocking to modern man, quite "out of sync" with the very common notion that anything a person does which he intends as worship will be acceptable to God.

Example #2--Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, "offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord" (Leviticus 10:1-2). They did not use fire which the Lord commanded them not to use; they used fire which the Lord had not commanded them to use, when He had specified a particular fire. When God explained to Aaron why He consumed Nadab and Abihu with fire, He said, "By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified (Leviticus 10:3). We honor God as holy by worshipping Him in  ways and with things that He has authorized for worshiping Him.

Example #3--God gave Noah specific instructions for building the ark: the kind of wood, the dimensions, the number of windows, doors and decks (Genesis 6:14-16). The Bible says, "Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did" (Genesis 6:22). The only way it could be said that Noah did according to all God had commanded him to do was for him to do it all just as God said. When God specifies a thing, other things are excluded.

The Priesthood - The Law of Moses specified that Levi was the tribe from which priests were to be chosen. Christ came from the tribe of Judah and was made high priest by God. The writer of Hebrews concluded that, since "Moses spoke nothing" concerning priesthood and Judah, but now one from the tribe of Judah was now priest, "of necessity there is also a change of the law" (Hebrews 7:11-14). In such cases the law forbids by its silence.

Principle Common to Understanding Any Discourse

Children are taught this "principle of hermeneutics" from childhood. When mother says, "Go play in the backyard," the child learns that mother does not mean go play in the street, and she does not mean dig up the flower bed. This is a valid interpretive principle used throughout life, not just in dealing with the Bible but in understanding any authoritative communication.

Old Testament - New Testament Distinction

There were many other avenues by which Old Testament worshipers were commanded to express their devotion under the law: animal sacrifices (Psalm 51:19), the Levitical priesthood (Numbers 1:47-53), burning of incense (Exodus 30:34-36), dancing (Psalm 150:4), musical instruments (Psalm 150:3-5). The Old Testament is not the place to look for how the New Testament church is to worship.
"For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law" (Hebrews 7: 12).

DIVINELY AUTHORIZED WORSHIP

By Biblical precept and example, we understand the church is to assemble to...

• Partake of the Lord's supper (Acts 20: 7).
• Edify one another (I Cor. 14:26).
• Preach (and teach) and hear God's Word taught (Acts 2:42).
• Contribute to support the church's work (I Cor. 16: 1-2; II Cor. 11:8).
• Teach and admonish one another through song (Colossians 3:16).
• Pray together (Acts 4:31).

Over the next few lessons we will be looking at each of these elements of worship in greater detail.

QUESTIONS:

1. Why was Cain's offering unacceptable?

2. Give one passage that refers to vain worship and one that refers to true worship.

3. How can you believe in the authority of the Old Testament, and yet not go to it for your authority in worship?

4. Cite an additional scripture for each act of worship as described above.

 [ Introduction - The Pattern Concept]   [Lesson 1 - Defining The Church]  [Lesson 2 - Authority Over The Church]  
  [Lesson 3 - How Scripture Authorizes (Pt. 1)] [Lesson 4 - How Scripture Authorizes (Pt. 2)] [Lesson 5 - The Universal - The Local Church]
[Lesson 6 - Church Not A Denomination]    [Lesson 7 - Timeline -  Church's Establishment]   [Lesson 9 - The Lord's Supper]
[Lesson 10 - Worshipping in Song]  [Lesson 11 - Worshipping in Prayer]   [Lesson 12 - The All-Sufficient Church]  
  [Lesson 13 - Elders] [14 - Deacons ]  [Lesson 15 - Evangelists ]   [Lesson 16 - The Social Gospel]     
     [Lesson 17 -Benevolence-According to the Pattern]

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This page last updated: October 27, 1999