Sermon Follow Up
This past Sunday, as we looked together at the second commandment in Exodus 20:4-6, we discovered, among other things, that it is entirely possible to worship the right God in the wrong way.
As we were delving into that thought, I referenced the story of Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first High Priest for the Hebrew people. These two men were called upon to serve as priests in the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary used by the Israelites during their journey in the desert.
The story of Nadab and Abihu is a short and sad one, but it is very incredibly instructive. It’s found in Leviticus 10:1-2 and reads, “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”
The error that Nadab and Abihu made in their worship of God wasn’t insincerity. There’s nothing in the text that indicates these men were frivolous or unserious about their worship. Their issue is certainly not that they were offering incense to a false god or some kind, either.
The problem seems to be, as we noted Sunday, they were worshipping the right God but in the wrong way. Instead of worshipping the King of Heaven on His terms, they determined that they’d do so on their own. It was a grave error, literally.
In the case that you may think that the idea that the Lord prescribes how He must be worshipped comes from an Old Testament perspective and has no relevance for the church today, consider what Paul wrote to the churches of Colossae, Thessalonica and Corinth.
Paul characterizes the worship that was going on in Colossae as ethelothreskia (Col. 2:23), This term is variously translated as “will worship” or “self-made religion”. The Colossians had introduced elements that were clearly unacceptable. They were worshipping God on their terms, not His. Paul was offering a necessary correction.
Paul consistently emphasized the importance of Scripture in all aspects of Christian life, and this instruction certainly included how we worship God. He urged Christians to "test all things" and "hold fast to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and His instructions on the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-34) and the proper use of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14) are prime examples of how worship should be guided by biblical commands.
Put simply, the manner in which we worship and the methods we employ in doing so matters to the Lord. It should matter to us as well.
Our feelings must not determine how we worship God, nor can our traditions, preferences, or pragmatic solutions. No matter how sincere, a reliance upon any of these things, in place of scripture, for our understanding of how God desires to be worshipped will lead to our offering of “unauthorized fire” to the Lord.
This begs the question: How do you worship the God who is exalted, supreme, transcendent, omniscient, all omnipresent, omnipotent, utterly holy, and perfect in love?
You worship Him however He tells you too, that’s how.
And where do we find that instruction? We find it in His Word.
In the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, this concept is articulated wonderfully:
“The acceptable way of worshiping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures”
How can we ensure that our worship of God is pleasing and acceptable to Him? By committing ourselves to worshipping Him on His terms, as revealed in the Scriptures.
As we read the scriptures, there are elements of worship that simply must be in place as we gather corporately to worship on the Lord’s Day
A few things that we KNOW should be included in our worship services because the scriptures declare it:
We are to read God’s Word – “Devote yourself to the public reading of scripture” - 1 Tim. 4:13)
We are to preach the Bible - “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching” 2 Tim. 4:2
We are to sing the Bible - “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” - Col. 3:16
We are to pray with the Bible as our guide —the Father’s house is “a house of prayer” (Matt. 21:13)
We are to observe the two ordinances of the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38–39; 1 Cor. 11:23–26; Col. 2:11–12).
One way that we can guard our hearts and our corporate worship times from worshipping the right God in the wrong way is by employing something called “The Regulative Principle” to aid us in our efforts.
Now, I didn’t grow up in a church or tradition that held to the regulative principle and had never even heard of it until I began devouring puritan literature a couple of decades ago but the older I get, the more I’ve come to appreciate it.
The regulative principle of worship states that the corporate worship of God is to be founded upon specific directions of Scripture. The regulative principle states that “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself and so limited by his own revealed will” (Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1).
Simply put, corporate worship should be comprised of those elements we can show to be appropriate from the Bible.
In full transparency, I want to say that much like how many people view and understand the 10 Commandments, my initial encounter with this concept lead me to see the Regulative Principle as restrictive.
Yet, I can say with sincerity that as I have matured in my own faith and practice, I have found the opposite to be true. Committing to worship that is determined by and governed by the scriptures has been freeing.
It frees us from the captivity of the latest (and never lasting) cultural fads and church trends. It frees us from enslavement to extrabiblical traditions. It frees us from the snare of preference and personal opinion. We could go on and on, here.
The heart of the regulative principle is not about restriction. It is about freedom. Our determination to worship the Lord on His terms only, is liberating.
To gain a better understanding of the Regulative Principle and how it can be helpful for us, I encourage you to check this out - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/everyday-pastor/regulative-principle/
I am looking forward to worshipping with you Sunday!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor DK Caudell
As we were delving into that thought, I referenced the story of Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first High Priest for the Hebrew people. These two men were called upon to serve as priests in the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary used by the Israelites during their journey in the desert.
The story of Nadab and Abihu is a short and sad one, but it is very incredibly instructive. It’s found in Leviticus 10:1-2 and reads, “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”
The error that Nadab and Abihu made in their worship of God wasn’t insincerity. There’s nothing in the text that indicates these men were frivolous or unserious about their worship. Their issue is certainly not that they were offering incense to a false god or some kind, either.
The problem seems to be, as we noted Sunday, they were worshipping the right God but in the wrong way. Instead of worshipping the King of Heaven on His terms, they determined that they’d do so on their own. It was a grave error, literally.
In the case that you may think that the idea that the Lord prescribes how He must be worshipped comes from an Old Testament perspective and has no relevance for the church today, consider what Paul wrote to the churches of Colossae, Thessalonica and Corinth.
Paul characterizes the worship that was going on in Colossae as ethelothreskia (Col. 2:23), This term is variously translated as “will worship” or “self-made religion”. The Colossians had introduced elements that were clearly unacceptable. They were worshipping God on their terms, not His. Paul was offering a necessary correction.
Paul consistently emphasized the importance of Scripture in all aspects of Christian life, and this instruction certainly included how we worship God. He urged Christians to "test all things" and "hold fast to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and His instructions on the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-34) and the proper use of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14) are prime examples of how worship should be guided by biblical commands.
Put simply, the manner in which we worship and the methods we employ in doing so matters to the Lord. It should matter to us as well.
Our feelings must not determine how we worship God, nor can our traditions, preferences, or pragmatic solutions. No matter how sincere, a reliance upon any of these things, in place of scripture, for our understanding of how God desires to be worshipped will lead to our offering of “unauthorized fire” to the Lord.
This begs the question: How do you worship the God who is exalted, supreme, transcendent, omniscient, all omnipresent, omnipotent, utterly holy, and perfect in love?
You worship Him however He tells you too, that’s how.
And where do we find that instruction? We find it in His Word.
In the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, this concept is articulated wonderfully:
“The acceptable way of worshiping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures”
How can we ensure that our worship of God is pleasing and acceptable to Him? By committing ourselves to worshipping Him on His terms, as revealed in the Scriptures.
As we read the scriptures, there are elements of worship that simply must be in place as we gather corporately to worship on the Lord’s Day
A few things that we KNOW should be included in our worship services because the scriptures declare it:
We are to read God’s Word – “Devote yourself to the public reading of scripture” - 1 Tim. 4:13)
We are to preach the Bible - “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching” 2 Tim. 4:2
We are to sing the Bible - “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” - Col. 3:16
We are to pray with the Bible as our guide —the Father’s house is “a house of prayer” (Matt. 21:13)
We are to observe the two ordinances of the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38–39; 1 Cor. 11:23–26; Col. 2:11–12).
One way that we can guard our hearts and our corporate worship times from worshipping the right God in the wrong way is by employing something called “The Regulative Principle” to aid us in our efforts.
Now, I didn’t grow up in a church or tradition that held to the regulative principle and had never even heard of it until I began devouring puritan literature a couple of decades ago but the older I get, the more I’ve come to appreciate it.
The regulative principle of worship states that the corporate worship of God is to be founded upon specific directions of Scripture. The regulative principle states that “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself and so limited by his own revealed will” (Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1).
Simply put, corporate worship should be comprised of those elements we can show to be appropriate from the Bible.
In full transparency, I want to say that much like how many people view and understand the 10 Commandments, my initial encounter with this concept lead me to see the Regulative Principle as restrictive.
Yet, I can say with sincerity that as I have matured in my own faith and practice, I have found the opposite to be true. Committing to worship that is determined by and governed by the scriptures has been freeing.
It frees us from the captivity of the latest (and never lasting) cultural fads and church trends. It frees us from enslavement to extrabiblical traditions. It frees us from the snare of preference and personal opinion. We could go on and on, here.
The heart of the regulative principle is not about restriction. It is about freedom. Our determination to worship the Lord on His terms only, is liberating.
To gain a better understanding of the Regulative Principle and how it can be helpful for us, I encourage you to check this out - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/everyday-pastor/regulative-principle/
I am looking forward to worshipping with you Sunday!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor DK Caudell
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