Devoted To Biblical Worship

Worship is the next aspect of spiritual health we'll examine.

Worship occupies a central place in the life of a believer. Worship which is our sacred responsibility and supreme privilege is the one activity we engage in now that will continue into eternity.

Moreover, we have been called into a worshiping relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That is to say that our relationship to the one, true and living God is chiefly characterized by our worship of this great God in Jesus Christ.
Scripturally speaking worship ought to be the highlight of our week, the time when we gather with God's people for the specific purpose of taking the focus off of ourselves and placing it on our great God and savior Jesus Christ. Consequently, worship occupies a prime place in our spiritual health. A spiritually healthy and maturing believer is one who consistently worships God with His people according to how God has commanded him to worship.

While there are many passages in Scripture that exhort and instruct the saints on the blessing, value of worship we'll study Leviticus 9 to gain some important insights on some of the important aspects and elements of worship. Leviticus instructed God's people on how to approach Him through the sacrificial system which was a crucial part of their worship. The book contains detailed directions concerning the various offerings the people were to present to God as acts of worship.
The ninth chapter of Leviticus is a call to worship involving both the priest as well as covenant family of God's people. It was a worship service called the first day after the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. Lev. 9:1-5 presents a number of aspects within this worship service that we must keep in mind as we contemplate our private and public worship.

First of all, God Himself summons His people to worship Him. He makes the call through His servant Moses. (vss. 1-4) This causes us to remember that worship is always God's idea, not ours. It is He that commands us to come before Him in worship. Our response to go into His courts to worship is only possible because He has issued the command to appear before Him in the first place. God is therefore the one who is the focus of worship. We assemble to extol, revere, meditate and adore His character, nature ways and works. Worship is not primarily for me. My main goal in worship is not to receive intellectual, social or emotional stimulation. This not to say that worship won't uplift our minds, encourage our relationships with brothers and sisters and bless our emotions. However, it is important to maintain a proper perspective. We gather for worship for the sake of God, not to please ourselves. That's one reason the pastor or minster leading worship gives a call to worship to begin the service. The call to worship is a summons to God's people to appear before Him with our hearts and attention directed toward Him.

The second characteristic of this worship service is the reality of God's presence. Verse 5 states that the covenant community drew near and stood before the Lord. The term 'before' in this verse means to appear in front of God's face. It is another way of saying that God's people were in His very presence. It makes sense that since God calls us to worship Him, He'd be present during our worship. Consequently, we don't go into worship asking or pleading for God to be present, but recognizing that He is already present. Related to this point is the truth that God is present with His people as they are gathered publicly before Him. Verse 3 begins 'and say to the people of Israel'. Moses then goes on to instruct them how to prepare for worship since God Himself would appear to them (verse 4). Biblical worship is public worship. Your worship life is incomplete unless it includes regular, consistent worship with a group of God's people gathered for the purpose of worship.

This leads to the next feature of worship found in this passage which is the necessity of sacrifice. Before God's penetrating gaze all of the faults, shortcomings, and sins of His people were clearly evident. They needed to bring a sacrifice for their sins, as it would have been impossible for them to stand before God's presence without one. The sacrifice God commanded consisted of animals free from any blemishes or defects. These animals were to be killed and their blood poured on the altar symbolizing that an innocent party had died in the place of God's people. They were thus reminded that their privilege to stand before the Creator of the universe without blame was due to the sacrifice of an innocent animal. Of course all of the Old Covenant sacrifices were illustrations of Christ's final and ultimate sacrifice for the sins of His people.
In the same way our worship is also sacrificial. No we aren't required to bring animals to the altar, rather we center our worship on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Our songs, prayers, Scripture reading and preaching revolve around His one great sacrifice on our behalf. Christ-centered worship is worship that consciously highlights the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of worship. This has particular relevance for the songs we sing. The content of our songs should be filled with praise for the various aspects of the Person and Work of our Lord. Like Israel of old we want to constantly be aware that the only reason we have the right to enter into the presence of a holy God is due to the sacrifice of our loving Lord and savior Jesus Christ. He is the center of our life and worship.

Moving onto vss. 6-7 we discover that worship is an orderly affair. The priests didn’t just decide on the spur of the moment what kind of sacrifice to bring nor how to offer it. In fact, in verse 16 the scriptures state that Aaron made an offering according to the rule. This underscores the principle of order in worship. God directed that within worship His people are to adhere to a certain order. Many of you are familiar with church bulletins that begin by listing the order of worship. In light of the serious nature of worship, we cannot think that God will accept just anything we decide to throw together and offer to Him. Spirit filled and led worship is not worship devoid of order.

Orderly worship leads to our next point derived from this passage concerning Biblical worship. Scriptural worship is God directed in that it includes only the elements that God Himself tells us to include. This was particulalry important for the Hebrews. They came from a polytheistic culture that worshipped in ways that were disgraceful to the living God. Morevover, they were about to inhabit a land filled with people who engaged in all types of man made worship done to suit their own pleasures. God commanded His people not to imitate their worship practices (see. Deut. 12:4,30-31) but to worship Him as He prescribed and directed them to. We live in an age in where the temptation to include various aspects of entertainment in our worship services is very strong. Biblical worship moves us to resist ‘giving the people what they want’ and only including things in our worship services that are prescribed in Scripture. Above all we never, ever attempt to conform the worship of the living God to the culture around us. Our task isn’t to wonder what keeps people's attention, but to follow God’s directions as specified in His eternal word. The end of verse 6 emphasizes the significance of orderly, Scripture based worship as the Lord tells Moses that He intends to display His glory within the context of such worship.

Verses 8-21 spell out the nature of the sacrifices presented in the worship service.
God directed Moses to tell the priests and people to present four kinds of offerings. The priests and people were to make sin and burnt offerings in addition to the peace and grain offerings the people were to make.
The sin offering was a sacrifice that covered both the intentional and unintentional sins of the people and guilt that resulted from such sin. This offering highlights the utter holiness of God. God’s holiness demands that sin whether intended or unintended be punished and exterminated. How then could they approach God’s presence let alone enjoy Him without being consumed by His anger? God Himself provided the way for His people to worship and relate to Him through a sacrifice called the sin offering. The animal used for the sin offering stood in the place of the worshiper, taking the punishment of death that he or she deserved.
Following the sin offering God commanded the priests and people to make a burnt offering. This offering typified their whole hearted devotion and dedication to the Covenant Lord. After being slaughtered and having its blood sprinkled against the altar the offering was cut into pieces, placed on the altar and burned until it was consumed.
The next two offerings were made by the people. The first was the peace offering. This offering was also an animal that was killed with its blood being sprinkled on the altar. Part of the animal was prepared to be eaten by the offerer in a symbolic meal before the Lord. This offering symbolized the right relationship God’s people now enjoyed with Him. It was an offering of thanks indicating the people’s gratitude that God was their God and they were His people, His treasured possession. Being in right relation with God meant that He would care for all of their spiritual, material, emotional, social, and psychological needs.
Finally, the people made a grain offering. This sacrifice indicated their acknowledgment of God provision for them and perhaps symbolized the intimacy of fellowship with Him. Grain offerings also suggested that the substance of life was a vital relationship with the living God. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (see Deut. 8:3).

The entire worship service recorded in Lev. 9 consisted of Aaron and his sons carrying out these offerings while the people silently observed. Once Aaron finishes making the offerings he and Moses entered the tent of meeting (the place where God met to speak with them). Upon leaving the tent of meeting and blessing the people three things happen to close the worship service.
First, God’s glory appears before the people confirming the promise He made before the service took place (see vs. 4).
Second, fire came from heaven and consumed the offering that were on the altar.
Lastly, the people responded by shouting with great joy and bowing before the holiness and sovereignty of the Covenant Lord.

How does all this affect and apply to our worship today? As I wrote previously all worship must be Christ centered. His Person and work must be highlighted because that and that alone is the foundation of our relationship with the Covenant Lord. Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the ritualistic sacrifices performed by Aaron and his sons in Lev. 9. Our Lord became our sin offering paying the price for our rebellion with His own life. How can we stand God’s presence this morning or any Sunday morning without fear of being under God’s judgment? We can do so knowing that a perfect sin offering was made on our behalf by Jesus Christ. Jesus has also made us God’s people by redeeming our lives on the cross. By His blood Jesus has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests who now wholeheartedly serve our Covenant Lord. Jesus is our peace with God. He is responsible for restoring the relationship that Adam ruptured when he disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Jesus is our guarantee of an eternal peaceful relationship with the living God. Finally, Jesus brings us into an intimate spiritual relationship with Himself and the Father. Within this relationship we find the lasting security, dignity, satisfaction and fulfillment we’ve longed for. Eternal life isn’t just heavenly fire insurance, it’s enjoying a vital relationship with the triune God.
Christ centered worship services therefore must feature sermons that highlight the His Person and work with reference to how it affects His people. The primary purpose of the sermon is to declare the goodness and greatness of God as seen in Jesus Christ. The main purpose of the sermon isn’t to arouse our emotions or give us practical advice on how to fit the omnipotent God into our lives. The sermon isn’t that part of the service that occurs after the worship (i.e. after our singing) it is the vital aspect of our worship. For in the message God is speaking to His people about Himself, His Son and the great salvation we inherit because of Him. Do you long to see and experience the presence of God in worship? We can when the minister declares the glories of the eternal Word who tabernacled with His people who beheld His glory.
The source and center of our genuine joy is the knoweldge that because of the Person and work of Christ we are forgiven people who belong to the eternal Covenant Lord in a peaceful relationship with Him within which all of our temporal and eternal needs are met abundantly.

Questions for reflection:

1. Do you consistently attend and participate in public worship? If not, why?

2. Do you take adequate time to prepare for worship on Saturday evening?

3. What is your primary purpose in worship? Do you participate in worship primarily to receive a blessing or is your desire to give God His worth?

4. Based on Lev. 9:24 what is a proper, biblical response to a worship service in which the songs, prayers, Scripture readings, sermon and sacraments highlight and emphasize the Person and work of Jesus Christ?

To Him Who Loves Us...                               Pastor Lance