Worship According to God's Word (Rev. Erik Veerman)

Описание: Over the next 3 weeks, we’ll be working through our beliefs and practices in our worship, discipleship, and missions.


Really, these are the implications of the last 4 weeks… and how our foundational beliefs apply in those three areas.


So, today, we’ll focus on worship. And I do want to remind you that we have a philosophy of worship document. It’s next to the welcome table. That document gives the reasons behind the elements of our corporate worship. We’ll be talking through many of those today.


We have two sermon texts listed, Leviticus 10:1-3 and John 4:1-26. We will also be considering the second commandment from Exodus 20. We read earlier in the service.


Please turn to Leviticus chapter 10. You can find that on page 104 in the Pew Bible. This is a difficult passage. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu make an unacceptable offering to the Lord. And they were met with God’s immediate judgment.


Reading of Leviticus 10:1-3


Reading of John 4:1-26 – Our second reading is from the Gospel of John, chapter 4. Please turn there. You can find that on page 1056. This is the account of Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well.


Reading of John 4:1-26


Prayer


We live in the age of personalization. You can configure your home screen, your playlist, your news feeds, your chicken sandwich. Certain apparel can be tailor-made to your liking. If you buy a new car, you can pick exactly the features and colors you want before it’s even manufactured. A new home can be customized to your desire, including picking a floorplan, your kitchen cabinets, your flooring, the color of your walls, your bathroom tile and vanity, and the exterior look.


And those things are kinda nice, because, you know, we have different likes and preferences.


Well, Nadab and Abihu learned the hard way that the worship of God is not on the customizable list. That is, how we worship God is not something that we get to decide, but rather has been decided by God himself.


Now, I want to acknowledge that Leviticus 10:1-3 is a sensitive text. It’s hard to read and think about because here are two men who were coming before the Lord. Their father, Aaron was the very first High Priest among God’s people. He was Moses’s brother. But in that very moment when Nadab and Abihu came to the Lord, they were consumed by the fire of God’s wrath. They did not die in an accident nor were they killed by another man. No, it was God himself who inflicted his judgment directly on them.


And I’m sure you, like me, have many many questions. God, where is your mercy? What did they do to deserve this? Or how about this question, which you may also have: Do I deserve the same judgment?


Well, the answer to that last question is “yes.” Yes, I do. Yes, you do.


You see, one thing that this passage reveals is why Christ Jesus came and was crucified.


Jesus suffered the wrath of God in place of his people for the very reason that Nadab and Abihu were killed. God is a holy and just God. His judgment against sin must be satisfied. Nadab and Abihu experienced what Christ endured for those who turn to him by faith.


I wanted to say that up-front to relieve any undue burden for those of you who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. The holy justice and judgment of God, which Nadab and Abihu suffered, Jesus bore on the cross for you.


But that does not mean that Leviticus 10 only speaks about God’s justice and our need for mercy.


No, it also shows that God cares about how he is to be worshiped.


1. Worship According to God’s Word


Our worship, meaning, what we are doing here and now, our corporate worship, needs to be submitted to God’s Word.


That is the foundational thing that I want us to consider this morning. We need to worship according to what God has prescribed for us. I’ll begin by arguing that principle from a couple of passages, and then we’ll apply that to our worship this morning.


But first, back to Nadab and Abihu. They had been given the ceremonial requirements that the priests were to follow. In fact, right before they offered their unauthorized fire, Moses had presented all of God’s requirements for the priestly offerings and then their father, Aaron, made the first offerings to God based on those commands.


But Nadab and Abihu failed to meet them. They were supposed to consecrate themselves and their incense before coming to the Lord. That consecration involved a ceremonial cleansing which indicated their need to be holy in God’s presence. But they didn’t do that and they therefore suffered the immediate consequences of God’s holiness.


As I mentioned earlier, that event reveals the need for cleansing work of Christ, who makes us holy. So, Nadab and Abihu’s lack of obedience to God’s commands for worship… revealed that their hearts didn’t believe in the justice of God nor the Messiah who was to come.


Let me put it this way, God prescribes his worship to reveal his character, our need, and his mercy in Chri...