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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
Did You Enjoy the Woship Service?
“Preacher, is this a trick question?” Well, maybe a little, but it does present us with a good place to begin a conversation about how we should feel after we have come together to worship. Should we “enjoy” the worship? Or just “endure” it because we “have to” be here? What does the Bible say about that?
First, “enjoy” needs to be defined, and Webster does so in these terms: To find pleasure in; to have a pleasurable experience.
It is not uncommon for those with little experience as a Christian to expect something from worship that was never intended by God. They may want to have a mountaintop experience from every song, every prayer – even every sermon. If they find themselves not as “thrilled” as they hoped, they may be greatly disappointed.
Many things enter into our response to our worship of God, however. Some worship in the midst of stress or physical pain. Perhaps they argued with a family member before they arrived for worship, or they may be facing financial or family troubles. It is hard to be “thrilled” under such circumstances.
Also, some many expect that which God never promised. Merely mouthing the words to a song, or bowing one’s head in prayer is not magic. The heart must be attuned to what is said or what is taking place. If my mind wanders during the Lord’s Supper I may not be “discerning the Lord’s body,” 1 Corinthians 11:29.
It is not unusual today for some to embrace the notion that worship should entertain us, that we will “enjoy” it as we might a movie or a concert. Religious groups often advertise that those who come to their assembly will “enjoy” themselves. The orchestra, the choir will make a “pleasurable experience”. Is entertainment what God has authorized in worship?
Unless you enjoy seeing lambs being slaughtered you would not have called it “entertainment” in Moses’ day. Nor was it in the early church. Worship was – and still should be – a time for God’s people to praise Him and be edified by His presence and by the encouragement from fellowship with others of “like precious faith,” Ephesians 5:19-20, 2 Peter 1:1, Colossians 3:16. When we discover what the Bible says we realize that God must be the object of our “worship”, not ourselves.
Therefore, what we expect to experience in worship may keep us from what God intends. But does that mean there is no “joy” in our worship? Of course not! There is more to the word “enjoy”, and looking at the rest of a definition we find there is more to it than just “have a pleasurable experience.” Webster again on the word “enjoy”: “To benefit from a desirable condition or situation; to receive the full benefit of something.”
From this part of the definition, our worship should bring us to “enjoy” it in the way God intended. Yes, we “benefit” from the opportunity of coming before the throne of our God, to speak to Him, to praise Him, to pour out our hearts’ desires and needs to Him. And, knowing He loves us and wants the very best for us, our worship gives us the full benefit of our relationship with God.
Yes, we should “enjoy” our time of worship, our time when we assemble together. Paul said it is a means by which we “consider one another”, extend our love to one another, and doing so by “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together,” Hebrews 10:24-25.
I find myself favoring some songs over others because of their melody or the music itself. How much more beneficial it would be to me if I paid at least equal attention to the lesson within the song. The same can apply to a sermon, prayer, even the beauty of our surroundings.
Jesus’ statement in John 4:24 is the linchpin for our worship: “…in spirit and in truth.”
That includes our spirit/attitude, along with our respect for the truth revealed in God’s Word. It will never be enough to worship with sincerity if we ignore what God’s truth says our worship should be, 1 Samuel 15:22-23. On the other hand, it has never been enough to worship in exactly the mode God prescribes if our heart is not in it.
Should we enjoy our time together? Of course we should, for we are brothers and sisters together God’s family. Will our worship always be a mountaintop experience? Perhaps not, depending on other factors. Regardless, we will be better for having respected and given homage to Him. Let’s be full of joy in worship.
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“What greater calamity can fall upon a nation than the loss of worship.”
“I have never known a man, who habitually and on principle absented himself from the public worship of God, who did not sooner or later bring sorrow upon himself or his family.”
“Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness,”
“He who neglects worship neglects that which separates man from the animals.”
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The Will to Know and to Do
Jesus plainly and specifically declares that only those who do the will of God can enter into the kingdom of heaven. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity,” Matthew 7:21-23. To work iniquity is to speak or to act in an unauthorized manner. Compare with 1 John 3:4, where the Greek term for iniquity, anomia, is found. The privative “a” (without) plus nomos (law), literally means without law or authority.
Joseph Henry Thayer, in commenting on the word anomia, says, “The condition of one without law, -- either because ignorant of it, or because violating it.”
One of the most important personal characteristics of any person desiring to learn the will of God is that of attitude. What does one think of the Divine Revelation, namely, the Holy Scriptures? And how does one approach the investigation of any issue involving the will of God (Cf. Proverbs 23:7; Isaiah 55:8,9)?
Jesus, on one occasion, said, “If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself,” John 7:17. This is to say that the individual who sincerely desires to do God’s will, shall be able to distinguish between inspired teaching and human thinking (Cf. Matthew 11:25-27; Philippians 3:15,16; John 8:32,32,43,47).
R. C. H. Lenski, in commenting on John 7:17, says, “simply apply the right touchstone,” that is, adopt a sound method of interpretation, and all will be clear. Or, as The Interpreter’s Bible has it, “Our Lord guarantees that if any man is determined to do God’s will, he will find that the teaching of Jesus will be corroborated in his own experience.”
If that which Vincent, Westcott and Robertson say is correct, and there does not appear to be any sound reason for denying their statements, it is vitally important that we understand the meaning of sympathy with the will of God. No one can possibly obey that which the Lord requires, unless one understands the Lord’s will. People do not obey the gospel by accident.
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