The Dialogical Nature of Worship
By Bro. Ezekiel Asis
Preliminary: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!
- We are created to glorify God and worship Him
- And more formally, in the Worship of the Church
Key Passage: Hebrews 12:18-29
Context: The main theme of Hebrews is the Superiority of Christ compared to OT ceremonials
- The terror of the Mosaic economy (18-21)
- The Superiority of the New Covenant (22-24)
- “But” this word shows the difference between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.
- And these two mountains represent the two Covenants, the Old Testament (Israel) and the New Testament (Christ).
- In verse 24, it says that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant.
- In verse 25, it shows the warning here on earth that they did not escape, and how much more the warning from heaven.
- It shows here that even though we are in the New Covenant established by Christ, there is still a warning from heaven.
- Because we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, established by the finished work of Christ, our response should be: “Let us worship God with fear and reverence.”
Teaching: The nature of biblical worship is dialogical: God speaks through His Word and other means of grace, and the Church responds with praise.
[Mark Jones, Living for God] – “Worship is covenantal in so far as God covenants with us through Jesus Christ to bless us and make us in the image of his Son. We become like what we worship (Ps. 115:8), which means for Christians we can have no option other than to worship Jesus. Worship creates “two-way traffic” between the human soul and the triune God. It is shaped in the form of a dialogue: God speaks to us, and we speak to God.”
The Object of True Worship
Note: The object of true worship is the Triune God, as obedience to the First tablet of stone
- Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.”
[1689 LBCF 22.2] – “Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him alone;4 not to angels, saints, or any other creatures;5 and since the fall, not without a mediator,6 nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone.”
- The Reformation-era Belgic Confession of Faith (1561) said of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, “although this doctrine surpasses human understanding, we nevertheless believe it now, through the Word, waiting to know and enjoy it fully in heaven” (Article 9)
[John Owen] – “there is no grace whereby our souls go forth unto God, no act of divine worship yielded unto Him, no duty or obedience performed, but they are distinctly directed unto Father, Son, and Spirit.”
The Trinity is not just the structural background of Christian theology it is the substance of living out Christian faith, hope, and love in relationship with the one true God and with each Person in particular as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The worship of the Church must be Trinitarian.
Application to Charismatic Worship:
- Their over emphasis on the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues, miracles, vision, modern prophecies and healings (John 16:8-15)
- One of the proofs that the Holy Spirit is in our midst is that if our worship is Christ-centered.
The Warning to False Worship
Note: The explanation of the writer regarding God meeting the people of Israel (Exodus 19-20)
- This story demonstrates the distance between God and His creations as a holy God.
- In verse 21, this is based on Deuteronomy 9 where the context warns Israel about worshiping the golden calf (16). “And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.”
- When the writer of Hebrews mentions Deuteronomy 4 and 9, it pertains to the establishment of the Old Testament.
- And the focus of these verses is the Ten Commandments of God.
And both passages speak about the mountain that was burning with fire., Deuteronomy 4:11,
Modern worship:
1. Complete freedom = whatever anyone is happy to do for the Lord
2. Seeker-sensitive emphasis = whatever is popular and acceptable in today’s generation
3. Normative principle = whatever is not expressly forbidden in Scripture may be done rightfully
Because God is supreme in His holiness, our worship requires respect and reverence
[C.H. Spurgeon] – “The beauty of holiness is the only beauty which God desires in our public services and nothing less can take its place. He does not regard the beauty of architecture and clothing. Moral and spiritual beauty are what delight His soul. Worship must not be rendered to Him in a careless, sinful, superficial manner; we must be reverent, sincere, earnest, and pure in heart, both in our prayers and praises.”
The Grace of True Worship
Note: In God's relationship with the people of Israel in the Old Testament, every action of Israel should be in accordance with God's commands.
Establishment of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:40; 39:42ff), “As the Lord had commanded them.”
Standard for worship (Deuteronomy 12:11; 29-32), “Whatever I command you... you shall not add nor take away…” Consequences of disobedience:
- Jer. 7:31; 19:4ff, Worship that goes beyond God's commands is considered worship of false gods and is unacceptable to God.
- Lev. 10:1-3, Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” that God did not command, and they were consumed by this fire.
Those who worship God must do so in the way He requires, treating Him as holy [Regulative Principle of Worship] [Savoy Declaration of Faith, 22.1] – “The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is just, good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart, and all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.”
Application:
Key-text: Mark 7:6-8
Note: The difference between Acceptable worship and Unacceptable worship
[Baker’s New Testament Commentary] – “Of course, this “worship” of God is vain, utterly futile; and this for two reasons: a. because the attitude of his heart is wrong, and b. because his emphasis is wrong, as Jesus now indicates by saying: Mar_7:8. Gx. 32; Lev. 10:1–3). But there is also true worship, as Jesus described: “True worshipers will worship the Father in [the Spirit] and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). God does not leave worship to our imaginations but determines that our worship should be done in the Spirit and based on the truth. The Spirit honors the truth because all truth comes from Christ and leads to Christ.”
Applications:
- As believers let us worship God with fear and obedience to His commandments
- Make the worship of the church Christ-centered as the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit
- The beauty of Christ's Person in the Gospel gives us the desire and joy to prioritize worship
[Thomas Manton] – “believers worshiped God with the inward and spiritual affections of a renewed heart. This internal worship consisted of faith, reverence, love, and delight in God.”
[John Piper] – “Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-full) of artificial admirers (like people who write generic anniversary cards for a living). On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.”