Hello Village Family and Friends,
Last week, we examined what it means to fear the Lord and obey Him. This week, we will conclude by focusing specifically on the fear of the Lord as it relates to rightly worshiping God.
Fear the Lord and Right Worship
As we look to scripture, one of the most well-known examples of “wrong” worship of God, comes from Leviticus 10:
“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans and put fire in them. Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh.” Leviticus 10:1-2 LSB
Nadab and Abihu, the two eldest sons of Aaron, offered strange or “unauthorized” (ESV) and “profane” (NKJV) fire before Yahweh, and scripture states that fire from the Lord consumed them and they died before Him. While we do not know exactly what Nadab and Abihu did wrong, we know that they violated the instruction given by Yahweh for offering incense, by attempting to draw near to God apart from the way He prescribed, and this cost them their lives.
As we consider the example of Nadab and Abihu and what it means to fear the Lord and worship Him rightly, let us now look to the Gospel of John.
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 LSB
Those who worship God must worship Him “in spirit” - meaning with a proper heart-attitude, not just outwardly, and also “in truth” - meaning worship that is consistent with, and regulated by the truth of scripture. This doctrine is known as the “regulative principle of worship”, in that scripture regulates proper worship of God. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith summarizes this doctrine like this:
“Thus, he may not be worshipped according to human imagination or inventions or the suggestions of Satan, nor through any visible representations, nor in any other way that is not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.”
What does all this mean? Simply put, scripture alone is to be our guide in worshiping God rightly. God’s Word is filled with instruction for how we are to worship Him. Here are just a few examples from scripture:
“Let all the earth fear Yahweh; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” Psalm 33:8 LSB
Awe and Fear - we are called to fear Yahweh and stand in awe of Him, for He alone is righteous, holy, eternal, infinite, just, and sovereign!
“O clap your hands, all peoples; Make a loud shout to God with the sound of a shout of joy.” Psalm 47:1 LSB
Loudly - scripture is not unclear; our worship should be loud, as we shout and exclaim the name of God with joy!
“But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” 1 Corinthians 14:40 LSB
Orderly - our worship is to be orderly. This does not mean it has to be stuffy or that it cannot be at-times spontaneous, but we are told in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that “God is not a God of confusion but of peace”. Thus, in our worship, scripture calls us to orderly, proper worship, that avoids chaos or confusion.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.” Hebrews 12:28 LSB
Reverently - as we grow in our knowledge of God’s character and attributes, our reverence for Him should also grow through this knowledge. His holiness and perfection should cause us to show reverence rather than casualness toward Him.
“Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness; Tremble before Him, all the earth.” Psalm 96:9 LSB
Trembling - coming full circle back to the fear of the Lord, scripture tells us to tremble before Him, at the splendor of His holiness!
This Sunday, we will gather to sing, pray, and hear God’s Word. Pastor John White will be continuing through the book of Exodus, covering the 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8-11).
Lord willing, I will see you then.
In Christ,
Jon Collins, pastor
You can reach the elders anytime by email, call, or text at:
Jon Collins, jcollins@thevillagemi.com, (810) 869-3949
John White, jwhite@thevillagemi.com, (810) 275-4267