TO GOD BE THE GLORY

This is the 5th message of the Heart of Worship Message Series. As I was working through the stories of worship in the Scriptures, I had to pick and choose what to focus on. It would be too easy to get bogged down in the details of each story. For this message, I centered on the lost opportunity the people of Israel had to be individual priests, the disobedience in worship that resulted in death; and the right response to God in unbridled worship. When God's glory is the goal, we are willing to sacrifice our own preferences and self-consciousness.





TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Biblical stories of worship

Please turn in your Bible to Exodus, the second book of the Bible, and chapter 15.

A parish priest was being honored at a dinner on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his arrival in that parish. A leading local politician, who was a member of the congregation, was chosen to make the presentation and give a little speech at the dinner, but he was delayed in traffic, so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited. "You will understand," he said, "the seal of the confessional, can never be broken. However, I got my first impressions of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I can only hint vaguely about this, but when I came here twenty-five years ago I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first chap who entered my confessional told me how he had stolen a television set, and when stopped by the police, had almost murdered the officer. Further, he told me he had embezzled money from his place of business and had an affair with his boss's wife. I was appalled. But as the days went on I knew that my people were not all like that, and I had, indeed come to, a fine parish full of understanding and loving people." Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and give his talk. "I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived in this parish," said the politician. "In fact, I had the honor of being the first one to go to him in confession."

Oops! This illustrates what we have been discussing recently in our Heart of Worship Series. There is the image we all tend to portray and then there is the reality of our hearts and private lives. We all have that tension, because even the most godly among us still has the sinful nature to battle with his new nature on a daily basis. The daily pursuit we are to have is that the spiritual reality of who we are in Christ as redeemed, holy, and Christ-like will actually be more of a reality in our daily life worship.

As we have learned already, we are all worshipers, whether we are worshiping God or someone or something else or even ourselves. We have also learned that worship is not just about music or Sundays, but worship is an every moment of every day experience. And the desire of our hearts is that as we worship with our lives each day, it will be acceptable worship, giving all glory to God.
From the beginning of our worship series, we have talked about a working definition for worship that explains how worship is about all we are and all we have. Does anyone know it? Let me start it for you:

“Worship is responding to who God is and what He has done by giving ourselves completely to Him.”

Let’s say it all together:
“Worship is responding to who God is and what He has done by giving ourselves completely to Him.”

So, today, we continue with the biblical stories of worship, as we learn more about the life challenges of worship and what God has called us to do. Today, I believe you will find that the key issue at hand in these stories is the glory of God. Whose glory are we concerned about as we live our lives of worship? We pick up the story from last week. God’s chosen people, Israel, had been in bondage in Egypt. God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharoah and sent 10 plagues upon Egypt, continuously giving one main message. He kept saying this is the primary reason I want my people released. Do you remember what it was?

“LET MY PEOPLE GO, SO THAT THEY MAY WORSHIP ME”
That is what God wanted then, and that is what God wants now.

[up on the baptismal]

In Exodus 15, after God delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, and after God delivered His people from the pursuing Egyptians and across the Red Sea,
Everything was great. Optimism was high. The people were ready to follow God and the leadership He had given them. They were ready to give glory to God.

Exodus 14:31 – “Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.”

Exodus 15:1,2 – “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, sang, I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

It was an incredible time of worship for the people of God. But, please understand that this same song of worship will be sung around the throne, in praise of God’s glory in the future. Listen to what the last book of the Bible reveals:

Revelation 15:3,4 – “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

One of the greatest miracles in the history of God’s people produced a song of worship that will be sung in Heaven one day. And eventually, all nations will recognize how awesome God is and worship Him.

IN THE END, EVERYONE GIVES GLORY TO GOD
This should affect our lives today, as we consider that in the end all glory will be given to God. That is our desire today, this week, and in our lifetime.
And the stories of worship continue.

Please turn over to Exodus, chapter 19.
[go stand on the top row of the choir loft]

Three months after leaving Egypt, this nation on the move came to the place of one of the greatest moments of opportunity, and one of the greatest tragedies, recorded in Scripture. They were back in the land of the burning bush. Moses knew this area well. Listen to God’s plan:

Exodus 19:4-6 – “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

God’s stated plan was that all the people of God would be His priests and come to Him directly. This is what God said. And how did the people respond to the news?

Exodus 19:8 – “All the people answered together and said, All that the LORD has spoken we will do…”

One of those instructions is in the last sentence of verse 13:
“…When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

So, then, God shows up:
Exodus 19:16 – “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.”

Look at chapter 20 and verse 18. You have the 10 commandments given, but don’t miss the response of the people to the invitation to go directly to God as a kingdom of priests:

Exodus 20:18-21 - “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die. Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin. The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness were God was.”

The signal was given for the people to approach God, going directly to Him. But, the loud noises that accompanied the presence of God scared them to death. And the fact was, the people were not ready to be a kingdom of priests. They were not ready to approach the holy, awesome God. They were turning this great opportunity down. They were scared of God. Only one priest, a representative of the people, Moses, approached God that day. It would be centuries before the priesthood of all the people would become possible again.

[walk down to the floor, in front of choir loft, with pulpit between you and communion table]

So, after that, a priest kind of stood high above the people and would stand between them and God. Let’s say this stand is the priest and the communion table represents the presence of God. Although in the New Testament we read that all believers are priests before God and can go directly to him and not through a man, it is still difficult for believers today. The precise definition for a priest is one who may draw near to the divine presence. Many believers are afraid of going to God and feel much more comfortable going through another religious man or a church or religious tradition.

God wanted every believer to come to Him as a priest. In His book The Adventure of Worship, Gerrit Gustafson explains: “That did not mean there would be no farmers or herdsmen, teachers or judges. It meant that the farmers, herdsmen, teachers and judges would have been priestly farmers, herdsmen, teachers and judges, fulfilling the New Covenant community’s commission:

I Corinthians 10:31 – “…Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”

In the classic series by C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, Lucy is a character that represents believers and a lion named Aslan is representative of God. At some point, Lucy, speaking of the lion, asks Mr. Beaver: “Is Aslan safe?” Mr. Beaver responded: “No. Of course he isn’t safe. But he is good.”

That illustrates the issue of believers coming to God when we are afraid of what will happen if we fully trust Him and give ourselves completely to Him. Is God safe? No, but He is good. And nothing happens to us outside of His plan for our spiritual good. So, the question needs to be asked and answered by each of us here this morning:

Do you fully believer that God is good and that you can trust Him with all you are and all you have? If your answer is yes, then you are in the mode of life worship. If your answer is no, then you are at a point of decision and commitment. This is not about perfection. This is about your willingness to come to God as you are, with a humble heart, to directly offer your life as a sacrifice; and to trust God to do with it as He pleases.

OFFERING YOUR LIFE WITH COMPLETE TRUST GIVES GLORY TO GOD

Please turn in your Bible to II Samuel 6. If you are using a Bible in front of you, it is on page 272 or 278.

And the Adventure of Worship continues: “Life went on after Sinai. Moses was inspired to write a constitution and a legal system for the new nation. A tabernacle was created to become a physical place where God’s presence would abide, a shadow of what God had desired. The furnishings for the tabernacle were exquisite: the Ark, the table, the altar, the lampstand.

And then in Exodus 28, God gave His people their hearts’ desire. He appointed the Levites to be intermediaries of His presence for the people. Rather than being a kingdom of priests, Israel became a kingdom that had priests. Not quite a priestly nation among the nations, Israel had a priestly tribe among the tribes. Though not a priesthood of the order of Melchizedek, the Levites did become a priesthood, and Aaron was selected as the first high priest. Before Exodus 28, it was normal for leaders to offer sacrifices. Afterward, however, only the official priests were allowed to offer sacrifices.

Although the experience at Sinai was a setback, God continued to look for worshipers who would worship Him in spirit and in truth. Eventually, Israel pressed God to give them a king such as the other nations had. Again, God acquiesced. He gave them their desire. The first king, Saul, was a disappointment. The second one, however, became a legend as a king and as a worshiper.”

His name was David. He was a shepherd boy. But God would use him greatly. He killed a lion and a bear with his own hands. He wrote songs that the people of God would sing for centuries. We know this song book as the book of Psalms. As a young boy, he faced the giant Goliath and defeated him with a sling and a stone.

[stand by the communion table and refer to it as the Ark of the Covenant]

As king, David was responsible for making sure the Ark of the Covenant was taken care of. In Exodus 25 and 37, the Ark of the Covenant is described. It was a box, overlaid with gold, that contained the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron that was used in the 10 plagues, and a container of Manna, that represented God’s provision of food for the people and other important objects that led people to give glory to God. In fact, the Ark itself was a representation of God’s presence, and when it fell into the hands of the enemies, it brought a lot of destruction to God’s enemies.

David was used by God to bring reform to the nation of Israel. He took back the city of Jerusalem from God’s enemies. He made it the political and economic center of Israel. He then set Himself to the priority of making Jerusalem the spiritual center of Israel. There was one major problem. They did not have, any more, the one object they needed to represent God and His presence. They had lost the Ark of the Covenant. They had to get it back.

Steve Strong and Steve Glick, would you guys please come and help me out, by getting this ark of the covenant ready to travel?

II Samuel 6:1,2: “David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God…”

Why did David take 30,000 men with him to retrieve the ark? It is not because he expected a battle. According to I Chronicles 13, it was because he wanted to have a traveling worship service. They were going to play instruments, sing and dance the 8 miles or so back to Jerusalem.

[Steve and Steve begin their journey]

So, here we have Ahio and Uzzah traveling with the Ark of the Covenant on a cart. And then, the inevitable happened. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and the ark began to fall. [Steve and Steve act it out, with Strong praising Glick] O.k. guys you can continue your journey to the back, and then I need you back here Glick.

II Samuel 6:6 – “And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.”

That is what it says happened, right? So, what should we do with Uzzah? He’s really a hero, don’t you think? He saved the Ark of the Covenant, which represents God’s presence, from falling and crashing to the ground. We should vote Him Man of the Year. We should give him a medal for his quick thinking and bravery. We should have a parade in his honor. We should name a street after him: The Uzzah Underpass or something like that. But, that is not what God chose to do. Let’s read on:

II Samuel 6:7 – “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.”

What? Did I read that right? God didn’t give Him a great reward; but instead, struck him dead? What is going on here?

I have a sister, named Mary. One day, while in Jr. High, she, and a bunch of her girlfriends were in a van, parked in the driveway. They were getting ready to go bowling, or something. There is a slight incline in the driveway, that leads to the woods in the back. Apparently, one of the parents, who was driving, had turned off the motor, but left the car in neutral. With the moving of these Jr. High girls, the van started rolling down the hill toward the woods, and was picking up speed. You can imagine that they were all screaming. My sister jumped from a seat in the middle, into the driver’s seat and put on the brakes. She was the hero! Do you think the parent came out of the house and berated my sister for driving without a license? Of course not. She was hugged and applauded and thanked.

So, help me out here. Why was our hero, the good- hearted Uzzah, given the death penalty by God?

Because of this truth:
DOING WORSHIP HIS WAY GIVES GLORY TO GOD

The Israelites and King David put Uzzah in a bad spot, because they disobeyed four specific rules God had given them. From Exodus 25:15, Numbers 4:1-15, and Numbers 7:9, we find these four rules:
*The ark was to be carried (they transported it by oxen)
*It was to be carried on their shoulders (they had it on a cart)
*It was to have the poles in it at all times (they steadied it with hands)
*Only a certain group from a certain tribe of Israel were to do the carrying
(Uzzah and Ahio were not from that tribe)

God gave specific directions, and His people directly disobeyed. God is serious about us worshipping Him in His way. There are things you know He wants you to do. The Bible tells us about all kinds of specific, direct commands He has for us. It tells us how to love each other and God. He wants your worship. But He wants your life of worship to be from the heart and obedient to His Word.

For those of you who hope to be religious without a true relationship with God, He doesn’t want it. God wants all of you. Don’t just say you’re a Christian and going to Heaven and that is all that matters. He wants your emotions, your passions, your desires, your body and your heart. Don’t come to God unless you are coming with everything! We can thank God that He doesn’t strike us dead when we disobey; but that doesn’t mean that He is not serious about us remembering this truth:

Worship must be done God’s Way! That is what brings Him glory.

Before we get to the next lesson of worship for God’s glory in this chapter, let’s take a personal quiz.

You are on your way to the store to buy something you really need. If a needy person comes up to you and convinces you that he is in real need, and you have $100 in your pocket, what do you do?
A. Give him all of it
B. Give him half of it
C. Give him some of it
D. Show him your empty pocket

You are on your way to cheer on your favorite team in the most important championship game of all time. What do you do?
A. Paint your body in team colors and scream like crazy, in freezing temperatures, for the whole game
B. Paint your face and wear only team colors
C. Wear a team hat or t-shirt
D. Dress in neutral colors, so no one will get mad at you from either team

You are proposing to your boyfriend/girlfriend because you are madly in love, and want to spend the rest of your life with this person. What do you do?
A. Stand on a table in the most public place possible and scream about your undying affection and desire to marry the love of your life
B. Pay for the athletic stadium or fly over plane to name your love and post the question: Will you marry me?
C. Let friends and family know and get involved in the special day
D. Find a quiet, secluded place, and pop the question

You just found out you inherited a million dollars, what would you do?
A. Appear on all the talk shows and let the world know of your new found wealth
B. Jump up and down and scream for days on end
C. Let your closest friends and family in on the secret
D. Change your name, get plastic surgery and move to a farm in Idaho

Your answers to these questions probably tell us something about you. It probably reveals your personality; and whether or not you are a private person or love the social life. You might have even answered, based on what other people might think of you. You want to be dignified, respected, and not do anything that would make people laugh at you or criticize you. In fact, with some of these questions, it is probable that we would criticize people who might answer these differently from us.
My questions for you this morning has to do with your response to God. My questions this morning is these: How much does God want of you in your life worship? And, how much are you willing to give?

Back to our story in II Samuel 6. After the death of Uzzah, the Ark of the Covenant remained in another home for 3 months. It was now time for David to go get the Ark and return it the rest of the way to Jerusalem.

O.k. I need your help. Would you all please stand with me? Let’s pretend you are all actors and you have been asked to participate in a very important scene: a scene of celebration. Imagine how you might cheer if your favorite politician or actor or athlete walked in the room. Imagine how excited you would be if you heard that you won a million dollars or whatever the best news would be for you. And then you would be ready to understand this.

David and his men are bringing back to Jerusalem the Ark of the Covenant, the representation of God Himself. And everyone is excited. As we travel down, will you help me clap as though it was a very exciting time. Ready? Here it comes. Let’s begin.

[Steve and Steve bring the communion table back to its place]
I know. Some of you were concerned that you might get struck by lightning if you clapped and cheered in church, right]? Thank you , you may be seated.

But, what the text emphasizes here is the response of David to the exciting prospect of having the representation of God’s presence back where it belongs.

II Samuel 6:12 – “And it was told King David, The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.”

II Samuel 6:14,15 – “And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.”

Here is the next lesson of life worship to learn here, in respect to honoring God:
RESPONDING TO HIM WITHOUT PRIDE GIVES GLORY TO GOD


Consider King David’s humble, thankful heart of praise and worship.
When they bring the ark home, he is filled with unrestrained worship toward God. We read that he danced before God with all his might. He gave his whole body to God. He wasn’t concerned with what people were thinking. That is tough to do, isn’t it? I know I care about what you think. But if I do not speak what God wants me to speak or do what He wants me to do, because I’m worried about your response, I’m in trouble. We all are.

David simply responded from his heart to what God had done; and it came out in dancing before God. He also took off his royal garments, and revealed his humble, priestly garment, the dress of a commoner. Why would the King do that? Because, in his response of worship, he set aside his pride, and his position, and just gave all of himself to God. Wow! That takes humility.

In His book, The Unquenchable Worshipper, Matt Redman gives this illustration: “Another example of an extravagant worshipper was Charles Wesley. Within the space of 50 years, this undignified lover of God wrote around 6,500 songs of praise. One of his earliest songs, written to mark the first anniversary of becoming a Christian, was a song with the first line ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise.’

When I first heard this hymn (Matt says) I thought to myself, A thousand people singing to God isn’t really all that impressive. After all, we’ve probably all been in meetings bigger than that. But then I discovered what Wesley was really imagining. He was picturing himself having a thousand tongues! He was saying, ‘I wish I had a thousand tongues, because if I did, I’d praise God with every single one of them.’ In one sense utter foolishness, yet a beautiful picture of extreme worship.”

King David responded in worship by setting aside his pride and giving of himself. This is a key to true worship. What about you? Are you willing to set aside your pride and give God all of your praise and worship? Yes, this could include worship with music. You have to ask yourself if you are willing to be led by God’s Spirit in responding to who He is and what He has done. Are you willing to say Amen? Are you willing to clap, if led to do so? Are you willing to raise your hands if God moves you to? Are you willing to close your eyes or move to the music or sing out loud at the top of your lungs for God’s glory?

Forget about music for a moment. Are you willing to set aside your pride and give sacrificially out of a grateful response to God? Are you willing to humble yourself and serve wherever you are needed in ministry here? Are you willing to fail while trying to do something great for God? Are you willing to be looked at a little funny by others when you give yourself wholeheartedly to God?

And this life worship goes outside the church building as well, right? We have to set aside our pride in order to share our faith with another person. We might have to set aside our pride to invite another person to church. We might have to set aside our pride to bow our heads and give thanks in public; and the list goes on and on. Perhaps God will reveal to you how you need to give Him glory by setting aside your pride in some area of life worship.

But, there is one more inevitable fact we must recognize when we give our life worship for God’s glory; and we see it acted out in this passage of Scripture. So, The Ark is returned and David is in his common clothes, worshipping God wholeheartedly as he dances before Him.

II Samuel 6:16 – “As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.”

Who is Michal? She is David’s wife! And she despised him for his unbridled worship before God. Listen to what she says:

II Samuel 6:20 – “And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

David’s wife was embarrassed. She was full of pride, not only for what people might think of her husband, but for how that might reflect on her!

This is an important lesson to understand about life worship:
CRITICISM WILL COME WHEN ONE UNASHAMEDLY GIVES GLORY TO GOD

Real Worship will be Criticized!

When you give all of yourself to God: in singing, praying, serving and living your life, you will be criticized. It is unfortunate that it was David’s own wife criticizing him, but sometimes it will be coming from those we care about most; even from those who should be our greatest supporters.

If you give all of yourself in your response to God, people will not like it. They may not like how enthusiastically you sing, or your choice of instrument or what musical style you use to give praise to God. They may not like the fact that you sacrificially give money to God at church when you could have used that money to take them out to eat or buy them a more expensive present or have gone to Disney World a year earlier for vacation. They may not like the idea of you sacrificing work hours or declining a higher salary because you want to devote yourself to your family or to serving God in some way. Others may not like the way you pray or the time you take leading family devotions. You can probably think of many other examples.

But, I will guarantee you this. If you live unashamedly before God and others, criticism will come, and unfortunately, it may come from your dearest friends, your loving family, or even from within your own church. I have certainly experienced that in every church I have been a part of.

Please know this: God knows how to deal with those who criticize Him and those who criticize others who worship Him with all they have. Look at what David’s wife experienced as a result of criticizing this worship of her husband:

II Samuel 6:23 – “And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.”

Pretty serious. No, this doesn’t mean that if you criticize the worship of others, that God will bring this bad of a consequence. But, it does mean that God takes this seriously; and is not interested in us spending our time criticizing how others give of themselves to God. That is one major reason I don’t spend my time criticizing other Christians or churches for how they worship. It is a waste of time, and not really my place. Plus, it very well may displease God and be an obstacle to me worshipping Him wholeheartedly.

I close with David’s response to his wife’s criticism:

II Samuel 6:21 – “And David said to Michal, it was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD – and I will make merry before the LORD. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes…”
Did you hear what David was saying when criticized by his own wife? He said, I wasn’t doing this for anyone else. I wasn’t worried about what others were thinking about me. The LORD has blessed me. I will worship Him. And if it means being more undignified than what I have already done, I am willing. I will give the LORD all of me. I won’t hold anything back.

There are 2 things to learn here. First, be very careful to not waste your time worrying about how others are giving of themselves to God. If you find yourself worrying about how they are worshipping God, then it is likely that you are not humbly worshipping Him, focusing your attention on God alone.

Second, when you are criticized for giving of yourself completely to God, don’t stop worshipping Him. If you are within the bounds of Scripture, and if you are doing what God has directed you to do, then keep going. In fact, offer all that you have and all that you are in worship to Him. Don’t be afraid to go to any length to worship Him, giving all glory to God. Because that is what this life is all about, isn’t it?

Take some time to consider the message of God’s Word this morning, and check your own heart attitude. Re-commit yourself to giving Him all of yourself in worship, whatever He may ask of you. Regardless of how old you are or how long you have been a Christian, ask God to help you to be willing to keep growing in your worship of Him, learning more and more how to respond to Him for His glory. And ask God to forgive you for any wrong attitude of pride or criticism that has taken root in your heart. Cut it out by asking for forgiveness; and getting your heart attitude right with God.

Let’s pray.