worship

The Weight of Glory

Matt Otto D-Groups , , , ,

There are places that put a lump in your throat, bring tears to your eyes, cause your gaze to fall and your voice to drop to a whisper. Maybe, like me, you have stood silently in the rain observing the sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, sat in the 130-year-old pews of the Ryman Auditorium visualizing the artists that have graced its stage, or gazed upon the beaches and waves below the Normandy American Cemetery where thousands of young men gave their lives on D-Day.

These places, and many like them, overwhelm their visitors with a sense of honor.

It seems that in today’s culture it is necessary to define the word “honor”, for the word has lost both meaning and, more importantly, practice. To honor someone means to esteem and respect them in light of their position or actions. Furthermore, it means fulfilling and keeping certain obligations that demonstrate this high regard. Honor could be described as awe, reverence, and adoration. In the Old Testament it is often used interchangeably with the word “glory” and used in the context of worship.

God begins the book of Malachi by proclaiming His love for Israel (1:1-5). Yet, there is a sharp contrast between God’s devotion and love for His chosen people, and their heartless disrespect for their Father (Jer 31:9) and Master (Is 42:19). Even more surprisingly, the ones who should have understood God’s deserved honor most readily, were the ones who made God’s worship offensive and shameful namely, the priests. So, Malachi challenges the priesthood to give God the glory He deserves:

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name …” (Malachi 1:6)

How could it have come to this? How could the priesthood – those familiar with His statutes and commandments – despise God’s name? Why would God need to rebuke His sons and servants of their negligence, apathy, and hardheartedness? Could it be that they had forgotten that their Father loved them, that their Master owned everything, and that, as King, He deserved devotion and obedience? Is it possible that we, a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9), also lose sight of God’s glory and worth?

A few years ago a friend of mine introduced me to one of C.S. Lewis’ books that I was only familiar with by its title, The Weight of Glory. My friend indicated that other than the Bible, it had become the most influential book in his life, so much so that he read through it every year. Before he moved out of the area, my friend gifted me his copy of Lewis’ book and it has received a special place in my library ever since. In any case, the author makes this powerful observation and indictment of people finding gratification in lesser things:

Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Wow! Honoring the Father, fearing the Master, worshiping the King, is not merely giving God what He deserves. It also has a powerful effect upon us! Apparently, the priest’s boredom with God caused them to ignore His commands and experience His rejection. In contrast, an arresting awe of God functions dynamically as His transforming grace is bestowed on us! As we honor the Lord, walk in the Spirit, and live in His presence, we share in His glory. Paul encourages us with these words: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:12-18). Just another reason to make worship a constant, enthusiastic, and conscious way of life!

Psalm 100:1-5 (ESV) – “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

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Walking the Walk

Matt Otto D-Groups , , , ,

Talk is cheap, but actions are expensive!

It is incredibly easy to discuss needs, make promises, and talk of doing something. It is an entirely different thing to put discussion, talk, and promises into action. Most of us experience this truth at the same time every year when we make our New Year’s resolutions. We discuss our need to exercise more consistently, read more broadly, budget more faithfully, and so on. We then promise to fulfill these good intentions. Finally, we talk and share our goals with others only to realize that we are usually incapable of meeting these goals. Similarly, changing and growing in our spiritual life takes more than talk and good intentions. It is costly, demands action, and requires the Holy Spirit’s work.

Nehemiah 10 is the logical extension of the written promise that God’s people signed at the conclusion of the preceding chapter. Chapter 9 records Israel’s prayer of confession, detailing the history of their habitual disobedience and God’s faithful patience and forgiveness. The next chapter begins with God’s people, from the leadership on down, taking three action-steps to ensure that their confession and promise are not just empty words. They will walk in God’s Word, separate themselves unto God, and support worship of God. The first of these three action steps is foundational for the success of the other two and for our spiritual success as well:

… the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. (Nehemiah 10:28-29)

The Word of God has the power to save, cleanse, and sanctify. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is able to do what our pitiful promises and our impotent intentions cannot. Yet, we often forget that its transformative power is unleashed only when we “walk” in it, allowing it to become part of our very being (Col 3:16). Walking in the Word doesn’t just happen on its own. It is costly. Resembling physical walking, it demands balance, skill, and has a predetermined destination in mind. To put it more clearly, it starts with personal study and takes continued practice to “walk the walk of the Word” and move toward a deeper relationship with Jesus that is consistently fruitful.

So, “meditate” on the Word! As one Hebrew scholar, Chad Bird, defined the term based on Isaiah 31:4: “When you meditate, you are a lion crouching over its prey. You are the eater and the Word is your food. Take a bite, chew it, taste it, crunch the verbs, salivate over the nouns. There is no rush… Savor the feast. Growl over the words you swallow.” Begin today. And if you falter, start again. Remember, it takes practice to walk. Don’t quit!

Psalm 1:1-4 (ESV) – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

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Confession and Worship

Matt Otto D-Groups , , , ,

It is amazing how technology has changed in such a short period of time! One area in which this is especially noticeable is in the realm of photography. With the advent of digital photography, the power to take and retake, edit and re-edit, post and share photos has been placed in the hands of every smartphone carrying individual. However, there is much more to taking good photos than a quick trigger finger, a high-resolution camera/phone, and a fancy app that applies a variety of filters. Oftentimes it has to do with composition, dimensions, and angles. In other words, it takes a proper perspective.

Perspective is also essential in your spiritual walk, firstly in your appreciation for God’s mercy and grace. Consider this question for a moment: what makes mercy so marvelous and grace so amazing? Our songs are saturated with their themes while our sermons and prayers are speckled with their jargon. But do we truly grasp the expanse of His patience? Do we truly fathom the depths of His favor? Secondly, a proper perspective includes an understanding of ourselves. It is uncomfortable to admit that the “old nature” still entices us. Do we truly comprehend how corrupt and sinful we are if left to our own devices?

In Nehemiah 9, God’s people take care of unfinished business. A few weeks earlier the people of Israel were convicted of sin and rejoiced in the reminder of God’s presence. Now they responded by confessing their habitual rebellion and celebrating God’s everlasting mercy and grace. These two reactions are described as “confession and worship”:

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. (Nehemiah 9:1-3)

True worship springs forth from an understanding of God’s attributes and actions. The text describes these as mercy and grace – patience to those who deserve punishment and favor to the unworthy. Beholding this kindness makes our sinful rebellion seem even more egregious and “is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom 2:4). On the flip side, when we see our true mutinous selves in the mirror of God’s Word, God’s mercy and grace shine even more brightly into the darkness of our heart. Recognizing our guilt and unworthiness makes God’s kindness even more dazzling and brings praise to our lips (Ps 63:3).

Without placing God’s mercy and grace alongside of our sinful nature, our perspective is skewed and the composition is unimpressive. It will neither lead us to lift our hands in worship nor fall on our faces in confession. Practice confession and worship side by side every day. You will be blessed when you do!

Psalm 106:43-46 (NIV) – “Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.”

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Obedience: The Highest Form of Worship

Matt Otto D-Groups , , ,

In the first few verses of Ezra 3, we get a glimpse of the collective intent of the children of Israel. As “the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem” under the leadership of Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, they built the altar of the God of Israel.

What we, as contemporary readers, often miss in our cursory reading is the urgency in which this task was attempted. As soon as God’s people completed their 900 mile journey from Babylon and arrived in Jerusalem they gave a generous thanks-offering and built the altar of the Lord in order to sacrifice burnt offerings as was commanded in the Law of Moses (Ex 29:38-42; Num 28:3-8). Furthermore, the people built the altar despite the fear of the non-Jewish people in the surrounding territories. They had greater fear – love, respect, awe, gratitude – of the Lord, than fear – suspicion, panic, dread – of the surrounding people. In their undefended state, the Jews recognized that the Lord, who would meet them at the altar, would be their greatest source of strength!

God’s Word consistently communicates the inseparable link between obedience and worship. Jesus tied obedience to worship when told His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Similarly, Paul writes, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom 12:1). Obedience and worship go hand-in-hand and validate a person’s unyielding commitment, unmatchable priorities, and undivided allegiance.

Author and pastor, Sam Allberry, characterizes obedience this way:

Resentful obedience is disobedience. Partial obedience is disobedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Obedience to God is to be heartfelt, total, immediate. If we knew the sheer goodness of what he’s calling us into, we’d want it to be nothing less.

In Israel’s return home, they were reminded that salvation is from the Lord and from Him alone. Their first response was one of thanksgiving (Ezra 2:69), followed by heartfelt, complete, and immediate obedience. As we, the church, are new-covenant-people, with the purpose of knowing God and making Him known, may we too be obedient, worshiping our Savior from a heart overflowing with gratitude.

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV) – “… Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams’”

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More Than A Roll of Duct Tape

Matt Otto D-Groups

Do you have a kitchen, a garage, or simply a drawer packed with a mess of random tools? Do you ever stumble across a gadget and wonder, “How did this get here and what’s it for?” In contrast, maybe your workbench and tools are perfectly organized by purpose and color. Or maybe you are indifferent about organizing your gadgets and tools. You’re a minimalist. You are the embodiment of MacGyver, who was known on his 80’s television show for skillfully engineering a prison break, building a satellite, or diffusing a bomb simply with a roll of duct tape, strike-anywhere matches, a few paper clips, and chewing gum.

Our church’s mission statement – Faith Baptist Church glorifies God by making disciples through biblical transformation – is based on Jesus’ commission to the church found in Matthew 28:18-20. He tells His followers that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Several important purposes may be gleaned from Jesus’ task given to His followers. Among them are evangelism, edification, and equipping. They are familiar tools in the church’s workbench for fulfilling the Great Commission.

One purpose that is often buried and overlooked at the bottom of the tool box is worship. Maybe this surprises you. We rarely consider worship essential to the great commission. But isn’t worship the ultimate aim of our discipleship efforts? In Revelation 7:9-10 we read of a breathtaking future worship event that will take place in the very presence of God:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

In response, John Piper wrote, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t… Worship is the fuel and the goal of missions” (Let the Nations Be Glad). Also, singer-songwriter Stuart Townend penned,

I long to be where the praise is never-ending, Yearn to dwell where the glory never fades; Where countless worshippers will share one song, And cries of ‘worthy’ will honor the Lamb! – “All My Days (Beautiful Savior)”

It is undeniable that worship must be at the heart of who we are as people of God. We must understand that worship is more than simply what occurs on Sunday morning. It should not be undervalued and relegated to a particular place, time, or action. Such a limited view of worship is akin to thinking that duct tape is the answer to a flooded basement or fixing a bad alternator. Rather, worship is a surrender of our entire life to the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. It is a daily, moment-by-moment abiding that brings joy and gives Him glory.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV) – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

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