Concerning Worship (Part 1 of 2)

To genuinely worship God involves more than putting on your Sunday best and sitting in a church pew demands having a proper perspective and proper preparation.

So what is that proper perspective involved in how should we prepare for worship. Find out today I'm Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg is continuing our study the book of Ecclesiastes got our father with our Bibles open on our laps. We earnestly desire that you would be our teacher. We are in desperate need of your help in speaking and listening and and responding properly and so to you. We look in Jesus name on then have the preacher, the pundit has been going down various avenues and here in the opening section of chapter 5 it's as though he has paused down some of these dead-end streets and cast his glands on the worshiping throngs and as he observes the comings and goings of the crowds to the place of worship, and as he apparently sits in on some of their activities, it becomes apparent to him that all is not well that unreality is not simply the precincts of the unbelieving population.

But that unreality can so easily and quickly pervades those who profess faith and the people that he's observing in their ins and outs and activities seem to have forgotten where they are and at the same time what they're doing. The target I think that he has in mind is the individual who comes fairly routinely to participate in worship the kind of person who likes a number of the songs taps along to the Junes moans about the ones that he doesn't like listens with half an ear never really remembers anything and certainly never gets down to doing what he felt he ought to do when in a surge of emotion. There was something starting in his heart concerning the Bible.

The individual has largely not forgotten where he is and who he is but has completely misplaced any notion of who God is and it is to this individual that the writer speaks.

Now he's dealing with the band and we are living with in the now and one of the questions when we study the Bible is how do we make that then applied to the now how do we understand the application of this first we need to understand that then then is probably Solomon's Temple, a magnificent structure lavish in its decorations awe-inspiring in its signs, majestic in its grandeur and as a result of that, the crowds coming to attendance in praise at that place would be dwarfed by the structure itself and as a result of that, just in the sheer physicality of it.

They would find that there gaze was turned from the air upward to heaven from time to eternity and from themselves to God and that is the picture that he has in mind as he writes these words, while you say that's obviously thousands of years away and thousands of miles away from where we sit now or even from the average context of contemporary worship this morning. Without doubt contemporary architecture. Unlike the great cathedrals and massive buildings of an early eater contemporary architecture tends to be very horizontal tends to keep our gaze on this plane rather than lift our eyes upwards. Our own church building contributes in part to that. I don't think by design, but certainly by default. The reason that architecture has gone this way is largely because we want to think not of a God who is transcendent, but of a God who is down here situs not of a God who holds us to accountant in the face of his law, but rather a God who has begun to see things the way we see things a God who is not uncomfortable to behold, but a God who is actually very comfortable fought us and as a result of that, we turn praise and worship inside out and our whole expedience begins with ourselves how I am feeling and what I'm hoping for an what I desire to get out of this opportunity and then ends with ourselves as we walk away giving points for content for land for humor, for a variety of other things all directly related to who I am as a tragic mistake. To the extent that buildings contribute to that. We have also made a mistake.

But of course buildings are not ultimately important where we gathered his secondary to what is happening when we gather and therefore when we think of the application of Ecclesiastes 5 should think of it in relationship to Ephesians chapter 2, not just Ephesians chapter 2, but certainly Ephesians 2 in verse 19 and following. And if you want to turn to it.

Then you can anchor this in your mind, but I'm going to read it for you.

In any case, we could turn to a number of sources, but were staying just here for point of application.

Ephesians 219. Consequently, he says you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Notice immediately that the building that is being described here is spiritual rather than physical in a physical building. There would be a cornerstone set in its rightful place here, says Paul, Jesus himself is the cornerstone and in hidden the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

So back in Ecclesiastes 5 in the days of the solemn tempo in the days of the worship of Jerusalem and Zion, all of the emphasis was on this physical building, but now he says, verse 22 in hidden in Christ you to are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit. Okay, so while architecture is not unimportant is not the most significant thing because what God has chosen to do now is to send his Spirit to dwell amongst his people and it is the family, which makes our house all but we understand that from our own families. Don't we all from visiting famous homes of famous historical families. For example, the Vanderbilts is it in Asheville, North Carolina magnificent structure you go around it.

You put the earphones on and the voice tells you. And in this room. This is where Mr. Vander Bell did this and he did that this was a study and so on and is quite fascinating, but his lifeless and I found myself walking around sick.

If only Vanderbilt was here follow him actually see it happen. Sure it is a magnificent structure but it is the family that makes the house a home know that is how you need to understand love ones. What happens when we come together and worship. This is not a holy space.

This is not a special structure in and of itself, any holiness that attaches to the place columns and leaves with the presence of the holy ones, namely those who have been set apart in God's service.

So the family is what makes this place what it is that is why the place would become special to us in our reflection and in our anticipation, not because of the special nature of the structure but because of the unique nature of what takes place within the structure in the same way that all hold eventually become simply an address.

We can drive past the end of the street. We used to live there.

It was very important to us while we were there, but it has no significance to is a tall, now it is possessed by someone else. It is indwelt by someone else. And so we move away from it. Actually, quite thankfully and happily, and in the same we find ourselves in this building. This building means nothing to me as a building except I'm thankful that it provide shelter doesn't ring my bell float my boat or do anything for mutual. The only significance that attaches to this place is because you're here because we are here together take all of you away from here. I wouldn't come here's the family makes the house a home. So Ecclesiastes 5 the picture of the Solomon Temple and Ephesians chapter 2 allows us to get a grasp of what were dealing with today.

Now, in light of that, we can then observe the instruction carefully for words for statements will help us get through this little section of the text. The first one is the opening phrase of the chapter guard your steps. Guard your steps when you go to the house of God for the preacher is thinking of Solomon's Temple rise thinking in particular terms. Those of us who are the parts I family about our gathering here, not only in this room but definitely in this room regularly and purposefully in this space and to guide our steps demands a certain perspective in our approach to the occasion and I will give you just a number of verses here. I don't want you to turn them up. I'll give you the reference in case you wish to know them for further study.

The first is now my chapter 10 verse 39 where the people in that day, said we will not neglect the house of our God made a promise were not going to neglect the house of our God and what that meant for them was there giving at the house of God would be sustained their participation in worship that they may have a testimony when in that place, the gathering of their families that they may hear the voice of God through the word of God and so on. They said we are not going to neglect the house of God. And when you are hi coming to the perspective where that is a hallmark for us where that is, if you like a foundational principle, then we will reward everything in relationship to time, finance, and future in light of that principle. Good morning.

It is the Lord's day. What we decided as a family we will not neglect the house of God, that means our participation in worship. That means our involvement with the family. That means our offerings of praise and so on. If we have determined that that is a fixed point. If until we come to that fixed point then we awaken on the Lord's day Sunday and we say to ourselves. I wonder what I shall do today. There is an opportunity for me to do this and to do that. I have a friend calling me. I have the responsibilities and so on. What will I do unless you have is a fixed point and whatever else I do.

I'm not neglecting my place in the house of God and of course your whole life will be up for grabs second grade from Psalm 27 in verse 41 thing I ask of the Lord, and this is what I seeks is the sadness that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life because I want to be here. I want to be where the action is. I want to be where God is. I want to be where God's people are. And this is his perspective. And of course it is a unique perspective because the perspective of the average person is I don't want to go there. You couldn't drag me there was chains. The people who are unchanged by the power of Christ feel very much the same way. Constantly looking at her watch, constantly checking when the ordeal will be over constantly making plans in their minds for how they can get out and get on is a different perspective. This is if I can only ask one thing of the Lord. He says this is what I would ask that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Psalm 84. He says the same thing. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. My soul yearns even faints for the courts of the Lord my flesh and my heart cried out for the living God know you notice the poor.

The point why this he created the courts of the living God because in the courts. He meets the living God is excess significance of gathering together in worship because God is pledge to be with his people.

When the gathering worship. Therefore, we can send I love thy place all God will denied glory dwells now uniquely here, but expressly here and then he makes the staggering statement better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere as a staggering statistic. It is a great proportion 11 2000.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness statement. I would rather than close the doors. I'd rather be the janitor in the place where God's glory dwells. Then set up my stall in the arena of godlessness. Why he answers the question for the Lord God is our sun and shield the Lord bestows honor and favor no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless, I would hear there's only dishonor and blame in here that is on out there.

There is only darkness in here. He says there is light.

That's why I'd rather be opening and closing the doors in the in the church built and spent a thousand days in the tents of wickedness. Quite a perspective is unchallenged by now perspective is crucial in guarding your steps. If our perspective is wrong, then everything else is wrong to guide our steps involves is making preparation for that involvement, making preparation for that involvement.

I make no apology for going down some well-worn paths with you because we need this word to remind in the first quarter reminder. Is this that dead ladies don't sing dead ladies don't sing, and neither did dead men. And you know that if you been around them.

Some of you are involved in the funeral business and you know this when those people are set within those little places one thing you can be assured of is that you won't come in there and hear them all singing because they're dead and dead people don't sing and people are spiritually dead.

Don't sing because they nothing to sing about and talk about singing the praise of God. Dead people going sing my God, how wonderful thou art thy Majesty how bright, dead people don't actually think about his love think about his goodness. Think about his grace dead people think about themselves think about their love. Think about how they are doing. They are, how they managed to get on and get through. But when the Spirit of God comes and makes a person new and when they become spiritually alive.

Then they sing one of my favorite verses. Psalm 34 I think it can be my favorite verse. I just forgot. The reference said I'm going to I get mixed up between Psalm 37 four and Psalm 34 yeah 734 737 for his delight yourself in Lord he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 30 443 is glorify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together, glorify the Lord with me in it.

Let us exalt his name together. So when we come into the context of worship.

That's essentially what were saying to one another. Here we are, glorify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. What we doing is what were doing and this is what we been preparing to do. We need to be spiritually alive.

We need to be spiritually assisted not for the wine but full of the spirit of God. And then when filled with the spirit of God. He says in Ephesians 518 then we sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We make melody in our hearts, so the preparation is actually the preparation of God within us number one to make a spiritually alive. He'll do that for you today. Number two, to spiritually assist you. He promises that to you in his word and number three to be spiritually active to be committed to in Colossians 3 letting the word of Christ dwell in me richly so that we are making preparation for the event thoughtfully cautiously. Thankfully, expectantly, and more.

More than anything else, perhaps joyfully I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of the Lord. It's not as important your decked out as it is that you're tuned in.

In other words, make sure that when you waken up in the morning you get tuned in with the index out or not. Whatever decked out is okay so will you shaved or will you print your printer whatever you did any of those verbs. The real issue is have you tuned in. Have you fast stop and have you bow down if you tuned in fast up and bow down, do you think you can spend all of Saturday on yourself and idle pursuits go to bed late with your head full of nonsense waken up slovenly drag yourself finally into this building and discover that as a result of somebody reading two verses from the book of Psalms. Hey presto you just became a spirit filled worshiper. If you think that you need to think again. Preparation is absolutely crucial in the process and the way we spend our waking moments on the Lord's day sets the stall for the day.

So this morning as I drove here and there earlier this morning I was listening to my friend from Scotland reading Philippians chapter 3. As it turned out, and beginning to preach in Philippians 3. Why so that I might prepare so that I might prepare. I can press a button any more than you. If I am carrying a glass full of water and you bump into me or spills out his water right for a glass of Coke you bump into me was goes out of scope and when you and I bump into one another, or spills out his words and is about preparation. It's about guarding our steps engulfing terms is about alignment is about set out so how you approach what you're about to do.

Now let me read from another Bible they've tells a short game Bible for those of you who doubt this, listen to what he says about alignment. He says in golf vocabulary. My terms setup alignment aimed body alignment and address are all related to the same thing in every game of golf. If you align your body improperly. Your instincts will subconsciously make swing compensations intended to hit the shot in the desired direction. Even correctly, he says, and it's easier to make good swings because from a good position. Good swings because good results in poorly and a good swing will hit a bad shot, so you'll have to make compensations to produce the desired results. So when you and I don't guard our steps. We don't take the proper address.

While we don't stand up to the thing properly then we will be forced to make compensations all away down the swing plane in order to effect the desired result was very important to Gunderson as Alistair Begggs said it's more important for us to be tuned in decked out listing to Truth for Life Alistair Begggs explaining why it's essential that we guard our steps when we go into the house of God.

If you been enjoying this fast-paced study through the book of Ecclesiastes. Would you like to explore the important lessons of this book in the Bible a little further. We will encourage you to request the book living life backward how Ecclesiastes teaches us to live in light of the end.

Many of us prefer to put on blinders when it comes to facing the reality of death. The author of this book, however, shows us how to use the certainty of death to shape the way we live now in this book, you'll learn how to live wisely, generously and joyfully as you focus on trusting and glorifying God.

Tomorrow is the last they were offering the book living life backward, though, so be sure to request your copy when you give a donation to Truth for Life. Just click the image you see in the mobile app or visit our website Truth for Life.org/donate now admittedly, the study of Ecclesiastes can be difficult for the teacher as well as the listener. It's tempting to skip over some of the harder to understand, or the discouraging parts, like when the preacher declares that every pursuit in life is meaningless. Our mission to Truth for Life is to teach God without adding to it, or taking away from teaching that you can trust to be true, as the Bible says to make you wise for salvation can find out more about our mission to Truth for Life.

When you visit Truth for Life.I'm Bob Lapine ever found yourself just going through the motions of worship, but your heart is not engaged join us tomorrow to jumpstart your faith and learn what is often at the core of mechanical worship. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living