“You shall have no other gods before me."
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them..."
You shall not bow down to them or worship them..."
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain..."
Sound familiar? It should. The sentences above are quoted from the twentieth chapter of Exodus in the Bible, and are the first three of God's TEN COMMANDMENTS given to the national of Israel and to all mankind.
As a worship leader, I'm fascinated that the first three Laws handed down by God to His people are all commands about how we are to worship Him. Some might conclude that God is very egotistical, even narcissistic. And He most certainly would be - were He a human being making these demands upon another.
But we are in no position to psycho-analyze the character and motives of an Infinite, All-Powerful, All-Knowing Person. When the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe tells us how we are to relate to Him, He is not only acting well within His rights, He may also be demonstrating profound love to us - in showing us the path to true happiness and ultimate fulfillment in this life.
It is also profound (although paradoxical to some) that God created us with the autonomous free will to disobey this command. Without this ability, we would be incapable of the quality of "relationship" He created us for. Without the choice and ability to sin, we are robbed of the ability to show our love and trust through obedience.
As a worship leader, I'm fascinated that the first three Laws handed down by God to His people are all commands about how we are to worship Him. Some might conclude that God is very egotistical, even narcissistic. And He most certainly would be - were He a human being making these demands upon another.
But we are in no position to psycho-analyze the character and motives of an Infinite, All-Powerful, All-Knowing Person. When the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe tells us how we are to relate to Him, He is not only acting well within His rights, He may also be demonstrating profound love to us - in showing us the path to true happiness and ultimate fulfillment in this life.
It is also profound (although paradoxical to some) that God created us with the autonomous free will to disobey this command. Without this ability, we would be incapable of the quality of "relationship" He created us for. Without the choice and ability to sin, we are robbed of the ability to show our love and trust through obedience.
Enter the of Sin of Idolatry.
2 Kings 17
29 ...Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. ... 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.
When we reject God's sovereign position to provide the peace and happiness our hearts yearn for, we give our worship and devotion to other so-called gods. Or we try to be our own god, trusting in our own ability to make life work. The story of ancient Israel is one of a people who trust God for a time, then reject Him until the consequences are unbearable. This cycle repeated numerous times with Israel throughout the Old Testament.
The same story is still repeating today in churches and worship services across the world...
The same story is still repeating today in churches and worship services across the world...
"Me?... Idolatry? - No Way!"
Really?
Have you every said or thought...
“The services are too planned (or spontaneous).”
“The songs are too complex (or too simple).”
“The band/orchestra/organist/guitarist/vocals sounds bad.”
“There are too many new (or old) songs.”
“Our church is too big (or too small).”
Whatever excuse we give for Not worshiping God wholeheartedly is Idolatry.
In the examples above, the false god would be our own personal preferences - assuming the worship time is for our personal pleasure and enjoyment, and annoyed when we are not entertained.
You see, we can pat ourselves on the back for being in the right place at the right time and moving our lips to the worship songs, and all the while serving false gods in our hearts.
Did you notice the last line of the Scriptures quoted above? The added danger of letting our worship of God deteriorate and slip into a pattern of idolatry, is that this sin is contagious to our families and is passed down to our children and grandchildren.
Another reason to show up to worship with a heart ready to encounter God face to face and worship Him with passion and sincerity - the blessings are huge for sincere worship of the True God. The consequences of Idolatry, however, are devastating.
Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear them! A $10 Starbucks giftcard awaits the first person to send me an email about this blog :-) . You can comment right on this Blog or or send me an email at dave@lakesidechristian.org. See you Sunday - ready to experience God's great love in worship together!
Have you every said or thought...
“The services are too planned (or spontaneous).”
“The songs are too complex (or too simple).”
“The band/orchestra/organist/guitarist/vocals sounds bad.”
“There are too many new (or old) songs.”
“Our church is too big (or too small).”
Whatever excuse we give for Not worshiping God wholeheartedly is Idolatry.
In the examples above, the false god would be our own personal preferences - assuming the worship time is for our personal pleasure and enjoyment, and annoyed when we are not entertained.
You see, we can pat ourselves on the back for being in the right place at the right time and moving our lips to the worship songs, and all the while serving false gods in our hearts.
Did you notice the last line of the Scriptures quoted above? The added danger of letting our worship of God deteriorate and slip into a pattern of idolatry, is that this sin is contagious to our families and is passed down to our children and grandchildren.
Another reason to show up to worship with a heart ready to encounter God face to face and worship Him with passion and sincerity - the blessings are huge for sincere worship of the True God. The consequences of Idolatry, however, are devastating.
Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear them! A $10 Starbucks giftcard awaits the first person to send me an email about this blog :-) . You can comment right on this Blog or or send me an email at dave@lakesidechristian.org. See you Sunday - ready to experience God's great love in worship together!
For His Glory
Dave Swanson
Worship Leader