Background Passages: Malachi 1:6-8, I Chronicles 16:25-29, Matthew 4:10, and I Peter 3:15
Two sons were born to a family named Taylor in England in the early 1800s. The older son set out to make a name for himself in Parliament. The younger son gave his life to Christ.
Hudson Taylor, the younger of the two brothers, wrote about his decision, “Well do I remember, as in unreserved consecration I put myself, my life, my friends, my all, upon the altar. I felt I was in the presence of God, entering into covenant with the Almighty.”
Taylor journeyed to China and the obscurity of life as a foreign missionary. As a result, he is known and honored by Christians on every continent for his faithful service and the founder of China Inland Mission. This verse is etched on his tombstone.
“He that does the will of God abides with him forever.” (I John 2:17)
The older son gained none of the fame and prestige he so desired. There are no monuments in London or elsewhere in Great Britain portraying his likeness. No verse scribbled on his tombstone. He is listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica only as “the brother of Hudson Taylor.”
Our culture talks a great deal about “honor” as a noun. Hudson Taylor received many honors (noun) for his life’s service. Yet, it is because of his life and commitment to God that he is honored (verb).
James McMenis, pastor and founder of Word of God Ministries, wrote in an 2020 blog that he was taught that honor goes “down, out and up.” He said, “It does not matter what position you hold, how hard you have worked or how much authority you think you have. Honor is essential at all times. If honor to our heavenly father is not executed, you cannot (possibly) honor those beside or below you. That idea begs some interesting questions.
Maybe I’m picking nits, but as I read the story of Hudson Taylor, I wondered, is God honored (verb) by our worship? Does he feel our praise and receive our tribute? Do we, through our worship, give God the honor (noun) due him? Do we approach him through our worship in sincerity and reverence?
How do we honor God through our worship?
Let me begin by saying God is worthy of our worship and our honor. As the creator God who made all things…as our father who loves unconditionally…as the provider God who gives us all we need…as author of our salvation through his son…he is worthy of worship and honor is due him.
“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him, strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (I Chronicles 16:25-29)
God is worthy of worship and we are commanded to honor him by his own son. In response to Satan’s temptations, Jesus declared, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:10)
As Christians, we gather for worship every Sunday. The opportunity is there. Sadly, much like those Malachi addressed in the Old Testament, just sitting in the pew doesn’t equate to worship. Just because we attend church regularly doesn’t mean we are honoring God with our presence.
Malachi, the last of the minor prophets in the Old Testament and the author of its last book, spoke at length about the question of honor.
Malachi came forward at a time after the Jewish exile and after the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel. The Persian king Artaxerxes let his cupbearer Nehemiah return from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After completing his task, Nehemiah returned to his king. During his absence, the people of Israel rebelled once again, turning from God to do what was pleasing in their eyes.
When Nehemiah came back again to Jerusalem, he found that everything he taught them to do had been abandoned. No tithes filled the coffers. No Sabbath remained unbroken. The priests had become corrupt.
Malachi began to call out the corruption and to call them to a worship that honors God.
“A son honors his father and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.’ But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name.” (Malachi 1:6)
Certainly, there were those who divorced themselves from God and refused to worship at all just as there are people like that today. Malachi speaks to a different group, though. In this passage, Malachi is speaking to the priests…those responsible for worship.
God, through Malachi, asks them where is the respect and reverence due the father and master?
This is what stands out to me in this passage. This is the shot across our bow as we prepare for worship Sunday. As we prepare to honor our father through our worship.
In response to the accusation levied by God through his prophet, the priests are dumbfounded. They can’t believe what they’re hearing. See how the conversation plays out in Malachi 1:7-8.
“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’”
“You placed defiled food on my altar.”
“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’”
“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty…Oh that you would shut the temple doors so you would not light useless fires on my altar!” I Chronicles 16:7-8)
The priests had taken so many shortcuts in worship for so many years, they didn’t even realize their hearts were no longer in it. Worship had become so commonplace, so routine, they didn’t even realize they were no longer genuinely worshipping God. They didn’t know their worship was void of honor. They were there. They were in the temple. They were doing the things they were supposed to do. God could not see their sacrifices or hear their words as worship.
Worship was no longer their primary aim or purpose for coming to the temple. They simply took for granted the opportunity to praise and worship the Almighty God.
Taking things for granted is easy to do, no matter how important they can be to life.
I’ve watched with amazement as my oldest son, Adam, worked hard to recover from the debilitating effects of his stroke. I am grateful for the prayers of many and thankful to God for his answers as Adam continues to improve weekly. While his recovery is slower than any of us would want, Adam’s hard work, the assistance of the therapists and your answered prayers are making it happen.
As he worked through therapy, Adam told me how he had to tell the synapses of his brain to fire to get his fingers to grip anything or his leg to move even a step. I can only imagine what that feels like. We do a lot of things without thinking about how to do them.
When was the last time you thought about picking up a pencil with your left hand? Most of us just pick it up without having to tell our fingers to close around it. When was the last time you had to think about taking a step? Most of us just get off the couch and start walking without willing our left leg to move.
We tend to take things for granted until they are stripped from us.
So, it begs the question. When was the last time you thought about worship? We get up on Sunday and come to church, with the world heavy on our minds. We sit by each other without speaking. Sing a song or two without hearing the words. Listen to a sermon, carefully prepared and delivered, without letting the message sink in.
Trust me. Even as I write this next sentence, I know the “we” is equally “I,” for I am equally guilty. I suspect as we sat in church last Sunday pretending to worship, we might have heard God telling us, “You have shown contempt for my name.”
I also suspected we’d be as surprised as Malachi’s priests. Looking back into the sanctuary to the pew where we sat for the last hour, we’d be flabbergasted and stunned at the accusation.
“When did we show you contempt?”
When we sat there, going through the motions of worship without really turning our eyes to heaven, we showed contempt for God.
Man, that’s a harsh word I have to speak to myself far too often. I can easily get caught up in the things happening around me, get caught up in the things I’m doing…even when they are good things to do…that I forget to truly open my eyes and my heart to God in worship.
I think of those Christians in countries of the world so hostile to the Christian faith that they must gather in secret or face imprisonment or death. I saw a photograph this week of Ukrainian Christians kneeling in the snow praying for God’s protection of their country in the face of an impending military invasion from a country that would forbid their open worship. That’s worship that is honoring God. It shamed me for taking for granted the worship I can so freely experience.
So many of us take the opportunity for worship for granted that we stay away from church when going is inconvenient. I suspect we know we can always come next week. Yet, the more we stay away, the harder it is to return next week.
I suspect far too many of us will find our place in the pews this Sunday and immediately and spiritually check out of the service, lost in the burdens of the week behind or issues of the days ahead. We check out without understanding that the answers to those burdens or issues may well reside in the fellowship enjoyed, the songs being sung, the Bible verses shared or the message being delivered. Let’s not miss the chance this week to honor God by our presence and active participation in worship.
You see, worship is our way of honoring God. As McMenis reminds us, “Only by honoring God can we honor and serve those around us.” It is a thought echoed by Peter.
“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3:15)
Let’s do something different this week. Let’s walk into church with a heart ready for worship. With purpose and intent to honor God for his love and grace for he is worthy of worship.