Sunday, October 07, 2007

'Creative Worship Experiences' or Strange Fire? By Jim B [Old Truth]




On this Lord's Day, Chad is back to talk about one of the most chilling passages in the bible, and how it relates to one of the most popular church-packing trends of our day. If you attend a church that feels called to orchestrate creative worship experiences for the masses, you'll want to tune in for this post. Right away, you know the premise is faulty, just by the way it's designed to cater to people. That's not the aim of true worship. Chad takes over now and unpacks for us this key passage in Leviticus 10:3 - "Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it what the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace".
The subject of what is appropriate worship to the Lord has been the focus of much discussion here on Old Truth in recent weeks. The worship of the church has been corrupted to the point that the church is scarcely distinguishable from the world in it's worship. The commands of God have been put aside, scripture has been forgotten, and creativity and innovation have replaced them. Ignorance of scripture has grown to the point where those who claim to be God's people insist that God does not prescribe the manner in which the church is to worship and that he is in fact pleased and glorified with innovation and creativity. The antics of many so called churches is closer to the worship of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32 than it is to the worship of the Lord typified in Revelation 4. Frequently the excuse used for innovating worship is that God is creative and he made man in his image, therefore we glorify God by being creative in worship. Not only is there no scriptural support for such a claim but this type of thinking shows a dangerous and inexcusable ignorance of scripture. The command of scripture is "You shall be holy for I am holy" 1 Pet 1:16, not "You shall be creative for I am creative". Worship as devised in the heart of man is unaccepted by God and condemned as idolatry (Gen. 4:5, Ex. 32, Duet 27:5) and God brings sure judgment on those who would be so bold as to transgress. Ignorance of the commands of scripture is no excuse as we shall see. In his book "Gospel Worship", Jeremiah Burroughs 1599-1646 expounds upon Leviticus 10:3 and shows us that the Lord is angry with innovative worship and that only worship which He commands is acceptable. Burroughs begins by opening to us the judgment that befell Nadab and Abihu. He points out that these men were most noble men, the sons of Aaron and appointed by God to be priests, yet all of this did not protect them from the God's judgment when they deviated from the prescription of worship that God had commanded.
Question: What was their sin?
Answer: Their sin was offering strange fire that God had not commanded them. But had God ever forbidden it? Where do we find that God had ever forbidden them to offer strange fire, or appointed that they should only offer one kind of fire? There is no text of Scripture that you can find from the beginning of Genesis to this place where God had said in so many words expressly, "You shall offer no fire but one kind of fire." And yet here they are consumed by fire from God for offering strange fire. I find in Exodus 30:9 that they were forbidden to offer strange incense, but I do not find that they were forbidden to offer strange fire. In Leviticus 6:13, and divers verses in that chapter, we find that God had appointed that they should constantly keep the fire on the altar burning and never let it go out. It seems that it was God's intention that they should make use of that fire and that fire only. God would have them to pick out his meaning. God sent fire down from heaven upon the altar. In the latter end of the ninth chapter, God sent down fire from heaven and gave them charge to keep that fire on the altar constantly and to never let it go out. So it seems that God would have them pick out his meaning, that because He had sent down fire from heaven upon the altar and gave them power to keep it constantly, God would have them understand therefore that what incense or sacrifice He would have them use should only be that fire and no other. It should be noted, though, that God never did say to them directly in these words, "You shall make use of this fire and no other," but God would have them understand this. That's their sin, therefore, offering strange fire. In connection with this judgment of Nadab and Abihu, Burroughs shows us how it is that God will be sanctified by those who draw near to him thus opening the meaning of our text, "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified". "I will be sanctified," That is, "I will be hallowed." It is the very same word that you have in the Lord's prayer, "Hallowed be thy name," only that's the Greek word and this is the Hebrew. But if you would translate this into Greek, you must translate it by the same that Christ spoke when he taught his disciples to pray, "Hallowed be Thy name." Hallowed and sanctified are all one. "Lord, let they name appear to be holy.""I will be sanctified," that is, "I will have my name appear to be holy. I will make know unto my people, and to all the world, that I am a holy God." That's the meaning of "I will be sanctified." I will be known to all the world as a holy God."And before all the people I will be glorified." So it is in the latter part of the verse. It is as if God should say, "I account it to be My Glory that I should be manifested to be holy before all the world." "I will be sanctified," that is, "I will have my people demean themselves so as to hold forth their acknowledgment of My holiness, so that by their behavior, I my appear to be a holy God. I will be sanctified by them, or otherwise, if they shall not in an active way sanctify My name, that is, if they shall not demean themselves so as to hold forth the glory of My holiness, then I will be sanctified upon them. I will demean and carry Myself towards them so that by My actions upon them I will make it appear what a holy God I am."So God is sanctified in two ways:
One is by the holiness of His people in their conduct towards Him, holding forth the glory of God's holiness. So you have it in 1Pet 3:15 "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." The saints sanctify God in their hearts when they fear God as a holy God, and reverence Him and love Him as a holy God. They sanctify HIM in their lives when their lives hold forth the glory of God's holiness. Then God is sanctified.But then, if we do not do so, God sanctifies himself in ways of judgment upon those who do not sanctify His name in ways of holiness. Thus you have it in Ezekiel 28:22 "And say, thus the Lord God, behold I am against thee, O Sidon, and I will be glorified in the midst of thee, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall execute judgment in her, and shall be sanctified in her." This is all one with "I will be glorified in the midst of them." And in Ezekiel 38:16 and 23 you have verses to the same purpose: "And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes" (verse 16). "Thus I will magnify Myself, and I will be known in they eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord" (verse 23). In the way of the execution of judgment, thus I will sanctify myself, so I will be sanctified in those that draw nigh unto me." "In those that come nigh Me," that is, especially in the priests who approach God (Ezekiel 42:13). They approach God especially , but it is meant generally of those who deal in God's worship. "Whosoever shall come to me, let them look to it. They must sanctify My name; they must so demean themselves in My worship as to hold forth My name to be holy. Otherwise, I will manifest Myself against them in the ways of judgment; for I will appear to be a holy God. I will have the glory of My holiness in one way or another from those who come near Me."
To confuse creativity with holiness is a great folly. It must always be remembered that we can offer nothing in our worship to the Lord that is acceptable to him that he has not first commanded. You remember Deuteronomy 27:5 "And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them." Here we are to learn an important lesson. The Israelites had not yet entered the promised land, they could not yet build the altar that God provided the pattern for. They were, therefore, to leave the stones uncut, they were allowed no creative input in their worship. All designs of their own hearts were foul in God's sight, therefore they were not allowed to fashion the stones according to their own designs. So it is with us, out of our hearts come filthiness (Matt 15:19). Those who would suggest that our creativity "in doing church" and our innovations in worship are pleasing to God will do well to consider these things, for God says, "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me."

1 comment:

Shannon said...

Father forgive us and help us to revere Your Holy, Sovereign, Majestic Name.
Help us to be a people "set apart" and not "creative."