Worship is Central
Sermon Notes
Prior to this coronavirus outbreak and the quarantine measures that were put into place, we were in a journey through the book of Exodus in pursuit of freedom.
The first part of that study took place in the Egypt, the heart of the empire, as we clearly learned the difference in values between the empire and the Kingdom into which God has freed us.
We learned about the anxiety that lies at the heart of empire, the fear that there will not be enough.
We learned that the fear leads to a desperate pursuit of more.
We learned about how that need for more leads to oppression and dehumanization.
And, then, in our last weekend that we were able to gather together in person (not counting our drive-in Easter), we learned how God responds to such a system.
He overthrows it. That’s what the plagues were all about, they were God passing judgment on the gods of Egypt and the system over which they presided (if you missed that message, you can go check it out on our podcast)
He overthrows it in order to set His people free.
What’s interesting about the timing of all of this is that we had that conversation, and two weeks later, we were scheduled to study the first of the wilderness texts as the Israelites moved out of the empire and into the unknown of the wilderness. And, then all of us, really the whole world moved into an unknown wilderness
Now, I want to be very careful and clear here. I am not saying that this coronavirus is God’s judgement or His overthrow of the Empire. I am not comparing it to the plagues of Egypt.
But, I do think that there is a prophetic picture in all of this for the Church. What I am saying is that the coping mechanism of Empire have failed and are failing. What I am saying is that we now find ourselves together in this collective wilderness. And, what I am saying is that I think God wants to do the same things in us in the wilderness that He wanted to do in them. In particular, He wants to teach us how to live free.
Therefore, our goal, in this time, should not be to return to normal, where normal was anxiety, frantic pace, need for more, oppressive, and dehumanizing. Our goal in this time, instead, is to learn to live free.
Thus, the conversation we’re currently in, based on the wilderness journey of the Israelites called, Finding Freedom in the Wilderness.
Last week, a friend of ours, Jonny Hughes, led us in a conversation about the good things that the wilderness can bring to our lives.
This week, I want to discuss one of the primary ways we partner with God in the wilderness to see these good things come.
Inconvenient worship is central to finding freedom
Our text for this week is a really short one, from Numbers 2:
Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard. (Numbers 2:17)
I don’t have time to read whole passage for context, but the idea here is that God is instructing the Israelites how to arrange their camp. He instructed the tribes to set up in groups of three: 3 on the north, south, east, and west. And at the center of the camp, the point around which they all gathered and toward which they all faced, was the Tabernacle, their place of worship.
In fact, it’s not just that they organized their camp around the Tabernacle; it’s also the great lengths they went to in order to make the Tabernacle—and worship—a priority.
Everyone in the nation donated to make it possible.
It was crafted meticulously and with painstaking detail.
They dedicated one whole tribe of people to the task of maintaining it.
They tore it down, carried it around, and set it up, every time they moved their camp.
In other words, despite the fact that the wilderness is a severe place where our instinct is survival and all resources should be dedicated toward that end, they wasted valuable resources and effort on worship. For them, worship was a matter of survival.
The point here is a simple one. Worship is of central importance, even in the wilderness.
Why worship matters in the wilderness (four reasons)
Worship matters in the wilderness because God is still worthy in the wilderness.
God is no less God.
Jesus is no less Lord and Savior.
The Holy Spirit is no less Comforter and Advocate/
Hope is no less secure.
The end is not in doubt.
The difficulty of the wilderness does nothing to diminish the greatness of God.
In fact, if the Exodus is any sort of paradigm, the difficulty of the wilderness often enhances our ability to perceive His greatness.
I can certainly attest that truth in my own life.
The dark is a canvas for the work of God.
Remember, as we discussed a few weeks ago, when the people longed to return to Egypt, the glory of the Lord appeared farther out, over the desert.
In some ways, much has changed. In others, nothing has.
Worship matters in the wilderness because God is worthy in the wilderness.
Worship matters in the wilderness because it is the primary way in which we align ourselves to the Kingdom of God.
One of the most famously misquoted verses in the Bible is Psalm 22:3 – The LORD inhabits the praises of His people, used by many a worship leader to convey the idea that God shows up when His people worship. A better translation of the verse is something like: “You are enthroned above the praises of Israel.” In other words, it’s not God who shows up when we worship; it’s us. God is already enthroned, and worship aligns us to that throne.
Worship calibrates the people of God to the character of God. As we intentionally enter His presence in worship, we see Him as He is and are transformed more fully to His image. That’s how Paul says it in Romans 12:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)
Those two pieces go together: worship and transformation.
When we say that we want to learn to live free, we have to recognize that that freedom begins in worship.
In Egypt, God’s people were called Hebrews, which means something like, “foreigners.” This was how they were known.
When God called them out of Egypt, He called them Israelites, those who wrestle with God. In other words, He gave them His name and identified them through close intimate connection with Himself.
How, then, could they know who they are without pursuing Him? If you are called by God’s name, the only way to know yourself is to know Him. The only way to find yourself is to pursue Him.
Worship matters in the wilderness because we will not be in the wilderness forever, and we need to build habits that will prepare us for the promised land.
Last week, Jonny read the first few verses of Deuteronomy 8.
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:1-3)
It goes on to say:
Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 8:6-14)
In other words, there is a real danger in the promised land, the danger of forgetfulness. The prosperity of that place has the ability to make us proud, to make us think that we achieved on our own, when in reality it has always been only God.
So, God provided for them practices of worship in the wilderness (sacrifices, feasts, tithes, and more) that would habituate them to the sufficiency of God and so prepare them for the promised land. These practices reminded them of everything that God provided for them in the wilderness so that they would also recognize that every gift of the promised land came from His hand as well.
The fundamental truth here is that, if God isn’t enough for us in the wilderness, He’ll never be enough in the promised land.
When we worship in the wilderness, we remember that He is enough and we build habits of relying on and celebrating His sufficiency beyond the wilderness.
We will not be here forever.
But, we do not want to go back to how things were.
I do not want to go back to having whole days where I forget who He is and what He’s done for me. I want to use this wilderness to retune my heart to His goodness.
Worship matters in the wilderness because others are watching.
God makes it clear throughout the Torah that what He has done for Israel, He has done conspicuously, He has done in the sight of all nations, to make them stand out, to make them a testimony to the nations of His greatness and goodness.
Worship is how they participate with Him in that plan.
God’s job was to rescue them in the sight of the nations and lead and sustain them through the wilderness.
Their job was to enjoy Him in the sight of the nations.
Psalm 40:16
Neon lights vs. the glory of the heavens.
There are a lot of neon lights right now.
But, as we’ve already discussed, people can’t see it through the light pollution. They need a telescope.
As we receive the deliverance of God and worship Him for it, we become the telescopes.
We talk a lot about mission as a church—and will continue to do so—but the reality is, mission is simply conspicuous worship. It is loving people by loving God in front of them, which is ultimately the most loving thing we can do for them, point them to Him, saying, “Can you see?! Can you see?! He’s so good!”
How to worship in the wilderness? All well and good, but what does that mean for tomorrow? Well, the answer to that question is as varied as each of our different personalities and circumstances, but here’s a few things it might mean for all of us.
Begin and end each day with gratitude (as opposed to: “a whole new day of awful.”)
This is not denial.
It is anchoring yourself to what is most true.
Offer whatever you have as a sacrifice of worship.
Just because you are practicing a discipline of gratitude in the first step, doesn’t mean you have to fake it. Be real with God. Give Him whatever is in your hand to give.
Remember, when we worship, we show up. We become present to a God who is always present to us.
The only way we get this wrong is by not showing up.
Practice tithing as a spiritual discipline.
I’m not just talking about money here. I’m saying think of ways to give the first and best of everything you have as a reminder that everything you have is a gift.
Tithe your family meals
Tithe your day at work.
Tithe your
Remember, God called the Israelites to give, even in the wilderness.
Sing.
It sounds funny, but the truth is God’s people have used music to be a significant part of their worship for millennia, even in the Exodus, even in the wilderness.
They didn’t just haul around a tabernacle. They also hauled instruments.
In fact, the Bible often commands us to sing our praise and worship.
In Ephesians, Paul says it is to be a distinctive of Christian community particularly in light of evil days.
I can’t fully explain it, but something happens when God’s people sing to Him in worship.
That’s why it matters so much that find a way to do it in this time together.
And, I want to encourage you to find ways to do it on your own as well.