Friday’s Featured Sermon: “Acceptable Worship, Part 1”

How do you worship God? Ask that question in many churches today, and you’ll likely get an answer touching on their preferred style of liturgy or music. But true worship of the one true God has very specific biblical requirements that go well beyond the order of service, and consequences that run far deeper than personal preference—lest we forget Nadab and Abihu’s immediate execution upon offering strange fire (Leviticus 10:1–2). And what was Jesus talking about when He told the woman at the well that

an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23–24)

In his sermon, “Acceptable Worship, Part 1,” John MacArthur carefully considers this monumental question from both sides: What constitutes authentic worship, and what doesn’t?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” To love the Lord that way would preclude you taking His name in vain. This is foundational in our relationship to God. We are to have no other god but the true God. That’s the part of the Ten Commandments in which we are first introduced to God’s law. We are not to make any graven image or any representation of Him. And we are not to take His name in vain.

But just exactly what does that mean? We need to know what it means, because to be honest with you, we’ve all done it. What does it say when God promises to bring punishment for those who take His name in vain? Pretty serious, so we need to look at it. His name Yahweh appears seven thousand times in the Old Testament. We have it on our lips a lot; we use the name of God frequently. But are we in danger of taking that name in vain?

That’s a sobering question warranting our utmost attention. And MacArthur digs for answers throughout Scripture and church history. His exhortation is a critical correction to the normal mindset of modern evangelicals:

So if you want to worship the Lord in a greater way, it doesn’t mean turn up the band; it’s not turn up the music. If you want to worship the Lord in a greater way, enrich your understanding of Him from the glorious Word of God.