Why Genuine Worship Must Extend Beyond the Sanctuary

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

Are you shortchanging God of your worship? God deserves what is most precious to you, if you truly desire pay back the debt you owe Him.

Introduction

In Acts 17, Paul encountered philosophers in Athens who took him before the Areopagus council, where he addressed a concern about what he had seen taking place in the city.  The concern he had is a concern I’ve had for quite some time about what I see taking place today.  So, I want to read to you what Paul said to them, reading from Acts 17:22-25, 29-31.

Paul saw a people who desired to worship, but they didn’t know who to worship, how to worship, or why to worship.  You see, the Greeks came to their gods with their offerings in worship, seeking to be blessed by their inanimate idols.  Paul’s desire was for them to know the UNKNOWN GOD and all He had done for them so that they may worship Him in spirit and truth.

Worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth has been on my mind a lot lately, because we are living in a day of spiritual confusion.  Many are heeding the voices of lying, know-nothing, false teachers who move in blasphemy, rather than in faith.  We live in a day when the spiritually confused are being led by the spiritually bankrupt into a spiritual catastrophe. 

As Paul said, God once overlooked such times of ignorance, but now the Lord has called on mankind to repent from foolish worship, as He desires for one to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  

In my sermon today, I want to focus on:

1. What true worship is.
2. Separating true worship from false/idol worship, 
3. Knowing the kind of God we serve.
4. Recognizing the devotion that is needed today.

The Incomplete Idea Worship

Many of us, when we think about worshiping the Lord, we think of an event that takes place on Sunday mornings in a sanctuary, where we assemble together.  We think of the singing of hymns, hearing the deacons pray, listening to the choir sing, and the preacher preach.

Now, it is good for us to assemble together in such a manner, and I believe that needs to happen even more so today.  As it says in Hebrews 10:24-25, when we assemble together, we are able to stir up love and good works in one another while also lifting our spirits.  

However, while it is good for us to come together and praise the Lord, I must point out that this way of worship is incomplete.  Why so?  

1.  This worship of God remains behind closed doors.  2. This worship of God is just for a few hours once a week.  3.  This worship of God leads to religious tendencies rather than a genuine desire and a genuine passion.  

More is needed to worship the Lord more completely in spirit and truth, even though congregating together in such fellowship to praise God is good for the soul.

Transactional Worship

Some of us view worshiping God as a requirement – something that has to be done.  You see, some of us believe that if we go to worship, then God will bless us.  Therefore, this notion also carries the thought that if one doesn’t worship God, then God won’t bless them. 

While this notion of worship may sound right to some of you, this form of worship is far removed from worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth.  I’d even plainly tell you that this form of worship is simply wrong and should be removed from those who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. 

Why is the form of worship wrong?  1. It turns worship of God into a transaction.  2. It makes God a transactional God, implying that God needs our worship in order to move and to bless us!  3. This form of worship leads to religious tendencies rather than a genuine desire and passion to worship the Lord.  

One should turn from this form of worship immediately, as God is not a transactional God.  Again, I say, more is certainly needed to worship God in spirit and in truth.

The God We Serve

To understand why I say that more is needed to worship God more completely, in spirit and in truth, I feel I must help you to understand the God we serve.

As Paul told the Areopagus, God is not like a man who lives in need to make it another day; God does not live in need of anything to sustain Him.  This is incredibly important for you to understand.

In John 5:26, Jesus told the people that the Father has life in Himself and has granted the Son to have life in Himself.  So, with that in mind, what can we give to Him or do for Him to further sustain Him?

You going to church every Sunday does not sustain the Lord.  Your prayers do not sustain or empower the Lord, as He was already Almighty before He made any of us. 

When God moves, He does not do so out of necessity but because He desires and wants to move.  You see, God created the heavens and the earth, not because He needed to, but because He desired and wanted to.  God made us in His image, according to His likeness, not because He needed to, but because He desired and wanted to do so.  

Moreover, when mankind was lost in sin and wickedness, God gave His only begotten Son not because He needed to do so.  No, the Lord gave the world His only begotten Son because He loves us!  God gave the world His only begotten Son because He wants to dwell with us, mankind, for everlasting life!

The God we serve moves as He pleases!  This makes His love for us that much more special because what it shows us is that God is devoted to us!  Yes, God is devoted to you!  The Lord is so devoted to you that He has promised to never leave you, to never forsake you, to sustain, and to uplift you (Deut. 31:6).

Worship in Spirit and Truth

With that in mind, I wish to share with you how Jesus worshiped the Father.  

In John 4, when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, she asked Jesus about worshiping the Lord, whether the Samaritans or the Jews were right about where to worship the Lord.

Jesus told her, “²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  Some of us have heard that said for years, but what did Jesus mean by that statement?

Well, before telling the Samaritan woman that, Jesus said to her, “²¹  The hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.”

What Jesus was telling the woman, and all of us who think that worship only takes place in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, is that true worship extends beyond the rituals, traditions, and gathering in a central temple to offer up offerings to God.  

Many of us have never paid this much attention, but Jesus was ministering to the woman, fulfilling the Father’s will, not in the temple but in Samaria.  Not only was the location beyond the temple grounds, but Jesus was fulfilling the Father’s will on a regular day of the week, not the Sabbath!

When the apostles arrived, they marveled that Jesus was teaching the Samaritan woman (the Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along).  The apostles were also concerned because Jesus had not eaten on their journey, and they desired to get Him some food.

Jesus said to the apostles, “³⁴ My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

In this one sitting, Jesus made it clear what worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth is all about.  You see, Jesus put His needs second to fulfill the Father’s will, ministering to the woman, teaching her the truth.  Jesus’ main devotion, I am pointing out, was moving to fulfill the Father’s will!  Jesus prioritized His Father.

Complete worship of the Lord, we must understand, is filled with devotion to fulfill the Father’s will, anywhere and at all times (2 Tim. 4:2).  So, don’t you be caught up in rituals and traditions–meeting man’s requirements!  There is no set way or time to fulfil the will of the Father, aside from moving faithfully and with great devotion.

You Owe God

Now, just because there is nothing we can give God to sustain Him, I say to you that we still ought to be moved to give to God.  You see, whether you realize this or not, you owe God!  All of us, we owe the Lord!

Owing God your time and devotion

What do we owe the Lord?  You don’t owe Him money.  You don’t owe the Lord silver nor gold – tithes and offerings do nothing for God.  Your money, your tithes and offerings, help to keep the church lights on and the doors open; they do nothing for the Lord.

With that being said, you owe the Lord everything!  You owe God the breath you breathe!  You owe God the life He has given you through His only begotten Son!

Moreover, I want you to understand that you owe God what is most dear to you – your time and your devotion.  God is devoted to you, so shouldn’t you be devoted to Him?  You owe God every minute and every second of a day, and I say to you today, give God His time!

How we shortchange God of what we owe

You see, it is not enough if the only time you give to God is when you’re in the sanctuary for 30 minutes to an hour and a half.  It is not enough if the only time you give to God is when you’re looking for Him to give you something in return.  

It is not enough if the only time you talk to God is when you join in the collective prayer of a deacon or a preacher in the sanctuary!  It’s OK for you to simply say thank you to God now and then!

It is not enough if you only look at God’s word for the few minutes you have the bible opened in the sanctuary.  What about taking a look at God’s word outside the sanctuary, and what about living in it outside of the sanctuary?

On that train of thought, I tell you that it is not enough for you to act with holy conduct only while you’re in the sanctuary.  How does your acting with holiness only in the sanctuary help those who are outside the sanctuary?

I’m tired of seeing us say that we are worshipers of the Lord, but we don’t give Him any of our time!  Check this out:  There are 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, 730 hours in a month, and 8,760 hours in a year.  If you only worship the Lord in the sanctuary for an hour and a half, you’re only giving God about 1.2% of your time.

Let me ask you this:  Is God not worth more of your time and devotion?  Many of us devote nearly 25% of our time to getting ready for work, driving to work, and the work itself–working for someone or a corporation that’s busy robbing you of your time, shortchanging, and not appreciating your worth!

Again, I ask:  Is God not worth more of your time?  Is God not worth more than you showing up to Him only when you want something?  Aren’t you worth more than these systems that they have trapped you in and devalue you?  God certainly believes so.

Much-Needed Change of Devotion

So, to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, I say to you that a change of devotion is needed in our hearts today.

When I say that a change in devotion is needed today, I want you to understand what I am calling for:

1. I am calling for us to stop treating God as an annoyance or like a chore – something we have to do to get our allowance (blessing).  
2. I am not calling for more ceremony and religious service in the sanctuary, though I do believe more fellowship is needed today.
3. I am calling for true worship in service of grace and devotion to God and to one another beyond the sanctuary walls!

I want you to keep in mind that you are the dwelling of the Lord – you are His temple (1 Cor. 3:16).  Therefore, worship of the Lord ought to be embodied in you wherever you are, at any time!  Your lifestyle ought to be in devotion to the Lord as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).

In Hebrews 13:15-16, the writer urged believers to continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  In other words, God ought to be your boast!  Boast about God’s mercies, grace, and works in your life, testifying to all of those around, exhorting them to know the good God who uplifts!

In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul urged believers to continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.  Paul urged believers to walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time–restoring the work of love in this world!  Paul urged believers to let our speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt (truth/rebuke/correction).

I am calling on your generosity today– generously give your time to the service!  You see, when those whom God saved refuse the true service of worship, it only hurts us as a people.  We suffer, and we hurt today, because a people who say they know the Lord, but despise their brothers and sisters because they look different, talk differently, walk differently, and act differently.  

When God’s way is no longer made known or seen in the hearts of those who say they know Him, all that is left is corruption and its fall.  My concern today is that we are falling, and we are falling quickly.  Parachutes need to be deployed before we crash!

We are being consumed by the growing darkness, especially in this land, as we move further and further away from the way of God.  Yet, the fall is preventable!  The crash is preventable.

So let us perform the true service of worship today, walking graciously in spirit and in truth.  Regardless of the ongoing news of division, let us love and walk together in unity.  When we have lifted our voice and our hands to love and to help each other, let us say, as Jesus taught, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do (Luke 17:10).”  Then, let us carry on even further, looking for nothing in return.