Worship as Evidence of Saving Faith, hy John Owens (1616-1683)
--------------------------------
Recommended sermon: True Worship, by Rev. Andrew Patterson [Text: Hebrews 10::11-25]
- Recommended video: Many Church Worship Services Are Missing One Thing, by Wretched/ Fortis Institute
- Recommended podcast: From Stage to Superstar: Why Worship Isn't a Performance, by Dave Jenkins
- Recommended Hymn: O Day of Joy and Gladness
Improper worship is DANGEROUS | R.C. Sproul calls out worshiptainment
Recommended podcast: Worship Music - The Basic Principles - First the Fear of God, by Pastor Kevin Swanson
Excerpt from this podcast: Pastor Swanson quotes John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress as saying: "The fear of God is the bass in the orchestra."
Recommended reading: A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship
Here is an excerpt from Dr. Michael Horton's great book: "An advertisement keeps popping up for a new paraphrase of the Bible. It's a full page color photograph of a woman who appears to be young, sophisticated, well educated, with a hint of cynicism. 'Pastor,' the caption reads, 'if you want to reach me, you better watch your language.'The inside cover elaborates: 'Distracted by deadlines and bills, this is the only time she takes to nurture her spiritual life. You can't afford to lose her attention when you reference Bible passages that are too lofty and obscure.' Why can't a good pastor respond, 'No, this isn't about making things comfortable for you. If you are baptized, then this speech that the Bible uses is your language. You have to make an effort to understand it, to live in its world, and to breathe its air. If you are too distracted by deadlines and bills to take any time outside this one hour a week for your faith, then you'll pardon me for not losing the rest of my congregation to the world for you.'"
-----
Below is partial transcript of a sermon I heard in the early 1980s on this same passage, or more particularly, John 4:24, and Exodus 20:25:
John 4:24: "God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Exodus 20:25: "And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it."
The minister who preached this sermon was Rev. Paul den Butter. I think this sermon was preached around 1980. Anyway, that is around the time I wrote the following excerpts down in my diary:
"...they have to be very careful that they do not make it (an alter of stone) of hewn stone. And they may not use any tool, any hammer or axe or whatever. They may not use any tool to beautify those stones. They must take simply the rock, the unadorned stones.
"But what do we see today? That in direct proportion to the loss of true spiritual life there is an increase in forms and ceremonies. And the forms and ceremonies are meant to fill the vacancies of true spiritual life. And so Satan is using tools to adorn our alters, but in the meantime he is polluting it. He's corrupting the worship. And men are willing instruments in his hands."
