MEMORY VERSE: “Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” Isaiah 29:13.
BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 15:7-9.
INTRODUCTION
Conceited or vain worship of God is an attitude abhorred by God. Other similar word ‘conceited’ are futile,useless. pointless.worthless,empty, ineffective, or without value.’Worship’ is reverence and adoration directed towards God, and it could be expressed to Him by the lifting of hands, spoken words of adoration, or sung songs. Worship should not merely be a ritual but an expression of love, and submission to God. It is the ability to surrender all to God even in the time of adversity Job 1:20- 21. Unlike common beliefs, it neither begins nor ends with the singing of songs of worship at our Christian gatherings. When worship becomes conceited, it is unacceptable before God John 4:23. In this lesson, we shall uncover the perils of conceited worship and explore how to correct this defect in our worship.
OUTLINE
- EXPOSING CONCEITED WORSHIP
- RETURN TO THE HEART OF WORSHIP
- EXPOSING CONCEITED WORSHIP
Some characteristics of conceited worship are as follows:
Conceited worshippers place greater emphasis on being seen by others as they give honour to their God Luke 18:10-12. It is only about outward worship such as honouring God with their lips or maintaining a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude with neither connection of the heart nor inner transformation Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 23:27-28. It is saying the right things but not truly engaging with God Matthew 15:8 It is being legalistic i.e following human traditions and prioritising rituals and allowing man- made commandments to take precedence over true devotion to God Mark 7:6-9; Matthew 23:4.
One concern for those who promote conceited worship is that they cannot continue in deception forever Galatians 6:7-8. God rejects worship that does not come from the heart Amos 5:21-23: Matthew 7:21-23. Focusing on human traditions rather than personal faith weakens the relationship with God Galatians 1:14. Vain worshippers are also often led into misguided religion, in which they risk replacing godliness with human practices Colossians 2:8; Philippians 3:4-6.
2. RETURN TO THE HEART OF WORSHIP
God has called us to authentic worship which begins with true repentance and renewal of mind Acts 3:19; Acts 10:30-31; 44-48. True worship does not start or end when we are in the church premises alone but is evident in every aspect of life John 4:21-23. It is therefore a lifestyle that must be lived daily Romans 12:1. Our Lord, Jesus Christ explains that it must be done ‘in spirit and in truth John 4:23-24.
True worship comes from the heart and is based on God’s truth Philippians 3:3. It aligns with the will of God and is evidenced by love, obedience and reverence to Him always 1 Samuel 15:22; 2 Samuel 23:15-16. It always exercises genuine faith, devotion, and a commitment to God’s word Psalm 119:37-38. We must submit to the leading of God per time, this gives Him pleasure and no true worship can be better than that Romans 8:14: Hebrews 10:8.
CONCLUSION
Stop engaging in any form of ritualistic or fruitless worship; God can only be worshipped acceptably in spirit and in truth
FURTHER READING
Sun: Mark 7:7.
Mon: Matthew 15:8.
Tue: Isaiah 29:13.
Wed: Isaiah 1:12- 15.
Thurs: Amos 5:21-23.
Fri: Micah 6:6-8.
Sat: Romans 10:2-3