3. Worship of the true God in a self-styled manner
      a. Lev. 10:1-2
           -They decided to worship God in a way not commanded...(strange fire)
           -We do not worship God on our terms, but according to Scripture.
           -We do not worship in ways that we like or make us happy if there is not biblical warrant for doing it.

      b. 1 Sam. 13:8-14
           -Saul disobeyed God and offered a sacrifice which was the Priests job to do.
           -God took the kingdom away for his self-styled worship.

      c. Matt. 15:1-9
           -The Pharisees had developed an intricate set of rules for worship and had neglected what God had said about worship.
             The Pharisees said you don't worship by our traditions.  Jesus replied they are not worshipping by God's commands.
             Therefore their worship was useless and unacceptable to God.

 4. To worship the True God with a wrong attitude
      a. Malachi 1:6-14
          -They were just going through the motions of worship but their heart wasn't in it.
          -They were doing the right things in the right way, but with a cold and evil heart.
          -For them worship was strictly a routine, a ritual, a formality.
          -There was no heart in their worship.
          -Any attitude in worship that is not honoring to God is unacceptable worship.

Summary: We do not worship false gods, We do not worship a false image of the true God, We do not worship the True God is a self-styled way and  We do not worship God with a wrong attitude.   All are unacceptable worship.

II. Order of Worship

QUESTION: Is there one single order of worship that is alone pleasing to God?

    A. The flow of corporate worship
      The flow of the service in the corporate worship of God is a matter of  ones choice of form and ones particular tradition. I say this because Scripture prescribes no one form of worship. What it does do is give descriptions of many different forms used by the people of God in their corporate worship of God.

      Before there were worship services of any kind, before Christians met to worship God in living rooms, fields, cathedrals, in hiding or in rented school buildings, there was God. I believe that to the extent that we define worship exclusively in terms of the form we practice and we know best (high church, charismatic, evangelical, contemporary or blended) we make that particular worship more important that the One we worship. This is something we all tend to do. But, the Bible calls this IDOLATRY.1

      Harold Best in his book 'Music through the eyes of faith' said it well...'The Scriptures include or allude to just about every approach to worship there is: organized, spontaneous, public, private, simple, complex, ornate or plain. Yet there is no comment anywhere about any one being preferred over another.'2

Examples:
  1 Cor. 14: 26
       psalm (song), teaching (Scripture with interpretation), revelation, tongue,  interpretation of tongue.
  Acts 2:42
      Teaching/Sermon/Scripture Reading, Fellowship, Prayer, The Lord's Supper
  1 Chron. 23:5
      Elaborate, carefully coordinated expressions of 4000 musicians at the Temple.
  Ps. 63:3-4
      David in the desert.
  Ex. 15:20-21
      Miriam spontaneously leads a multitude of women in thankful worship and dance.
  Ex. 24:1-11
      God calls His people to gather, The Word of God is spoken, The people respond, God reveals Himself,
      The people depart.
  Isa. 6:1-8
      God is revealed, God is praised, Sin is confessed, Forgiveness is given, God speaks, We respond
  Luke 4:16-21
      The Word of God is read, The Word of God is explained
  Acts 16:25
      Paul and Silas in prison hold an impromptu hymn sing.
  Rev. 5:11-12
      Myriad's and myriad's worshipping God with new songs.

Question: So, is there a single form for worship given in these texts? In Scripture?

      It is not that form isn't important. Form helps us reflect and remember. Different forms enable us to express our praise and encounter God in different ways. Wisely chosen forms can bring young and old together to worship God in meaningful ways. BUT, the NT is unclear about how Christians are to 'do' worship. Therefore, I believe that no one form can fully express the vastness of God or the honor He is due in any given time, culture or generation.

       -Culture changes, styles change, traditions change, times change...but god remains the same. That's why worship must transcend or go beyond the form we choose.3

      Since none of these 'forms' of  worship are the same, since they are  descriptions, not prescriptions or commands, this gives us freedom to be creative, within the bounds of the general teachings of Scripture and the examples we have of worship in God's Word.

      I have chosen to organize our corporate worship loosely around Isaiah's experience. Taking into account the Temple Worship of Israel particularly under the rule of David and Solomon, men whom God blessed with the building of the Temple and the setting up of it's worship.

QUESTION: W/O looking, what are the sections of our Order of Worship or how is our Order of Worship divided up?

  1. Gathering around the throne of God
       -Psalms of Ascent, 1 Chron. 16, Ps. 100
  2. Bowing before the Word of God
       -Ps. 119, Neh. 8:1-8
  3. Feasting at the Table of God
       -1 Cor. 11:23-26
  4. Responding with a heart for God
       -Ps. 95, 96, 98, 101, 103