Worship - Ritual or Relationship?

This year I have been participating in Bible Study Fellowship's bible study called, "The Kingdom Divided." BSF has had a huge impact in my life and given me a great love for God's Word...HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! I've been leading a group in my home in hope to help bring this great ministry to my home town in Monroe, Michigan. 

I can't even begin to write about the impact this study has had. It has focused on the Old Testament stories of the divided kingdom of Israel & Judah, and all of the prophets who were sent with God's loving, desperate call and pursuit for His people to repent from idolatry/sin and to return to His heart and desire for them. I have seen great sin, great rebellion, great stubbornness, great stupidity in humanity in this study...I've seen my own heart in need still of God's healing and purifying work in my heart. I've seen our nation in this study and cultural downward spiral. Most importantly, I've seen the incredible heart of Father God, His relentless pursuit for the people He loves so passionately! His love is steadfast, never ending, violent and focused - He will accomplish His plan and will for His people and do what it takes to bring His children back into the safety of relationship with Him and obedience to His word. I am filled with hope and fear for our culture, so many of us who are ignorant of the God we claim to know. 

In the notes from this week's lesson I was struck by this paragraph:

"Israel and Judah rebelliously broke their covenant with God in multiple ways. They worshiped false gods, mistreated one another, and PERPETUATED WORSHIP RITUALS WITHOUT TRUE HEART COMMITMENT TO GOD. Despite their sin, God relentlessly communicated with His wayward people who HAD HIS LAWS BUT NEEDED A CHANGE OF HEART." 

Coupled with idolatry and evil committed upon one another is this other failure of Israel & Judah...worship with heart. This was part of what led Israel and Judah to their great moral downfall - worship without commitment or worship without relationship - a religious life spent going through the motions. Worship rituals - both traditional and contemporary (YES! We at Redeemer have rituals, too!) are pointless without a heart committed to relationship with Jesus. Pointless. Futile. Worthless. Without a heart that is in the humble position of lovesick surrender to God, our motions of worship, our words, expressions mean NOTHING. In fact, God doesn't accept them. Through Amos the prophet, God spoke these words to Israel:

I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
    your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
    righteousness like a never-failing stream!  (Amos 5)

Righteousness and justice could not be found in Israel and Judah. Our culture loves to scream out the word, "justice," right now. It's the political buzzword of our time. Justice for all people, for all lifestyles, all ways of life!!! God is a just God...He desires justice as well - but it's His definition of justice that works. Without the partnership of righteousness this cry for justice has becomes greatly perverted in our culture and motivation. and true justice now isn't even found in our society. Justice cannot be separate from the righteousness of God - He is the originator of justice and righteousness. 

Israel and Judah were going through the motions of worship and sacrifice, but their hearts were so far from the Father. Their hearts had no transformation, no obedience to His ways, no righteousness, no justice for others. To them, the power, the majesty, holiness, sovereignty of God meant nothing or had become so belittled. By their white-washed tomb offerings of worship, they mocked and stomped on the face and heart of God. They made Him small and worthless before all other nations...simply by their chosen lifestyle and behavior. The eyes of the nations throughout history had consistently been on Israel - the awe and jealousy of God's hand and favor upon this people...and Israel blew it off, grew too familiar with it...replaced it with selfish, stubborn disobedience...as they kept "worshiping" the God they scorned. 

Dear Believers - the eyes of the nations are still on God's people. They take their cues from us on how to approach and perceive our God. Please don't come sing a song on a Sunday and choose to live in selfish, stubborn disobedience every other day 9I'm speaking to myself, too!). God is not fooled by performance...He's too smart for us! We cannot pull a wool over His eyes with our fig leaves and pretend to be something we're not. But He is radically drawn to lovesick hearts who live for His Word and Presence to be brought to every inch of this earth! He is obsessed with a heart of humility willing to lay its life down for the fame and honor of His heart. Do not perpetuate worship rituals without a true heart commitment to this God that you proclaim! He's so precious, so vast. He's so beautiful and powerful, scary and safe. C.S. Lewis captured it beautifully when he said, "He's not a tame lion, but He is good." We have no rights or entitlement when lovesickness for God takes over - worship and obedience become the way of life, justice and righteousness roll like a river out the depths of our love for Him. Commit yourselves to this great God...daily...in sickness, in health, 'til death we will never part! Fight the empty white-washed tomb offerings of worship and give Him the sacrifices of praise He greatly deserves - time, thought, obedience, words - all of it.