Worshiping in God's House
[Read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7]
As I’ve mentioned a few times over the past couple years, I didn’t grow up a Christian. I came to faith at a small Bible church in Montana. I don’t remember everything the pastor said in that sermon, but I remember that he was preaching on the terrors of hell and the beauties of heaven. It struck a chord with me. As I listened to the sermon, I couldn’t help but realize that I needed Jesus Christ to save me.
As I’ve told that story over the years, it’s been interesting to hear how people respond. I was talking with another pastor, telling him about how I came to faith, and he responded by saying, “You don’t hear many stories like that any more. There aren’t many pastors preaching like that these days.” It’s true. There’s not. But the question is: Why? Why aren’t many pastors preaching about the terrors of hell and the beauties of heaven?
I’m sure there are a number of reasons. Yet, I think there is one primary reason. The church has slowly slid itself into a marketing campaign for God. We have this idea that we need to market God in our communities in order for people to start attending church and be saved. We need to make sure people are attracted to the idea of God to reach our communities and build our churches.
As we’ve gone further down this marketing road, we’ve recognized that people don’t like the idea of a God who will bring judgement and send people to hell. It’s not something we can market to people. That part of God’s character isn’t attractive to people. So, we’ve removed it.
Instead, we’ve created a more “marketable” picture of God to sell in our communities. God is a soft, loving, gentle God who wants what’s best for us. He’s not some far-removed deity, but a close friend who walks with us every day. He’s our buddy. We can go to Him anytime we have a problem and he is a listening ear, ready to hear anything we have to say to Him. People like that picture. It’s attractive in our culture. It’s marketable.
Yet, I was reminded of a couple stories from the Old Testament this week. The first one comes from Leviticus. “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (Leviticus 10:1–2, NIV). Doesn’t sound like a “buddy” does it? Sounds more like a Holy God.
The second story comes from 2 Samuel: “David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:5–7, NIV). Again, doesn’t sound like a buddy, but a Holy God.
This affects the way we worship. If we see God as a “buddy,” then He is there for us and our purposes and our pleasure. We come to worship because we want to sing, because we want to pray, because we want to listen, because we want to be encouraged, because we want to feel good. It becomes all about us. We start changing up the way we worship because WE don’t like it. It doesn’t make us feel good. It doesn’t do what WE want it to do.
Yet, God is not our buddy. He’s a holy, transcendent God. That’s why our passage says, “Therefore fear God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:7, NIV). He says this in the context of worshiping God. If we are going to worship God rightly, we need to fear Him. We need to recognize that He is a holy, transcendent God who deserves all our worship. And, as we offer worship to Him, we should offer that worship in holy fear—remembering what happened to Nadab, Abihu, and Uzzah when they irreverently worshiped God.
Do you see how that changes the way we worship? When we worship God with holy fear, it is no longer about us. We don’t come to worship for our purposes and pleasure, but God’s purposes and pleasure. We come to worship because God deserves our worship and demands it of us. We sing songs of praise to God because he deserves and demands songs of praise. We listen to God speak to us because he deserves to be heard and demands that we hear Him. This worship service is about God—not about us. And as we come to worship each week—and living each day worshipfully—we need to make sure we are worshiping with our holy God with a holy fear.
This is why the author says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1, NIV). When we worship God with a holy fear, we do things differently. He reminds us that we need to be careful when we enter God’s house. We don’t come thoughtlessly rushing in—doing whatever we feel like. We need to enter thoughtfully. Carefully. We don’t want to end up like Nadab, Abihu, or Uzzah.
Interestingly, the author begins by telling us to “guard our steps,” but spends the rest of the passage talking about our mouths. He says, “Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” (Ecclesiastes 5:6, NIV). Because we serve and worship a holy God, make sure you don’t allow your mouth to lead you into sin. Or to say it a different way, watch your mouth.
In the New Testament, James has something to say about the tongue: “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” (James 3:7–10, NIV). Our tongues are restless evils, full of deadly poison, cursing people made in the image of God. Take a moment to think about this. People will come to church to praise God with their tongue and a minute later—in the church parking lot—curse someone who is made in God’s image. It happens all the time. THIS SHOULD NOT BE! Watch your mouth because you serve and worship a holy God.
In watching your mouth, the author has some sound advice for us. He says, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2, NIV). Let your words be few. Since our mouths are filled with evil and poison, since our mouths constantly lead us into sin and unrighteousness, stop talking for a bit. Keep your mouth shut for a while. Let your words be few.
He also tells us not to be “quick with our mouths.” That’s why our words need to be few…because we’re thinking about what we’re saying. We’re not just mindlessly saying things or jabbering on to God, but we’re slowing down and thinking about what we’re saying.
He also says we should not be “hasty in our heart.” So, he’s saying we need to do more than just keep our mouths shut and think before we speak, but we need to calm and quiet our heart. We all know that we can keep our mouths shut for a while, while our hearts continue to “jabber on” mindlessly. We need to slow down our hearts, our minds, and our mouths when we enter the presence of God.
As a side note, this is why I always have us take a few moments to quiet our hearts and minds before we pray. Through prayer, we are about to enter the very throne room of God—the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We better not be crashing in there, throwing the doors open, thoughtlessly screaming whatever comes into our minds. No way. We better make sure we are entering the presence of this holy God humbly in our place. As the author says, God is in heaven and you are on earth.” So, before we come rushing into God’s presence, quick with our mouths and hasty with our hearts, we need to take a moment, slow down, humble ourselves, and quiet our hearts and minds before we speak to our God. Then, when we do speak, let our words be few.
Building off all of this the author says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1, NIV). As we begin to properly fear God, and watch our mouths, and prepare our hearts and minds, and speak less, we realize that it’s better to listen to our God than to offer the sacrifice of fools. The sacrifice of fools comes from those who jabber on without thinking. The sacrifice of fools comes from those who mindlessly and thoughtlessly enter the presence of God. The sacrifice of fools comes from those who do not even know they are doing wrong because they are so focused on doing what they want to do that they don’t stop to ask what God wants them to do.
The author tells us, “Don’t do that!” Enter into God’s house, ready to hear what He has to say—rather than focusing on what you have to offer. Let me say that again. We are told to enter God’s house more focused on what God has to say than on what we have to offer. More focused on God than on using our gifts and talents. More focused on God than on showing people how well we can sing. More focused on God than on what other people are thinking or wearing or thinking about what we’re wearing. This is not about us, it’s about our holy God.
And because we worship a holy God, it is impossible for us to worship Him apart from Christ. He is holy, we are not. He is righteous, we are sinners. Apart from Christ, we are separated from God, left in our sin, without hope, sitting under the judgement of God. Yet, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ—through his life, death, and resurrection—we are forgiven, we are cleansed, we are given his perfect righteous life. Then, through the blood of Christ, the way is opened for us to enter into the presence of God. Hebrews says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:19–25, NIV).
It’s only through Jesus Christ that we can draw near to God with confidence and with holy fear. It’s only through Christ, that we can draw near to God to listen rather than offer the sacrifice of fools. It’s only through Christ that we can show up every week, more focused on God than on ourselves, guarding our steps, watching our mouths, ready to hear what God has to say to us, and worshiping our God in holy fear.