ZNA-287

920510AM

Worship God Hates

Mark 11:15-18

Please join me this morning in a sparkling marble edifice. The Temple and courtyard in Jerusalem.

• 1 million square feet of it (that’s 15 football fields or four city blocks). • a 20′ high wall surrounding • there’s a giant of gold in the rising sun, but then the tranquility of this holy place of worship is shattered. • jostling herds of oxen – sheep and the smell of wann manure • row upon row of wooden cages, feathers and the piercing smell of pigeons. • tables, money boxes and workers all push through the crowds of wide-eyed pilgrims – all coming to see God’s house. • cattle lowing, sheep bleating and merchants argue their price.

Welcome to Tuesday of Christ’s last week in ministry. Walking from Bethany and a home of the worshippers, He comes to the bazaar of false external religion.

• The holy temple of God. • The place of Solomon’s prayer and God’s presence. • The place of Josiah’s and Hezekiah’s revivals and God’s mercy. • The place of Isaiah’s vision of God high and lifted up and holy.

Now reduced to a giant open air spiritual flea market. And Jesus was deeply moved. You see, God seeks true worship!

Have you ever pondered the fact that God spends:

7 chapters/243 verses on tabernacle construction, and only I chapter/31 verses on creation universe?

Worship is crucial to God the right kind that is! And there is a kind He loves and seeks and a kind He hates and judges.

Mark I 1: 15-18 is our text. Just note four things:

1. Condition of worship – woeful – in Jesus day. A. Convenient – problem hole for those buying Lev. 40 times bring… Their whole life was to revolve around God:

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1. Family life: rise eat walk sit 2. Social life: weekly Sabbath 7 times yearly feasts once a year/7 8 years/50

That’s 16% time minimum, total focus on God.

3. National life: ditto

Quick Question: Did you stop in here at QBC briefly for church on your @a to the real events of the day? Or is God at the center of your life and His day? Let’s think of it more down to earth – contemporary!

* Has the worship of God in your life been reduced to a quick stop, 7-1 1 convenience store stop…. You know, where you pull in, jump out, grab what you need, get a fill-up, and buzz on your way to where you’re really headed?

300 T gas stations and 300 T churches in U.S. There is a big difference in God’s eyes. The worship God hates is half-hearted, thoughtless, detatched, convenient, empty low priority, get it over and go worship!

Think about it!

Back to v. 15:

A. There was chaos in the place of reverence. Remember? Manure, mooing, etc. B. There was convenience on the hearts of the supposed worshippers. C. Thirdly and tragically, there was greed on the mind of the priests! They actually charged money for worship! God hates that. How?

25 cent dove cost $6.25 (25X) and, $2 coin cost $3 (50% ripoff). God said freely received, freely give. God hates fees for baptism, confession, indulgence, etc.

Do you see why this is so hard to preach? It indicts all of us.

– Did you prepare your heart all week to come in a holy congregation to life our hearts and hands pure and sanctified, united before our God? – Did you set this day of all days aside to cultivate the souls of your children as well as yours in holy worship to God? Or are you itching to get the soles of your feet in sand, or on the field or to the mall, or whatever?

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The condition worship was heartless. Secondly, 2. Corruption worship – horrible A. Made profit on redemption money = 50% surcharge B. Took advantage of sacrifices of the poor = doves 25X or more

In other words, – Belittled big things to God – Excluded the poor

3. Complacency worship – hideous A. There was a shortcut to God going on here — while you were kneeling a wheelbarrow would scrapte by on a burro tied down with lumber, or better yet, a fellow parked his boat, prayed and went on the lake. Get the idea? Worship on the run! B. Something else here. Notjust convenient worship. This is complacent view of a Holy God.

Moses fell on his face at the bush Joshua fell at His feet Job fell on face in ashes Isaiah cried out and hid his face

And we tap our feet, look at our watches and forget that God is holy. God is awesome, eternal and a consuming fire.

There is worship God seeks and worship God hates. Which are you offering?

Stop here but for those of you who care enough to want with all your heart to offer acceptable, true spiritual worship.

We will finish this most crucial study tonight.