Unhindered worship

Years ago, John MacArthur did a sermon series on glorifying God. He used biblical examples with those words and brought out eight ways that we can glorify God. The one that surprised me came from Joshua.

The people of God were entering the land God promised to them. They took Jericho and soon attacked a city called Ai, but without success. Joshua fell before the Lord wondering why He had not given the enemy over to them. God said it was because of sin in their midst; someone had kept the spoils of war that were supposed to be destroyed. Joshua was told how to find the guilty party and when he had the culprit before him . . . 

“Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.’ And Achan answered Joshua, ‘Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did . . .’” (Joshua 7:19–20)

One way to glorify God is by honest confession of sin!

There are other examples. I think often of the one by King David. He said:

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” (Psalm 51:3–4)

The justness and mercy of God are glorified when we bow before Him in full recognition of sin. I say this to comment on today’s devotional. Tozer says, “If I live like a worldly and carnal tramp all day and then find myself in a time of crisis at midnight, how do I pray to a God who is holy? How do I address the One who has asked me to worship Him in spirit and in truth? Do I get on my knees and call on the name of Jesus because I believe there is some magic in that name?  . . . I have come to believe that no worship is wholly pleasing to God until there is nothing in us displeasing to God.”

The context suggests that I cannot worship God with sin in my life. Instead, I must be pure. While God wants purity, some might interpret this as a ‘works-righteousness’ salvation — one that bases our ability to please God on our perfection instead of the perfections of Jesus Christ. He is my righteousness, my holiness. If I am pleasing to God, it is because of Christ, not because I am utterly without sin.

That said, worship, like glorifying God, is not out of reach for those who come to Him in a crisis. Every believer knows that talking to God is difficult, even impossible with unconfessed sin messing up our relationship with Him. I cannot be totally pure, but I can come with sin in hand, knowing I’m not worthy to speak to Him, not worthy that He should listen. Only because of Jesus can I come to His throne finding grace in time of need.

Today’s verse suggests the attitude of one who worships rightly:

Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! (Psalm 99:5)

Purity cannot put me on my face at the feet of God. Only humility can do that. If I am bowed at His footstool, it is because I realize His holiness and how far short I fall. Sin is more than being ‘worldly and a carnal tramp all day’ but a condition of all humanity apart from Christ. Sin is a solemn truth about who I am without His grace, without His Son. While God does want me to come to Him with a pure heart and holy hands, the only way that can be done is realize this is in Christ, not in my ability to act like Christ nor in any godliness seen in me.  

I worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness — His holiness, not mine. If I am too dualistic about this, I’d rather err on the side of exalting Christ than err on the side of exalting any progress I might make as a Christian.

^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, Achan did admit his sin and this glorified You. However, the outcome was not mercy but wrath. God instructed the people to stone him to death even though Your holiness was magnified in his confession of sin. Today, I can worship You because of amazing grace that put that wrath I deserve on You. You exchanged my sin for Your righteousness and died for me. This is good news — a ‘face in the ground’ wonder, a reason to worship and exalt You and the only way that I can honestly do it — at Your feet!

I live — yet no longer I . . .

When Jesus walked this earth He was still God, but in human flesh. How does this work? What part is God? Well, all of Him. What part is man? Well, all of Him. I cannot wrap my mind around this, yet there is a parallel in the lives of His people.

We who are Christian are also still human beings. I am the same person that I have always been. Yet something has changed. Christ lives here. Paul explains it this way:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

This works itself out in our lives and is shown by the way we live, or it ought to be. Instead of thinking and living as I once did, the presence of Jesus Christ in me changes the way that I think and act. It is His sacrifice that has saved me from sin and His presence that keeps saving me, working in me so that I become more like Him.

Yet this is not a “zap, you are changed” action. I have to cooperate. How does this work? What part does Jesus have? All of it. What part do I have? All of it also, not that I can change myself, but like a glove, I must move as His hand directs.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalm 24:3–5)

Outward practical holiness is a mark of grace. If my hands are not clean, I can confess my sin and be forgiven, lifting pure hands up to God. Yet as Spurgeon says, “clean hands” are not sufficient unless they are connected with “a pure heart.”

True faith is a work in the heart. I could make the outside clean, but if the inward parts are filthy, I am filthy altogether in the sight of God. He says that my heart is more true to who I am than my hands. The very life of me is in my inner nature — where Jesus lives. This inner purity is vital and only possible because He lives there. He also said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” All others are blind and in darkness. Jesus is the light and my only source for this purity of heart.

Yet I have a role in this. The psalmist says that the person who is born for heaven “does not lift up his soul to what is false.” Everyone has joys by which their souls are lifted up. Those without faith lift up their soul to worldly and fleshy delights that are empty, temporal vanities. Those who belong to Jesus love more substantial and eternal things. We are not content with the things of this world. If anyone is, then we have a reward in this life, but are in danger of knowing no other joy.

The psalmist also says that the true saints of God do not “swear deceitfully.” Our word is our only oath. Further, false speaking would shut us out of heaven for lying is the activity of Satan and not that of a transformed and regenerated person of faith. I must not lie, just as I must not delight in worldly things.

So I am involved in my spiritual growth. I’m to keep my attitude as one who is dead to sin and alive to God. I’m to obey Him, not any other desire or motivation. Yet this life of obedience cannot be done without faith or without Jesus Christ living in my heart. What part is me? I dare not claim any of it lest I boast. What part is Jesus? I’d say all of it — that He is glorified as He should be.

**************

Lord, this mystery of You living in me and me needing to obey, doing what I cannot do apart from You, is a continual puzzle, but also a delight. When I do something that is more like You would do than anything I could invent, I am surprised and delighted. I shake my head and know with certainty that, “this was not me, but Jesus.” At the same time, I don’t feel like a puppet. I am a person with freedom and can choose how I live. Yes, being Your child is a mystery, but also an awesome and wonderful experience!