Confront Empty Worship - The Lord Despises Outward Religiosity

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

From my 20 years experience in pastoring inmates, I came to understand some of their ways. So, the issue which I want to deal with this month, is an issue with all types of people in free society as well. It just seems magnified with some of those incarcerated.

A lot depends on the kind of spiritual leadership they have. And yes Chaplains and volunteers, that means you!

The issue is: only an outward displaying of piety, or religiosity. God calls that hypocrisy. It is EMPTY WORSHIP. Within a correctional setting, this is sometimes heightened around special holidays, like Christmas or Easter. Especially if there is an inmate choir or a special program to be led by inmates.

Inmates, eager to feel better about themselves want to show off their talents. It’s true many of them have excellent singing voices and others have highly developed artistic drawing ability. BUT, the Bible teaches this important principal: THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE ACT OF WORSHIP IS DEPENDANT UPON THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE WORSHIPER.

This is a very important truth for them to get a hold of. They need TO BE CONFRONTED BY IT. One good place for you to start would be Psalm 24.

In this Psalm, verses 3-6 are talking about salvation from sin and about the eternal worship in heaven, which is the culmination of that salvation. It reads:

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah (pause, stop and think about it)

When verse 4 speaks of clean hands and a pure heart, we need to understand this is a poetic way of saying before we can worship the true God, we need sincere cleansing, both of our outward deeds and our inward motives. Hands represent the outward acts. Hearts speak of inward desires and motives.

The last phrase of verse 4 flows out of having clean hands and a pure heart. Because this worshiper is genuine and pure inwardly, they have not been praying to what is false (like an idol) and they have not been in the practice of deceiving others with lying promises, even as one translation puts it “lying under oath.” Because of this, their worship shall be accepted by god.

Note then again the promise of verse 5 to such true worshipers – they receive blessings (according to the riches of God’s grace), and most importantly IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD THEIR SAVIOR! Verse 6 is saying these types of people are the true spiritual Israel (Jacob). Their life is characterized by a constant seeking of God’s approval, which is part of what it means to seek God’s face.

If we could see God’s face, would He be frowning or smiling at us? We would want Him to smile at us - in approval.

Compare this teaching from Psalm 24 to 1 Timothy 2:8, where we read:

8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

The practice of lifting up of the hands in prayer and worship goes back to ancient times. There are many Old Testament references to it. Psalms 28:2; 63:4; Lamentations 2:19; and 3:41 are some examples of this.

Lifting up hands physically portrayed the giving up the whole life to the LORD – even for His examination, and also an expectation of receiving good things from the LORD.

When David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties (anxious thoughts); and see if there is any wicked way in me, …” He may well have raised his hands, as if to God - for their inspection.

I remember explaining this one time to an inmate Bible class. Many of them had their hands raised up, but when I explained the inspection aspect, the fact that their raised hands needed to be HOLY HANDS, many of those hands came down quickly!

James 4:8 says:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (literally: ‘two-souled’).

We need to give all of our soul to one Lord and Master. With God our heart is only cleansed by true confession of all known sin and repentant faith in His provision – our one true substitutionary Sacrifice – the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you teach the inmates, next show them what David said in his prayer of repentance in Psalm 51:6 and 51:16-17

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
…
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. (these were Old Testament outward forms of worship)
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite (sorry) heart— these, O God, You will not despise.

You may be even now planning an "Easter Program" for Resurrection Sunday, April 4, 2010. Be careful with which inmates have key roles in reading Scripture and singing solos. If they are not first genuine in heart and purified of all known sin, the Lord will not accept their worship. Then too, they may well assume they are right with Him when they are not, BECAUSE you allowed them this leadership role in worship. Think about your responsibility with a thing like that!

Remind the inmates and residents of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:23-24.

23 “Therefore (on account of His teaching in verses 21-22 about unholy anger against someone being equal to murder) if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, (in other words there is an unsettled rift with someone)
24 leave your gift there before the altar, (don’t yet enter into worship) and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (then come and worship)

Explain to them that the Lord despises, even hates, the outward worship of those who continue to practice their sin. It is empty. Show them this from passages like Amos 5:21-24 where God said:

21 “ I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 (Even) Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear (accept) the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But (first) let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Apparently, there was all kinds of unrighteous injustice going on all over the place, yet they thought they could just come worship the LORD.

One of the worst things a Christian Chaplain can ever hear is a report of some ongoing sinful attitude and actions “back in the dorm,” or “pod,” DONE BY THOSE WHOM HE (OR SHE) HAS ALLOWED TO HAVE SOME LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE CHRISTIAN MEETING.

Challenge them with such hypocrisy, that it would not take place. Seek the Lord. And, if they are not ready to repent, tell them to keep seeking until they are, but don’t pretend to be His true worshiper.

One final passage that shows God’s rejection of worship when the heart and life is not right is found in Isaiah 58. There He confronted the empty worship of Judah.

1 "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (this is God’s instruction to His prophet. His preacher. This is good advice for chaplains, for preachers)

(Then the LORD said)
2 Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching God.

Then He quotes the people:

3 ‘ Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls (like when fasting), and You take no notice?’

… (Now God answers them) "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure (meaning in your labor, your business), and exploit all your laborers.
4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? (Note the sarcasm)

Verses 6-14 then call for a change of behavior, which is a call for repentance. Then they promise blessings that will always ensue:

6 " Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ "If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
13 " If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken."

So always challenge those you teach like God did through His prophet Jeremiah. Note Jeremiah 4:3-4

3 ..." Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, (it is an inward operation) you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings."

The main issue is always the true innermost being getting right with the Lord. When that is fixed, then He loves to receive our acceptable worship. But never before! I pray you may have the courage to confront empty, evil worship.

Rich Hines
Aurora Ministries’ Minister to Chaplains