Are you here to worship?

Jeremiah 7: 8-12

“Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations?’ ‘Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I have seen it,’ says the Lord.

‘But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”

February 18, 2020

A pastor, once, in speaking with the session of the church he was serving, said, “This church has been here for 150 years. As things are going, it soon will die off. What are we going to do to ensure that it continues to be an important part of the community and does not die out?” In response, one of the elders said, “This church has been here 150 years and it will continue to be here for generations to come.” However, there was no plan, no intention to change, and no recognition that the church building had become an idol in the eyes of the people. The people of this historic church had become complacent – they were just going through the motions.

In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 7 verses 8 through 12 tell us the people worshiped idols and broke God’s commands, yet because they were going to the “temple of the Lord” they thought they were doing what God required of them.

What did this say about who they thought God was? It says that they thought that God was solely concerned with their presence in a specific building on a specific day, rather than their submission to Him for the whole of their lives.

Please do not get me wrong, joining together in a specific location is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!! Weekly gatherings of the church is where we should be getting equipped for our battle with the enemy, healed from our wounds in the battle, connected to fellow warriors – all of this because we are joining together to worship the one, true, living God. Going to the building, sitting in the pew for an hour, and throwing money into the offering plate is not what brings you into a right relationship with God… nor is uttering with your lips, “God, forgive me, a sinner.” If the heart to follow God is not present, then the words we say and the actions we do are worthless.

You might note, “Beech Church is an historic location!” I would agree that, indeed, it is a special church rooted deeply in the history of the New Shackle area of Hendersonville, TN.  I love the people who make up Beech Church immensely.  I wonder, though, if someone were to ask you what is keeping Beech Cumberland Presbyterian Church alive as a church, would you say, “It is an historic location. It has been here and will continue to be here”? Have you made this historic location an idol… a place in which you think by coming once or twice per week that you are good? Or are you serving God, submitting to His authority, doing His will, and then joining together to worship, because He is worthy of your time and praise? Truly, are you offering the sacrifice of praise?