Worship — Eugene Higgins

Thank you very, very much for coming tonight. I hope God will bless this word as we read it together. I'm going to ask you to turn please to Psalm 39 for our first reading. Psalm 39 and verse 3. Psalm 39 and verse 3.

Perhaps verse 2 will give us the connection. I was dumb with silence. I held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot with envy. While I was musing, the fire burned. Then spake I with my tongue.

Meditation Leads to Adoration

If it were not for the first phrase in verse 3, you would almost assume that the psalmist was speaking about the hearth fire. As though he was sitting, as that king did so long ago, sitting before the fire.

And as he was musing in front of the fire, thoughts came to his mind. But obviously, opening the verse by saying, my heart was hot with envy, he is indicating an inner fire. And I just want you to notice in the passage the connection between musing and speaking.

While I was musing, the fire burned or was kindled. Then spake I with my tongue. Psalm 45, please. Psalm 45 and verse 1. My heart is indicting a good matter. I speak of the things which I have made, touching the king.

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer, and you will understand that the thrust there is fairer far, than the children of men. Grace is poured into thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee forever.

Now please notice how seamlessly, how artlessly he moves from meditation to adoration. You will remember from your days in English class that he is speaking, first of all, in the third person. He is speaking about the king in verse 1.

Notice how simply he moves into the second person in verse 2. And suddenly he is speaking to the king. And I would like to suggest to you that there is a key there for what we will be looking at tonight.

The reason that he found it easy to speak to the king in the language of adoration was that he was speaking about the king. And maybe, maybe, the times that we have trouble worshipping and gathering our thoughts to know just exactly what to say to the Lord can be traced back to the fact that we so rarely speak about the Lord to each other.

And that if he occupied more of our conversation, if we were more occupied speaking about him, just like this man, meditation would lead to adoration. We would find that our conversation about him will enable, will facilitate conversation with him.

Notice again the heart and the words linked together. And one more reading please in the gospel of Luke chapter 6. Luke 6 and verse 45. Luke 6 and verse 45. A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good.

And an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil. And that leads to the enunciation of this principle of the abundance of the heart, his mouth. Again, the heart and the mouth linked together.

The Privilege of Worship

Now the subject before us is a vital one. Because I would like to consider with you the subject of worship. That is not only something that occupies much of our time here. I was thinking, I think I added up as best I could, that if you are in fellowship in the assembly here in Sunny Slope, then you will spend somewhere between 300 to 500 hours a year right in this room.

Or occupied with things that the assembly is doing. So if there is something that I can learn that will enable me to do better at what I am doing for those 300 to 500 years. If there is something I can grasp from the scriptures that would make it easier.

Like I think of our poor sisters here. If I were giving a message on preaching, they might fold up their arms and close their Bibles and notebooks and say, what good is that to me? But they do the bulk of the listening, don't they?

And so anything that could improve the preaching ought to be something very, very important because we spend so much time preaching. And anything that will make the assembly more competent at worshipping ought to be something we would all have a deep interest in.

I want to notice with you, and I'll just follow the outline that I gave you. I want to notice with you the privilege of worship. I don't know if you've ever thought of it that way, that it is a tremendous privilege that God allows creatures to worship him.

Tremendous privilege. Now all believers are priests. And they are all priests always. Whether a person goes to the Baptist Church or the Episcopalian Church or the Catholic Church, if you say, or comes to the Gospel Hall.

Everyone who is in Christ is a priest. He has made us a kingdom of priests. But what a marvelous privilege it is that God allows us to worship him. You see, I'm sure that there are young people who will go to sleep tonight under posters of sports fans or rock stars or actors or actresses.

Wishfully at times they will look up at that man with the hockey stick in his hand or he's taking a pigskin back in the pose or he's got a bat in his hand, whatever the case may be. Or the radiant actress or whoever it is and they have a secret wish.

I just wish I could be like him. I wish I could be like her. I wish I was that pretty. I wish I was that handsome. I wish I was that skilled. I wish I could do what he does. Do you remember something?

That ball player doesn't think twice about your adoration of him. There's no connection between your longing to be like him and your adoring his ability. There's no link between your thinking that actress is so lovely and her concerns about you.

But the marvelous thing is, and that's why it is a privilege, the marvelous thing is that in the worship of God there is the joyous understanding that not only is this the reason that we were created and have been redeemed, but that we are allowed to understand that we are giving delight and joy to the heart of our noble creator and great redeemer.

That is a tremendous privilege. I say again, it is remarkable that God, who needs nothing, is willing to be worshiped by creatures like us. It is a fact that God allows us the privilege of expressing our appreciation of his character, person, and works, that he accepts our worship through his son, and that he assures us that our feeblest efforts are pleasing to him.

We are a kingdom of priests. Let me just say this at the beginning, because I hope that we will move toward a practical idea of how we worship publicly. That in the list of gifts that are given us in the word of God, there is no gift called the gift of worship.

So if there are times when you have found it marvelously simple, I hate to put it that way, but it just seemed as if it was easy to worship. Or if you know someone and you say, you know, every time I hear him worship, it just seems that he warms my heart.

Or every time I'm with that sister and she speaks about the Lord Jesus or we pray together, it just seems that she just seems to touch my... If that's the case, then we need to look elsewhere other than the idea of gift, because it's not linked with gift.

There must be some other reason, for instance, why there are some days where when you gather to remember the Lord Jesus, it just seems easy to go into his presence. There must be some other reason, and I hope we will find that or at least see what the scriptures imply.

There must be some other reason than the idea that there are some men here and they have been given a capability from God to worship, because that is not the case. All believers are priests. All believers have the privilege of drawing near.

The First and Last Biblical Occurrences of Worship

If you were concerned about looking up the things that were in the outline, then let me just say that there are only five passages of the word of God that you would need to have found to answer the questions about where the first and last occurrences are of worship in both the English and the original languages of the Bible.

Let me give you those very quickly. Genesis chapter 22, this is the first time in the English language of our Bible. Abraham says, I and the Lamb will go yonder and worship. The last time in the Old Testament is Zechariah 14, where it says that the nations would go up unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts.

The first time in the New Testament is Matthew chapter 2. We have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. And the last time in the New Testament is Revelation 22, when the angel says to John, don't worship me.

Worship God. Do it not, he says. Worship God. And he is told not to worship the angel. So the only thing you have to add to that, first and last times in the English, in the Old Testament, first and last times in the English, in the New Testament.

One time in the Greek, in the Hebrew, it occurs before what I have told you. The actual first time in our Bible that the word occurs, the word worship occurs in the original language is Genesis 18, where Abraham sees these three visitors coming and he bowed himself.

He worshipped them. Now let me just put those all together, because I am not just trying to throw arcane facts at you. I think that there are some lessons we can learn, because we are so often taught that the first time you read of a thing in the Bible, it is laying the groundwork for understanding that thing, that subject, that topic, or that personality.

So what do we understand from these first occurrences of the use of the word worship? Let me just sum them up. Romans chapter 2 tells me that worship is the worship of a person. Not a thing, but a person.

Romans chapter 22 tells me it is the worship of a person who is unique. He is not created. The person who is to be worshipped is not a creature. Romans 1 tells us that they worship and serve the creature more than the creator.

But we can learn, can't we, from what the angel says in Revelation 22, that the worship of this person is the worship of a unique person, an uncreated person. A person who is distinct altogether from things that had a cause, the uncaused cause of everything, the creator himself.

He is the one to be worshipped. Zechariah 14 tells me that that unique person is worthy of universal homage, as the whole world comes to worship him in the city of Jerusalem in that coming day. When I put together those two times where it is used about Abraham, Genesis 18 and Genesis 22, just notice, Abraham bows.

See, before we write off things like our appearance and our deportment, that really doesn't matter. Somehow when you hit passages like that with a man physically expressing his homage, when you hear God say to Moses, put your shoes from off your feet, you suddenly learn that small things like that are vital, they are important to God.

And I see a man taking the lowest place before God as he bows. And I see that same man in his words in Genesis 22, giving God the highest praise possible, his son. So he is bowing here as if the lowest place belongs to me.

And he is offering his son on the altar and he is calling it not sacrifice but worship, because he is saying the highest place belongs to God. So it is the worship of a person, not a thing. It is the worship of a unique person, the uncreated creator.

That uncreated creator deserves universal, global worship. And he deserves the highest thing from us while we take the lowest place before him. So let me do this with you, the priority of worship. John chapter 4, the Lord Jesus says, the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Now, I have to go on record here, I don't know if this is right or wrong. I am not so sure that the Lord Jesus is saying, the Father is seeking worshipers. I know that there is a lovely parallel often drawn, that the Lord Jesus seeks sinners.

And he says in John 4 that the Father seeks worshipers. But he does put in the word such. So I am not so sure that the Lord Jesus is saying, the Father is seeking for worshipers. As if God had a need that only we could meet, and that is of course wrong.

Or is the Lord Jesus saying, this is the kind of worshipers that God is seeking. He never intended that worship would be by means of a physical animal laid on the altar. He never intended that worship would be by the means of physical objects.

But that it would spring from the hearts of redeemed men and women whose spirits had been reconciled to God. Worshipping God in spirit and in truth. The Father seeks those kind of worshipers to worship him.

Revelation 5 tells us that we have become a kingdom of priests. 1 Peter 2 reminds us that we are a holy priesthood and a royal priesthood. If you know any Hebrew boys or girls at school whose last name is Cohen, then you will understand that that is a Bible word.

That there are of course the priests who are in the temple. And they were the holy priests. They were to render to God. But there were the priests who were at the palace, at the court. And David's sons were made priests.

And of course you have likely seen the margin that says they were made Cohen's. And what is that? They're royal priests. In other words, the king would not be available to everyone. It wouldn't be a matter that I broke your fence so you're going to get right in to see the king and say, gee, broke my fence down.

I want you, King David, I want you to come and handle this. They'd be intermediaries. They were between the complainant, the people, and the king. And they were handling cases for him. So in the temple you had priests who were rendering to God.

But in the palace you had priests who were representing the monarch, representing the king. So those two thoughts now Peter grabs and applies them to us. That first of all, we render to God as holy priests.

But we represent God as royal priests before others. And so we are a nation, a holy priesthood. In the Feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament, Israel was called upon to leave its lands and its loved ones, even at a time of harvest, even in the face of danger, and go up to Jerusalem to worship.

It came first. So a man might say, but if I go now, what about the crops? Worship came first. And if a man says, but my house, my house is right on the border. The Philistines are just a few miles away.

And if they catch on that this is an habitual thing, that I go up to Jerusalem every year at this time, well, you know what will happen. They'll wait until my sons and I are gone, and when just my wife and daughters are home, they will raid our farm.

They'll take everything. It came first. And God promised them, while His people were in covenant relationship with Him, God promised that the enemy would not desire their land if they went up. Which ought to have been a loud voice to them, of course, during the Yom Kippur War, that something was wrong and the enemy was allowed to attack.

But God promised them back then, when you go up to worship in the Feasts of Jehovah, the enemy will not desire your land. Worship was to come first. Why else would we read words like this? Please tell me, why else would we read words like this?

A male of the first year. A male of the first year. Or, firstfruits offered to God. Why this requirement that God... God say, the best of the oil and the wine. It is not that God is a demanding God who wants to get the best from you, because He wants it instead of you having it.

But it is rather that God understands that our true bliss, our true joy and happiness lies when we are in a right relationship with Him and rendering to Him the very best that we can. That is the very purpose.

We are reaching the purpose of our existence and of our redemption when we are worshiping God and giving Him our very best. What about the place of worship? Well, we worship in our halls, don't we? I don't want to be ludicrous and say that we just worship within the veil and we don't worship in our halls.

Worship Is Not Confined to One Meeting or Place

If someone came in on a Sunday morning, they would hear believers expressing terms of worship to God here in the hall. But, although that means, and I think we need to remember this, worship is not limited to Sunday morning.

Some people call the breaking of bread the worship meeting. That's fine, unless by that you mean that's the meeting we set aside for worship and then there's meetings we set aside for prayer and then there's meetings we set aside for preaching and so we departmentalize and pigeonhole everything.

Every meeting should be marked by worship. I hope when I'm preaching the gospel, I am worshiping God while I'm preaching and presenting His Son to sinners. I hope when we're teaching the Word of God, when we're praying, I hope when we're discussing the Bible, our hearts are open in worship to God.

We worship in our halls. We're not restricted to Sunday morning. We worship here. We worship in our homes, don't we? We're not restricted to the public expression of it. Brethren and sisters worship in their homes.

We do worship in the holiest. We are not restricted to earthly limitations. Again, when the Lord Jesus spoke about worshiping in spirit and in truth, that was in contrast to physical means, worship in spirit, and formal means, worship in truth.

That would be laid aside, while as a result of Calvary, men and women would become worshipers in spirit and in truth. And we worship in our hearts, not restricted to set occasions. We worship in our hearts.

You ever just quietly get aside and spend time with the Lord? What a good goal for a young believer now, just to say, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to set aside some time in my day where I just worship God for who He is.

Preparing the Heart Through Meditation

I was having meetings with Murray McCandless in Toronto back in 1986. And the gentleman, the couple I was staying with, he was staying in a different home, but the people I was staying with, the man in the home, was the vice president in a government office.

He was as high as he could go without becoming an elected official. And I'm only telling you that, I'm not name dropping, I'm only telling you that because you have to understand that to understand the story I'm about to tell you.

He said to me on one occasion, why don't you and Murray come downtown and we'll have lunch together. And I know that you men, I know you listen carefully to directions, and if your wife says something, you would hear everything.

But I have trouble listening at times, and I missed when he told me the floor that his office was on. I also forgot that he goes by a different name at work, he goes by his full name at work, and is not known by Robert so much among the assembly, he's known more by Bert.

So I got there, the receptionist was there, and I asked for Mr. Riley. She said certainly, lift it up. She said you'll want to take the elevator here on the right and go up to the sixth floor. She said when you get off, you'll see a desk there, just ask the woman to page Mr. Riley.

So we did that. Now when the doors opened on the sixth floor, the first thing I noticed, and I thought to myself there's something wrong here, the first thing I noticed was the din, the noise. There were cubicles as far as the eye could see, and what was open to us, there was a woman sitting at a desk, and there was a woman sitting beside her, and she was waving her finger at the woman, and this was like the welfare system in America, this was that type of office.

So she was demanding that these bills be paid, and why wasn't this being paid, and there was a lot of noise, and the woman said may I help you, and I said yes, we're here to meet Mr. Riley. She said have a seat, she said I'll get him.

So we sat down, and I couldn't imitate the noise for you, but I remember I leaned over to Murray, and I said he doesn't sit right here, and I said well sure enough, in a few minutes Mr. Riley came around the corner, only not our Mr. Riley, I see another Mr. Riley.

The Opened Eyes of the Man Born Blind

So he says yes, I said I'm sorry, I said we made a mistake, we're actually here to see, and then I remembered the difference, and I said we're actually here to see Mr. Robert Riley, oh he said you're going to have to go down, he said and get the other elevator, he said he's on the 22nd floor, this elevator only goes up, I don't know like the 8th floor, so we went down to the lobby, crossed over, hit the buttons, went up to the 22nd floor, I actually whispered to the secretary, I didn't think it was the kind of thing where you raise your voice at all, I said what a different world, up there on the 22nd floor, and when we were sitting there waiting for him, in those plush chairs, if I said you could hear a pin drop, that wouldn't be true, because you wouldn't hear a thing with that carpet, what a difference, when just floors below us, there was such a din, and noise, and yelling, and complaining, and I would suggest to you, that one way that we can prepare, is what the psalmist is talking about, if I want to understand something, of the place of worship in my heart, and in my home, then I need to know what it is to, what does he say, while I kept silence, the fire burned, my heart was hot within me, then spake I, I'm going to move on very quickly, because I want to give you, the pictures of worship, that I think will be of help to us, in the word of God, I want to notice with you, the opened eyes of John chapter 9, the filled baskets of Deuteronomy 26, the prepared ointment of Matthew 26, and the devoted heart of Genesis 22, just those four pictures very quickly, the opened eyes of John chapter 9, what a picture that is of worship, do you remember the blind man, and his eyes have been opened by the Lord, and the leaders, the Pharisees have come upon him, in fact there's something very nice here, do you remember when people said, that's the blind man, and others said, no, it's like him, but it's not him, what had happened, when he met the Lord Jesus, he even looked different, instead of the hopeless, empty stare, now there was just a new look, about his face, people weren't even sure, if he was still the same man, but the Pharisees, begin to question him, and do you remember, the way he progresses, in his conversation, a man named Jesus, whether he be a sinner or no, a man sent from God, a prophet, and do you remember, when they throw him out, which is not merely physically, evicting him from the premises, but excommunicating him, then he's found, at the feet of the Lord Jesus, his eyes are open, who is he Lord, who is the son of God, that I may worship him, I that speak unto thee, and he, and he knows, and is now worshiping, what they do not know, and will not worship, so you get a picture of a man, with his eyes open, at the feet of the Lord Jesus, understanding who he is, and worshiping him, not only for what he has done, but for who he is, not a picture of worship?

See, when we come together, for instance, on a Lord's day, to break bread, and we're worshipping the Lord Jesus, at the background of the appreciation of our hearts, is of course the fact that he has saved us, but that's not, that's not a before, that's not, we haven't come together to thank God that we won't be in hell, but more to be occupied with the staggering cost of what has saved us, and the great redeemer himself, and he has now found out who he is, and he is worshipping the Lord Jesus for who he is.

I think broadly it could be said that thanksgiving is the expression of gratitude for something that we have received. Praise, which we often do, praise is lauding God for a capacity or a capability of his that we have come to appreciate.

But worship is the adoration of God for who he is, and what he has done. And that blind man is worshipping the Lord Jesus for who he is, the Son of God, and for what he has done, he has opened my eyes.

Intelligent Worship and the Filled Baskets

Think about the filled baskets of Deuteronomy 26. They come before the Lord and the Lord says, none shall appear before me empty, and they are coming to worship before the Lord their God. They are occupied with the heart of God, because they say, he looked on our affliction and he heard our cry.

They are occupied with the power of God. They say, he effected our redemption through the Lamb. They are occupied with the grace of God. What do they say? Assyrian, ready to perish, was my father. We were few in number.

It's the grace of God that saved us. We were nothing. We would have been extinguished like the blowing out of a candle if it hadn't been for God. So the heart of God, the power of God, the grace of God, and the goodness of God, as they are presenting this basket to give back to God something of what he has given to them.

So there is intelligent worship as they are occupied with God's heart and his power and his grace and his goodness. Intelligent worship. Again, I guess in the background of what I'm discussing today or what I'm trying to consider with you is the idea of how we publicly worship.

And to me there seems to be something wrong with just handing a young believer a hymn book and welcoming him into fellowship without giving him any help or instruction about the meetings. I think that's a little like handing a child the keys to the car without giving him driver ed or teaching him or giving him any practice driving.

And what happens? Well, he gets up at a breaking of bread and he gives that Christian to go and tell him Jesus. And who's to blame? How much would it have taken us to sit down and say, we're really looking forward to your coming into fellowship.

And we'll love to hear you take part. Now there's an index at the back here and you'll find that worship can't be regulated but that will guide you. You'll find hymns in there that have to do with the Lord Jesus.

And so, on a breaking of bread you'll want to think along those lines. Just some guidelines. And nobody said it better than Thomas Newbury when he said we'd come together on a Sunday morning we'd come together in a prepared state of unpreparedness.

A prepared state of unpreparedness. In other words, I have something in my heart. I'm prepared. But it's a state of unpreparedness in the sense I haven't made up my mind here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get up and I'm going to give this hymn out no matter what.

Or I'm going to say these things no matter what. You're unprepared. You're just waiting for the Spirit of God. So what happens is that brother gives out a hymn that falls right in line with what you were thinking and you say to yourself now is the time for me to contribute the thoughts that I had about the Lord Jesus.

I was at a conference once and I said there are some people that are from close to this place and I'm going to take a page from Brother Gustafson and tell you it was hundreds of miles away from here and I'm not going to tell you where it was.

A North American conference. I sat down at the Saturday evening meal. A young man who had only been saved for a short time sat down across from me and he told me he had only been saved for I think he had been saved for about a year and he said you know I came to this conference hoping to find out one thing.

He said I want to find out who the angels are to the churches in Revelation 2 and he said I really want to find out about that dragon in Revelation chapter 13. Chapter 12. The next morning as we sat to break bread I think the hymn he gave out was something along the lines of Christians go and tell of Jesus.

It would be far better if I could just grasp how best to worship the Lord amongst his people than understanding who the dragon is in Revelation chapter 12. And they are intelligently worshiping when they come with that basket.

They know what they're doing. They're presenting God what he has given to them and they're occupied with him his power his grace his goodness his heart. What about the prepared ointment in Matthew 26?

Worship Takes Precedence Over Personal and Profitable Things

Well I learned that worship takes precedence over things doesn't it? Worship takes precedence over things that are personal. She could have taken that ointment and used it on herself. Couldn't she? Perfume?

And it would have drawn attention to herself but she didn't use it on herself. So worship takes precedence over things like my vacation my ease my rest. It takes precedence over things that are personal.

I'm not laying down any rules. I hope I'm clear on that that I'm not laying down any rules but I admire I admire young couples that have just been married and they have planned their wedding trip so that they don't miss a breaking of bread.

It's not like we're taking a vacation from God. Now sometimes that's not possible but you understand what I'm saying? That more than things personal she saved that ointment for the Lord. I noticed that worship already set in.

She could have very practically said you know that's why I've saved this ointment for a time like this. Lazarus has died and so I'm going to use this on him. But more than practicality in fact it took precedence over things that were profitable.

The keen greedy eye of Judas said 300 pence right there going down the drain. I can't believe she'd waste that much money. And she could have sold that money. Right? She could have sold that money. But you see worship takes precedence over even things like unnecessary employment.

Do I really need to take that extra time and that extra job or that over do I really need that? If it's putting bread on the table that's one thing but if it's just a matter of feathering the nest a little more would it not be better for me to be with the Lord's people?

And when Judas and the others said she could have sold it for 300 pence and given to the poor which of course did not really mean at least we learned that the Lord reprised her worship over even things that were philanthropic.

Even things even things that were beneficial to others. So God willing if the Lord has not come when you gathered to break bread Sunday morning couldn't you couldn't we all be out giving out tracts? Couldn't we say this Sunday this Sunday instead of observing the Lord's Supper we are going to have an open air meeting and we're going to preach the gospel.

That would be putting the good see that would be taking something that was beneficial and making it more important than the most important thing. I noticed this and to me there's something very touching about this.

That Matthew tells us that Mary anointed the head of the Lord Jesus. Matthew tells us that. John tells us John adds that she anointed his feet. Matthew tells us she anointed his head. Matthew the gospel of the king and the kingdom.

The gospel where that head should have been anointed by the leaders. The gospel where that head should have been crowned with a regal royal monarch's crown. He was never anointed by the leaders. He got from a woman what he did not get from the noted leaders.

John chapter 12 what happens in chapter 13? Twelve men will walk past that basin of water. Not one of them not one of them will be humble enough to take that water and wash not only the disciples feet but first of all the Lord's feet.

Not one of them. When he never got from his disciples he got from a woman. Mary washed his feet with ointment. I want to get right to the heart of the matter. Why? Why are there some Sunday mornings where it just seems as if you're speaking to the Lord face to face and a meeting it just seems no matter who takes part.

Right? Why? I've noticed a place where it doesn't seem to me it matters who you plug into the assembly. It's an assembly where people have left and moved elsewhere. Somebody else moves in there. So you understand what I'm saying?

It doesn't matter who you take and plug in there. When I have visited that assembly invariably I have been impressed by the worship there. I find myself asking the question why? It doesn't seem to matter who comes and visits.

It doesn't seem to matter who leaves. My dear sister just as Mary created an atmosphere where it was easy to worship and when you walked into that house you were not struck you were not struck by the disciples.