Today is the start of a new series of topical sermons based on the overarching topic of Worship. I will be preaching on the topic of Word in a worship service, and next week Pastor Wilson will follow-up with a sermon on offering. The rest of the topical sermons this year will also be related to worship, except for some weeks set aside for special Sundays of the liturgical year. Worship might seem like an unusual choice for topical sermons since it would be much more direct to talk about Christian living if we use current affairs as our topics. But we deliberately start with worship, because we believe that your relationship with God is the foundation of how you live your life. Just as how the psalmist concludes in today’s passage, it is proper reverence to God that guides how he speaks and even how he thinks: 14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
One of the key elements of worship is the Word. The words of God can be found in the words of our liturgy such as the call to worship and assurance of forgiveness. They can be embedded in our worship songs and our prayers. But most of all, they are expounded upon during the sermons. If you see the way the worship service is designed, the Word occupies a central position in worship. That is a Presbyterian distinctive. John Calvin said, “the symbols by which the Church is discerned are the preaching of the word and the observance of the sacraments.” So perhaps we should first ask the question: why is the Word so prominent in our worship service?
The reason is simply because God speaks. For the Jews, God speaks in two ways. First, Psalm 19:1-6 declares that Creation is the revelation of God. We learn from Genesis 1, that God’s word brought forth light, order, and abundant lives. This means that whenever we marvel at the beauty of Creation, we should sense the beauty of the Creator. Paul stated this clearly in Romans 1: 19 since what may be known about God is plain to (all people), because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
One might protest that God’s revelation in Creation is too vague to be considered a form of communication to us. Indeed, the psalmist admits, 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Theologians too argue about the efficacy of such revelation, termed as natural revelation or general revelation. 【1】Certainly we now live in a world where there are scientific explanations for most of nature’s wonders. Perhaps, we already take for granted the movement of the sun across the sky, and no longer think of it like the psalmist of Psalm 19 as a form of divine providence. But I would argue that it is not God who is not speaking, but we who are no longer listening. And in the process, we have lost our sense of gratitude and delight.
So, my first point is to Listen. The psalmist reminds us of the beauty of every sunrise and sunset. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They speak of the majesty and power of God. Only God is the one who can create everything by his own will and through his own command; be in a place with less light pollution and the night sky reveals his infinity; the world is made perfect for life to thrive and that reveals his wisdom. All creation reveals the beauty of God because God speaks to us. In gratitude, let us also be reminded that all things depend on the Word of God for existence and continuation.
God speaks not only through Creation. To the Jews, God’s will is also conveyed through the Law. This is why in Jewish worship there is a great emphasis on explaining the Law. The Ten Commandments is only the table of contents of the covenant between God and his people. You can think of such legal expositions as the sermons of Jewish worship. Jesus did the same at the Sermon on the Mount. And whenever the Jewish leaders approached Jesus, whether to test him or they were genuinely interested in his perspective, it was often about legal interpretations. In short, Jewish worship is not just about temple sacrifices. As the psalmist says, 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. So, the teachers of the Law help the people live flourishing lives by living according to the Law. This is why we will have a sermon series on the Ten Commandments and how Christians should relate to the Jewish Law.
You might be wondering right now: how did the sermons of the Jewish worship transform into the sermons of Christian worship today? To be fair, we also teach about God’s will on life and society whenever we cover the Old Testament passages, but most of the time we talk about Jesus. This is because Jesus declared in Matthew 5: 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the only way we can fulfill our righteousness is through Jesus Christ. As the Gospel declares in John 1: 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. So, God speaks through Creation. God speaks through the Law. But the ultimate revelation of God is God speaking through Jesus Christ. Hence, Jesus is the Word of God.
My first point is to Listen. My second point is to Discern. All our understanding of God, every single message from the sermons must be filtered through Jesus Christ. John 1: 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. In Jesus Christ, God reconciles with man; God dwells in man; God walks with man. The Church was borne by God in the New Testament becoming the children of God through Christ. Our sermons become all about Jesus because it is the reference point for ascertaining and understanding our identity. The Church relies on the Word for life. Proclaiming and witnessing God’s Word is the sole purpose of existence of the Church. So, we must listen, it could be God speaking to you through your observation of Creation. It could be through your daily prayers and devotions. It could also be through the Sunday worship services. But we must also discern. And that ultimately depends on how well you know Jesus Christ and how close your relationship with him is.
My first point is to listen. My second point is to discern. And my final point is to return. Because understanding is not true transformation unless it is followed up with action in accordance with our understanding. As the psalmist confesses: 13 Keep your servant also from wilful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. It is not our understanding that is the problem, but our reluctance to act. Paul said the same about the entire humanity in Romans 7: 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
But notice that Paul did not stop there. He did not just give up because humanity is inclined towards sin. He did lament, 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? But he continued to say, 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! This is why my final point after Listen and Discern is to Return. Our main action is to go back all the time to Jesus Christ. It is about finetuning ourselves to be once again aligned towards Jesus. Allow me to quote from John Calvin the reason why such frequent direction setting is so important.
“Let that target be set before our eyes at which we are earnestly to aim. Let that goal be appointed toward which we should strive and struggle. No one in this earthly prison of the body has sufficient strength to press on with due eagerness, and weakness so weighs down the greater number that, with wavering and limping and even creeping along the ground, they move at a feeble rate. Let each one of us, then, proceed according to the measure of his puny capacity and set out upon the journey we have begun. No one shall set out so inauspiciously as not daily to make some headway, though it be slight. Therefore, let us not cease so to act that we may make some unceasing progress in the way of the Lord. And let us not despair at the slightness of our success; for even though attainment may not correspond to desire, when today outstrips yesterday the effort is not lost. Only let us look toward our mark with sincere simplicity and aspire to our goal; not fondly flattering ourselves, nor excusing our own evil deeds, but with continuous effort striving toward this end: that we may surpass ourselves in goodness until we attain to goodness itself. It is this, indeed, which through the whole course of life we seek and follow. But we shall attain it only when we have cast off the weakness of the body, and are received into full fellowship with him.” 【2】
This is the role of every sermon speaker – to allow God to speak to you. And your role is to listen, discern, and then return. If you have been in church long enough, most sermons eventually become a reminder of what you already know. Especially so if the speakers are faithful in sharing about Jesus Christ. But do not despise this weekly returning to God. As John Calvin said, if you do it often enough, it is never in vain. And if you don’t, you might have already turned away from God unknowingly. I hope this year’s focus on Worship can bring true transformation to the entire Jubilee community as well. When all of us slowly align ourselves back towards Jesus Christ, slowly but surely, we will be salt and light of the world. 14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
