INTRODUCTION:
1. These verses deal with our worship -- the
motivation for it and the conditions for it.
a. We often
come to worship without any idea of what we are doing.
b. We rarely
give thought to what we are doing.
2. It is possible for God's people to be as
bad as the world. (Vs. 10 refers to the rulers
of Judah as the rulers
of Sodom and Gomorrah.)
a. "Religion"
for the sake of religion does not please God. (It only serves self
and pride.)
b. Matt.
23 -- Jesus called it hypocrisy.
c. II
Tim. 3:5 -- It is only a FORM of godliness (without any power).
d. James
1:22, 26 -- It deceives self.
3. Vs. 11 -- Speaks of motive.
Why do we perform our "religious" acts?
a. Matt.
15 -- Judah's heart was far from God, and their worship was mere
tradition.
b. God is tired
of mere "surface acts" of worship without true, heart-felt praise and
adoration (without realizing what we're doing).
4. Vs. 12 -- What is the motivating
force behind our worship?
a. If directed
by the Holy Spirit, our motives, actions, and worship will be right.
b. Otherwise,
it will not be pleasing to God.
c. Do we worship
because of man, or God?
5. God names some things that cause Him to
weary of our worship.
(WEARY = exhausted;
fatigued.)
a. Did you ever
think of God as growing tired? This is how He describes Himself in
vs. 14.
b. He is wearied by
our lifeless, meaningless "worship."
I. "WORSHIP" WITHOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Vs. 13 -- ". . . the new moons
and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies . . . it is iniquity,
even the solemn meeting."
Vs. 14 -- "Your new moons
and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a
trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them."
1. Judah was simply "going through the motions."
a. Trying to
worship God without attaching any special meaning to it.
b. Trying to
worship God and idols at the same time.
2. We often do the same with worship that
is mere form.
a. It lacks
God's power and displeases Him.
b. It comes
out of a divided heart -- Matthew 6:24.
3. This approach to worship had affected the
most sacred times.
a. SOLEMN
MEETING = holy convocation; the final day of Passover or festivals;
the time for contemplation and dedication.
b . SABBATHS, FEASTS,
ETC. = ref. to special times of worship.
4. Notice what God says about it:
a. Vs.
13 -- "It is iniquity" (vanity, trouble; wicked).
b. Vs.
14 -- "My soul hateth . . . "
c. Vs.
14 -- "They are a trouble unto me" (a burden; an
oppressive load).
d. Vs.
14 -- "I am weary to bear them" (endure; raise up).
5. God is not pleased and will not bless our
half-hearted efforts at worship, or our
"worship" that is
divided between Him and the world.
II. SACRIFICE THAT IS MERE RITUAL.
1. Vs. 13 -- "Bring no more
vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me."
a. OBLATION
= offering; any non-blood sacrifice; a meat (or meal) offering.
b. Indicates
a praise offering -- not a sin offering.
c. "Offerings
of vainglory -- emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility."
2. Vs. 11 -- God had gotten
enough of their ritualistic sacrifice.
a. For many,
sacrifice was not sacrifice (because of their wealth).
b. Others brought
less than acceptable sacrifices -- Malachi 1:6-8.
3. How many of us REALLY sacrifice to serve
and worship God (with our money, time,
talents, etc.)?
a. MONEY --
Spend more on pet food each year than on missions
($10 billion vs. $2 billion).
1) Spend more on cars, clothes, homes, and pleasure.
2) Instead of centering everything around our giving to God, we mold
our giving to
everything else.
b. TIME -- Give
God a little corner on Sunday (and maybe Wednesday).
What about daily prayer, Bible study, meditation, visitation?
c. TALENTS --
Do we fully give them to God or do we hold back -- fearing
embarrassment, faking modesty, or fostering laziness?
4. God says this type of "sacrifice" is "vain"
and "an abomination unto me"
a. VAIN = a
lie, emptiness; nothingness.
b. ABOMINATION
= disgusting.
III. PRAYER THAT IS PRETENSE.
Vs. 15 -- "When ye spread forth
your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you."
Vs. 15 -- "When ye make many prayers,
I will not hear."
1. The prayer life can't be right when the
heart and worship aren't right.
a. Psalm
66:18 -- "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not
hear me."
b. See Isaiah
59:1.
2. Notice what God desires in prayer:
a. Psalm
51:17 -- A broken and contrite heart.
b. I Tim. 2:8
-- [HOLY HANDS = pure lives (for the hands perform the works of
life.)]
3. The biggest problem we face in our prayer
life:
a. Not directed
by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27).
b. It has become
vain repetition (Matt. 6:7).
c. It is presented
to impress men (Matt. 6:5).
d. It is selfish
(James 4:2-3).
4. Prayer MUST be a pouring out of our hearts
before God. (And He will not underwrite
our sin -- lust, covetousness,
etc.)
5. Of the prayer that is pretense, God says:
a. "I will
hide mine eyes from you . . . "
(HIDE = to hide in neglect, or refusing aid.)
b. "I will not
hear." (HEAR = give heed.)
CONCLUSION:
1. Because of Judah's sins and lack of true
repentance and worship, God refused to hear
and bless the worship,
praise, and prayers they offered.
2. All of these are very real problems that
we face.
a. Our worship
has become ritual.
b. Ritual soon
becomes a meaningless form.
c. There is
little true repentance and worship of God.
3. What is the answer? Vv. 16-18.
4. The life will come back into our worship
and service of God only as we:
a. Confess our
sins before Him.
b. Seek to be
right with Him.
c. And submit
to His rule in ALL that we do.
