Worshipping in Truth.
The sermon emphasizes the importance of worshiping in Spirit and in truth, and warns against the dangers of conditional salvation and bad theology in worship songs.
Gareth Evans addresses the congregation, emphasizing the importance of commitment to Christian disciplines like prayer and Bible study. However, concerns arise as he warns about the possibility of losing salvation due to lack of commitment, contradicting the belief in God's promise to never leave or forsake His people. The congregation, including the elders, questions the preacher's theology, highlighting the need for discernment in the songs sung during worship, as they often contain theological errors that can mislead believers.
Text
The visiting preacher was causing me much concern. He had a pleasant manner and the congregation were listening with interest to his message but my concern was due to the things he was saying. He was urging them to become more committed in the Christian disciplines of prayer and Bible study. That was OK but he was also threatening them that they could lose their salvation if they were not so committed.
"Be very careful that the Lord does not remove His Spirit from you," he warned. I glanced at the elders of our church and saw that they were also concerned at what we considered to be heresy. Hadn't the Lord declared that He would "never leave us nor forsake us"? Didn't we preach that our salvation depended on the finished work of the cross and not on our own efforts?
Isn't it the Lord's responsibility to keep us and His Spirit's to guide us? Did this preacher really believe that we could lose our salvation because of an undisciplined prayer life or inconsistent Bible study? I was about to step forward to quietly ask him to close when he came to the end of his message.
I was relieved as the worship team stepped forward to lead us in Praise & Worship. We started to sing the first song, - one I loved well until I heard myself singing "Cast me not away from Thy presence O Lord. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me ..."
These words from the Psalmist David, might well express his sentiments at a time when the Holy Spirit came upon the people of God and then might leave again. However that is not the promise of the New testament when the Spirit has come to dwell within the believer - not upon him.
I began to consider other songs we sing and was surprised to find how often we sing bad theology. We permit things to be sung in praise that we would never allow to be said as doctrine! Yet our songs are the only doctrine that many believers know today.
Instead of our pastors being the ones who teach us, our new theologians are the song writers, many of whom are babes in the faith. How can it be worship when it is based on errors of doctrine. We need to be far more careful in the selection of the songs we sing.
God is still seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Dangers of Conditional Salvation
- A. The threat of losing salvation due to lack of commitment
- B. The importance of understanding the true nature of salvation
- II. The Promise of God's Presence
- A. The New Testament promise of the Spirit dwelling within believers
- B. The difference between the Old and New Testaments regarding the Spirit
- III. The Problem with Modern Worship
- A. The spread of bad theology through song lyrics
- B. The need for careful selection of worship songs
- IV. The Call to True Worship
- A. The importance of worshiping in Spirit and in truth
- B. The need for believers to seek God's presence in a genuine way
Key Quotes
“Be very careful that the Lord does not remove His Spirit from you.” — Gareth Evans
“Isn't it the Lord's responsibility to keep us and His Spirit's to guide us?” — Gareth Evans
“God is still seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” — Gareth Evans
Application Points
- We should be careful not to spread bad theology through our worship songs.
- We need to understand the true nature of salvation and not base it on our own efforts.
- We should seek God's presence in a genuine way, worshiping in Spirit and in truth.