God Knows Exactly Where We Are; But Do We?

Matthew 15: 8-9 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.' (NLT)

Harsh words from our Lord and Savior. Harsh but also foreboding. For as in the time Jesus walked the earth, the same problems exist today. When Jesus spoke these words He was referring to the Pharisees the embodiment of religion in His time. They were the experts of the law. They served the self righteous rules they created though and not the true God they claimed. The spirit of the Pharisees is alive and well today in the church. Too many man made ideas and not enough God. These two verses provide us with an excellent opportunity to check ourselves. Four vital questions for us as we make sure that we are on the right track.

First of all, where are our lips today? Is our Christianity the best kept secret in the office? Are we living out our salvation? Do we properly attribute all glory to God for all He has given us? Or is it difficult to tell based upon our lips, whom we serve? Do we spend our time slandering others, tearing down people instead of bearing them up? Even the people we think "deserve it" or have somehow "wronged" us - we are supposed to bear them up; not just those we get along with:

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6: 1-3 (NLT)

That is gently and humbly, not smugly and self-serving. We should take no joy in the other person's plight and seek no malice towards them. Where are our lips today? Are we spreading gossip even if we think we can justify it somehow? Are we praying to gossip? Confiding in counsel to gossip? The tongue is a powerful weapon the enemy uses against us and the body of Christ:

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! James 3: 7-10 (NLT)

Do we check that poison or do we spread it throughout the body? Are we engaged in the practice of edifying the body or destroying it? According to Jesus, this is serious business beloved:

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12: 33-37

Acquitted or condemned and all by our words. But within these verses from Matthew lies the deeper problem. The mouth merely speaks out of the overflow of the heart.

Question two is where are our hearts today? What is overflowing from our hearts? Have we stored up in our hearts the things of God or the pride of man? Do we translate our wounds into opportunities to forgive as Christ forgave us or do we store up wrath for others? The Pharisees hearts were focused on their religion, their rules, and their pre-set thinking. They honored God with their lips they paid Him lip service. But their hearts had nothing to do with their words. Their actions had nothing to do with their words. Once again, based upon how Jesus addressed this, we can see how important it is to God:

"Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Luke 20: 46-47

Self-importance and pomp instead of the humility of Christ. But look at the contrast Jesus makes in verse 47. They devour widows' homes and for a show make lengthy prayers! Honoring with their lips while their actions do not line up with God. Where are your actions lining up in relation to the lip service you pay to God? Let us never be like Judas:

But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, "That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Not that he cared for the poor--he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself. John 12: 4-6 (NLT)

In the Gospel of Mark, this exchange immediately precedes Judas decision to betray Christ. How far can a heart get from our Lord? Note the self-righteousness in Judas and how easy it can be for us sometimes to slip into the same trap the enemy lays out for us. Judas must have rationalized the fact that he often took money himself from the Disciples just as we can rationalize away our part in the actions that are not of Christ in our lives. We can convince ourselves that we are on some mighty quest for a righteous cause, all the while doing the work of the enemy. Finding blame in everyone else for the simple fact that our heart is not aligning with the cause of Christ anymore and out of that overflow, our mouth does speak.

The third question for us today is where is our worship? Note the stern words from Jesus towards the Pharisees in the key verse their worship is a farce! A sham. Now I know that some might think that they would be aware of they were "faking it" but that is not what these verses mean. It means we can convince ourselves that we are worshipping God. We can lift our hands, raise our voices and cry out to Jesus at the altar but if our heart is not right, then our worship becomes a farce to God. He does not want you even at the altar if your heart is not right:

"So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5: 23-24

Worship is a sacrifice beloved and we are the temple now. Think about that in relation to these verses. Please note that from these verses we can be assured that God does not care if you think you are right! The verse reads that if you realize that someone else has something against you not the other way around! Your intent is simply not relevant to God. The only thing that is relevant to Him is that their not be division within the body. That we do not perpetuate the work of the enemy by contributing to that division. I know it is hard beloved, especially if the other person is truly wrong, or the offending party. It takes a tremendous amount of grace and mercy to be able to reconcile and forgive not merely with words but from the overflow of the heart. That grace and mercy we simply do not possess. We can only achieve it through Christ. As He forgave us to reconcile our souls to God, so we are called upon to extend grace and mercy to those who simply may not deserve it. Then we can go to the altar, cry out to God and expect that our sacrifice will be acceptable. Then we will be worshipping within the Spirit God has given us and in the truth that directs our lives.

But the time is coming--indeed it's here now--when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4: 23-24 (NLT)

The altar is a sacred place. The act of sacrifice is a sacred act. It is not the place for lengthy shows of emotionalism but for sincere communion with God. But to do so, it must be in a spirit that is of God. We must worship out of a pure heart. A heart that is not bitter or angry. A heart that is not holding anything against someone no matter how grievous the offense may have been. The act of raising ones hands in worship is a sign of surrender beloved. But God doesn't want our hands surrendered; He wants our hearts surrendered. He wants us broken before Him:

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Psalm 51: 17 (NLT)

Out of a repentant heart an overflow of the goodness and mercy of God will burst forth. We will speak the grace and mercy of God instead of the arrogance of man. We will seek to build the body and not tear it down. We will be concerned with the commands of God not the rules of man.

That bring us to the last question from the key verse - how is our relationship with God today? The Pharisees had made their own rules and claimed them to be from God! Too often Christians today can claim God is in any poor decision they make. The truth is that God does not desire religion. He wants relationship. In religion we can get lost in the rules of man. In relationship we learn the heart of God. We replace our own selfish motives and faux self-righteousness with the garment of humility before an awesome and holy God. This is how religion is discussed in the Book of James:

If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1: 26-27 (NLT)

Once again referring back to the tongue, out of which the heart speaks! How does God view "pure" religion? In our actions! How we take care of people. How we refuse to let the things of the world interfere with the things of God. It is not all about the sacrifice but rather about the heart making the sacrifice. If the heart is right then we are right before God

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. Hosea 6: 6 (NLT)

Showing love is a sacrifice to human nature. What are we showing beloved? Are we showing the love of God or are we offering empty sacrifices honoring Him only with our lips? Are we quick to point out the rules of religion or are we striving to know Him more? The more we know Him, the clearer His voice becomes in our lives.

You see, God knows where you are today and He knows where I am. He knows where your lips are and whether you are representing Him with your mouth only. He knows where your heart is today as well. He knows if it is far away from Him by making lengthy prayers and emotional pleas while devouring others in the body of Christ. He knows where your worship is today too. He knows if you are worshipping Him in spirit and in truth or if you have surrendered your hands but not your heart.

Lastly, He knows where your relationship is with Him today. He is trying to draw you unto Him to draw you closer to Him. But He needs a pure heart to approach Him. He needs a heart that is set about doing the will of Christ; not the will of Christianity. He wants to develop your relationship with Him, not your religiosity. He knows exactly where we are beloved. The only question is do we know?

Reverend Anthony Wade August 13, 2010