Transcript Can We Serve Church “Cafeteria Style”?, Part 1 Lesson 1 Does God Care How We Do Church?

Can We Serve Church “Cafeteria
Style”?, Part 1
Lesson 1
Does God Care How We Do Church?
I. Introduction
A. Church: Can we do it like Burger King
and “have it our way”?
B. The approach of this lesson
1. Old Testament backdrop
2. New Testament teaching
3. Implications for CBC
II. Old Testament Backdrop
A.
B.
C.
D.
Israel worships golden calf (Exodus 32)
Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3)
Moses strikes the rock (Numbers 20:1-3)
Warning about false prophets
(Deuteronomy 13, 18)
E. Jeroboam’s false worship (1 Kings
12:25—13:10)
F. Israel and the Ark of the Covenant
1. The ark is a casualty of war (1 Samuel 4)
2 The
Philistines arranged their forces to fight Israel. As the
battle spread out, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who
killed about four thousand men in the battle line in the field. 3
When the army came back to the camp, the elders of Israel
said, “Why did the LORD let us be defeated today by the
Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark of the covenant of the
LORD from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us from the
hand of our enemies. 4 So the army sent to Shiloh, and they
took from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts
who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli,
Hophni and Phineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of
God (1 Samuel 4:2-4).
19 His
daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and
close to giving birth. When she heard that the ark of God was
captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were
dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But her labor pains
were too much for her. 20 As she was dying, the women who
were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given
birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention. 21
She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed
from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and the
deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The
glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has
been captured” (1 Samuel 4:19-22).
2. The ark is “too hot to handle” (1 Samuel 5)
6 The
LORD attacked the residents of Ashdod severely,
bringing devastation on them. He struck the people of
both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores. 7 When
the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said,
“The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us,
for he has attacked both us and our god Dagon!” 8 So they
assembled all the leaders of the Philistines and asked,
“What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”
They replied, “The ark of the God of Israel should be
moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of
Israel (1 Samuel 5:6-8).
3. The ark is sent home (1 Samuel 6)
7 So
now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves
and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows
to the cart and take their calves from them back to their stalls. 8
Then take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart, and put in
a chest beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt
offering. You should then send it on its way. 9 But keep an eye on
it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth
Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if
that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand
that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.” 10 So the
men did as instructed. They took two cows that had calves and
harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their
stalls (1 Samuel 6:7-10, emphasis mine).
4. The ark is sent to another home -- Still too
hot to handle (1 Samuel 6:19 - 21)
19 But
the LORD struck down some of the people of Beth
Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD; he
struck down 50,070 of the men. The people grieved because
the LORD had struck the people with a hard blow. 20 The
residents of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand before
the LORD, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from
here?” 21 So they sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath
Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the
LORD. Come down here and take it back home with you” (1
Samuel 6:19-21).
5. The ark is neglected during the life of Saul
1 David
consulted with his military officers, including those
who led groups of a thousand and those who led groups of a
hundred. 2 David said to the whole Israelite assembly, “If you
so desire and the LORD our God approves, let’s spread the
word to our brothers who remain in all the regions of Israel,
and to the priests and Levites in their cities, so they may join
us. 3 Let’s move the ark of our God back here, for we did not
seek his will throughout Saul’s reign” (1 Chronicles 13:1-3).
6. Effort fails to bring the ark to Jerusalem
3 They
loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from
the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,
the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. 4 They
brought it with the ark of God up from the house of Abinadab
on the hill. Ahio was walking in front of the ark, 5 while David
and all Israel were energetically celebrating before the LORD,
singing and playing various stringed instruments, tambourines,
rattles, and cymbals. 6 When they arrived at the threshing floor
of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of the ark of
God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD was so furious
with Uzzah, he killed him on the spot for his negligence. He
died right there beside the ark of God (2 Samuel 6:3-7).
8 David
was angry because the LORD attacked Uzzah; so he
called that place Perez Uzzah, which remains its name to this
very day. 9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said,
“How will the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” 10 So
David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the LORD to
be with him in the City of David. David left it in the house of
Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the
house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The LORD
blessed Obed-Edom and all his family (2 Samuel 6:8-11,
emphasis mine).
7. Success at last
12 David was told, “The LORD has blessed the family of ObedEdom and everything he owns because of the ark of God.” So
David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house
of Obed-Edom to the City of David. 13 Those who carried the
ark of the LORD took six steps and then David sacrificed an ox
and a fatling calf. 14 Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was
dancing with all his strength before the LORD. 15 David and all
Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD, shouting and
blowing trumpets (2 Samuel 6:12-15, emphasis mine).
1 David
constructed buildings in the City of David; he then
prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2
Then David said, “Only the Levites may carry the ark of God,
for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and
to serve before him perpetually. 3 David assembled all Israel at
Jerusalem to bring the ark of the LORD up to the place he had
prepared for it (1 Chronicles 15:3, emphasis mine).
13 “You are to make poles of acacia wood, overlay them with
gold, 14 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in
order to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles must remain in the
rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it” (Exodus
25:13-15).
8. The insignificance of the ark in the future
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Lord spoke
again through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Ask the following questions
to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest
Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the remnant of the people: 3 ‘Who
among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple?
How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison?
. . . 9 ‘The future splendor of this temple will be greater than
that of former times,’ the Lord who rules over all declares, ‘and
in this place I will give peace’” (Haggai 2:1-3, 9; see Ezra 3:12).
14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for
I am your true master. If you do, I will take one of you from
each town and two of you from each family group, and I will
bring you back to Zion. 15 I will give you leaders who will be
faithful to me. They will lead you with knowledge and insight.
16 In those days, your population will greatly increase in the
land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk
about having the ark that contains the Lord’s covenant
with us. They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss
it. No, that will not be done any more! 17 At that time the
city of Jerusalem will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations
will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. They
will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own
evil hearts” (Jeremiah 3:14-17, emphasis mine).
III. The Church in the New Testament –
how concerned is God about how
we do church?
A. What changes did the New Covenant
bring related to the church?
B. Compared to the Old Testament, how
rigid are God’s instructions regarding
how we do church?
C. Is God serious in His dealings with those
who fail to worship as they should?
IV. Lessons from the Church in 1
Corinthians
A. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled
master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it.
And each one must be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay
any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each builder’s work will be plainly
seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by
fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. 14 If
what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If
someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will
be saved, but only as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
B. 1 Corinthians 3:16 - 17
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that
God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If someone destroys
God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s
temple is holy, which is what you are (1 Corinthians
3:16-17).
C. 1 Corinthians 5
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little
yeast affects the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the
old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough – you
are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb,
has been sacrificed. 8 So then, let us celebrate the festival,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with
the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth (1
Corinthians 5:6-8).
D. 1 Corinthians 10:14 - 22
14 So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking to
thoughtful people. Consider what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing
that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that
we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one
bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread.
18 Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices
partners in the altar? 19 Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to
them amount to anything? 20 No, I mean that what the pagans
sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be
partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and
the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and
the table of demons. 22 Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to
jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is? (1 Corinthians 10:14-22)
E. 1 Corinthians 11:17 - 34
17 Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you,
because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For in the first place, when you come together as a church I
hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19
For there must in fact be divisions among you, so that those of
you who are approved may be evident. 20 Now when you come
together at the same place, you are not really eating the Lord’s
Supper. 21 For when it is time to eat, everyone proceeds with his
own supper. One is hungry and another becomes drunk. 22 Do
you not have houses so that you can eat and drink? Or are you
trying to show contempt for the church of God by shaming those
who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise
you? I will not praise you for this! (1 Corinthians 11:17-22)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to
you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was
betrayed took bread, 24 and after he had given thanks he
broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do
this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he also
took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new
covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in
remembrance of me.” 26 For every time you eat this bread
and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he
comes. 27 For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of
the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:23-27,
emphasis mine).
28 A person should examine himself first, and in this way let
him eat the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For the one who
eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats
and drinks judgment against himself. 30 That is why many
of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. 31 But if
we examined ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when
we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may
not be condemned with the world. 33 So then, my brothers and
sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34
If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that when you
assemble it does not lead to judgment. I will give directions
about other matters when I come (1 Corinthians 11:28-34,
emphasis mine).
V. Conclusion: Lessons for the church today
A. How we “do church” matters to God
B. Men grow careless in worship when
They get too casual in their worship
They grow careless with His Word
They grow cold in their relationship
Their sense of the holiness of God diminishes
C. Idolatry is the worship of a “lesser god”
D. We must constantly be reminded of
The holiness of God
The greatness of our sin
The magnitude of the work of Christ in the cross of
Calvary
Copyright © 2008 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited PowerPoint
presentation of Lesson 1 in the series, Can We Serve Church Cafeteria Style?, prepared
by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on January 20, 2008. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson
for educational purposes only, with or without credit.