Well Ordered Worship

The word “liturgy” has become somewhat a dirty word in the American church. It is associated with a rigid formalism that is often boring at best and inauthentic hypocrisy at worse. However, the word “liturgy” simply refers to what we do in worship. Therefore, every church has a liturgy, because every church “does” something in worship. The question is not whether or not a church will have a liturgy, but whether or not a church has a biblical liturgy. So the first point we need to remember is this:

Every Church Has a Liturgy, Not Every Church Has a Good Liturgy

Perhaps this may sound judgmental to you. To say that some churches have a bad liturgy is not politically correct by the standards of today’s secular society. However, we should not be living and judging by the standards of our secular society, but by the standards of the Word of God. Even from the pages of the New Testament we can see that some churches did not have a good, biblical liturgy. For example, the Corinthian church; turn with me to 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.

This passage is part of a larger segment in 1 Corinthians in which Paul is criticizing and correcting the worship practices of the Corinthians. In other words, Paul is attempting to reform the Corinthian church’s liturgy so that it moves from being a bad liturgy, to becoming a good liturgy. Let us begin our reading:

1 Corinthians 14:26–40 ESV

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. 36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things should be done decently and in order.

As I read this passage I am sure that what immediately caught your attention where the hotbed issues of charismatic gifts and the role of women in ministry. These are very important topics, but focusing on them can blind us to the most important things Paul has to say in this passage, for in it he gives us the guidelines for a good liturgy.

The Guidelines for a Good Liturgy

I first want to draw your attention to verse 33.

1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

This verse gives us the first guideline to help us judge good liturgy.

God is Not a God of Confusion, but of Peace

Once again we see that the character of God must be in the forefront of our minds when we think about worship. We began this series by looking at Hebrews 12:28-29.

Hebrews 12:28–29 ESV

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Our God is a God Like No Other! He is the creator of heaven and earth. Every other being (even the so called gods), are but mere creatures, totally dependent on God for their existence. Therefore, God is not to be trifled with, he is a consuming fire, and must be worshiped with reverence and awe.

Now we learn in our passage today that God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Our emotional and inter-personal lives are often filled with conflict—not so with God. Within the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—dwell in perfect harmony. God’s emotions are not out of control, but correspond in perfect harmony with his character.

The worship at Corinth was anything but harmonious. Men and women were in conflict and competition with one another. Members were attempting to out do one another in the exercise of spiritual gifts. The rich were insulting and overlooking the poor. Paul reminds them that this should not be so.

One of the guiding principles of Reformed worship is what is know as The Dialogical Principle. Reformed theologians have noted that in Scripture, God speaks and the people respond. In biblical worship, God is always the “star of the show.” In our worship service God speaks to his people through the reading or preaching of the Word. If you will look carefully at our order of worship, you will note that everything is a response to God speaking to his people through his Word.

Moreover, the response is a corporate response. As Paul concludes his letter to the Romans, he writes:

Romans 15:5–6 ESV

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In worship, we must strive to reflect the unity of the Godhead. In Reformed Worship, we attempt as much as possible to take attention away from individual people and place it on God. Therefore, the human response is a corporate response: “with one voice” we glorify God.

To achieve this unity, there must be some type of order to our worship, therefore we find the second guideline in our morning Scripture text at verse 40.

1 Corinthians 14:40 ESV

40 But all things should be done decently and in order.

All Things Should be Done Decently and in Order

Because God is not a God of confusion, God honoring worship must be done decently and orderly.

For the most part, American society values individual freedom above order. We judge extemporaneous worship more authentic and planned worship, but our holy God deserves something better than worship that is thrown together on the fly. For example, when a man really wants to honor his wife, he carefully plans a date night. If a man puts little effort into the relationship, his wife will soon know that he doesn’t value her. It is not without significance that the old marriage vows called for the husband to “worship” his wife.

Worshiping God in an unorganized, thoughtless manner dishonors Him.

Moreover, we would do well as Americans to remind ourselves that the world’s definition of freedom is not God’s. True freedom is possible only when we are in right relationship with God.

2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Consequently, we are most free when we are bound to God and obey him.

1 Peter 2:16 ESV

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Another characteristic of Godly freedom is that it is other-focused, rather than self-focused.

Galatians 5:13 ESV

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

This focus on the good of others leads us to the final guideline we find in our passage:

All Things Should be Done for Building Up

This is found in verse 26 of our text.

1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

If you have been following this series this should not surprise you. As we have been learning the church is called to make disciples and this discipleship is to take place primarily in the assembly of the saints on the Lord’s Day.

When we ask ourselves the question, what should we be doing in our worship, part of the answer is found in what builds others up. Some members of the Corinthian church were using corporate worship as a means of building themselves up. They would exercise their spiritual gifts, not to build up other members of the congregation, but to build up their own egos. Sadly this can still be a problem in churches. People preach, play and sing all for the hope of getting praise. This is why saying “Amen” is always a better response than applause in a Christian worship service. We need to communicate to people that we appreciate their time and effort, but the time to do so in not during worship, because in worship we want God to receive all the attention and glory!

Let’s now see how these general principle apply to a liturgy or order of worship:

The Template of Reformed Worship

Our order of worship today follows the pattern of the most formal Reformed Worship. The PCA’s Directory of Worship, found in our Book of Church Order, recognizes that there is no complete “order of worship” found in the pages of the New Testament. Consequently congregations have the freedom to arrange the order of worship according to their unique needs and circumstances. However, there is value in examining the most generic Reformed Liturgy.

Preparing to Worship

When God’s people gather together there is a unique opportunity do certain things that would be more difficult at other times of the week, for example, making verbal announcements. Rather than interrupting worship most Reformed congregations place announcements either before or after the worship service.

Other things that can be done at this time are reports, such as the one we received today from Andy Warren or personal testimonies. At first glance it would seem that a report of what God is doing is worship. Certainly hearing such reports or testimonies can inspire us to praise and worship God. For example after the release of Peter and John in Acts 4, they went back to the other believers and reported what had happened. After they reported what had happened the people worshiped and praised God. There worship was so powerful this is what happened:

Acts 4:31 ESV

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

This shows how important the preparation for worship is. When done correctly, the ground shakes! This is why our elders have been encouraging you as a congregation to use the Prelude to prepare you hearts for worship. Christian fellowship is important and sweet, however, we need a prelude of focus our minds and hearts of the task of worship we are about to enter into.

Approaching God in Praise

This is perhaps the part of our liturgy that all other Christian churches share with us and this is to be expected. Throughout Scripture and especially in the Psalms, we read time and time again that when God’s people come into the presence of God, they must come with praise on their lips. For example:

Psalm 100:1–2 ESV

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

It is here that we Invoke God’s blessing upon the service, recite the Lord’s Prayer and sing a Song of Praise. It is also the place that Reformed believers traditionally recite a Confession or Creed. This is done to remind us that we must worship God in unity and harmony. Let me read from Romans 15 again.

Romans 15:5–6 ESV

The Gloria Patri is sung as a way for us to “with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The next part of the Reformed Liturgy is arguably the most important. It goes by many names, but I have chosen to label it the...

Re-enacting the Covenant of Grace

We all need to be reminded of God’s forgiveness and acceptance that is found in the Gospel. We need to hear it, because we continue to sin. We will not be sinless until we are glorified in heaven. Until that day, Christ have given us the Balm of the Gospel to apply to our wounds.

In this part of our liturgy we hear the Law of God and are reminded that we are sinners. We Corporately Confess Our Sins, hear a Word of Assurance of Pardon and respond with a Song of Thanksgiving.

This is following the Guilt, Grace, Gratitude pattern found throughout Scripture.

If there is anything we want people to take away from our worship services it is the assurance that their sins are forgiven them in Christ!

The next part of our worship service is...

The Means of Grace

The means that God has given his people to receive grace are these: Prayer, the Reading and Preaching of the Word of God, and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. At Greene Valley, we don’t typically place our Prayer of Intercession here, but perhaps we should, because this part of the service reminds us where we find the grace we need to get us through the week. We find that grace in prayer, the Word of God and remembering our participation in the sacraments.

Many feel Reformed Liturgy is too predictable and repetitive, but I contend that this is exactly what Christ intended. Throughout Scripture, God frowns on innovation in worship. A few weeks ago we learned that when Nadab and Abihu innovated, God came to them as a “consuming fire”!

God’s intention is not to squelch our creativity, but to form “holy habits” in us. This habits nourish and protect us as we grow into spiritual maturity. Each Sunday as we come and hear the Word read and preached, pray together and participate in the Sacraments we are equipped with the spiritual skills to survive in a spiritually hostile world. As we have learned, God calls us out of this world to worship Him, but after the worship is concluded God sends us back into this world to be salt and light. The habits we form in corporate worship are our survival skills in a hostile world.

Before He sends us back out however, He wants to give us his blessing and this brings us to the last part of the Reformed liturgy.

Responding in Thanksgiving and Blessing

Having received the means of grace, our natural response if thanksgiving. If is here that traditionally the Receiving of Tithes and Offerings takes place. It is not a response to a “good sermon” or “inspiring music”, it is a response of thanksgiving to a gracious God!

This is also the place for a Departing Song. This song is a response of obedience or praise to the Sermon.

Finally, the service concludes with God having the final Word—The Benediction. The benediction is a blessing God pronounces upon the God through the minister. It is not the minister’s blessing, but God’s!

What a great we to end our time of corporate worship—with God’s blessing!

Many churches to day have done away with the benediction, the prayer of intercession, the confession of sin and the assurance of pardon all in the hopes of being more “seeker friendly” and “relevant” to today’s society. I can think of nothing more unfriendly and impractical than to remove these things from Christian worship. If someone is truly seeking God and His grace these are the things they desperately need to hear. We all need to hear the good news of the gospel, the assurance of pardon from our sins and that God’s blessing rests on us!

I hope today’s message has given you a greater appreciation for Reformed Liturgy. Let us pray...

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