Consider Your Steps

How do we approach worship? If we were to be honest tonight, do we give any real thought to how we approach God when we come to worship? Do we consider Who we are coming to appear before? Do we consider what we say and do? Do we consider how we dress and how we structure and organize different aspects of the worship service? Tonight we want to learn to Consider Our Steps as we study this passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Red text. Pray.

1. Prepare Yourself For Worship (v.1a)

2. Listen Before You Speak (v.1b)

Job 38:1–3 ESV

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

Job 38:1-3

3. Consider Carefully What You Promise to the Lord (vv. 2-7a)

James 5:12 ESV

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

4. Fear the Lord (v.7b)

A. Fear precedes Knowledge and Wisdom of God

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Job 28:28 ESV

And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

B. Fear precedes the acknowledgement of Sin to God

Genesis 3:10 ESV

And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Gen. 3:

C. Fear Precedes the Keeping of God’s Commands

Jonah 1:16 ESV

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

D. Fear Precedes the Keeping of God’s Commands

Exodus 20:20 ESV

Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

D. Fear or dread of God precedes worship of God.

Jonah 1:16 ESV

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Job 15:4 ESV

But you are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God.

Jesus ultimately is the greatest example to us of a proper fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:1–3 ESV

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

Isaiah 11:1-3

Conclusion:

Tonight I hope that you have seen the way that we should approach God is often far from the way that we really do come before Him. We need to consider our ways before the Lord. We need to guard our steps when we come to the house of the Lord. We don’t need to stay away when we have sinned, but all the more we need to draw near to receive His mercy and quickly be restored back to proper fellowship with God and His people.

However I think we can agree that if we will consider our steps before we worship the Lord, not only will we get much more out of the worship service, but we will also honor the Lord far better than many are doing these days. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, as the Psalmist says

Psalm 50:14 ESV

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psalm 50:23 ESV

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Psalm 107:22 ESV

And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!