Empty Worship

The host of the Spirit of Life in Christ Ministries talks about the concept of empty worship and how it is important to understand the true meaning of church. He shares a personal experience of visiting a church where he felt the presence of God until they played a worldly song, which made him realize that God was not pleased. He emphasizes the importance of staying focused on God and not getting distracted by worldly things. He also references the book of Isaiah, where God calls out empty worship and urges the people to turn away from evil and seek righteousness. The host concludes by saying that if God is not pleased, nobody is pleased. Welcome to the Spirit of Life in Christ Ministries Word for today. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray for understanding according to your word. May our supplication come before you. Deliver us according to your promise. Our lips will overflow with praise as you teach us. May our tongues sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. May your hand be ready to help us, for we have chosen your precepts. We long for your salvation, O Lord, and your word is our delight. Let us live that we may praise you, and may your word sustain us as we study and search your word. We long for your salvation, and your word is our delight. In Jesus' great name we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining us. I'm your host, Apostle C. Bacon. Our topic for January 20, 2018 is entitled, Empty Worship. Our scripture reading is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, verses 1-20. Our summary reference is taken from the King James Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers. Isaiah, the son of Amos, was one of the most prominent citizens of Jerusalem, having access to both the royal and priestly leadership of the nation of Judah. His Hebrew name means, Yahweh is salvation. The significance of his name is revealed in his prophetic ministry, because he came on the scene of Judah's history at a time when it was of the utmost importance for the people to realize that salvation was of the Lord, and not merely by human efforts. Isaiah found himself standing against the threat of Assyria's rising imperialism, and the emergence of a spirit of universalism which began to turn the chosen people from the Lord. Praise the Lord. We praise the Lord today. The reason that I entitled this subject, Empty Worship, this morning, the Lord spoke to me a rhema word, and the rhema word was, empty worship. The first word he spoke to me. The second rhema word he said, call into question. And God began to remind me, he said, just because people see a group together in a building, doesn't make it a church. He said, simply because there's a group of people clapping and singing and think they're praising, it does not make it a church. And my mind went back to the meaning of church. It said that the church was a baptized body of believers in Christ. A baptized body of believers in Christ. So God told me, he said, it doesn't make it a church because a group of people come together. And he said, empty worship, and then he said, call into question. So here, I was taken back to Isaiah, the book of Isaiah, the first chapter, when God said, empty worship. And if you go to Isaiah, the first chapter, I notice in the tenth verse, something very, very important here. He said, hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom. This is in Isaiah 1 in 10. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. Now, those who understand the Bible, who know this script, this lesson about Sodom and Gomorrah, it was utterly destroyed by God. But God came to them and gave them chance after chance after chance. God is a forgiving God. God understands we're human. It's also in the Bible, he understands our frame, that we're dust. God understands us. But here, he told them to hear the word of the Lord. He said in verse 11, to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? Says the Lord, I am full of burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullock, or of lambs, or of he goats. Twelve, when you come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Thirteen, bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination unto me. The new moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with. It is iniquity. Even your solemn meetings, your new moons, and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth. They are troubling to me. I am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash you. Make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Believe the oppressed. Judge your fathers. Plead for the widow. Come now. Now here is God pleading with him. He said, Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow, and though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if ye refuse, or ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Lord. In 2002, the Lord gave me a word. And this was the word he gave me. He said, If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. That was the rhema word for me in 2002. And then in 2004, the Lord came back to me again and gave me another, the second part of that rhema word. Directly from scripture, the Lord told me I was sitting in my living room and God spoke to me. And he said, Do exactly as I tell you to do when I tell you to do it, or the sword will come. That was a Saturday. During a summer day, 2004, on a Saturday, I told my wife what the Lord told me. That Sunday, we went to visit a friend of ours, an apostle, and his wife, their ministry, went to visit their church. And he was up preaching. He stops, after we get in a few minutes, he stops in the middle of his message, asks me to stand, and gives me the same word that the Lord gave me Saturday. He said, Brother Preacher, the Lord wanted me to inform you that if you do not do exactly as he says, the sword will come. He said, Do you understand, Brother Preacher? I said, Yes, Apostle, I do understand. God spoke to me yesterday, the same word. He said, Walk the air in. And so, I said that to say this, is that many times, many times, we know. Let me change that. Sometimes people don't know where God brought them from. They don't know what God has done for them because they don't live it. They don't live like they do. And I have to be honest. But God calls, he'll call you into question. He'll call you into question. Or he'll challenge the accuracy of what you think you believe. Now, you notice I said what you think you believe. Because many times, we've been hurt by people. We've been wounded by people. And we feel like we feel because we want, we feel justified. We feel justified in feeling a certain way or reacting a certain way. Okay? But God will call us into question, especially if you know better. Especially if you know what God has done for you. Especially when you've seen and experienced the power of God in your life. Okay? Especially if you hear the voice of God. Okay? Now, God came to me because I understood the voice of God. When God called me, he called me by my name. And the first thing God did was send me to someone to give them a word. And when I did, it changed their life. And I was a youngster. I was only 12 years old. So I knew and understood still about God. But sometimes we get so busy with our life. We get so wrapped up, tied up and tangled up with jobs, with trying to make money, with having to raise a family. Until we turn to the left when we should go to the right. Sometimes we get too preoccupied with the things of the world, with jobs and money. And we lose our focus. So God had to even come to me and remind me, don't lose your focus. Okay? If you be willing and listen to me, you'll eat the good of the land. But if you refuse, the sword will come. So I'm saying that to say this. It's that God gave me that rhema word this morning. And his rhema word was empty worship. Empty worship. The first part of that was empty worship. Okay? He said, empty worship. Then he said, call into question. And he also said, just because there's a group of people together, does not make it a church. Because we know a church is a body of baptized believers in Christ. Not just a group of people coming and thinking they're worshiping God. Okay? Because I remember a situation where me and my wife went to visit a certain church. And the Spirit of God would move with this church. I mean, the Chicana glory would fall on this church. Because they gave God free reign. They worshiped God and they wouldn't let go until God came into place. And we went there and we would go and visit quite often and felt comfortable. We'd get right into the service. And the minute we settled down, we'd put our Bibles on the seat and I'd stand. And I'd get into service and worship God with them. And it was very enjoyable. And we enjoyed being there with them. And one day we walked in the church. And my usual routine, I'd put my Bible on the seat. I'd get ready to stand. And God said, don't stand. Sit down. Don't you stand up. You sit down. So I sat there and I looked over at my wife. I said, something's wrong. God is not pleased. And I sat there a while. And as I began, I continued to listen to the music. Lo and behold, they were playing a worldly song in the house of God. A song that had been written years ago by a very famous, famous individual in the world. And I said, oh my God. No wonder God is not pleased. So I turned to my wife and she said, yeah, I thought that's what it was. I said, okay. She said, what do you want to do? I said, we're going. We're out of here. Because if God is not pleased, nobody's pleased. You know, there's an old saying that goes, if mama's not pleased, nobody's pleased. Well, I'm here to let them know. I'm here to let you know today that if God is not pleased, nobody's pleased. The creator of heaven and earth. Hallelujah.