Worship Preparation Guide for Sunday, November 1

God calls and redeems his people to walk with Him in humility and obedience, and in so doing we reflect His character and ways to the world around us.  When instead we turn away from God and turn to the world, becoming more like them than like Him, when God’s Word and ways are ignored, the results are devastating.  Lives fall apart, families crumble and society begins to unravel.  When this happens we can expect God to act according to His character, His Word and His ways.  We can expect cleansing judgment and redeeming grace.   That is the message we find in this week's sermon text from Isaiah 2: 22 – 4:1

Again we need to be reminded not to read Isaiah and notice only their sin and their failures.  Isaiah’s word to us is that human pride was the root of their sin, and pride is the root of our sin as well.  Our hearts are the same as theirs.

The situation we see unfolding in Isaiah 3 could well be taken from any city in our country.  Corrupt leaders, the poor and needy ignored and exploited, and sinful lifestyles proudly paraded.  Against all this the Lord “takes His place to contend; He stands to judge peoples” (Is 3:13).  

We should carefully note what else provokes the Lord’s indictment and judgment.  God’s people have stumbled and fallen “because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord” (Is 3:8).   Alec Motyer reminds us, “Sins of speech are one of the most lightly regarded of all sins today, and one of the most serious in the Bible’s estimation.”     The words we speak and the way we speak them is taken very seriously by God. 

This week in worship we will pray, we will sing, we will speak to one another, and we will speak to God.  James reminds us that the tongues we use to praise God can also be used for sinful purposes.  “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9-10). 

When it comes to our worship and the way we prepare for it, our words matter greatly.  As we prepare to come before God in worship this week we would do well to pay attention to this word from Isaiah 59:1-3: “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.  For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.” 

This prayer from David will be a part of my prayer as I prepare for worship this Sunday.  I ask you to make it the cry of your heart as well.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,  O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.  (Psalm 19:14)

This Sunday is a significant day for us as a Protestant Church.  It is Reformation Day.  “At the time, few would have suspected that the sound of a hammer striking the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany, would soon be heard around the world. Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, provoked a debate that culminated finally in what we now call the Protestant Reformation.” http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-reformation-day-all-about/

We will sing Martin Luther’s great hymn of faith, A Might Fortress is Our God.

A mighty fortress is our God, 

A bulwark never failing; 

Our helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing;

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe, 

His craft and pow'r are great,

And armed with cruel hate; 

On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide 

Our striving would be losing; 

Were not the right Man on our side, 

The Man of God's own choosing;

Dost ask who that may be Christ Jesus it is He, 

Lord Sabaoth His name,

From age to age the same, 

And He must win the battle.

And tho' this world with devils filled 

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear for God hath willed 

His truth to triumph thru us;

The prince of darkness grim, 

We tremble not for him; 

His rage we can endure,

For lo his doom is sure, 

One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow'rs, 

No thanks to them abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours 

Thru Him who with us sideth;

Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; 

The body they may kill,

God's truth abideth still, 

His kingdom is forever.

I am praying for you and I look forward to seeing you at Westwood this Sunday.