Genuine Worship - Beacon Sunday Service: September 7th, 2025

Can we all rise for the reading of God's word? If you're able to, um your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 9, verse 22, and I'll be reading to chapter 10, verse 1. And this is the reading of God's word. Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And he stepped down after offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. Then they came out and blessed the people, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar, and all the people saw it and shouted and fell on their faces.

Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans and put fire in them. Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh. Then Moses said to Aaron, it is what Yahweh spoke, saying, By those who come near me, I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be glorified. So Aaron kept silent. Let's pray. Lord, we just uh ask today that you would just um open up our hearts and minds to what you have to speak to us, Lord. I just ask for your grace and mercy as I'll be speaking. God, I pray that it wouldn't be out of my own thoughts or reasonings, but Lord, that truly your word would come forth, Lord.

I ask, Lord, that we be blessed and just have an understanding of just how holy of a God you are, and Lord, that we would have an understanding of what you demand in worship. And so, Lord, help us uh today to do so, to open up our eyes and our hearts to that. Uh Lord, we thank you, we love you, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Uh so I'll be seated. And if you uh just keep your Bibles open to chapter 10, verse 1 to 3, that's basically what I'm gonna try to go through today. Have you ever been somewhere that made you feel a deep sense of awe? Perhaps a national park or atop a mountain, looking at the landscape. You whisper instead of shout, stand a little straighter, and you feel small, but in a good way.

A couple years ago, our family went to the Grand Canyon, and we could not help but simply utter wow. We stood in front of the Grand Canyon, and all we could say was, wow. And that moment invoked a sense of awe as we were just breathtaken by the beauty of creation before us. And in that same sense, awe is the beginning of worship. We were created to worship. That example is just a small illustration of what happens when we come into the presence of God. Worship is an invitation to awe, where God is at the center. So as we work through our passage today, here's some questions to regard or some questions to think about as we uh think about worship. So, what is Sunday? And what's the significance of our Sunday gathering?

How sacred is Sunday worship? Is Sunday truly the Lord's day? We often call it that. Is God truly the reason that we gather? And this is a sobering one. Is it possible that some of the worship we offer on Sunday might actually be rejected by God? Our text today is a sobering reminder of what worship looks like in Scripture. It teaches us three truths about worshiping a holy God. We'll be working backwards through the text, not trying to be clever, but I want to set the big picture and just the way that it's laid out. I'm going to lay the foundation, and then I'm going to draw it a little bit closer to our hearts, to our own corporate worship setting here, and even our own personal worship of God.

And so this is kind of the outline. We'll be looking at the sacredness of worship in verses two and three. That's chapter 10, verses 2 and 3. We'll be looking at the specificity of worship in verse 1, and then also in verse 1, we're going to look at the selflessness of worship. So let me set the scene for our verses. God has appeared, and it looks like he accepted the worship of his people. We saw that in verse 24, chapter 9, verse 24. Then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar, and all the people saw it and shouted and fell on their faces. After Israel's exodus out of Egypt, and before they entered into the promised land, they wandered in the wilderness for about 40 years.

And this place, our passage takes place in the latter half of their wanderings. They've stood at Mount Sinai, where God descended in thunder and lightning, and then they've built this tabernacle as God has commanded. And in Exodus 40, verse 34 to 35, it says, then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the clouds settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Now at night, fire blaz above the tabernacle. So imagine you're an Israelite. You peek out of your tent flat, and you see fire hanging over God's tabernacle, over God's house. In that moment, would you ever doubt that worship matters?

Now, imagine if that same thing happened above this building each and every Sunday. Maybe a column of cloud or fire appears. Would we come to worship in the same way? Or would our posture, our reverence, or even our preparation for Sunday be a little bit different? That's the background of Leviticus 10. God had just accepted sacrifices with fire. The people fell on their faces with awe. But then things take an awkward and terrifying turn. Two of the priests decide to do things their own way, and they're struck down. This vivid scene shows us that the holy God of Israel was dwelling among his people and demands that his people worship him on his terms. And why? It's because Israel was to be his chosen and holy nation.

And so Leviticus, as we're looking at it today, was essentially a guidebook for the priests and for the people of Israel. He records all the laws that revolve around God's holy character, and it answers this question. How can sinful man be reconciled to a holy God? One of the central themes of Leviticus is the holiness of God and the expectation that his people would reflect that very holiness. In fact, the root word for holy appears more than a hundred and fifty times in the book. It's God's holy character that sets Israel apart from every other nation. As his people, they were supposed to follow the statutes given by their holy God. And Leviticus lays out God's holy standard. It provides instructions for how the people were to pursue personal holiness and communal holiness as a nation.

More specifically, Leviticus outlines and explains how the sacrifices, the feasts, the offerings were to be carried out in relation to this newly inaugurated tabernacle. But these were just temporary measures to deal with sin. Ultimately, they point forward to the one perfect sacrifice that comes in Christ. So, why are these sacrifices so essential? It's the same problem we have today as yesterday. It's because of the presence of sin. And so these sacrifices were essential because Israel could not continue as a covenant people of God if that wasn't addressed. And again, that principle is it applies to us today. We are also sinners, right? But the difference today, as back then, is that we have the perfect sacrifice in Jesus Christ.

And that allows us to approach God, our holy God in his grace. So I want to point out that everything in Leviticus, the laws, the sacrifices, the tabernacle, the priesthood, all of it finds its fulfillment in Christ. He's the one who perfectly kept the law, lived a sinless life, died as a sacrifice for our sin, and was the very presence of God in human flesh. So, just as sacrifice is essential to our salvation, another problem arises in both our generation today and also the Israelite generation. And here it is.

So for the Israelites, the way that looked, they had the visible presence of Yahweh in a cloud by day and fire by night. They also had the precision and the depth of the laws that emphasized God's holiness. The tabernacle and its sacrificial systems were gracious gifts, and it was God making a way for his people to worship and serve him in purity and truth. Today, again, we have the completed work of Christ on the cross, his death, resurrection, and his salvation once and for all for all of the elect. All that to say, uh, let's get into the meat of our passage and address what genuine worship of God is. So we're going to start in Leviticus chapter 10, verses 2 and 3. And this is the sacredness of worshiping holy God.

I'm going to read it for us. It says, and fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh. Then Moses said to Aaron, it is what Yahweh spoke, saying, by those who come near me, I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be glorified. So Aaron kept silent. To help us understand these verses, if we go back to Exodus chapter 40, you don't have to turn there. But there, Moses could not even approach the tent because Yahweh was residing there. Yahweh filled the tabernacle, and it was impossible for man to approach God. And so when a sinner is in the presence of the Lord, they cannot approach unless by the grace of God their sins are atoned for.

Holiness, righteousness, and justice hate sin and also the sinner. And that exact problem is why the system of sacrifice is provided by God and instituted by Israel to symbolize that sin is being atoned for. So, for the Israelites, they were to be a nation that was set apart for the worship of Yahweh. There was an absolute sacredness to how they were to come before God. They're to be a holy nation because of God's holy nature. So let me illustrate.

If I drop it, I'll just shrug. It is what it is. I'll still use it. And the cup is useful. It's common, it's ordinary, but it's not sacred. I don't really care if it breaks, I'll just get a new one. But my wife and I, uh, we also have fine wedding china. And those dishes, we don't use those every day. It's only when we have special guests. Um, and they're set apart, they're special, they're handled with care. And in that sense, they're holy. So now multiply that set apartness by infinity. And that's how much more God's people were to be holy. Israel was God's holy set apart nation. So, knowing this context, in Leviticus 8 and 9, it outlines the ordination and the inauguration of the priesthood.

And originally I was going to give you a brief 24-step outline of each and every step, but I'm not going to do that. Um, but I want to highlight the fact that if you're an Israelite worshiper and you're observing the ordination, the inauguration, or even any of the sacrifices, really, it'll be blatantly obvious that the atonement for sin is very specific, and it's also extremely bloody. I've been to some pretty bloody murder scenes, and the blood at those murder scenes would look like a paper cut compared to these sacrifices. There's a lot of blood.

All the sacrifices were done in a very specific, careful and meticulous way that's all presumably repeated for seven days leading into the inauguration of Aaron and his sons, Nadab and Abihu. And the culmination of all of that, we read that already, was Leviticus 9 24. Once all of that is offered, then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar, and all the people saw it and shouted and fell on their faces. All of the people, including Nadab and Abihu, witnessed what happens when God's holy statues, statutes are followed out specifically and meticulously in faith.

They shouted, they fell on their faces, and this is what happens when holy God reveals himself. Worship will inevitably happen.

When we come before the presence of holy God to worship him, we should probably feel a sense of fear and awe and trembling. We can't help but to worship. And Pastor Peter last week he touched upon this, just speaking in Jonah and the seasoned sailors. They greatly feared Yahweh when they encountered Yahweh in the storm. And so my follow-up question is this. What's our posture of worship when we come before God? Do we approach God, holy God, with fear and trembling? Or do we approach him appropriately with humility when we worship? What is our posture when we come before him? Well, I can confidently tell you that for Nadab and Abihu, they did not approach God with fear and trembling. Um with humility.

Because if we read in verse 2 and 3, it says that fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh. Then Moses said to Aaron, it is what Yahweh spoke, saying, By those who come near me, I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be glorified. What's interesting is that the same fire that came out of the presence of Yahweh that consumed the original burnt offering during the inauguration was the same fire that burnt up Nadab and Abihu. They did not treat God as holy, and they did not glorify God. So let me ask you, what are some terms that come to mind when describing elements of corporate worship? What are some thoughts that come to mind?

These might be some thoughts. Well, worship was upbeat, and it really got me in the mood. The sermon, it was okay, but it was too long and boring. Prayer was good because I was able to feel God.

And I think all of us we can relate, and we've probably thought these things at one time or another. But one thing that doesn't immediately come to mind is that worship can be terrifying and fearful. I mean, worship can be exciting, yes, but terrifying.

But for the Israelites, this was a reality. And it better be, it ought to be a reality for us as well, especially as we come before an almighty, thrice holy God, the creator of the universe. If we truly fear the Lord, I don't think we would have a nonchalant attitude towards the Lord on Sundays. We wouldn't be lulled into a sense of comfort, thinking that because we do this each and every Sunday, that corporate worship is not something special. It's that very heart attitude that causes us to hit the snooze button one more time or stay up late on Saturday night watching the latest TV show. But the text says in verse 2 that the result of what Nadab and Abihu did was that fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh.

Now, if I were an Israelite and I were to witness this, I think I'd probably think two things. The first one, I'd be like, no, thank you. I don't want that job, right? But second, I would realize that worshiping God is scary. In fact, it's downright terrifying. I mean, whether the sacrifices are appropriately offered and then consumed by God, or whether they're inappropriately offered and God consumes the offerer, it's a fearful matter. And this was the reality of worship for the Israelites. Worshiping God is a very serious and sacred matter. And the text tells us the exact reason for Nadab and Abihu's death. Verse 3, it says, It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, by those who come near me, I will be treated as holy.

So the follow-up question is, what happens when we take the holiness of God lightly? We offend God, and we rightfully deserve judgment. Now, whether Nadab and Abihu did it intentionally or unintentionally, and I I think that they probably did it intentionally, but regardless, the fact of the matter was that they took the worship of God too lightly. They treated the holiness, they treated the holy God with contempt. Brothers and sisters, worship is not entertainment, it's not a concert, it's not self-expression, worship is sacred. And when we take it lightly, we risk treating God as common rather than holy. It's much like my yeti cup. It's not sacred, it's not special or holy. Which brings us into the next heading, uh, the specificity of worshiping holy God.

And we'll look at this in verse one. But Nadab and Abihu were given very lengthy and specific instructions. They knew exactly what they had to do. Nadab and Abihu clearly witnessed what happens when worship and sacrifice are offered properly in faith. They saw what happens when the sacrificer humbly comes before the Lord to make atonement for their sin in the presence of holy God. So how did they get to the point of offering strange fire? And I think maybe in some of your translations, it it's unauthorized fire. How did they get to that point? Well, I believe that in the moment of all the fear and excitement and worship in response to Yahweh burning up that inaugural sacrifice, that Nadab and Abihu lost sight of what was important.

I believe that they thought that as priests that somehow they were responsible for conjuring up the response from God, and they needed to figuratively continue the hype that was generated from that previous sacrifice.

And their intention may have been to worship him, but the heart behind it was that their way of worshiping God was better. They probably thought their position as priests would allow them to take some liberties in making the worship better.

That somehow they're making corporate worship better. I mean, there's pastors out there who think that if you're a stand-up comedian or a professional TED talker, that somehow you're gonna cause the worship of God to be better.

Is worshiping God? But much like Nadab and Abihu, they do not regard God as holy. The misconception is that we can think that we can add something to the prescribed worship of God. The problem for Nadab and Abihu was that perhaps they thought that the version of worship that was subscribed, that was prescribed, was not good enough. After all, how could they follow up what they had just witnessed with what God did to a properly offered sacrifice? God responded in fire and he consumed the offering. But the original prescription for worship was done before now. And they thought that somehow they could do it better. And in an age where we're always looking for the next greatest thing, the next greatest iPhone, they thought that they could make worship better.

And doesn't that sound a lot like our generation today? The reality is that the proper worship of God can never get better by our efforts. In fact, when we do that, we detract from the glory that God deserves. We need to realize that during our worship, although we might be in this routine of worshiping God, we don't have to do anything to make it better. When we worship, something supernatural is already happening every time. When we gather, it happens.

Worship then is literally the most important thing you and I will ever do. So we better get it right. Jonathan Cruz, he addresses this in his book, What happens when we worship? And he says, no, corporate worship is not boring. And that's not because of anything we do. It's because of God's presence in and among us. No matter our productions or programs, we can't manufacture that kind of supernatural wonder. And we certainly can't top it either. It's like standing in front of the Grand Canyon. The worship of God is always very specific and outlined by God. Our ultimate authority of how we are to worship, it comes from the Bible. But a lot of times what happens in worship, especially in our modern age today, is that when we stray from these biblical principles, churches try to manufacture and manipulate.

Worship is no longer about God, but about how we feel. And churches and individuals also, we try to conjure up every mystical emotional or modern device to create some environment of worship. But the question is, is it really worship? I mean, why do all these mega churches spend large portions of their budgets on lighting, videos, fog machines, laser lights? Are these things inherently bad? I don't think so. But at the heart of it, when we think that we can add something to the worship of God or make it better, that's when we figuratively offer strange fire to God. Just in another side note, um, obviously I'm the worship leader here or praise leader here, but a lot of times when we sing songs, uh, what the church tends to do is we like to equate praise and music to worshiping God.

And that I think that's a misconception that I just wanted to address really quick. Um that misconception is exactly what makes us think that having a concert every Sunday is somehow worshiping God. Music and even Christian music is a medium of worship. It doesn't necessarily translate to authentic worship. Okay? So I'm not saying music is bad. Okay, music is good. God gave us music to use, but doesn't always equate to worship. So I want us to understand that. Okay, going back. Nadab and a bihu knew exactly what they were supposed to do. I mean, the first nine chapters of Leviticus, it's devoted to explaining and outlining in precise and exact terms exactly how the sacrifices were to be offered.

Actually, a whole third of the book is devoted to the proper execution of the sacrifices. No details spared in the exact specifications of how these sacrifices were to be offered. The problem was Nadab and Abihu, they just didn't want to do it that way. They were called to intercede on behalf of the people in a very specific holy manner that God himself prescribed. And yet they thought that they could have done it better in their own way. So, rightly so, God consumed them in fire, and they died before Yahweh. And they deserved exactly what they got. Now, if the exact nature of the strange fire that they offered is somewhat obscure, which it is, we don't know exactly what they did. What's clear is that the fire of God's judgment, or is what's clear is the fire of God's judgment.

You cannot possibly worship God in your own way and expect God to bless it. It's this exact selfishness that brought the divine judgment upon Nadab and Abihu, which brings me to my third and final point, which is the selflessness of worshiping holy God. The selflessness of worshiping holy God. And let me read verse one again. Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans and put fire in them. Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them. If Nadab and Abihu were selfish, self-centered, and erroneous in their worship of God, meaning that they thought that the center of worship was themselves, or about how they feel, or about how the congregation feels, or about all the spectacle, then the opposite, the converse must be true.

That when we truly worship God, it must be selfless. John the Baptist exemplifies this in John 3.30. He says, He must increase, but I must decrease. And that was the root issue with Nadab and Abihu's worship. It was self-centeredness. And stemming from that caused either negligence, pride, or both. But either way, their worship was centered upon themselves. As mentioned earlier, Nadab and Abihu did things their own way because they thought that they could add something to the worship of God to make it better. Speaking in the context of their sin, verse 3 says, by those who come near me, I will be treated as holy, and before all the people, I will be glorified.

It's never about us.

And that's the operative term here. It says, I will be treated as holy.

Speaking on this Deuteronomy 6.13, Yahweh, your God, you shall fear, and him you shall serve, and by his name you shall swear. Imagine. Imagine going to a professional sports game, and you see your favorite player make an incredible play. But instead of being excited, you're upset that people aren't noticing your own excitement or your fanaticism in that moment. The whole reason why you're at that sporting event is to experience and enjoy the game, but instead you're focused on yourself. It would be so weird that the object of your fanaticism is yourself and not the team itself or the player that you want to go watch. But similarly, when we worship, the object of our worship oftentimes becomes ourselves.

The reality is the object of our worship should always, always be God. And I don't think that's a controversial statement, right? Everybody would agree with me. The center of our worship should be God. But a lot of times when we worship our attention and our affections, it turns to ourselves. And sometimes it's in very subtle ways, where our underlying attitude is, what can I get out of worship? Versus, how can I offer God appropriate worship? It's always a temptation for us to think that worship service is going to do something to us, but that's not the heart behind worship. It can easily become, do I like the sermon versus is God honored? The center of worship becomes about how we feel versus how can we give acceptable worship to God.

It's kind of like a bridesmaid at a wedding, being upset that everyone's paying attention to the bride. Right. Again, the center of worship is God. It's not ourselves. So knowing what the object of our worship is. What is it then? What is worship? Pastor John MacArthur, he defines it this way. Worship is any essential expression of service rendered unto God by a soul who loves and extols him for who he is. Therefore, genuine worship. It's a constant activity for every believer.

It's also an activity that's supposed to be happening every day, all the time. And here's the thing: if we only see Sunday as worship, we've completely missed the mark. Sunday corporate worship should reflect how we are doing Monday through Saturday. So genuine worship, it happens every day. Jesus, in responding to the statement of where the people are to worship, responds to the woman of woman at the well like this. John 4, 23 and 24. It says, but an hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For such people, the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

He says that the mark of true worship is in spirit and in truth. The point is that the true worshiper worships in spirit.

First John 1 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And that's why the sacrifices and feasts in Leviticus were so important. There was always an atonement for sin. Second, we worship in truth. His word must be the basis in which we worship him. We need to make sure that we're accurately handling the word of God. 2 Timothy 3.16, 17. You guys are familiar. All scriptures God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work. Not only that, we have to live by it. We have to live by his word.

James 1.22, but become doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. Nadab and Abihu, they were merely hearers of the word. They heard it, they experienced it, but they didn't do it themselves. They also probably had good intentions, right? But it's important to note that no matter how good our intentions are, or how much heart or emotion that we put into worship, if it's not based in truth, it's not acceptable worship. And that's the main problem with the way we worship today. We get in the way of the proper worship of God. We focus on the wrong thing. And that's exactly where Nadab and Abihu went wrong.

We focus on ourselves rather than what God has so meticulously prescribed in his word. So what do we take away from all of this? Worship is sacred. Worship is specific. And worship is selfless, right? Those are the three things I went over. Then how can sinful man draw near to and be reconciled to holy God? We can't. But here's the hope. God doesn't just want the outward conformity.

So he draws near to us and he reconciles himself to us. Nadab and Abihu, they were consumed because they offered strange fire. But Jesus Christ, our high priest, offered himself not strange fire, but a perfect sacrifice. And on the cross, he bore the fire of God's wrath for us. He was consumed so that we would not be.

We tremble at God's holiness, but we also rejoice in Christ's grace. And when you see him, and when you see him, holy, beautiful, crucified and risen for you, worship becomes more than a duty. It becomes a delight. So let us treat worship as sacred. Let us follow God's word specifically, and let us lay down our selfishness and let us come before the throne of grace with reverence and awe, because our great priest has made a way. And Sunday worship, it's about Him. May He truly increase as we decrease. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your word here in Leviticus. And I just ask, Lord, that you would continue to just shape and mold us in our understanding of who you are, that you are a holy, holy, holy Christ.

I pray, Lord, that we would not take that for granted and come before you lightly, but acknowledge you, God, as holy, as the one who deserves all worship and praise and glory. And at the same time, we're just so thankful for the cross. We thank you so much for your son Jesus Christ. And Lord, drawing us near to you when we were running from you. And so, Lord, I pray that as we come before you each and every Sunday, help us to come before you with a humble attitude, a proper attitude, with reverence, with awe, and just give you all the praise and glory that you deserve. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.