So we've come to chapter 22 of the London Baptist Confession of Faith, which consists of eight paragraphs. I know some of you may be thinking, is he really going to try to cover all of this in 30 minutes? And the answer is no, not today. But we will be looking at the first six. And the topic is of religious worship and the Sabbath day. So we're not going to be dealing with the Sabbath day today, but we're going to be dealing with the topic of religious worship. And the next time I teach, we're going to look at the Sabbath day. Now, these are very important topics, and they're relevant to the churches today, as we've seen the effects of bad theology being manifested in evangelical churches for many decades. The worship of God has given way in many churches to entertainment and seeking to tailor the service to attract unbelievers, seeker-sensitive churches. Congregational singing has given way to musical performances that tap into the spirit of the age. Through the manipulation of lights and sounds, the attender is moved into an emotional experience that feeds into their fleshly desires. Prayer has been minimized and the preaching has devolved into motivational speeches, many times devoid of the word of God. The attenders of these so-called churches leave feeling good about themselves and believe that their experience was an encounter with God, but the true saints are left feeling empty. They're empty because God was not worshipped according to truth, and the word of God was not preached faithfully. Repentance and faith were bypassed, and Christ was not magnified. Truth suffered in an effort to not offend anyone. In fact, the whole experience was focused on man rather than God. So let's examine with our time today how scripture teaches us to worship God. These first six paragraphs of chapter 22 lay out what is commonly called the regulative principle of worship. So let's get into it. Paragraph one, this is the regulative principle stated. It says, the light of nature shows that there is a God who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is just, good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart and all the soul and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself and so limited by his own revealed will that he may not be worshiped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures." That's a big mouthful. But the first part of this paragraph draws attention to general revelation that it's abundantly clear to all men that there is a God and that this God is to be worshipped. This is the reason that religious worship is something that exists among every people group in the world. Even secular atheists cannot escape this natural inclination for worship as they attribute the attributes of God to nature or other inanimate forces or processes or to humanity and an overestimation of man's ability to save ourselves from real or perceived threats. So even atheists have this inclination for worship. Romans 1, 18 through 20 clearly teaches that through natural revelation, all men know that God is, that he is full of power and authority, and that he is to be worshiped. It says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold or suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifested in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. It is by the suppression of this clear truth of God's preeminence that leads men to worship God in a false manner, by attributing the attributes of God to the creation and worshiping according to their own evil imaginations. So people worship, but they worship falsely. Man must be rescued from the sinful inclination to suppress God's truth, to suppress God and to worship idols. Now, this rescue is all of grace. It's God's work. He's the one that saves us and rescues us to be able to worship him. It's all of grace that God would condescend to man and provide his word in which he provides the way of salvation and true worship. The imperative that shines forth from scripture in the law is that the true God alone is to be worshipped and that he may not be worshipped with images. And this is something common among the religions of the world, is idolatry. But God is not to be worshipped using images. This is the first and second of the commandments, that God is to be worshipped and that he's not to be worshipped with images. Yet beyond these basic truths, there is another principle that determines the acceptable way to worship God. It's given in Deuteronomy 12, 32, which says, what thing, soever I command you, observe to do it, thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. This is the regulative principle of worship in one verse. It's very simple. God is the one who establishes how he is to be worshiped, and we are not at liberty to add anything to it or to take anything away from it. Under the Mosaic Covenant, God prescribed the priesthood under Aaron and precisely how they were to conduct their offerings and service in the tabernacle. In Leviticus 10, verses one and two, we have a sad story of the sons of Aaron adding something to the worship of God. It says, and Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." That's a sad story. The infraction of Nadab and Abihu was not that they were worshiping images or some other god, but they simply offered incense that God did not command. They added something to God's worship, as it says in verse one, which he commanded not. That was their sin. They did something in the worship of God that God did not prescribe. They added to it. This is a very simple principle, yet one that God takes very seriously, as we can see in this verse. He killed the two sons of Aaron for daring to offer strange fire to the Lord. But this principle doesn't only apply in the Old Testament to the Old Testament priesthood. Though it is much simpler, God has also prescribed how he desires to be worshipped in the New Testament, New Covenant worship. And it is our responsibility to not add to it nor to take away from it. Let's look a little closer at how God is to be worshipped in these New Testament times. This leads us to paragraph two, the object of worship and its mediation. But before we read the next paragraph, I want to draw our attention to what is implied in the concept of the regulative principle of worship. The obvious implication is this, that scripture is sufficient, that the scripture is sufficient for how to worship God. It's the authoritative source for the acceptable way of worshiping God. If only what God commands concerning our worship of him is allowable, then that divine revelation must therefore be a sufficient guide. So now let's read paragraph two. It says, religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him alone, not to angels, saints, or any other creature, and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone. This paragraph, speaks of the one who is the object of Christian worship. This one is God and God alone. God in the singular. There is only one God and all religious worship belongs to him. Deuteronomy 6, 4 and 5. Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might. When the devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world in exchange for bowing down and worshiping him, Jesus said, get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. But notice our confession doesn't teach worship of the one God apart from the revelation of the Holy Trinity. We in these New Testament times are privileged to a greater knowledge of God as he is revealed clearly in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three divine persons, the same in essence, equal in power and glory. This is the implication of what John said in 1 John 5, 7, concerning the heavenly witnesses to the Son of God, which turns out to be the most profound testimony to the Holy Trinity in all of Scripture. It says, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. This is the God to whom all worship is to be directed, yet God cannot be approached in our own persons without a mediator. This mediator cannot be angels, saints, or anything else except the holy, undefiled God-man, Jesus Christ. Paul said, for there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. It's in 1 Timothy 2.5. We approach God by our great high priest who offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins that we may be acceptable to God. It says, but Christ being come and high priest of good things to come, this is Hebrews 9 verses 11 to 15. But Christ, being come in high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifyeth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purged your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And for this cause, he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. I want us to focus on that, and for this cause, He is the mediator of the New Testament. This is Christ, our mediator. This is the way we can come to God and worship him acceptably. So we worship God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by means of the appointed mediator, Jesus Christ. Let's turn our attention now to the elements of Christian worship. We're in paragraphs three and four, and these Next three paragraphs in our confession touch on the things God has commanded concerning our worship of him in these New Testament times. Paragraphs three and four talk about prayer and paragraph five lays out the other elements which should be present in our worship. Let's read paragraphs three and four. It says prayer with thanksgiving being one part of natural worship is by God required of all men. But that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son by the help of the Spirit, according to his will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance, and when with others in a known tongue. Paragraph four, prayer is to be made for things lawful and for all sorts of men living or that shall live hereafter, but not for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death. One of the great sins mentioned on the downward spiral into abject wickedness in Romans chapter one is the sin of unthankfulness. This is in addition to suppressing the truth about God and turning to idolatry, unthankfulness. We see in paragraph three of our confession that prayer with thanksgiving is one of the things that God requires of men. But why does God require prayer with thanksgiving? I think the answer is simple. We were created to have relationship with God. Prayer is a part of our religious worship. It is addressing God. Human beings are made dependent upon God. And even the wicked, when they are in dire straits, will instinctively cry out to God. That's why they say there are no atheists in a foxhole. But we were made to glorify God in everything. First Corinthians 10 31 says, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. So it is our position of dependency on God and our created purpose, which is to glorify God, that makes prayer essential to our relationship with God. There can hardly be any relationship without communication, and the essence of relationship is knowing and being known, which requires communication. While natural and special revelation are God's communication to us, that is nature, and the scriptures Prayer is our reciprocal communication to him. To address someone is to acknowledge their presence. God is always present and he desires relationship with us, his creation. What would you think if you had a dependent to which you gave everything and poured your kindness and affection on, but he wouldn't ever acknowledge you at all? Or rather, he attributed the blessings you gave to him to your neighbor and totally ignored you. Now something is dreadfully wrong in this scenario. Even a fool would understand this behavior as being dishonoring and antagonistic to you. But this is the way that sinful men treat God. Prayer with thanksgiving is required by God for this very reason. There is a moral obligation to return thanks to those who provide for you. This is embodied in the fifth commandment. Much more to God who gave you life and breath and all things. Even more though than a moral obligation, there should be a natural upwelling of expression of thanksgiving to such a benevolent being. It shouldn't be in the realm of mere duty. Duty is not a bad thing. But it should be something that rises within us because we truly are thankful. It's unnatural for a person to be this hardened to his benefactor. This was God's complaint against Israel. Isaiah 1-2 says this, Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. He's calling heaven and earth to witness such a scene. It's a strange phenomenon that his children would rebel against such a faithful Lord who provided everything for their good. So prayer to God is a moral obligation and what should be a natural upwelling of verbal expressions of thankfulness and of requests for needs because we are dependent. All men owe this to God. And I would be willing to say that all men have a propensity to pray. We see it all over the world. No matter what religion a person holds or even so-called atheists, people call out to their God. Whether Jews, Muslims, Catholics, even pagans, prayer is a part of their worship. They cry out to their gods. But though we owe God thanks and are obligated to pray, God will not accept the prayers of humanity unless we come to him in the right way. The second part of paragraph three in our confession today says of prayer, but that it may be accepted, that your prayers may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the son by the help of the spirit according to his will with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance, and when with others in a known tongue. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus encouraged them, whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. He said later, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. There is only one acceptable way to pray to God and that is through Jesus Christ, the mediator, and we talked about that a minute ago. And we quoted 1 Timothy 2.5, for there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. We are to approach the throne of God only through Jesus Christ. Colossians 3.17 says, and whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." So we're to approach God through Christ and by the Spirit, by the help of the Spirit. So prayer is one part of the worship of God. And paragraph five contains the other elements of worship that scripture commands. It says, the reading of the scriptures, preaching, and hearing the word of God, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, as also the administration of baptism and the Lord's supper, are all parts of religious worship of God to be performed in obedience to him with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. Moreover, solemn humiliation with fastings and thanksgivings upon special occasions ought to be used in a holy and religious manner. In this paragraph, we see that reading scripture, preaching, singing, baptism, and the Lord's Supper are the other elements of worship that should not be absent from our religious service. Remember that the regulative principle only allows in worship that which God has commanded. We are not free to offer strange fire to the Lord, if you will. This is something that we have sought to do in this church. Our services are very simple. We pray, we sing, we read the scriptures, we preach, we baptize, we partake of the Lord's Supper. On special occasions, we fast and we feast. In saying this, there are differences that good churches have in their application of the regulative principle. We can become snooty in our understanding of the regulative principle, and some churches do. But we need to be tolerant that there is room for understanding, there is room in the regulative principle for other opinions, for differences. Some churches see foot washing as an element of worship. Some churches do not allow musical instruments in worship. Some churches only allow psalms to be sung and not uninspired hymns. And we can appreciate these differences and understand that in seeking to apply this principle that not every church comes down in exactly the same place, and that's okay. We should give room for these differences and not make them points of contention. Now our confession differs from the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Savoy Declaration, who both came before it, in this paragraph on singing. The 1689 Baptist Confession, that's the one we're going through, it says, Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, while the other two simply say, Psalms. This is most likely a self-conscious decision on the part of the writers of our confession. to allow non-inspired hymns to be sung in the worship. They changed the wording. The early Presbyterians and Congregationalists believed in exclusive psalmody, that only psalms could be sung in the worship of God. Many of the early Baptists did not. They weren't exclusive psalmists. So this wording, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs found in scripture, makes room for both views, actually, depending on how this phrase, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, is interpreted. It's also helpful to make a distinction between the elements of worship and the circumstances of worship. The elements would be the things commanded by scripture concerning New Testament worship. There are other important things, though, which are not explicitly laid out in scripture and for these things we have liberty to use the light of nature and Christian prudence to inform our practice. Some of the circumstances of worship would be the time of the day the church meets or if they meet once or twice on the Lord's day. How long the service should be or where the church meets are all circumstances of worship and not elements of worship. These are necessary things but they're not prescribed particularly in scripture. Our church views musical instruments as circumstances of worship and not an element of worship. Congregational singing is an element and we see the instruments as an aid to the corporate singing. This is one reason we don't feature instrumental music or allow the instruments to take over the songs by too much volume. Above all, we seek to encourage the voices of God's people giving worship and praise to him. Finally, let's quickly look at the place of worship in the New Testament. Let's read paragraph six. It says, neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship is now under the gospel, tied unto or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed or towards which it is directed. But God is to be worshiped everywhere in spirit and in truth, as in private families daily, and in secret, each one by himself, so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected or forsaken when God by his word or providence calleth thereunto. Worship under the Mosaic covenant required that the worshipers come to the tabernacle, or later to the temple in Jerusalem, and there they were to offer their sacrifices and offer their service to God. God's particular presence was there and that is where worship was to take place at the place that the Lord God did choose which ended up being Jerusalem. But Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 that acceptable worship would no longer be required in Jerusalem. Jesus says this in John 4 21 and 23. Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father, but the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. But while there's no longer a particular geographical location where God's presence is, this doesn't mean that there isn't a holy place. In the New Testament, the place of God's special presence is in the people who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In one sense, we as the church are the temple of God, where the people of God are assembled. Their God is present because he is in us, he is with us. God truly dwells among his people and their assembly, wherever it may be, is a holy place. This is why we shouldn't forsake the assembling of ourselves together. The church isn't a physical building. It is rather the assembled congregation of the saints. But if we look at paragraph six we'll see that it's not just the gathered assembly where worship is acceptable. Private worship and family worship is also the privilege of God's people and we no longer have to pray towards the physical temple in Jerusalem. Remember Daniel opening his window and praying towards Jerusalem or even praying in a church building. Sometimes you'll see in a movie where the repentant person will come to the church even when it's empty and they'll come to pray in the building. That's not necessary. God may be approached through Christ anywhere without respect to geographic location. So let's cherish. the worship of God now as we enter into our time of prayer. Amen. Father in heaven, we thank you for the regulative principle of worship. We thank you, Lord, for saving us from the innovations that we would surely add. We pray, Lord, that we could worship you in spirit and truth today. In Jesus' name, amen.