What would happen if someone told you that you had to worship in a certain place, at a certain time, and in a certain way?  I think we’d all be up in arms about it.  We’d hope that we would say that we must obey the Lord first, and then man.  But what if it were God telling you where, when, and how you’d worship?  Would you still chafe at the command?  As Americans living in the 21st century, we prize our freedoms, and we jealously guard them.  And as we come into a stretch of sermons based on the 10 Commandments, we can’t help but feel the weight of the law, the burdens of the “thou shall” or “thou shall not”.  And deep in our sinful hearts, we’re going to ask the question, “Why do the details matter?”, particularly when it comes to something like worshipping the Lord.  What’s wrong with worshipping Him however I want?

As we come to Deuteronomy 12-13, that question is really going to be the crux of the matter because I think it reveals the fundamental mistake that we make when we come to the Lord in worship.  Do we come seeing these rules as restrictions on our freedoms and burdens upon our joy?  Or do we see the commandments, the rules, the guard rails as avenues of grace that enable sinners like us to safely come to the Lord in worship?  I would hazard that most of us view the commands, not just about worship, but throughout the Bible, as restrictions.  But I think that would be a mistake.  Deuteronomy 12-13 reveals a gracious God who isn’t trying to be controlling.  Rather, He is setting forth strict rules so that sinners like the Israelites and us could be with Him.  He made a way by His grace.  And now, that same grace has given us Jesus, that we might truly be able to worship in Spirit and in the Truth.

As we prepare to receive God’s Word this Sunday, I would encourage you to meditate on how we view God’s commands.  Do we yearn for our independence, or do we run to Him in dependence?  Hopefully, we will see this Sunday that the Lord Jesus enables us to view the commandments with joy because He has fulfilled them.  See you then!