Lip Service
Isaiah 29:13-14
(NASB95) "Then the Lord said, 'Because this people draw
near with their words And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their
reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvellously with
this people, wondrously marvellous; And the wisdom of their
wise men will perish, And the discernment of their
discerning men will be concealed.'"
In this passage God told Isaiah how he felt about the people
in their
services at the temple. They would come and go through the
motions. They would say the right things at the right times
but their hearts weren't right. They were just giving God
lip service.
Some people might think that their churches are alive. They
might be full of activities. Their services might have the
congregation making a lot of noise. Just because the church
is boisterous and full of activities doesn't mean that it is
alive. Those churches might be deader than the more quiet
churches. What matters is what is in the heart. Do they love
the Lord? Do they want to do everything to please Him at all
times?
God said he was going to do marvellous things to those
people. The way those people were just going through the
motions I don't think this means God was going to do
something fantastically good. I believe that God was going
to do something marvellously bad. This is what some Bible
versions say. It would be something that they didn't realize
was coming. The people won't know why God is doing it. He
will confound even the wisest of them. He will do this to
get their attention.
God tells Amos something similar:
Amos 5:21-24 (NASB95) "I hate, I reject your
festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your
grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even
look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from
Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the
sound of your harps. 24 "But let justice roll down like
waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
[1]
It sounds like the people are doing the right thing with
bringing their
sacrifices and even making a loud noise with singing and
musical
instruments. God said he hated all of this. Again the
peoples' hearts were
not in it. They were not living the way they should and only
giving him lip service and formality.
What did God want from His people? He wanted them to deal
with others with justice. He wanted them to live righteous
lives. That means living without sin. He wanted them to
treat others fairly and follow all of His commandments.
Jesus even said that if you love him you will follow His
commandments.
What about you? Do you just give God lip service? Do you
come to church looking great and giving others the
impression that you have it all together? Do you go looking
like you are living the way God wants you to live but you
are not actually doing it? Then you are playing church,
giving God lip service. I'm afraid there are many in our
churches that look good when we see them there but will not
end up in heaven. They are just playing around and giving
God lip service. If you are one of these, surrender your
whole life to Jesus Christ. Turn it all over to Him and let
Him have control of your life. Jesus Christ is the only way
to Heaven. You cannot trust on anyone or anything else. Only
repenting of sin and surrendering your life to Jesus Christ.
By Dean Masters
©2003
Unaltered article may be used with copyright intact.
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