NOT ALL WORSHIP IS ACCEPTED | Pastor Matthew Johnson
"Worship is responding rightly to who God is. So in every situation in your life, in that situation, it's responding rightly to who God is in that moment." — Pastor Matthew Johnson
A Series Born From Scripture
Pastor Matthew Johnson did not arrive at this series quickly. For years, one of the consistent rhythms of his life has been reading through the Bible in its entirety, cycling through different translations and approaches. During one of those reading seasons, something began to stand out in passage after passage across multiple books of Scripture.
God was rejecting worship.
Not from enemies of Israel. Not from pagans. From his own people, who believed they were honoring him.
Pastor Matthew wrote down example after example on half sheets of paper, noting at the top "potential series." Then he sat on it for over a year. Every time the series came close to the calendar, he pulled back. He wanted to make sure he had the heart of God before bringing a message this sobering to The Tree Church family.
After months of continued prayer, he felt a clear release from the Holy Spirit to address it. And so the six-week series Acceptable Worship That God Receives begins.
God was rejecting worship.
Not from enemies of Israel. Not from pagans. From his own people, who believed they were honoring him.
Pastor Matthew wrote down example after example on half sheets of paper, noting at the top "potential series." Then he sat on it for over a year. Every time the series came close to the calendar, he pulled back. He wanted to make sure he had the heart of God before bringing a message this sobering to The Tree Church family.
After months of continued prayer, he felt a clear release from the Holy Spirit to address it. And so the six-week series Acceptable Worship That God Receives begins.
What Worship Actually Is
Before diving into the difficult examples, Pastor Matthew takes a moment to define worship, because he believes it is one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern Christianity.
Most people reduce worship to the singing portion at the beginning of a church service. That is absolutely worship, he says, but it is only one expression of something much larger. Biblical worship includes praise, prayer, singing, gratitude, obedience, surrender, service, generosity, holy living, and more.
After working through that scope, Pastor Matthew lands on what he calls the best definition available.
Worship is responding rightly to who God is.
In every situation, in every moment, worship is the act of pausing and responding to God in a way that properly reflects who he is. And when a person does that, Pastor Matthew says, God's offer is to meet them in that moment.
Most people reduce worship to the singing portion at the beginning of a church service. That is absolutely worship, he says, but it is only one expression of something much larger. Biblical worship includes praise, prayer, singing, gratitude, obedience, surrender, service, generosity, holy living, and more.
After working through that scope, Pastor Matthew lands on what he calls the best definition available.
Worship is responding rightly to who God is.
In every situation, in every moment, worship is the act of pausing and responding to God in a way that properly reflects who he is. And when a person does that, Pastor Matthew says, God's offer is to meet them in that moment.
A Promise Made 30 Years Ago
To bring the definition to life, Pastor Matthew shares a personal story he calls one of the top two or three most important moments of his life.
As a freshman at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, about 30 years ago, he was sitting in mandatory chapel during a transition from traditional to contemporary worship. The unwritten rule was that at least one hymn had to be included in each service. Pastor Matthew, an 18-year-old who had no emotional connection to hymns, found himself standing as an elderly professor began singing a hymn he did not know, in what he describes as the worst voice imaginable.
In his own words, his response was arrogance. He decided to sit down as a protest.
On his way down, the Holy Spirit stopped him. Not in an audible voice, but as close to one as he had ever experienced. The question came immediately: "Are you worshiping this song or are you worshiping me?"
He stood back up. And in that moment, he made a promise he has kept for three decades. From that day forward, if there is ever a moment where he can give God worship, he is going to do it.
That commitment, he says, has made all the difference.
As a freshman at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, about 30 years ago, he was sitting in mandatory chapel during a transition from traditional to contemporary worship. The unwritten rule was that at least one hymn had to be included in each service. Pastor Matthew, an 18-year-old who had no emotional connection to hymns, found himself standing as an elderly professor began singing a hymn he did not know, in what he describes as the worst voice imaginable.
In his own words, his response was arrogance. He decided to sit down as a protest.
On his way down, the Holy Spirit stopped him. Not in an audible voice, but as close to one as he had ever experienced. The question came immediately: "Are you worshiping this song or are you worshiping me?"
He stood back up. And in that moment, he made a promise he has kept for three decades. From that day forward, if there is ever a moment where he can give God worship, he is going to do it.
That commitment, he says, has made all the difference.
When God is Honored, Worship Reshapes Us
Pastor Matthew is clear about why this series matters so much to him. It comes down to two things. He loves God and wants him to receive everything he deserves. And he loves his congregation and wants them to receive everything God offers.
True worship, he explains, accomplishes both at the same time. When God is honored properly, when he is placed at the center of a person's life, worship reshapes that person. It reorders priorities. It draws them into a deeper surrender and relationship with him.
That is the goal of the entire series.
True worship, he explains, accomplishes both at the same time. When God is honored properly, when he is placed at the center of a person's life, worship reshapes that person. It reorders priorities. It draws them into a deeper surrender and relationship with him.
That is the goal of the entire series.
Three Times God Rejected Worship
With that foundation in place, Pastor Matthew moves into the sobering heart of the message, walking through three biblical accounts of God rejecting worship. In each one, the rejection is not the final word. It is the doorway to understanding what God actually accepts.
Genesis 4: Priority
In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel both bring offerings to God. Abel, a shepherd, brings the firstborn of his flock along with generous portions. Cain, a farmer, brings crops after some time has passed. God accepts Abel's offering and rejects Cain's.
Pastor Matthew is careful to point out that this was not about what was brought. God's law later confirms he accepts both animals and crops as offerings. The issue was when it was brought, and more importantly, the heart behind it.
Abel brought the first portion. He gave to God before he knew what the rest would look like. That is faith. That is trust. That is what his worship communicated: God, I believe you will provide the rest. God receives it.
Cain brought God something at some point after other priorities had already been addressed. God was not first. And so God rejected it.
The first truth about worship God accepts, Pastor Matthew says, is this: worship God accepts gives him first place. The one-word summary is priority.
He then turns this directly toward the congregation. When a major decision comes up, when a promotion is offered, when a house is being purchased, when someone has done something wrong and a response is forming, at what point does God enter the equation?
True worship pauses before any of that and asks what God wants in the moment. And Pastor Matthew is direct: in most modern American Christian lives, God is not first. He gets the leftovers. Leftovers in time, in talent, in finances, in church attendance. The challenge is not meant to produce guilt, he says, but to name what is true so that something can change.
Leviticus 9 and 10: Obedience
The second account requires a brief background. After God delivered Israel from Egypt, he instructed them to build a tabernacle, a portable dwelling place for his presence. He set apart the tribe of Levi for its ministry, and more specifically, Aaron and his sons as the priests who would operate it and enter his presence on behalf of the nation.
In Leviticus 9, Aaron and his sons follow every instruction God gave them to the letter. They make the first sacrifice. God's glory appears before the entire nation. Fire comes from his presence and consumes the offering. The people shout in joy and fall on their faces in worship. It is described as an incredible moment of authentic encounter.
The very next passage introduces Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron's sons. They take their censers, fill them with fire, and offer what the text calls unauthorized or strange fire before the Lord, something God had not commanded. Fire comes from his presence again, but this time it consumes them. They die before the Lord.
The two stories sit side by side intentionally. In one, obedience leads to God's presence and transformation. In the other, doing whatever felt right leads to death.
Pastor Matthew acknowledges the text does not specify exactly what made the fire unauthorized. It may have been the source of the fire, entering a forbidden area, offering incense at the wrong time, or possibly being intoxicated, as the verses that follow include a command against strong drink before entering God's presence. But the specific detail is not the point. The central issue is that they treated a holy responsibility in a disobedient way. They thought they could worship however they wanted, and God rejected it.
The second truth: worship God accepts follows his ways. The one-word summary is obedience.
Pastor Matthew is careful here. God was not demanding perfection. The sacrificial system itself existed because he knew all of humanity would sin. But there is a difference between falling short and willfully living in disobedience while expecting God to receive your worship as though nothing is wrong.
He offers a human parallel. If someone disrespected you publicly, then showed up at your door acting as though nothing had happened, even a loving and forgiving person would need to address it before moving forward. The relationship requires honesty. God is showing the same thing. Willful disobedience and confident worship cannot coexist without the disobedience being addressed.
Acts 5: Purity
The third account moves into the New Testament, shortly after the resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the church. The Holy Spirit has fallen, and believers are selling excess possessions to give to those in need.
A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell a piece of land. They give a portion of the proceeds to Peter, but they claim it is the full amount. They were not required to give everything. That was not the sin. The sin was the deception.
Peter confronts Ananias directly: why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? Ananias falls dead. Three hours later, Sapphira arrives, not knowing what has happened. Peter gives her an opportunity to tell the truth. She repeats the lie. She also falls dead.
Pastor Matthew notes that this is the very beginning of the church, and God was establishing what authentic worship in his community would look like. An act of giving that looked like worship was corrupted by deceit, and God refused to let that be the foundation.
The third truth: worship God accepts comes from a clean heart. The one-word summary is purity.
He then walks through what purity meant under the Old Covenant. Before entering the presence of God, the priest had to wash, make a sacrifice for himself and his family, and go through a process of reflection, confession, and repentance. This was not casual. It was the most sobering moment of the year, stepping into the Holy of Holies, completely exposed before God.
What has changed under the New Covenant is the sacrifice. Jesus became that sacrifice. But God still desires purification as people come to worship him. Pastor Matthew points to Hebrews 4, where the writer describes the word of God as sharper than a two-edged sword, cutting between bone and marrow, exposing everything and laying a person bare before God. It sounds terrifying, he says, and by itself it is. But the passage continues. Because of Jesus, the invitation is to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace in the time of need.
True worship in purity is not about having it all together before approaching God. It is about stepping into his presence and inviting him to expose what needs to be addressed, then receiving mercy to walk out differently.
Genesis 4: Priority
In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel both bring offerings to God. Abel, a shepherd, brings the firstborn of his flock along with generous portions. Cain, a farmer, brings crops after some time has passed. God accepts Abel's offering and rejects Cain's.
Pastor Matthew is careful to point out that this was not about what was brought. God's law later confirms he accepts both animals and crops as offerings. The issue was when it was brought, and more importantly, the heart behind it.
Abel brought the first portion. He gave to God before he knew what the rest would look like. That is faith. That is trust. That is what his worship communicated: God, I believe you will provide the rest. God receives it.
Cain brought God something at some point after other priorities had already been addressed. God was not first. And so God rejected it.
The first truth about worship God accepts, Pastor Matthew says, is this: worship God accepts gives him first place. The one-word summary is priority.
He then turns this directly toward the congregation. When a major decision comes up, when a promotion is offered, when a house is being purchased, when someone has done something wrong and a response is forming, at what point does God enter the equation?
True worship pauses before any of that and asks what God wants in the moment. And Pastor Matthew is direct: in most modern American Christian lives, God is not first. He gets the leftovers. Leftovers in time, in talent, in finances, in church attendance. The challenge is not meant to produce guilt, he says, but to name what is true so that something can change.
Leviticus 9 and 10: Obedience
The second account requires a brief background. After God delivered Israel from Egypt, he instructed them to build a tabernacle, a portable dwelling place for his presence. He set apart the tribe of Levi for its ministry, and more specifically, Aaron and his sons as the priests who would operate it and enter his presence on behalf of the nation.
In Leviticus 9, Aaron and his sons follow every instruction God gave them to the letter. They make the first sacrifice. God's glory appears before the entire nation. Fire comes from his presence and consumes the offering. The people shout in joy and fall on their faces in worship. It is described as an incredible moment of authentic encounter.
The very next passage introduces Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron's sons. They take their censers, fill them with fire, and offer what the text calls unauthorized or strange fire before the Lord, something God had not commanded. Fire comes from his presence again, but this time it consumes them. They die before the Lord.
The two stories sit side by side intentionally. In one, obedience leads to God's presence and transformation. In the other, doing whatever felt right leads to death.
Pastor Matthew acknowledges the text does not specify exactly what made the fire unauthorized. It may have been the source of the fire, entering a forbidden area, offering incense at the wrong time, or possibly being intoxicated, as the verses that follow include a command against strong drink before entering God's presence. But the specific detail is not the point. The central issue is that they treated a holy responsibility in a disobedient way. They thought they could worship however they wanted, and God rejected it.
The second truth: worship God accepts follows his ways. The one-word summary is obedience.
Pastor Matthew is careful here. God was not demanding perfection. The sacrificial system itself existed because he knew all of humanity would sin. But there is a difference between falling short and willfully living in disobedience while expecting God to receive your worship as though nothing is wrong.
He offers a human parallel. If someone disrespected you publicly, then showed up at your door acting as though nothing had happened, even a loving and forgiving person would need to address it before moving forward. The relationship requires honesty. God is showing the same thing. Willful disobedience and confident worship cannot coexist without the disobedience being addressed.
Acts 5: Purity
The third account moves into the New Testament, shortly after the resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the church. The Holy Spirit has fallen, and believers are selling excess possessions to give to those in need.
A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell a piece of land. They give a portion of the proceeds to Peter, but they claim it is the full amount. They were not required to give everything. That was not the sin. The sin was the deception.
Peter confronts Ananias directly: why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? Ananias falls dead. Three hours later, Sapphira arrives, not knowing what has happened. Peter gives her an opportunity to tell the truth. She repeats the lie. She also falls dead.
Pastor Matthew notes that this is the very beginning of the church, and God was establishing what authentic worship in his community would look like. An act of giving that looked like worship was corrupted by deceit, and God refused to let that be the foundation.
The third truth: worship God accepts comes from a clean heart. The one-word summary is purity.
He then walks through what purity meant under the Old Covenant. Before entering the presence of God, the priest had to wash, make a sacrifice for himself and his family, and go through a process of reflection, confession, and repentance. This was not casual. It was the most sobering moment of the year, stepping into the Holy of Holies, completely exposed before God.
What has changed under the New Covenant is the sacrifice. Jesus became that sacrifice. But God still desires purification as people come to worship him. Pastor Matthew points to Hebrews 4, where the writer describes the word of God as sharper than a two-edged sword, cutting between bone and marrow, exposing everything and laying a person bare before God. It sounds terrifying, he says, and by itself it is. But the passage continues. Because of Jesus, the invitation is to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace in the time of need.
True worship in purity is not about having it all together before approaching God. It is about stepping into his presence and inviting him to expose what needs to be addressed, then receiving mercy to walk out differently.
A Call to Reflection
Pastor Matthew closes the message not with a lengthy application list but with a simple, direct invitation. He does not think the message was confusing. He does not think it needs more explanation. What it needs is a personal moment.
He asks the congregation at both campuses to close their eyes and reflect. Is God first in every area of life? Is there known disobedience being tolerated? Is there sin being held onto while still expecting worship to be received?
If the answer surfaces anything, the response is not shame. It is confession. Repentance. Receiving mercy. And then approaching God with anticipation that his presence will do what he has promised to do: transform a life.
Without priority, obedience, and purity, Pastor Matthew says, God is not honored and people are not transformed. But when those three things are present, his promise is to do exactly that.
He asks the congregation at both campuses to close their eyes and reflect. Is God first in every area of life? Is there known disobedience being tolerated? Is there sin being held onto while still expecting worship to be received?
If the answer surfaces anything, the response is not shame. It is confession. Repentance. Receiving mercy. And then approaching God with anticipation that his presence will do what he has promised to do: transform a life.
Without priority, obedience, and purity, Pastor Matthew says, God is not honored and people are not transformed. But when those three things are present, his promise is to do exactly that.
Come Visit Us at The Tree Church
If you are looking for a church in Lancaster or Logan, Ohio, we would love to have you join us. The Tree Church holds Sunday services at both campuses at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
Lancaster Campus 721 N Memorial Dr, Lancaster, OH 43130, USA
Logan Campus 36 Hocking Mall, Logan, OH 43138, USA
We are a community committed to authentic worship, real relationships, and allowing God to do what only he can do in a person's life. We hope to see you this Sunday.
Lancaster Campus 721 N Memorial Dr, Lancaster, OH 43130, USA
Logan Campus 36 Hocking Mall, Logan, OH 43138, USA
We are a community committed to authentic worship, real relationships, and allowing God to do what only he can do in a person's life. We hope to see you this Sunday.
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