"Performative Religion"

I promised you I'd start each sermon in the Ecclesiastes series with a classic rock song, but I failed this morning.

! In a Barna survey of former churchgoers from 2014, Kerry Newhoff reports that these are the top reasons why people no longer attend church.

First, irrelevance, hypocrisy, and moral failure. Second, God is missing in church. Third, legitimate doubt is prohibited. Fourth, they're not learning about God. Five, they're not finding community.

Now, this is a survey that focused on those who were former churchgoers, those who had attended for a while and experienced these disappointments.

They went to church seeking meaning, hope, love, forgiveness, something, spiritually hungry, and they found that they did not find what they were looking for.

And the disappointment is doubly so, right? Because if you can't find those things in church, good heavens, where can you find them?

This, of course, is the experience not only of those who have been to church, but also of those who visit churches, those who have a spiritual interest or hunger.

And they're looking and they sometimes go to church and find these similar dynamics.

Raising a question in our hearts when we walk into the house of God, what might we find?

This is the question that the writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to wrestle with this morning.

So, we're going to look at the beginning of chapter 5, verses 1 through 7.

And that's on page 520 in the Pew Bible.

If you want to turn there, that's where you can find it.

And remember, as we turn there and look to the Scriptures, that what we've seen in chapters 1 through 4 is this.

The writer of Ecclesiastes is leading us on a journey seeking for meaning.

And his conclusion may be summed up in chapter 1, verse 14, where he says this,

I've seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

He keeps looking in different places in work and pleasure and wisdom, understanding, even in the halls of justice.

And he finds not substance, not meaning, not life, not eternal things, but empty, meaningless, insubstantial, and ephemeral life.

And he's on this journey going, where can I find this?

And where do I go?

And what do I do?

Will we find vanity?

Or is there something better?

And today he says, when I go into the house of the Lord, will I find vanity or will there be something better?

This is what we're talking about this morning in our passage.

So let's pray and ask for God's help, and then we'll read the passage together.

Lord, we do come to you this morning, Lord, humbly acknowledging how easily, Lord, we don't worship you.

How easily we fall short of what you would have us do.

And Lord, we also confess our disappointments, Lord, and our struggles.

Lord, where we have come and left feeling empty.

Lord, we pray this morning that you would help us through your word.

Lord, I pray for your help that you would help me to speak the words as I ought to.

Lord, that we would together sit under your word and receive it and respond to it as you would have us do.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Ecclesiastes 5, 1 through 7 says this.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.

To draw near, to listen, is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.

Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God.

For God is in heaven, and you are on earth.

Therefore, let your words be few.

For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools.

Pay what you vow.

It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake.

Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity.

But God is the one you must fear.

In the house of God, will we find vanity or something better?

As with these other topics, as we've tried to explore them as he leads us on this journey,

the writer Caholet, if you remember, that's what his name is, preacher, teacher, whatever,

in chapter 1, however you want to translate it.

He gives us a realistic view of the house of God under the sun.

He describes the vanity of religion, and he suggests that there may be something more for us to find.

So, we're going to look at those two things in sequence.

First, in the house of God, you will find vain religion.

Now, I wanted to find my term here because religion is a word that might be used in various different ways.

It might be used to say religion reflects the basic human impulse to seek spiritual truth.

It might be the formal communal belief system.

So, a religion would be Islam or Hinduism or Christianity.

If you read older Christian writings, the Puritans and people like that,

they will talk about religion in a very positive way as meaning faithful Christian orthodoxy.

So, we just need to be careful.

I don't mean really any of these things.

What I mean by religion is the human activities that one might do in order to achieve a standing before God or other human beings.

Religion is spiritual practices that are doing things in order to gain something from others.

And, of course, it's challenging because as we look at people from the outside, we don't know why they're doing it.

So, we always need to be careful and humble about our judgmental attitudes towards others when we see them.

But we need to recognize that there is this religious impulse to do things in order to gain meaningful life in the words of Ecclesiastes

or in the broader words of the Scriptures to gain our salvation with God.

And Kohelet is warning us about the reality of vain religion in the house of God.

He talks about three things.

He talks about sacrifices.

He talks about prayer.

And he talks about vows.

In verse 1, he talks about the sacrifices of fools.

And why are they foolish?

Because they don't know what they're doing and they don't know why they're doing it.

And I think that underneath it, there is an impulse.

We do these sacrifices not coming to God knowing our desperate need and wanting to receive from Him,

but rather to perform for God to build ourselves up by doing the things that we would do.

And we might do this consciously.

I know God needs me to do these things so that I'm okay with Him.

God requires this.

It may be that we do these things because we don't know any better,

because we're just following along with the traditions that we grew up with.

All of these things are possible.

Think about the sacrifices that we bring in our modern Protestant church,

our singing, our giving, our listening to the Word of God.

Do we do this with the spirit of saying,

I checked a box today.

I went to church.

God is pleased with me.

I gave.

Isn't that good enough?

I served.

Isn't that good enough?

I sung.

Isn't that good enough?

God, now aren't you pleased with me?

Will you now give me what I want?

This seems to be the heart that Koholet is revealing in the sacrifice of fools.

And we need to ask ourselves, do we do the same?

Now, Koholet's audience is not just words.

It seems that he's getting at the thought that is common,

that if we pray more or pray louder or pray with more energy or more ecstasy or more fervency,

that God listens to us more because of our more words.

But this reveals to us, doesn't it, that we think that our prayer is somehow going to manipulate or move God to do something that he wouldn't want to do.

Or it's to look good before God or others by saying, look at what a great prayer I am by my many words.

And then he goes on in verses 4 through 6 and he talks about vows.

Now, vows in the Old Testament often came along with sacrifices.

The thought was, if I make a sacrifice and I make a vow to worship God or to do something for God,

then he will respond to me.

The idea here is a little bit of like the foxhole vows that we make.

God, if you get me out of this circumstance, I will do X.

I will stop drinking.

I will go to church every Sunday.

I will give 50% of my income to the church.

I will, whatever it is, we make these outrageous vows

in an attempt to get something from God.

Now, look, it's great to be zealous.

And there are times when God calls us to make commitments for Him,

but we need to be careful.

I am a card-carrying member of the Bachelor to the Rapture Club.

When I was a sophomore in college,

me and my friends founded the Bachelor to the Rapture Club

because we thought it was the vow that we needed to make to really focus on Jesus

and not think about girls at all.

It's ridiculous, right?

This is a rash vow.

I do not recommend this as a path for those of you young men who are thinking about it,

or young women who are thinking this might make sense.

Look, I'm not going to go down that rabbit hole.

I'm just going to say, this was a rash vow.

Within a year, I was dating.

Maybe you have made vows like New Year's resolutions.

I'm going to read the Bible every day.

I'm going to read through the Bible in a year.

We need to be careful because this zeal,

though it is a normal human impulse,

it is not actually worship to God,

but it is vain religion

because it ends up being about,

I need to perform this.

And when we fail,

we dishonor God.

This is what he says in 4 through 7.

If we fail,

we don't reflect a God who keeps His promises,

a God who is truth,

a God who always is yes and amen

to the things that He has said that He would do.

And we, we have a tendency to say,

oh, I didn't really mean that, God.

We excuse it.

When someone challenges on,

did you follow through with it?

So he says we need to be careful

because these vows are so often

another expression of this vain religion.

religion, this vain religion that says,

if I do these things,

God will see me

and He will think something of me

because I do them.

I will gain standing with Him.

I will gain even my salvation with Him.

Right?

There are some churches that would teach,

you must do certain rituals,

certain practices in order to be saved.

There are certainly world religions

that would say the same thing.

This is the heart for Koholet

of vain religion.

So we've been warned

when you come into the house of God,

and I don't mean out there,

I also mean in here,

we've been warned of the danger

of vain religion.

How do we respond to this?

Now, some of us

come to church,

and we've found it to be

an incredibly wonderful,

life-giving experience.

And we respond to this kind of description

defensively.

No, no, that's not what it is.

That's not what I've experienced.

Church has been life for me.

It's been such a wonderful place.

I worship God when I go to church,

and it's been such a good thing.

And while I am sympathetic to this response,

and I pray that this would be true

of our church and of our gathering,

I want us to reflect and ask the question

that Koholet is asking us.

To what degree is our worship vain?

Are our church practices empty?

Do we gravitate towards checking boxes

or worshiping that's more about me

than about God?

It's more about my experience

rather than the reality of God.

It's more about my preferences

than the Word of God.

It's more about my reputation

than the reputation of God.

It's more about my spiritual success

than the glory of Christ.

We need to ask ourselves that question

in our own hearts individually

and for ourselves corporately.

Do we promote or do we cherish

or do we allow our hearts

to fall into this vain worship?

But secondly, there are some of us

who are here,

but we've already felt the sting

of disappointment

because we've come to church

with high ideals,

great expectations, desires,

and we come in here and we think,

oh no, this church isn't that at all

or it's not enough for me

and I feel disappointed.

I feel hurt because I thought

this church was going to give me something

that I wanted it to give me

and it didn't.

And to you, I would say,

recognize that Kohelet

is warning us

this will be true.

Now, there's hope for you.

We'll get to that

as we go on in our sermon.

But recognize that your idealism

may not reflect the reality

of life under the sun.

And if you remember in Ecclesiastes,

life under the sun

is without reference to God.

And in life under the sun,

we do live under it

and we may be subject to it.

And there are some of us,

and of course, this is a danger

because I'm probably preaching

to the wrong people about this,

but there are some of us

who will dismiss church altogether

because of that disappointment.

But there probably aren't here.

But if you are here

and you're tempted

because you see the whole thing

as a show of hypocrisy,

because you have experienced

the depth of that disappointment

to a point where you just think

you want to cast it all off,

recognize that what Kohelet is saying is

be prepared for the reality

of what you will find,

but also hear the call of God

and what God's Word says

about what it can be

and what it should be.

Because God's Word says more

than just this

about entering into the house of God

and what we will find.

So, for instance,

regarding sacrifices,

hear what David wrote

in Psalm 40, verses 6 through 8.

Psalms 40:6–8

He said,

In sacrifice and offerings

you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

And then I said,

Behold, I have come

in the scroll of the book.

It is written of me.

I delight to do your will.

Oh, my God.

Your law is within my heart.

Now, David lived

in the time of the temple.

He sacrificed at the temple.

It's not that temple sacrifices

didn't happen.

But what David shows

is what God really cared about

in the Old Testament

as well as in the New Testament

is our heart posture

to delight to come to the Lord,

to receive from Him,

and to do His will

because He gives us

and instructs us

and shows us

the path of life

that He has given us.

Or remember the words

that Jesus spoke

in the Sermon on the Mount

regarding prayer

in Matthew 6,

Matthew 6:5–8

verses 5 through 8.

And when you pray,

you must not be

like the hypocrites,

for they love to stand

and pray in the synagogues

and at the street corners

that they may be seen

by others.

Truly I say to you,

they have received

their reward.

But when you pray,

go into your room

and shut the door

and pray to your Father

who is in secret,

and your Father

who sees in secret

will reward you.

And when you pray,

do not heap up empty phrases

as the Gentiles do,

for they think

that they will be heard

for their many words.

Do not be like them,

for your Father knows

what you need

before you ask Him.

You see,

vain religion

isn't about relating

to a heavenly Father.

It's about trying

to please

some divine monarch,

some dispassionate ruler.

But Jesus says,

you come

and worship

a heavenly Father

who hears your words,

who knows what you need,

and who loves.

So come to Him humbly,

knowing that you can't

manipulate Him

from your prayer,

but that by your prayer

you express your need

for Him

and allow Him

to meet you

in that moment.

So the Bible says

there's something better.

There's something better

with God.

The passage

that George read earlier,

the parable

of the wheat

and the weeds

is a really striking one,

right?

Because the parable

is about

God planting

the seed

of the good news

of the kingdom of God

in the world

and in the church,

and then

as He plants it,

there's another seed sown,

and so the wheat

and the weeds

grow up.

And the servants say,

well, should we just

destroy it all?

Should we try to purify

this now?

Should we clear this field

so that it can be

only wheat?

And God says,

no, because if we do that,

the wheat that is there

will be destroyed.

So instead of destroying

that wheat,

we will allow the weeds

for a time,

and then

in the harvest,

when it comes,

we will separate out

the wheat

and the weeds,

and the weeds

will be burned up.

They will suffer

judgment

and condemnation.

But for the wheat,

there is a gathering

into the barns

of the Master

brought into

the household

of God.

And this is the picture

that He gives.

Jesus says in the end,

God will judge

all vain religion.

And He will

recognize

true worship.

And He goes on

to say,

and the kingdom

of God,

that true worship

is like a mustard seed

that grows

unseen

and unlooked for.

But it will produce

a harvest

unbelievably great.

And God

is doing

these things.

And so,

as we go back

to Ecclesiastes,

does He say

these things?

Does He point us

in these directions?

Well, I think He does

in two places

in our passage.

Look with me

in verse 2.

Be not rash

with your mouth,

nor let your heart

be hasty

to utter a word

before God.

For God is in heaven

and you are on earth.

Therefore,

let your words

be few.

God is the

sovereign creator

of all things.

And He hates

vain religion.

He hates

your posturing,

your pride,

your religious performance.

He hates

the religious pretense.

And He will

shut the mouths

of those

who babble

foolish prayers.

He will reject

the sacrifices

of those

who do not listen

and obey

His Word.

in chapter 5,

verse 7,

He says,

for when dreams

increase

and words

grow many,

there is vanity,

but God is the one

you must fear.

And we will see

this thread pulled

throughout all

of Ecclesiastes

that though life

under the sun

is full of vanity

and emptiness,

there is a way forward

and it has to do

with God

and with fearing Him

and fear not

in an abject,

terrified way,

but in an awe-filled

wonder

at how great

the God

who is the creator

and the sustainer

and the redeemer

of all things

is.

He is altogether

righteous

in His judgments.

He is awesome

in His majesty

and His power

and we stand

in awe of Him

because He is not

under the sun,

but He is the one

who created

all of life.

And He is not only

the creator and judge,

but He is the redeemer.

In the fall,

our hearts are bent

towards vain religion.

We seek to make ourselves

right before God,

but He has been working

out a plan of redemption

that would do something

remarkably different

to redeem us

and to free us

for true worship.

So, Jesus reminds

the Samaritan woman

in John 4,

you remember,

He meets the Samaritan woman

at the well

and she,

after having had her sin

exposed by Him,

she's like,

well, what about worship?

Where can we worship?

And Jesus says to her,

woman, believe me,

the hour is coming

when neither on this mountain

nor in Jerusalem

will you worship the Father.

You worship

what you do not know,

we worship what we know,

for salvation is from the Jews.

But the hour is coming

and is now here

when the true worshipers

will worship the Father

in spirit and in truth,

for the Father is seeking

such people to worship Him.

God is spirit

and those who worship Him

must worship Him

in spirit and truth.

And the woman said to Him,

I know that Messiah is coming,

He who is called Christ.

When He comes,

He will tell us all things.

And Jesus said to her,

I who speak to you

am He.

You see, friends,

this is God's plan.

This is God's hope

for His house

is that Jesus has come

to make a house

that is full of people

who worship Him

in spirit and in truth

to rescue us

from our vain religion.

How can He do this?

Because of what the writer

in Hebrews 10,

5 through 10 says.

Listen to these words.

Consequently,

when Christ came into the world,

He said,

sacrifices and offerings

you have not desired,

but a body you have prepared for me.

In burnt offerings

and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said,

behold,

I have come to do

your will, O God,

as it is written of me

in the scroll of the book.

And when He said above,

you have neither desired

nor taken pleasure

in sacrifices and offerings

and burnt offerings

and sin offerings.

These are offered

according to the law.

Then He added,

behold,

I have come to do your will.

He does away with the first

in order to establish the second.

And by that will,

we have been sanctified

through the offering

of the body of Jesus Christ

once for all.

This, friends,

is the good news of the gospel

that Jesus has come

and done the offering

that is necessary

for us to be right with God

so that we no longer

have to work

and our worship

is no longer performance

but response

because Jesus went to the cross

and died on the cross

for our sins.

He did the work

that was necessary

for our forgiveness

and for our redemption.

Because He rose from the dead,

He is able to give us

new and spiritual life

which will last for eternity,

which frees us

from the deadness

of human religion

so that we can worship Him

in this new life

filled with the Holy Spirit

so that we might worship Him

as we ought to

in response to all that He has done.

This is the good news

of the gospel.

And this is our freedom

from vain religion.

And Lord, may it be true

that Trinity is a house

where this gospel truth

is like a fountain

that overflows

in our hearts

individually

and as a community.

Now, as we close,

we're going to observe

the Lord's Supper.

And I want to take

a few minutes

to talk about

the Lord's Supper

because

is there no other place

in our worship service

that we are most prone

to vain religion

than this?

Right?

It would be so easy

for us

to come

and to eat the bread

and to drink the cup

believing that God

accepts us

because we are

taking communion

rather than

taking communion

because God

has already accepted us.

It would be so easy

for us to believe

that taking communion

will move God

to bless us

and do good for us

and answer our

particular prayers

rather than taking communion

because He has already

blessed us

with every spiritual blessing

in Christ.

It would be easy

for us to

not take communion

because we think

I'm unworthy.

I'm too unperfect.

My sin

is great

and

I don't think

I can do this

rather than coming

to the very place

where we

recognize

and remember

the forgiveness

of our sin

achieved in Christ.

It would be easy

for us

to think

that we

take communion

because if we don't

God won't save us

rather than

taking communion

because

He has

saved us.

Listen to the words

of institution.

This is what Paul wrote

in 1 Corinthians 11.

For I received

from the Lord

what I also delivered

to you

that the Lord Jesus

on the night

He was betrayed

took bread

and when He had

given thanks

He broke it

and said

this is my body

which is for you

do this

in remembrance

of me

and in the same way

also He took the cup

after supper

saying

this cup

is a new covenant

in my blood

do this

as often

as you drink it

in remembrance

of me

for as often

as you eat

this bread

and drink this cup

you proclaim

the Lord's death

until He comes.

This is why

we do this

we do this

to remember

to remember

His body

broken for us

His blood

that was shed

for us

and the redemption

that He has done

and as we respond

we ought to ask

the Holy Spirit

to help us

maybe we will feel

joy

because we have

remembered

that God

has rescued us

from sin

in Christ

we may feel

thankfulness

because of the

costly love

that Jesus showed

we may feel

conviction of sin

because we haven't

put God

in the middle

of our lives

or in the middle

of our worship

we may feel

strength

in God's presence

that God

who has rescued us

will continue

to strengthen us

to pursue Him

even through

great trials

whatever it is

the heart

not the ritual

is the goal

and as we come

to the table

my prayer is

that we will

worship Him

in spirit

and truth

this morning

is the