During the Monday’s Bible Study we are currently working through an 11 part series based on John Piper’s Desiring God. The handout notes (which pertain to the Chapter Three: Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism) are posted below. Please note that this handout is adapted from Desiring God Study Guide and Desiring God Study Guide for Groups which can be accessed directly from the Desiring God site (here).

The introduction to the 11-week study can be read here.

DESIRING GOD: MEDITATIONS OF A CHRISTIAN HEDONIST

Chapter 3 – Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism

The How and Whom of Worship

The author writes,

The woman raised the issue of where people ought to worship. Jesus responds by saying, “That controversy can’t compare in importance with the issue of how and whom you worship.” (p. 81)

1. Read John 4:1-32 and consider what Jesus has to say about the how and the whom of worship. How does verse 23 help us identify the how and whom of right worship? Why is the how and whom of worship more important than the where? What happens when either the how or whom is missing from one’s efforts in worship? (pp. 81-82)

Fuel, Furnace and Heat

The author writes,

Perhaps we can tie things together with this picture: The fuel of worship is the truth of God; the furnace of worship is the spirit of man; and the heat of worship is the vital affections of reverence, contrition, trust, gratitude, and joy.

But there is something missing from this picture. There is furnace, fuel, and heat, but no fire. The fuel of truth in the furnace of our spirit does not automatically produce the heat of worship. There must be ignition and fire. This is the Holy Spirit. (p. 82)

1. Consider, again, John 4:1-32 and read John 3:6 (it would be helpful to read verse 3 through to 8). What evidence to we find here to support the author’s analogy of fuel, furnace and heat?

2. In the author’s analogy, what is God’s role and what is our part in stoking the heat of worship?

An Affair of the Heart

The author writes that,

…worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth. (p. 84)

1. Read Psalm 33:1-3, Psalm 47:1-2, Psalm 66:1-4, Psalm 96:6-13 and Psalm 100. What evidence do we find in these passages to support the author’s definition of worship? What else do these passages tell us about the kind of worship God desires?

2. Consider again the author’s definition of worship. What possible misunderstanding could the word gladly cause? What possible worse misunderstanding could be caused by not using the word gladly? (pp. 84–85)

3. Read Matthew 15:8-9 (cf. Isaiah 29:13) and consider what it is that might make an act of worship vain? What are some motivations besides genuine affection for God that might lead a person to perform an act of worship? (pp. 85–86)

Worship as an End in Itself

The author writes,

This is what keeps worship from being “in vain.” […]

If God’s reality is displayed to us in His Word or His world and we do not then feel in our heart any grief or longing or hope or fear or awe or joy or gratitude or confidence, then we may dutifully sing and pray and recite and gesture as much as we like, but it will not be real worship. We cannot honor God if our “heart is far from him.”

Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth. This cannot be done by mere acts of duty. It can be done only when spontaneous affections arise in the heart. And these affections for God are an end in themselves. They are the essence of eternal worship. Saint Augustine said it like this: The highest good is “that which will leave us nothing further to seek in order to be happy, if only we make all our actions refer to it, and seek it not for the sake of something else, but for its own sake.” (p. 92)

1. Explain what the author means when he writes that ‘worship is an end in itself’? How does this phrase relate to the notion of ‘spontaneous affections’? If worship is an end itself, does it ever lead to anything else? If so, how is this possible, and what might it lead to? (pp. 90–92)

2. Respond to the following objection: “In making the joy of worship an end in itself, we make God a means to our end rather than our being a means to His end. Christian Hedonism, therefore, is man-centered.” (Cf. pp. 94–96.)

Authentic Worship

Read the following passages,

Psalm 46:10, Habakkuk 2:20, Psalm 33:8, Isaiah 8:13 and Psalm 5:7

Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 57:15

Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 73:25-26, Psalm 63:1

Psalm 30:11-12

Psalm 42:5-6, Psalm 130:5

Psalm 27:4, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 37:4

1. Reflect upon the statement, “Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead” (p. 88). Consider two of the affections presented in the passages above and contemplate what it is about God that should cause these affections or feelings to arise in our hearts. Examine your own self to see whether these qualities of God cause such emotions to swell in your heart.

Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism

The author writes,

Misguided virtue smothers the spirit of worship. The person who has the vague notion that it is virtue to overcome self-interest, and that it is vice to seek pleasure, will scarcely be able to worship. For worship is the most hedonistic affair of life and must not be ruined with the least thought of disinterestedness. The great hindrance to worship is not that we are a pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures.

The prophet Jeremiah put it like this:

“My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for them- selves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:11–13) (p. 98)

1. What is the danger of ‘disinterestedness’, the misguided virtue which the author identifies in the passage above? Why is this misguided virtue most dangerous? How does the notion of Christian Hedonism help us avoid such wrong thinking?

Response

The author suggests that the hedonistic prayers of the Psalmist instruct our prayer life and fuel our prayers for the Church of Christ. As we read Chapter 3, in preparation for the next Monday Bible Study, it would be good if we allow the following Psalms to guide us in our prayer and devotional times,

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. (Psalm 4:7)

Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. (Psalm 5:11)

I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:2)

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. (Psalm 17:15)

I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart. (Psalm 40:8, NASB)

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me…. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10, 12)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Psalm 63:1–3)

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25–26)