The Pharisees were not worshippers of God, they were protectors of their own glory. What came out of their mouths about righteousness was not the same as what was in their heart about loving God. Their worship was in vain. Their worship was nothing.

This is a huge warning for us. We can so easily come to church on a Sunday and speak and act as if our whole lives revolve around the glory of God when they don’t. It’s possible for us to teach a Sunday School class with our lips and have our hearts far from God. It’s possible for us to sing the most beautiful harmonies to a hymn and yet have hearts during the week that sing the delights of the idols we worship.

The big point for all of us here is that worship is a matter of the heart. We worship God not through ritual or mere words but through a heart that is intent on his glory and submission to his authority. It is a heart that revels in the forgiveness found in the cross and responds with undying active gratitude. When we worship in all that we say, do and think, we declare with our whole being that God is Lord and has my love and devotion in every avenue of my life.