Worship and the church
1. Someone recently shared with me a sermon they heard and remembered from several years ago.
2. The preacher started to speak at the appropriate time, a fellow member decided to get seated.
3. This man came to a very visible pew and made a commotion to get the seat he wanted.
4. After a bit he got up, left the auditorium, came back, and then left again.
5. After a lot of back and forth disruptiveness the preacher started to publicly speak to him.
6. The preacher asked this man to justify his disorderly actions.
7. When the preacher addressed this man directly, the rest of the congregation was shocked.
8. The unrestrained man told the preacher he had some things to do.
9. On one of his trips he got up to get a drink. Another was used to go to the bathroom.
10. After the man’s explanation the preacher launched into his real sermon.
11. The preacher spoke about being disruptive in worship.
12. He spoke about getting drinks, using the bathroom, getting a bulletin, and being on-time.
13. Eventually the congregation realized this whole thing had been staged to make an important point.
WHEN IT COMES TO WORSHIP WE CAN REACH A POINT IN OUR LIVES WHERE WE BEOCME CASUAL AND EVEN INDIFFERENT ABOUT IT.
a) As we think about what the New Testament church, we must consider the word “worship.”
b) The church has evangelism as one of its primary purposes as discussed two weeks ago.
c) We need to be good stewards to help this and other parts of its mission as discussed last week.
d) Today we want to consider how he New Testament church also offers people a place of worship.
2) If we were to investigate the word “worship,” we find that it really encompasses two things.
3) Worship is an activity that involves our attitude as well as actions.
4) Today we want to think about the “attitude” part of worship and study the acts at a later time.
a) Worship is a way of saying: There is a God and we are seeking to honor Him.
b) With worship we seek to to exalt, uplift, praise, and pay tribute to deity.
5) In Rev. 4:11, a passage which describes worship, we have these words:
6) Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.
7) In just this once verse John tells us that worship is a very serious matter.
8) When we come together for worship, we are seeking to honor the most important being that exists—God.
9) We are to come together to praise God in the very best way we can.
a) When we look at some congregations, this is not always what we find.
b) Think back to the preacher and the sermon I previously described.
c) Many attend a place where they have an opportunity to worship, but they do not worship or worship well.
10) Before I give some examples of this, let’s consider a key verse from the lips of Jesus.
11) Jn. 4:24 says “God is spirit.”
12) The next key word the Lord used is the word “worship.”
a) The God who is composed of “spirit” is a God man is allowed to “worship.”
b) Some believe this God can be worshipped in a wide variety of ways.
13) Jesus said this is not true. He said God “must” be worshipped in two specific ways.
a) The word translated “must” really means “must.”
b) Supposed a child brought us a round shape and said, “This is a triangle.”
c) If we know anything about triangles we know triangles have angels.
d) A child could insist that his perfectly shape is a triangle, but his or her belief would never be true.
14) A similar thing is true for worship.
15) We cannot offer acceptable worship to God unless it meets the two conditions in Jn. 4:24.
16) We MUST — there is no alternative worship – worship God as He has directed otherwise our worship will be rejected.
17) The first thing Jesus said in conjunction with acceptable worship is do it “in spirit.”
a) This “spirit” does not mean jumping over pews and screaming “I love Jesus at the top of our lungs.”
b) Worship in spirit means we have the right attitudes. Included in this is a focus on God.
18) Imagine a person who really wanted to see one of the recent concerts at the county fair.
19) During the show one of the attendees got up and went to the concession stand.
20) They quickly returned and then 15 minutes later got up again to go to the bathroom.
21) After another 20 minutes they decide they want to go and play a couple of the fair games.
22) Then they decide to step out again and have a 5 minute phone call with a friend.
23) If we go to an event like this, this is not how people act.
24) When it comes to an event like a concert, people arrive early and they seek to keep their seats.
25) Secular events like a concert cause people to rivet their attention on what is being done.
26) When it comes to worship, something that really matters, is this also what we see?
27) I worshipped with a congregation in MT about 6 months before Teresa and I got married.
a) I do not remember where I sat when I was single, but it was at least in the middle of the auditorium.
b) The first Sunday we went as a married couple to this congregation we sat in the back.
c) What we saw in a congregation of about 150 people was something like a freeway.
d) People were up and down, back and forth, coming in late, passing notes, and talking.
e) Teresa didn’t want to go back; how could one worship in a place that was so chaotic?
f) We moved towards the front and avoided all the distractions in the back part of the assembly.
28) People may come to a place and time for worship and do almost everything but worship.
a) Some come and start thinking about lunch. Is the crockpot at home set at the right temperature?
b) Where will I eat lunch? Will anyone go to lunch with me? Will I have time to mow this afternoon?
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d) These things are not how we “worship in spirit.”
29) Worship is a time to tune out the world and secular things and try to focus 100% on God.
30) There can be situations where people find this hard to do.
31) A person may be having some health issues. A family may have some young and restless children.
32) Unless there is a good reason for distractions, focus on what is being said, done, and offered.
33) Most congregations have some people who do not do this or do not do it well.
34) Some do not sing hymns to God or they barely sing and thus fail to truly honor Him in this way.
35) When it comes to prayers, some look around or do not focus on what is being said.
36) Others look for a verbal slip or try to find someone who was overlooked in the prayer.
37) There are cases where Christians get distracted when it is time for giving.
38) People can tune out the preacher.
39) If we had people treat us and some treat God, we would be absolutely outraged.
40) What if we went in for a surgery and surgeon treated us as some behave in worship?
41) How well would our operation go if a surgeon went back and forth during our operation?
42) What if we went in for a job interview and the prospective employer played with his phone during our interview?
WORSHIP IS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS THINGS WE DO IN THIS LIFE.
a) When preachers think of the spirit part of worship they often turn to Jn. 4:24.
b) The idea of showing respect and reverence and exalting God’s name is not limited to Jn. 4:24.
c) We also find this information in the Old Testament.
2) If you like marginal notes in your Bible or little charts, I am going to give you 2 important references.
3) These references are exact parallels to Jn. 4:24.
4) Jn. 4:24 refers to the object of our worship (God) and says we are to worship Him in spirit and truth.
5) With this reference you could include Josh. 24:14.
a) The 24th chapter of Joshua is the last chapter in this Old Testament book.
b) This chapter brings us to the end of Joshua’s life; the Bible says Joshua lived to the age of 110.
c) As this man provided God’s people with some final words before he died he said this:
d) Josh. 24:14 – READ
6) “Jehovah” and “serve” are the first parallel to Jn. 4:24.
7) Jesus spoke of “God” (the equivalent of Jehovah) and said “worship” Him (“serve” is parallel to worship).
8) In Josh. 24 we find the word “truth.”
9) This word is the third parallel to Jn. 4:24.
10) If we look closely at Josh. 24:14 and Jn. 4:24 we find the fourth parallel – “sincerity.”
11) The word “sincerity” in Josh. 24:14 is parallel to the word “spirit” in Jn. 4:24.
12) Spirit worship is sincere worship.
a) Imagine a person who says to God, “I love you and today I am coming to honor you.”
b) Then this person passes notes, laughs, and plays games during periods of worship.
c) Is this type of person truly sincere in claiming to really love God?
13) We have an Old Testament text that parallels Jn. 4:24, so now let’s include a New Testament text.
14) In the book of Romans – the first chapter – Paul spoke about this same matter.
15) The things in Josh. 24 and Jn. 4 are also brought up by this apostle.
16) Let’s get the exact wording before us by reading Rom. 1:9.
17) The word “God” is an exact match to Jn. 4:24; it is also equal to “Jehovah” in Jn. 4:24.
18) In Rom. 1:9 we also find a reference to God’s word – “in the gospel.”
a) What is the “gospel”? It is the message from God. It is another way of describing “truth.”
b) The word of God is joined with a reference to the “truth” in Rom. 1:9.
19) Since we have two of the four things found in Josh. 24 and Jn. 4, what about the third item?
20) Is there a reference to “spirit” in Rom. 1:9?
21) Yes – notice the expression “whom I serve.”
a) Paul “served” God. This service was with “sincerity” (Josh. 24) and “spirit” (Jn. 4:24).
b) Paul loved God and he showed it.
c) The final parallel is found in the word “witness.”
d) The worship we offer (Jn. 4:24) and our service (Josh. 24:14) serve as a witness to who we are.
22) Each person who comes to worship makes a about what will be during this time period.
23) What is our attitude when it comes to worship?
24) Do we approach Sunday worship as a day and time of dread? If so, we need to repent.
25) Is this a time we try to slug our way through and after it ends say, “I am so glad it is over!”
26) If this is our mindset, we need to repent.
27) Worship is one of man’s greatest privileges.
Acts 20:7 refers to Paul being assembled with God’s people about midnight.
If we had a late night assembly, would we come?
Paul loved God enough to be beaten for Him? Do we love God this much?
Paul loved God enough to say, “Here is my life. You have laid down your life for me and here is my life.”
Have we come to God and said: Here is my life because of what you have done for me.
My house is yours. My money is yours. I will work to commit to making these children your servants.
I am going to seek every opportunity to honor, glorify, and praise your holy name all my days.”
