Ins and Outs of Worship

October 28, 2020

Ins and Outs of Worship

 

-Worship is a lost art and duty in contemporary Christianity.

-How many of us truly approach worship services with a singular focus on participating in worship?

-How many of us understand the concept of worship well enough to whether we are worshipping in a manner that pleases God?

-Every Christian MUST understand and practice biblical worship because:

  • God has commanded it (Deut. 6:13, Mt. 4:10)
  • Worship is a of our salvation in Christ (Jn. 4:23-24, Phil. 3:3)
  • Absence of true worship and presence of false worship displeases God (1 Sam. 13:8-14; Rom. 1:18-32)

 

Essence of Corporate Worship

Worship (old English) —  worthship i.e. acknowledging the unique of an object and showing honor and respect to it.

-Corporate/public worship has always been companion to individual/private worship and equally necessary.

A. of True Worship is On God

-Psalm 95:6-7 6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God…

-Psalm 96:8-9 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness…

*God is the sole object of worship and the primary purpose of worship is to bring Him glory and pleasure, and so that the interests and needs of men are only of importance.

-Unfortunately, we often approach corporate worship with our focus on something other than the person and glory of God. (i.e. how much we are enjoying the service, whether we are profiting from it, or with something completely unrelated to worship. 

B. Participants in True Worship Respond to God

-Notice the actions in Psalm 95 & 96.

-No Christian should be a . (Mark 7:6-7)

-For our worship to be fully pleasing to God, it must be motivated by joy and not merely duty. The truest expression of worship occurs when our duty becomes our delight. (Examples?)

 

Elements of Corporate Worship

A. for Public Worship

-The right kind of participation in a worship service begins long before the service actually starts.

-Our attitudes and actions during the week will often determine whether we will be pleasing to God on Sunday. (Psalm 15:1-5)

-The of our worship in the church is dependent upon the integrity of our lives in the world.

-Our relationships with other believers has bearing on worship. (Mt. 5:23-24)

-Personal worship during the week can overflow in corporate worship on Sunday.

-Other corporate worship preparation steps: for the service, go to bed early on Saturday, get up early enough to not have to rush on Sunday.

B. from the Teaching of God’s Word

-Unfortunate trend: The Word of God is proclaimed from the pulpit, yet listeners often learn very little from it and change very little as a result of it.

-True worship often results in response to the wonderful truths God communicates to us through His Word.

-The NT establishes the of biblical teaching in corporate worship:

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine

Acts 5:42 daily…they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ

1 Tim. 4:13-15 give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine…Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them

Too many laymen speak about the preaching event as if it were a one-way street, as if the responsibility for what transpires when the Bible is proclaimed rests solely on the shoulders of the preacher. But that’s not so! Effective communication demands competence from parties. (J. Adams)

-Hearing the Word of God properly is a Scriptural responsibility of all Christians. (Mt. 13:9, Mk. 4:24, Luke 8:18, 10:16, Rev. 2-3)

-10 ways become a better listener and learner of God’s Word:

1. Test to see if you are in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5, 1 Cor. 2:14)

2. Confess and forsake your sin continually. (1 Jn. 1:9, 1 Pet. 2:1-2)

3. Prepare yourself the night before.

4. your expectation prior to the service. (Ps. 119:18, 125, 162)

5. Eliminate potential distractions. (Rom. 13:14)

6. Embrace concentration techniques (Ps. 119:11, James 1:25)

7. Examine the teaching carefully and . (Acts 17:11, 1 Th. 5:21-22)

8. Discuss the message with other Christians. (Rom. 15:14, Heb. 10:24)

9. Study the passage further.

10. in your heart to make necessary changes. (James 1:22-25)

C. Praying With and For the Body

-Corporate prayer was an important element in Old Testament worship gatherings (1 Kings 18:36) and the early church continued that practice (Acts 1:14)

-Benefits of corporate prayer:

  • Proportional power of more voices raised to God
  • Instructional of public prayers (Jesus’ prayer in Jn. 17)

-All believers should be intently when someone is leading in prayer.

-We can pray before, during, and after services that we and others would honor God and grow spiritually.

D. Singing to Each Other and to the Lord

-Eph. 5:18-19 …be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the LORD

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the LORD.

-Music plays at least 2 roles in corporate worship:

  • Provides and encouragement to the members
  • Provides praises and petitions to God

-Nothing less than energetic, sincere singing will our Creator.

E. Observing the Ordinances of the Church

-God has established 2 ordinances for the church:

  • – 1st step of obedience for all believers and identifies outwardly with Christ (Acts 2:41, 10:47-48)
  • The Lord’s Supper – a memorial of the death of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:26-30)

-The Lord’s Supper should be taken by all believers and regularly.

F. to the Lord and His Church

-Giving is a duty because we are commanded by God to do it (1 Cor. 16:2, 2 Cor. 9:7), but also a privilege because it pleases and is blessed by God (Mal. 3:10, Heb. 13:16).

-Giving should be (1 Cor. 16:2):

  • first day of the week
  • Individual – let every one of you
  • lay by him in store
  • Proportional – as God hath prospered him
  • Sacrificial – i.e. widow’s mite (Mark 12)
  • God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7)

G. Serving One Another in the Services

-Aiding in maintaining a environment is a great way of serving one another:

  • Exercise the gift of helps – i.e. A/V, children, cleaning/maintenance, ushering (1 Cor. 12:28)
  • Show and hospitality – i.e. greeting, conversing, guiding, getting outside of comfort zone (James 2:1-9)

 

*May we lovingly, sincerely, and worship our Father in spirit and in truth.

*Taken from Life in the Father’s House by Wayne Mack & David Swavely

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