Posted by David on February 8, 2004 under Bulletin Articles
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (Galatians 6:9)
The problems in congregations in the Roman province of Galatia were extremely difficult. Two features in Paul’s letter to those congregations reveal how discouraging the problems were. A group of Jewish Christians followed behind Paul when he established congregations in non-Jewish areas. Basically, these Christians (Judaizing teachers) made two points. # 1: Paul was not a genuine apostle; neither this man nor his message were to be trusted. # 2: Since you were converted through a “faulty” message about Christ, your conversion is invalid. Thus, you still need to be saved.
What a discouragement to Paul and to the people he called to Christ! With great personal sacrifices, Paul made his mission trips [2 Corinthians 11:21-33]. With enormous personal patience and kindness, he taught people of idolatrous backgrounds [1 Thessalonians 2:5-12]. Paul cared about the people he taught! Those responding to Christ by redirecting their lives were of great encouragement! For Christians to cause these people to doubt their salvation was an enormous personal discouragement.
When Paul heard what happened in the Galatian congregations, it defied belief! He was so upset that he began his letter in a unique manner. In virtually all his letters to congregations, Paul began by giving thanks for them. He did that even with the deeply troubled Corinthian congregation [1 Corinthians 1:4-9]. Yet, he did not begin Galatians with a statement of thanksgiving! He started with a declaration of disbelief. “I cannot believe you left Christ for a message falsely presenting itself as good news!” [Galatians 1:6-9.] He then (1) defended his spiritual credentials and (2) verified his message.
As discouraging as the situation was to Paul, have you considered how discouraging it was to the few who were not deceived by the Judaizing teachers’ false message? Would that not be reason to give up? Would that not make you feel pointless in your conversion and commitment? Would your mind not constantly declare: “Just quit! Just give up!”
Near the end of the letter he wrote the above statement. “Do not stop doing good! Do not faint! Do not let weariness win! The harvest is certain! Doing good glorifies God!”
Why in the face of discouragement continue to do good? (1) This is the only way those in Christ can say “thank you” to God. (2) Those who know God through Christ need encouragement. (3) Those who do not know God need to see Him in your life.
Posted by David on February 1, 2004 under Sermons
This evening as we consider worship as a concept, I want to do something different. Much of this lesson is reading. There will be two sections devoted to readings. I very much want you to read with me. At the end of each section, I briefly will call your attention to some things we read.
The first section of readings will come from the Old Testament. The second section will come from the New Testament.
- Please read with me from the Old Testament.
- Exodus 10:1,2 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”
- Exodus 12:21-27 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’ ” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
- Exodus 13:3-10 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. It shall be when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders. You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
- Exodus 32:11-13 Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'”
- Leviticus 11:45 For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'”
- Leviticus 22:26-33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted as a sacrifice of an offering by fire to the Lord. But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day. When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten on the same day, you shall leave none of it until morning; I am the Lord. So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord. You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord.”
- Leviticus 23:39-44 On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ” So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the Lord.
- Leviticus 25:35-38 Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Do not take usurious interest from him, but revere your God, that your countryman may live with you. You shall not give him your silver at interest, nor your food for gain. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
- Numbers 3:13 For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”
- Numbers 15:38-41 Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.”
- Deuteronomy 5:12-21 Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’
- Deuteronomy 6:20-25 When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.
- Deuteronomy 7:6-11 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.
- Deuteronomy 7:17-19 If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
- Deuteronomy 11:1-5 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord your God–His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the Lord completely destroyed them; and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place.
- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. You shall answer and say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.
- Judges 2:11,12 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the Lord to anger.
- 1 Samuel 10:17-19 Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah; and he said to the sons of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”
- 2 Samuel 7:5-7 Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle. Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'”‘
- Nehemiah 9:9-11 “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea. “Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants and all the people of his land; For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them, And made a name for Yourself as it is this day. “You divided the sea before them, So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground; And their pursuers You hurled into the depths, Like a stone into raging waters.
- Jeremiah 7:21-26 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did more evil than their fathers.
- Jeremiah 11:1-5 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.” ‘ ” Then I said, “Amen, O Lord.”
- Hosea 11:1-4 When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. The more they called them, The more they went from them; They kept sacrificing to the Baals And burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.
- Amos 3:1 Hear this word the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel–against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt.
- Micah 6:1-4 Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.
- After all those readings, I want you to ask one question: “Why?”
- Why keep the Passover?
- Why not destroy Israel when they made the golden calf?
- Why obey God in the laws about what you eat?
- Why offer sacrifices to God?
- Why live in booths on a special festival day?
- Why treat the poor as God instructed?
- Why give the firstborn males to God?
- Why strictly observe the Sabbath?
- Why keep the ten commandments?
- Why obey God?
- Why be God’s people?
- Why did God let Israel live in Canaan?
- Why give the first produce to ripen in the springs harvest to God?
- Why did God become so angry when we worshipped idols?
- Why was God so offended when we wanted a king?
- There was one foundation answer: God acted in our history to rescue us from Egypt, and this is our response to the God Who has already acted to rescue us.
II.Now read with me a few passages from the New Testament.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
- 1 Corinthians 2:1,2 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
- Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
- Acts 17:16-18 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”–because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
- 1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- May I ask the same question: “Why do we worship God, serve God, let God direct our entire lives?”
- For one foundation reason: God acted in history in Jesus’ death and resurrection to rescue us from the slavery of sin (evil), and this is our response to God who already acted to our benefit.
I ask you to see one point, the single truth that has always served as the foundation of worship among God’s people. God acted in human history before He called us to Him. Worship and service are our response to the God who acted to bless us before we did anything to honor Him.
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
On Sunday mornings during the month of February [beginning this Sunday, February 1], the focus of morning assemblies will be on communion. Basically, the following will be each Sunday’s format for the month. With praying and singing together, we will praise God. I will focus our minds on a specific accomplishment God achieved in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We will take communion together as we focus on the sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood. After remembering the gift which allows us to exist as God’s family, Chris will challenge us to focus on our response to God’s achievement.
Each Sunday morning in the month of February, we [as a congregation] will focus on a different achievement God accomplished in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Each Sunday morning we will be challenged to respond to God’s accomplishment in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
This Sunday morning we will focus on God’s gift of freedom (redemption).
The challenge to worship God as a response to His achievement in giving Jesus’ life for us is an extension of our focus on Sunday evenings. Beginning in January, each Sunday evening we focused on worship as a concept. In January, we noted from scripture in a study of Genesis 4 and Isaiah 1 the first concept: worship must arise from the person’s heart. We also noted the inadequacy of the conviction that we worship because we physically are at a place.
Concept two: worship is a declaration of dependence on God. We stressed this fact: it is possible for a person to be surrounded by those who are worshipping while he/she is not worshipping.
On Sunday evenings in February, we will stress the difference between worshipping God and worshipping idols, the importance of God’s creative power, and the moods of worship. Most of the Life Groups focus on these same lessons about worship concerns in their Sunday evening meetings.
The objective is simple. We want each person to worship God. We deeply appreciate everyone’s presence. In no way would we discourage anyone from attending. Yet, we seek for more to happen than people being present. We want each person’s presence to honor God as he/she glorifies God in his/her mind and heart.
Glorify God in your every word and action all week! Join with us in praising God Sunday! May each of us care about the God Who cares so much about us!
Posted by David on January 25, 2004 under Bulletin Articles
My personal joys in being in this congregation are many! Is it perfect? No. Is it stimulating people to grow and mature in Christ? Yes. That challenge is issued in a variety of ways. The call is for each person to grow continuously closer to God through Jesus Christ. The call is not: “Grow closer to God by submitting to my personal agenda.”
This congregation offers an incredible variety of stimulating challenges. No, we do not offer enough. Yes, we will grow and are growing in the variety we offer as God’s community. How many forms of challenge should we offer? How many human needs exist? The God who knows the number of our hairs always is interested in the “whole person.” Those who recognize their needs can hear His call in Christ.
We need as many challenges as there are needs around and among us. Every realized, addressed need opens realizations to our need for God in our life. Every life reality can focus a person on his/her need for a relationship with God. Such needs represent an enormous variety! They also represent enormous spiritual opportunity!
Never be intimidated by our variety of encouragements/outreaches. Please consider these insights and, if possible, make them your own.
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Christians and those who have yet to commit to God through Christ learn and understand by following different paths. “Faith” is not confined to one method of learning. “Spirituality” is not confined to one procedure for understanding what God did and does in Jesus Christ. “Godliness” is not the result of a single method. If someone learns truths about God’s work in Jesus Christ in a manner that differs from the route my understanding took, it is okay. Whether my route to understanding was through lectured understanding or knowledgeable sharing/interacting is insignificant.
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Thus, paths that arrive at the same genuine understanding may take different routes. For example, the objective is to (a) understand that Jesus is the Christ, and (b) to understand how that affects who I am and how I behave. The route to that understanding is not primary if I understand he is the Christ and let him be Lord.
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Different Christians travel at different speeds to a mature understanding. If one is able to travel toward maturity at 70 mph, wonderful! As far as God is concerned, if the best one can do is travel toward maturity at 10 mph, that is equally wonderful! Speed does not define the objective! The destination does.
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Thus we always remember Christian variety exists to encourage, not to rival.
Please accept a warning! Never falsely assume, “Someone will do it,” or, “Our size means it is covered–all I need to do is enjoy the options.” Nothing happens here by “accident.” We always need help. Enjoy the variety, but do something to help sustain it.
A goal: create hard choices. Oh, that God would bless our efforts so much that everyone wants to be more places than he or she can be! Be somewhere as part of something!
Posted by David on January 18, 2004 under Sermons
I hope this study’s emphasis on worshipping God now has your attention. I hope it challenges you to think. Some of the most important aspects of the meaning of Christian acts are held as assumptions. For example, we assume that if we are Christians we understand what worship is. We may often defend what we do in worship, but we rarely study worship as a concept.
We might conduct lengthy studies about prayer, and declare prayer is a part of worship, but we assume we understand the concept of worship. We assume if we have determined the correct way to pray in public assemblies, we understand a correct part of worship.
The assume the same thing for communion, or for giving, or for sermons, or for singing. We assume if we champion the correct forms of these things, we understand the correct concept of worship. Thus if we put correct prayer, and correct communion, and correct giving, and correct sermons, and correct singing together we produce worship. The assumption is this: if we do all the correct things in worship, then worship must occur and be correct.
In the first two lessons I challenged your concepts of worship by taking you to Cain’s sacrifice in Genesis 4 and God’s condemnation of Judah’s worship in Isaiah 1. I had a reason for doing that approach. I wanted you to admit to yourself that maybe there are some things about the concept of worship you have not considered.
If I ask you to consider something biblical that is distinctly opposite of what you thought for a long time without first challenging you to recognize the need to learn from scripture, you are likely to react rather than think. I do not want you to spend your time reacting and determining ways you can counter what scripture says. I want you to spend your time thinking and understanding the concept of worship. I want you to think about realities from scripture that perhaps you have never considered before. I want you to form a biblical concept of worship instead of assuming you know and understand the biblical concept of worship.
- Let’s begin with the obvious question: what is worship?
- Please do not confuse this question with another question.
- The question is: what is worship?
- The question is not: how does a Christian worship?
- There is an enormous difference between those two questions.
- There is a world of difference in “what” and “how.”
- The first question deals with a concept.
- The second question deals with procedures.
- The first question deals with a basic purpose.
- The second question focuses on how that purpose is accomplished.
- These two questions suggest the unthinkable to far too many Christians.
- We can do all the correct “hows” in precisely the correct forms and ways, and still not worship–and to many that is unthinkable.
- In fact, that runs counter to an emphasis that I have heard or been aware of for as long as I have lived.
- This is the common emphasis from my past (a continues to be a common emphasis in too many congregations): if we do the correct things in the correct ways, worship happens and God is pleased.
- For far too long our emphasis has tended to be on “how the church worships,” not on “what is worship.”
- It almost has been as if the concept of worship is unimportant if the procedures in worship are correct.
- Our failure to understand and stress worship as a concept apart from the “hows” has produced disastrous results that produces problems that continue attacking us.
- I am going to make some controversial observations.
- The foundation reason that some Christians find their confidence in being physically present in a church building on Sunday morning when they make no attempt to worship begins with this: they do not understand the concept of worship.
- The foundation reason that some Christians come really get involved in all the worship “hows” on Sunday and live very ungodly lives the rest of the week is this: they do not understand the concept of worship.
- The foundation reason that some Christians freely substitute “going to church” for godly attitudes, godly emotions, and godly behavior is this: they do not understand the concept of worship.
- The foundation reason that some Christians would not dare miss communion on Sunday morning but frequently miss the rest of worship’s fellowship with their spiritual family is this: they do not understand the concept of worship.
- The foundation reason that some Christians by design and personal desire come as late as they can and leave as quickly as they can is this: they do not understand the concept of worship.
- In the first two lessons I hope two things leaped out at you from scripture.
- Genesis 4: from the Bible’s first recorded acts of worship (and continuing throughout all history to today!), the first step of worship that pleases God, that God has regard for, is that the worship begins in a person’s heart.
- Isaiah 1: even if you are God’s people, acceptable worship must have a primary influence on the way you treat people.
- Both of those understandings lie at the inner heart of the concept of worship.
- Do human feelings determine if worship does or does not occur?
- The answer to that question is “yes and not.”
- Perhaps your response is, “David, that is ridiculous! That is no answer at all! The answer cannot be both yes and no!
- My response is this: whether the answer is yes or whether it is no depends on what is meant by the question.
- For the specific reason of making a contrast and creating understanding, allow me to look first at “no” as an answer.
- Have you ever been to what was regarded as a Christian worship assembly and left making this comment: “I do not feel like I have been to worship!”
- What did you mean by that statement?
- Did you mean, “I disapprove of what occurred! I personally resented what occurred so much that I found nothing about the experience worshipful.”
- Was the criteria for what occurred–your personal feelings?
- Let me give you a specific example.
- Suppose you attended an assembly of 200 baptized believers on a Sunday morning that was definitely “high church” in tone in every way.
- The five things you ordinarily do in worship were done, and no more–singing without instruments, praying, communing, giving, and a sermon from scripture.
- But:
- There was a massive, ornate pulpit elevated about 18 feet high above the congregation.
- Those directing the assembly wore special clothing.
- Christians lined up in front to take communion.
- The communion bread was unleavened but in the form of a loaf.
- The communion juice was real wine.
- The rows of pews were short, uncomfortable, old, and ornate.
- When the collection was taken the collect plates were attached to long wooden handles, and no one touched the plates.
- When scripture was read everyone stood.
- When prayers were offered everyone stood.
- There was quiet before the assembly and after the assembly–talking was permitted only when you were outside the building.
- If that was the situation, if you remarked in the car as you drove away that you did not feel like you worshipped, would the fact that you had those feelings mean no worship occurred in that assembly?
- No! It might mean you did not worship, but your feelings would not prove that no one else worshipped.
- Years ago I met a very troubled man in a very prestigious position.
- The man had a religious background, but all his religious experiences were in a “high church” context.
- For months we studied, and for months he worshipped with the congregation I then preached for.
- After several months of study, he was baptized by his request and his initiative.
- For at least six months he continued to worship with us, recovering from his troubles, and becoming more and more spiritual in his focus.
- One day he came to me and said, “I mean no disrespect to you, but I just cannot continue worshipping here. It is not a theology problem; things are just so informal that I do not feel like I have worshipped when I come.”
- The congregation I was in at that time was visibly more dedicated to tradition than this congregation is.
- Did the fact that he did not feel like he worshipped when he assembled with us mean no worship occurred when we assembled?
- If by the question, “Do human feelings determine if worship occurs?” one means that his/her feelings are the criteria that determines if worship does or does not occur, the answer is “No, human feelings do not determine if worship occurs.”
- If by the question, “Do human feelings determine if worship occurs?” one means are human hearts gratefully honoring God as the Creator of life and the One who re-created spiritual life in us, the answer is yes.
- The fundamental purpose of worship is to honor God for all He has done and does in giving us life–which includes both physical existence and life in Christ.
- If hearts are honoring God through Jesus Christ [understanding that this act of honor is expressed in numerous ways], worship occurs.
- Worship occurs because of the manner Christians feel toward God.
- Human feelings that express gratitude as they honor and glorify God are expressing worship.
- This brings us to the second reality regarding the concept of worship.
- The second reality: in the concept of worship, there is a conscious understanding of the fact that God is the sustainer and we are the dependents.
- We worship Him because we are totally dependent on Him.
- That dependence:
- Is not a matter of debate.
- Is not a matter “to be determined.”
- Is not a matter to be questioned.
- That dependence is understood and accepted.
- He brought life and us into physical existence.
- He made promises that He kept.
- Those promises expressed themselves in absolute completion in Jesus Christ.
- He is the Father who sent His son Jesus.
- Jesus is my only way to go to the Father (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5,6)
- The only access I have to God’s grace and mercy expressed in forgiveness, justification, redemption, and sanctification is through what God did for us in Jesus Christ.
Christians worship because they are genuinely grateful for what God has done for them. It is impossible to separate human gratitude that seeks to honor and glorify God from Christian worship.
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Paul wrote this statement to Christians living in Corinth. The majority of them (a) had idolatrous backgrounds and (b) were converted from pagan lifestyles. With those backgrounds and lifestyles, sexual immorality was sanctioned and often considered “godly.” Some temples [depending on the god or goddess worshipped] maintained sacred prostitutes in order to worship that god or goddess through sexual acts.
Paul informed these Christians this was an ungodly concept. That which belongs to Christ cannot be shared with a prostitute. Their bodies belonged to God through Christ. God’s Spirit lived in their bodies. They belonged to God, not to sexual immorality. They could not unite themselves with sexual immorality and continue to belong to God.
The point called to your attention: while sexual immorality could not continue, the fact that in their confusion they were [as Christians] practicing this lifestyle did not immediately, automatically remove them from Christ.
Paul made the same point to the same congregation in 1 Corinthians 8. Some Christians thought idols represented actual gods. Some Christians knew better. Some Christians thought diet made one spiritual. Some Christians knew better. The Christian objective: do not allow correct knowledge to cause the weak to fall from Christ (verse 11). Does this sanction ignorance? No! It condemns the destructive use of knowledge.
Bottom line: we do not know how far God extends mercy and grace to those in Christ. God extends mercy and grace to every one of us! In all our situations, our personal ignorance is viewed by someone else as inexcusable stupidity! We must never forget it is God’s mercy and grace, and He alone determines its limits in specific situations.
On what basis does God extend mercy and grace to an ignorant Christian? He extends both on the basis of that Christian’s motives. If that person is in the process of growing toward spiritual completeness and understanding, God is patient. If he/she is justifying ungodly acts in defiance of God, God holds him/her accountable and responsible for the defiance. Our motives as Christians determine if God is patient with us or insulted by us.
Posted by David on January 11, 2004 under Sermons
Last Sunday evening we dedicated ourselves to better understanding God’s concept of worship. These were the points I asked you to think about:
- What we call the Old Testament (the New Testament called those writings “scripture”) is the foundation of God’s perspectives. The Old Testament predicts what the New Testament confirms regarding God’s love, salvation, faithfulness, and godliness.
- Christianity did not “invent” the concept of worship. If Christians of today are to grasp the biblical concept of worship, we must understand the intent and purpose of worship in the Old Testament.
- With Cain and Abel, God provided us our first introduction to worship.
- Genesis 4 and the worship incident regarding Cain is not about “obedience” or doing things the “correct way.”
- Genesis 4 and the incidents surrounding Cain confirm the first reality of worshipping God the Creator: worship always begins with the heart of the person.
In tonight’s study, I want to use scripture to illustrate the core point of the first lesson. The core point: worshipping God always begins in the heart of the person. An individual does not worship because he/she is physically in the place where worship occurs. He/she may be surrounded by people who are worshipping and not be a worshipper. No matter what is occurring around the person, no matter what is occurring as an act of worship, if he/she does not seek to involve himself or herself in honoring God, he or she is not worshipping. More than physical presence is required.
- To illustrate this fact from scripture, let’s read together Isaiah 1:1-20.
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil. Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields–strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers. The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. Unless the Lord of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies–I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- Lets begin by noting the obvious:
- First, God is genuinely upset at these people who are supposed to be His people (Judah).
- Second, the people [spiritually] are genuinely sick.
- Third, their worship disgusts God.
- Fourth, they desperately need to repent–who they are and how they behave is anything but godly.
- Fifth, if the situation was to change [and it could!], major changes in the way the way the behave must occur.
- Sixth, God wants them to change, and will cleanse them if they do, but they must want to change–what happens depended on their desire.
- Now I want you to focus on their worship.
- Their worship stands as a symbol of their entire spiritual problem.
- Worship clearly illustrated God was genuinely angry with them.
- Worship clearly illustrated the fact that they were truly sick.
- Worship clearly illustrated God’s disgust with them.
- Worship clearly illustrated their desperate need to repent.
- Worship clearly illustrated their lives needed to change.
- Worship clearly illustrated that what happened hinged on their desires.
- “What was wrong with their worship?”
- Technically, nothing was wrong with it.
- They were doing what they were commanded to do.
- They were doing it at the right place.
- Nothing was condemned about the “forms” they follow–their “forms” were not the problem.
- Yet, it is quite clear that God was insulted by their worship.
- God viewed their “correct acts” as a disrespectful trampling in His courts.
- He regarded their sacrifices as worthless.
- He regarded their offering of incense as the height of godlessness.
- He regarded their worship assemblies as a declaration of their commitment to evil–and hated those assemblies!
- Their acts of worship are described as a burden to Him that exhaust Him! Fascinating–forgiving the penitent does not exhaust Him, but the worship of His people who live ungodly lives exhausts Him!
- So He will not listen to their prayers.
- So He will not pay any attention to them.
- The way they live make their worship an insult to Him!
- For their worship to cease being an insult to God, two things must happen.
- They must repent–that means they must turn their lives around.
- In their behavior, they must begin to obey God instead of rebelling against God.
- “What was it in their worship that so offended God?”
- “Where they not doing precisely what God commanded them to do?”
- They absolutely were!
- Everything mentioned about their worship that offended God was commanded by God.
- Consider:
- Leviticus chapters 1-6 give specific instructions from God about what is to be offered, when it is to be offered, and what parts of the animals belong to God.
- The offering of incense was commanded in the special annual day of atonement [in the Most Holy Place] in Leviticus 16:12, 13 and was commonly offered on the altar of incense in the Holy Place (Exodus 30:1-10; 2 Chronicles 26:19).
- The worship at new moons, Sabbaths, and appointed festival days was commanded (Numbers 28:9-15; 1 Chronicles 23:30,31).
- All the men of the nation were to attend the commanded national festival occasions of worship (Deuteronomy 16:16).
- “Then what was the problem?”
- The very fact that this question is asked by many Christians illustrates the “why” of the problem.
- A common concept of worship that a definite segment of Christians not only endorse but accept as the essence of worship is this: “if Christians do the right things, acceptable worship occurs.”
- It is a small step from that conclusion to this conclusion: “if a Christian is physically present where the right things occur, he/she worships.”
- The end result is distressful.
- We substitute “did you go to church today” for being a Christian–“going to church is the important evidence that you are a Christian.
- If you go to church, it is assumed that you worshipped.
- If you go to church, it is assumed that you believe.
- There may be people all over the building doing anything but worshipping, but from their perspective that is okay because they were at church.
- Thus “church” becomes a place, a building, an address.
- “Church” ceases to be what it was in the first century–a people, a community, a fellowship [not a place, not an address, and certainly not a building].
- Christians come for only one activity–they take communion because that is all that is important.
- That conclusion is a complete misunderstanding of the biblical worship of God.
- Certainly, communion done with God’s focus is worship that flows as life to all other expressions of worship.
- As important as communion is, it is not the entirety of worship.
- “Let’s come as late as we can and leave as quick as we can–we did church, we do not need association with people.”
- Worship occurs when hearts gratefully glorify God–and if hearts have no desire to glorify God, worship does not occur–not matter how “right” the things are that occur.
- There is a thin line that separates insulting God and worshipping God.
- That thin line is drawn by the motives of the hearts that are present.
- The objective must be much more than getting people in a church building.
- The objective can be nothing less than causing people to believe, and in believing to honor God for what He has done for us.
- Consider a New Testament example that is familiar to the majority of Bible students.
- Read with me Luke 18:9-14.
And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- I want you to look at “the big picture” instead of the details. [Much of the time we consider only the details.]
- Were both of them at the right place? Yes! They were in the temple court yard.
- Were both of them involved in a worshipful act? Yes! Both were praying. Remember Solomon’s prayer when he dedicated the temple in 1 Kings 8:22-53.
- Were either of them condemned because they violated the form of acceptable prayer? No!
- Then what was the primary difference? Hearts!
- Because of hearts:
- The recognized religious man was not heard, thus he did not worship.
- The sinner was forgiven (justified)–he worshipped.
- And what was the difference? Hearts!
- If anyone should understand the importance of hearts to worship, we should!
Worship occurs only when the heart of the worshipper is moved to glorify God. If our hearts are not correctly involved, there is no worship.
Because that is true, we as Christians must be as concerned about touching hearts in worship as we are concerned about doing the proper things.
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
I hope every person who considers himself or herself a Christian quickly has a ready answer. I hope the answer is a shared answer: “The Lord owns me!”
I grew up in a rural congregation on the western edge of east Tennessee. Several songs frequently were part of our worship. They were sung at least once a month. One (written by Fanny J. Crosby) was, “I am Thine, O Lord.” In my mind, I still can hear us sing the chorus:
“Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.”
It is an affirmation, intent, and awareness. The singer affirms he/she wants the Lord to bring him/her closer. The singer wants to come closer and closer to the Lord. The singer is aware that the crucified, bleeding Jesus is the means of closeness to God.
That is a wonderful affirmation, intent, and awareness. If it is only an inner conviction, it is simple to voice. If it is an inner conviction expressed as the daily focus of one’s life, it is sobering and costly to voice this song.
Perhaps the greater our conviction, the more difficult is our challenge. Jesus draws us nearer through his sacrificial suffering and bleeding. By coming closer to Jesus, we come closer to God. Why does Jesus attract us? He bled for us! How do we come closer to God? The same way Jesus did! As he, we come closer through self-surrender by sacrifice and suffering. That is a hard, serious decision, not a simple, casual decision.
That decision involves many things! It involves different things for different people! For some, it involves rethinking “whom I allow to be my Lord.” For some, it involves a major commitment to repentance, a genuine redirecting of life. For some, it involves allowing “my theology to affect my daily behavior.” For some, it involves relationship issues. For some, it involves letting faith in God be bigger than fear of the past. For some, it involves the determination to endure pain for God.
For all it involves an enormously difficult challenge: the challenge to grow. To grow in what? Understanding, wisdom, purpose, faith, realization of what is eternal. Never will come the moment when we do not seek greater understanding, wisdom, purpose, faith, and realization of the eternal. The issue is not, “Am I comfortable where I am?” The issue is, “Is God pleased with where I am?” Are we constantly willing to grow, to be drawn nearer to the cross and the precious bleeding side?
Matthew 26:39, 42 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” … He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Posted by David on January 4, 2004 under Sermons
This evening I want to begin an emphasis that will continue for several weeks. There are three basic reasons for this emphasis. First: we genuinely need to examine our worship concepts by the Bible. Second: as we focus on concepts, we hope our small groups also will focus on the same concepts. Third: hopefully, that will allow many to consider the same thoughts and concepts and stimulate our understandings as a congregation.
I approach this study with some fears. They have little to do with the material. They have a lot to do with emotional reactions. Emotions are a good thing. We should have strong feelings. But our strong feelings must not be allowed to override Scripture’s thoughts and teachings.
I may suggest you examine things from scripture you never have considered before. If I do, your first feeling may be to react instead of think. First, I want you to clearly understand that I do not seek your agreement. Second, I do make a request: think from a biblical perspective.
May we begin from the same foundation. I have reason to believe that most of us, if not all of us, believe the Bible is inspired by God. Most, if not all of us, believe the writings of the Bible are God’s revelations. Most, if not all of us, believe that if we are to understand God’s thinking and will, we need to constantly grow in our understanding of the message of Scripture. I certainly believe all three of those things.
- I want to begin with an observation: the common approach we have used in the past to determine the meaning of Scripture is frequently backwards.
- “What do you mean by backwards?”
- First, we decide what God wants from the back of the Bible.
- Second, we go to the back of the Bible to prove what we already conclude.
- Third, as a final deed, we go to the front of the Bible to either prove our conclusion or to explain away contrary incidents.
- We place great confidence in any statement from the New Testament, and little confidence in any statement from the Old Testament (unless it agrees with what we are saying).
- Let me give you a specific example.
- Where did you acquire your basic concepts concerning worship? From what source did your concepts come?
- Are you certain that you know the correct way and the incorrect way to worship? If you are certain, why are you certain?
- Are you sure that you can recognize the correct way and the incorrect way to do a specific act in worship? If you are certain, why are you certain?
- If you wanted to document your conclusions regarding worship, would you go exclusively to the New Testament? Why would you go to exclusively to the New Testament?
- Let me ask you to think from scripture itself.
- When Luke, or Paul, or Peter, or James, or Jude, or John wrote their messages you and I recognize as parts of the New Testament, that was the first time those writings ever existed.
- The first letter written that we now recognize as a part of the New Testament was likely written by Paul around 49 or 50 A.D.
- All of the letters or writings that we call books in the New Testament were likely written between 50 A.D. and 100 A.D.
- There were no printing presses, no publishers as we know them, no mass distribution of books as we know mass distribution.
- Just for the sake of a starting point, let’s say Christ died in 33 A.D. and the church was established in 33 A.D.–that is almost 20 years before the very first writing of what we call the New Testament was written.
- That means some Christians died (for example, Stephen and James–Acts 8:1; 12:2) before they saw a single writing of the New Testament.
- A study of what books should be in the Old Testament or the New Testament is a study of the cannon.
- The New Testament that you have was not an agreed upon collection of writing until the 4th century A.D.
- That means a lot of Christians died prior to even knowing the New Testament as a collection.
- The books that we call the New Testament spread through sharing hand written copies, so the process was slow and was not uniform.
- Your reaction might be, “Well, that is all very interesting, but is it important?”
- My answer would be, “Yes! It is very important!”
- Why?
- It is important for this reason: references to the scriptures in the New Testament are primarily to what we call the Old Testament.
- What we call the Old Testament was the scripture of the early church.
- That was what they used and studied.
- Consider these statements:
- Romans 1:2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.
- Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (a reference to Genesis 15:6)
- Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” (likely a reference to Exodus 9:16)
- Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (a reference to Isaiah 28:16)
- Romans 11:2-4 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
- Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
- Romans 16:26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
- There are three references to Scriptures in Galatians (3:8; 3:22; 4:30).
- 1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.
- 2 Timothy 3:16,17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
- There are three references in James (2:8; 2:23; 4:5).
- 2 Peter 1:20-21 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
All these are references to Old Testament Scripture that affirm (1) they were written for the instruction of Christians, (2) they affirm the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, (3) they should be read publicly by Christians, (3) they are inspired by God and can equip Christians for every good work, and that the only meaning God’s prophesies have is the meaning God had.
- “What is your point?”
- My point is this: if our concepts of worship are to be God’s concepts of worship, our understanding must begin with worship in the Old Testament.
- We cannot base our concepts on our views of New Testament teaching and either ignore the Old Testament or force it to fit our concepts.
- Christians did not “invent” the concept of worship. Our “forms” have changed, but the basic “concept” of worshipping God has never changed.
- After Adam and Eve sinned and received God’s consequences for their rebellion, the first thing recorded is Cain and Abel’s worship.
- I personally do not think it is possible to read Genesis 4 in its context and conclude that this chapter is about obeying God by doing the right thing when we worship.
- There is no recorded command given to them to worship.
- There is no recorded command given to them about the way they were to worship.
- There is no mention of obedience.
- Those facts have not been given a place in our typical approach to Genesis 4.
- Typically we use the New Testament to go back and decide what Genesis 4 meant.
- Our basic concept is that Christians show respect for God by obeying, that faith is the product of knowledge, therefore God had to give Cain and Abel a command which Cain violated.
- So we go to Hebrews 11:4 (though the passage is about faith), declare it to be a commentary on Cain’s obedience.
- We basically declare sometime before the worship incidents in Genesis 4 occurred God told Cain what to do. Cain rebelled against the clear instructions of God.
- In my understanding, if that is what we do, we miss the point of Genesis 4.
- May I call some things to your attention?
- First in Genesis 4 there is no mention of a command to Cain and Abel.
- Second in Genesis 4, the impression is that each of the men decided to worship by sacrifice–it would seem the idea came from each man.
- Third in Genesis 4, it says God had regard for Abel’s offering and had no regard for Cain’s.
- Look carefully at Cain’s reaction.
- Verse 5–Cain got very angry and depressed.
- Verse 6–God told Cain he had no reason to be angry or depressed (does that sound like condemnation and rejection?)
- Verse 7–God said sin was crouching at the door (sin had not entered him, but was at the door).
- Verse 7–Cain had the challenge to be master over sin; it did not have him yet!
- Cain verified he was a selfish, self-centered, ego driven man–everything was about Cain!
- He killed Abel–it was all about Cain.
- He lied to God, refusing to accept responsibility for his action–it is still about Cain.
- When God announced the consequences of his act, he responded, “My punishment is too great to bear!” –it is still all about Cain.
- “Others will kill me!”–it is still all about Cain.
- Cain left “the presence of the Lord” and never attempted to return.
- Never was there any expression of regret or repentance in Cain!
- May I suggest to you that the evidence at least suggests even in the act of worship, Cain was focused on Cain, not on God.
- In Genesis 4 I see the # 1 reality in regard to worshipping God: worship always begins with the heart of the person.
- No matter what you do in worship,
- No matter what worship forms you follow,
- No matter how technically correct those forms are,
- If a man or woman does not have as a foundation for worship a heart truly seeking to honor God, that worship does not please God.
One significant problem we have concerning worship in the Church of Christ is the conviction by many that if you do the “right thing” in “the right way” at “the right time,” your worship pleases God. Surely worship should seek to be correct, but that is not enough!
That has never been true! Worship must begin in the worshipper’s heart!
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
The holiday period from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day produces a fascinating conflict of emotions in most of us. We usually exit this period with fewer [not more] insights into ourselves. Most of us enter the period with great expectations. Most of us leave the period focusing on the things we would like to change, but with a resignation that admits changes either would be temporary or non-existent. We enter with excitement as we embraced it with “Hi!” and leave it with pretended reluctance as we say “Bye!”
Why? Why is there so much excitement as we enter the period and such relief when it is over? Why the same basic sense of excitement when we greet the period with an exuberant “Hi!” and leave it with the same exuberance in saying “Bye”?
It is reunion time-perhaps with family we have not seen in a long time, or perhaps with friends from some past era of life. As we anticipate these reunions, for a moment it seems we will step back into a time and world where nothing has changed.
“It will just be like old times again!” Yet, it is not. Times have changed. We have changed. They have changed. It takes maybe an hour to “catch up” with each other. Then we spend the rest of the time “remembering.” We must spend a lot of time “remembering” because we are no longer a part of each other’s “present.” It is not that we do not love each other dearly nor have deep appreciation for old friends or family members’ contributions to our lives “back when.” It is just no longer “back when.” It is “now,” and “now” is undeniably different from “back when.”
What in anticipation was to be a wonderful visit to the cherished past times becomes a powerful reminder that our past is gone and will not return. While reunions bring the joys of wonderful memories, the remembrances are just that-memories.
As we remember the wonderful times of past eras, we are woefully reminded about what we never did or how we need to change. Many “resolves” are stirred to life. For a brief time we are committed to doing what we always intended to do or changing what we always intended to change. However, it does not last long. We are not the same person we used to be “back when.” Our resolve means that (a) we have to change [permanently] the person we have been a long time and/or (b) change the way we live. Even for the most flexible, vigorous people, those are huge demands requiring major commitment!
As you plunge ahead into life, take a powerful, wonderful lesson with you as you say “bye” to the holidays. The lesson? Realize and remember that you do not live in the past, no matter how wonderful [or awful] it was. Realize and remember that you live in the present, and it just takes one day to change the present for the better.
You may not know what the future holds, but you know where the future is. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
