The Pinnacle of the Christian Experience
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
The Pinnacle of the Christian Experience
The Pinnacle of the Christian Experience
Welcome.
Wed/Friday
Please register for service
Pre-screen before coming.
Do not attend if you are unwell.
Vulnerable/elderly are advised to worship from home.
Sanitize upon entry/exit.
Wear a mask
Maintain physical distancing
Avoid hugs/handshakes
1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
English Standard Version Psalm 95
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
MV 4.24
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Title: The Pinnacle of the Christian Experience
What would that be? What are the greatest moments of our Christian experience?
Is it: Reading Scripture, prayer, gathering, BBQ, Campfire, an act of kindness?
Hint: found in the first two words of our Mission Statement: “Worship God, Win the lost, Nourish the Found.”
The most beautiful, powerful, impactful moments of our Christian experience are the moments of authentic worship.
Theme: The Pinnacle of the Christian Experience is authentic worship.
Today, I’d like to explore the subject of worship and answer a few questions?
What is worship?
Why should we worship?
Whom do we worship?
How do we worship?
What are the results of worship?
1. What is worship?
1. What is worship?
We use the word rather loosely and in doing so we have lost the true meaning of worship.
To emphasize the need for consistency in our Christian life, we’d say “we don’t only worship God on Sundays but everything we do during the week is worship.” Don’t live for self, world or the devil and come to worship God one day in the week.
This is consistent with Scripture
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
How you treat your spouse is worship
How you conduct yourself in society is worship.
Then we have another scenario. You are living an upright life and come into the house of God.
I attend a worship service.
We read Scripture
We sing
We pray
But - did we really worship?
Many things we do by habit, rote, without the heart being into it.
we go through the motions
We come to the house of God empty and leave empty.
We did not reach out to connect with God.
What is worship?
“Worship is attributing honor, reverence, or worth to God.”
The Hebrew word used for worship in PS.95.6 means ‘to bow down.”
Ex. 4.31 “they bowed their heads and worshiped.”
Ex. 34.8 Moses ‘bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.”
Josh 5.14
English Standard Version Chapter 5
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped
3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Torrey, R. A: Worship is the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before God.
“It has been well said “in prayer we are occupied with our needs, in thanksgiving we are occupied with our blessings, in worship we are occupied with Himself.”
"What is the difference between praise and worship?"
"What is the difference between praise and worship?"
Source: Got questions.
The Bible has numerous commands to Praise the Lord.
We can praise Him with
singing
shouting
with the dance
and with musical instruments
Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has done for us. It is closely intertwined with thanksgiving.
Give thanks: for what God has done for us.
Praise: For who He is
We praise God for who He is and what He has done. [Thanksgiving is a subset of praise]
Salvation
Family
Church
Job
Health
House/car
Power
Faithfulness
Praise is universal
We can praise our family, friends, boss, or paperboy.
Praise does not require anything of us. It is merely the truthful acknowledgment of the righteous acts of another. Since God has done many wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise (Psalm 18:3).
Differences
Worship should be reserved for God alone (Luke 4:8). Not everyone
Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another.
Praise can be a part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise.
Praise is easy; worship is not. Worship gets to the heart of who we are.
Worship comes from a different place within our spirits. Not just lips
Whereas praise involves lips and mind, worship may involve the lips but always involves the heart.
To truly worship God, we must let go of our self-worship.
We must be willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of our lives to His control, and adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done.
Praise is one way; Worship is two-way.
In Scripture, praise is usually presented as boisterous, joyful, and uninhibited.
God invites praise of all kinds from His creation. Jesus said that if people don’t praise God, even the "stones will cry out"
When the Bible mentions worship, however, the tone changes. We read verses like, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness". And, "Come let us worship and bow down."
Often, worship is coupled with the act of bowing or kneeling, which shows humility and contrition
It is through true worship that we invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us, convict us, and comfort us. Through worship, we realign our priorities with God’s and acknowledge Him once more as the rightful Lord of our lives.
Just as praise is intertwined with thanksgiving, worship is intertwined with surrender.
again:
Torrey, R. A: Worship is the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before God.
2. Whom do we worship?
2. Whom do we worship?
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
English Standard Version Chapter 20
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God
We are to worship God and God alone, not idols, not false gods.
We may praise men but we are never to worship them.
Cornelius and Peter
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
We are to worship God the Father
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
We are to worship God the Son
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
3. Why should we worship?
3. Why should we worship?
a) We were created to worship.
a) We were created to worship.
Why so many religions abound?
84% of the world believe in the existence of God.
They worship God in one form or another. The true God or a false god.
Worship is innate within us.
There is a part of us that knows deep inside we were created for more than this world, more than material existence.
JC words ring true: What shall it profit a man…?
The Westminster Shorter Catechism was completed in 1647 :
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
A Psalm for giving thanks.
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
b) We are commanded to worship.
b) We are commanded to worship.
God gave Moses 10 Commandments
The very first four commandments surrounded worship.
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
English Standard Version Chapter 20
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
That’s why JC said - Our Father in heaven, HALLOWED by Thy Name!
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
c) God is worthy of our worship
c) God is worthy of our worship
This is why COVID hurts - I cannot worship freely with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
David’s song of thanksgiving says-
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
Throughout Scripture, we read, we study the greatness, goodness, faithfulness, righteousness, holiness of the God of heaven.
Think about all He has done. Of who He is:
I thank Him for salvation:
Salvation
His atoning death
love, goodness, mercy
faithfulness
blessings
Conc.
With so much calamity, tragedy, uncertainty, fear, chaos, confusion in the world, we are to draw near to God in worship.
Be like Job.
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
Worship is the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before God.