Resolutions That Stick: Worship

-Today we approach the topic of resolutions once again. We are focusing on resolutions that will improve our spiritual growth. We have covered Bible study, prayer, and today we move on to our third topic: worship.

Listen to me, over the past few years churches have been tested on this subject more than ever before. I am well aware of what we are facing in our current situation. However, I am also aware that there is now more than ever a great need for the fellowship of believers! Read with me beginning in verse 19...

Proposition: God did not build His church upon the blood of His Son so that we could take it or leave it.

Read with me verses 19-21 again… There are two aspects of worship referred to in this passage I want to look at today...

Private Worship vv. 19-21

Private worship has to do, obviously with the way we worship God on our own. Notice these verses mention our:

Privilege vv. 19-20

The boldness of our worship - the word means or refers to our confidence

Another understanding of boldness is that of liberty

Our rights

As believers in Jesus Christ it is our right to enter the very throne room of heaven

No other generation of believer has ever had this right given to them

We have been given the right, the privilege to enter the presence of God as often as we please!

How often to you take advantage of this privilege?

I hope and pray that you don’t hold off on worshiping until Sunday.

The means of our worship - we have a new and living way!

Unlike in the OT and even up until the death of Christ, we have nothing separating us from the presence of God

Consider what Jesus had to endure for you to be saved!

He took a punishment He didn’t deserve

Died for sins He didn’t commit

All so that we, through faith in Him, can now worship Him

The day Jesus died there was a veil in the temple

The veil was put in place during Moses day in the tabernacle

It was there to mark the limitations of how far any man could go

If you weren’t a priest the farthest you could go was to the door of the holy place

If you were a priest you could enter the holy place, but not the holiest of all

If you were the high priest you could enter the holy of holies to make an annual atonement for the children of Israel, but only once a year, and then only after making sacrifice for your own sin

The day Jesus died that veil was removed!

The day Jesus died He opened the way for anyone to enter the presence of God!

That is the privilege we have today, to worship God anytime, anywhere!

Now, let us take advantage of that privilege, and boldly enter the holiest of all

Let us also remember our...

Priest v. 21

I hope we never forget that Jesus Christ Himself is our high priest!

If that doesn’t motivate you to worship in private, I don’t know what will!

As Christians, our worship is limitless! We are not limited to one day a week, we have unlimited access to the throne room of heaven anytime! That is not just when we have a need, that is for us to simply enter His presence and worship Him.

We’ve talked about the privilege of private worship, now let us move on to...

Public Worship vv. 22-25

Perhaps even more precious than private worship is our public worship. If it is a privilege to worship God at home alone, then how much more a privilege to gather as a body of believers and worship together! I believe in this passage we can make application to God’s expectations for our public worship. God says: “Let us...”

Draw Near v. 22 - Deals with our preparation

When we gather together to worship as a group, we must be prepared as individuals

This looks back to our private worship and asks:

Have I privately prepared myself to worship God?

Am I “drawing near” with a true heart?

Church I am convinced that the reason God is not moving in churches the way He once did is because the people of God are no prepared as they once were!

We will not see God moving in our church, if we are not seeking Him to move in our individual lives

In this sense, private worship and public worship are connected!

When was the last time:

You asked God “Am I ready to worship?”

You spent time confessing sin before coming to church?

You apologized to someone you may have offended in the past?

You approached someone who offended you in order to clear the air between you?

If we want to see God move in our midst, then we must be prepared, we must “Draw near” to God!

Hold fast v. 23 - Deals with our faithfulness

Faithfulness to God

I am glad today that we can worship God in private, but if we only worshiped in private, look at all we would miss!

Other verses deal with this in greater detail, but verse 23 hints at this great truth!

God desires us to be faithful to Him in private, but also in public!

When you come to church you get to say publically to the world that you are a believer in Jesus!

Here’s another encouragement in this same verse...

Faithfulness of God!

God is faithful!

It’s good to know that:

God will never disappoint you

Let you down

Take advantage of you

Withhold something good from you

Never lie

Never leave

Never turn His back on you!

Why?

Because He is faithful

When He speaks, you can believe it

When He makes a promise, He will keep it

Our God is faithful!

When we come together in public to worship Him we are saying to the world that we believer our God, that we know He is real, that we know He hears us, that we know He loves us, that we know He will never let us down!

Now, let us...

Consider one another vv. 24-25 - Deals with our fellowship

We need one another for encouragement in light of daily challenges

To consider means to “take note of”

The Bible tells us we are to “take note of” one another

Take a look around you today, who isn’t here?

We need to take note of who is missing

We need to take note of who is hurting

We need to take note of who is sick

We need to take note of who is struggling

Why? So we can help.

To provoke means to stimulate or stir up

Not in a bad way, but in a proper way

In this case we are to encourage each other “unto love and good works”

Like it or not, you cannot get this type of encouragement at home!

We need one another for encouragement in light of eternity

Verse 25 is often quoted today, listen to its encouragement!

In a day when the “manner” or custom of many believers is to forsake the assembling of themselves together, we need remain faithful!

Why? Because the return of our Lord is “approaching”, that is, drawing near.

Conclusion:

The Hebrews, to whom this book was written, were in the habit of drawing back, so the writer encouraged them to "draw near". I know people who have attended churches where they've been hurt and so they decide to never open themselves up again to that hurt. I say to you this morning God expects you to draw near. You cannot live your life as a Christian as a loner keeping others at a distance so that you're not hurt. Getting hurt is part of life, how you deal with that hurt is a mark of maturity. I may say something that offends you, and you may offend me, but that will not change the fact that I love you today and will love you tomorrow. Let's put aside petty differences and let's draw near to God together this year.

Maybe you have questions, well, by the grace of God, we have answers.

You may be here and you may have struggles, whether it's assurance of salvation or struggles with sin, you're in the right place. God put you here because there is someone here who can help you, someone who has gone through something similar. Parks Crossroads is your home.

Maybe today you’re looking for home church, I invite you to make PCCC your home church.

Maybe today you are not at peace. Listen, the only place you will ever find peace is in a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Today I ask you as we bow our heads and close in prayer, are you ready to meet the Savior? Do you know that you’re saved?

If you do not have that assurance, listen, you can have it right now! It’s as simple as ABC:

A- Admit and acknowledge you’re a sinner. That you know you have messed up and that you cannot save yourself

B -Believe the Word of God that it is true when it says God loves you and that His Son Jesus died for you.

C-Call on Him and be saved today.