Building a solid foundation on the Word of God
Aiming for Koinonia
Determining our Direction and Purpose
John 4:22-24 & Selected Scriptures
• What is the Purpose of the Church?
It’s important that we’re all on the same page when it comes to the purpose of the church. If we’re not solidly grounded in God’s Word, it can be easy to stray from the clear principles laid out in Scripture.
These things have all been seen in Sunday Morning Corporate Worship Gatherings at “evangelical” churches in recent years:
The Pastor enters on a zip line.
A Cirque du Soleil “act” as part of the worship
An Obstacle course elimination style competition.
James Bond and Ozzy Osbourne songs used in worship sets.
and a few other bizarre things.
Before we start talking about our direction and our purpose, we need to make sure that we have a clear understanding of who we are.
• What is the church?
The church is a body/group of sinners
who have been given:
• repentance from their sins &
• belief in the gospel
Resulting in salvation all by grace
Today we will look at the first of the three Primary Purposes of the church.
• The 1st Purpose: Exaltation of God
We must understand worship. It’s at the center of what the Bible teaches.
John MacArthur rightly explains worship this way: If you are not a true worshiper, everything else in your life will be spiritually out of sync. Nothing will accelerate your spiritual growth and sanctification more than gaining a right understanding of true worship.
• Worship is critically important.
Not only is worship of critical importance all through the Bible, it’s one of the primary purposes and functions of the church.
The main idea when defining worship is giving.
• Worship is giving something to God.
Anglo-Saxon word is worth-ship (weorthscipe). It is tied to the concept of worthiness. Worship is ascribing to God His worth, or stating and affirming His supreme value.
Worship is honoring and adoring God. Responding to Who God is and what He has done with all the details our lives.
• The Two Sides of Worship:
1. Individual
Worship doesn’t just happen at church. It should happens in your daily living.
Romans 1-11 is a beautiful lengthy exhaustive exposition and explanation of the gospel. Probably the richest, densest theology of the gospel in all of Scripture. Immediately we are told what our response to that should be. Here is the gospel as detailed as I can make it, now here is how you live your life in response to it: live a life of worship
Romans 12:1-2 is a powerful statement about the concept of whole-life worship.
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. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
2. Corporate
If we believe that Scripture is sufficient (and we do) then, all we need to know about our corporate worship gatherings can be found in the Bible. So what should our corporate worship gatherings look like?
• Elements of Exaltation
1. Assembling
Hebrews 10:24-25 – let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together,
Acts 20:7 – On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together ...
Again in 1 Corinthians 16, we see the body gathered.
The church must regularly gather together.
If you are not regularly, consistently - and I would say the definition of that is weekly - you are not being obedient to God’s Word. This should be the highlight of your week.
2. Spirit & Truth
John 4:23 – the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Worship should flow from the inside out. It is not an activity that we create an environment for. It begins on the inside.
• Worship is a heart activity.
When God has transformed your heart, (stone – flesh) and your heart is enraptured with who He is and what He has done, there will be so much there that it overflows and comes out and that’s worship in spirit.
Matthew 12:34 - out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Psalm 103:1 – Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
It’s not just about feelings and emotions. It’s not mystical.
John 17:17 – Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Worship is directly connected to truth. We must understand His word.
His word is truth.
John Stott: The Word and worship belong to each other. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God, because it is the adoration of his name. Therefore acceptable worship is impossible without preaching.
Preaching is making known the name of the Lord and worship is praising the name of the Lord made known.
True worship doesn’t just happen.
Preparation is an essential part of worship.
The choir prepares
The musicians prepare
The preacher prepares
• The most important preparation, however, is the worshiper’s heart.
What does worship in spirit and in truth look like?
• The Holy Spirit is involved.
• Someone who isn’t saved cannot worship God.
Indeed they have no desire to worship God. His enemy.
• Mental Focus
• Your thoughts must be centered on God.
Our whole culture is designed to shorten our attention spans, but we must focus our minds on God.
• Heart Focus
You need to be overwhelmed and consumed with a passionate love for Christ.
• Love for Christ must overflow, overwhelm, and overtake every other affection you have.
• Repentance
You must deal with your sin before you come into the presence of God. Remember: God requires holiness. We can’t live lives saturated with sin and then turn and come in and worship God rightly.
3. Prayer
Charles Spurgeon said – If a church is to be what it ought to be for the purposes of God, we must train it in the holy art of prayer. Believe me, if a church does not pray, it is dead. Instead of putting united prayer last, put it first. Everything will hinge upon the power of prayer in the church.
Prayer is a vital component of all that we do. Not just in our corporate worship services, but also in private devotional life.
• Prayer is part of worship. Prayer is worship.
We must be devoted to prayer if we are to truly worship God.
4. Exposition - God’s Word is Central
The exposition of the word of God must always be central.
.
• Scripture is what God uses to sustain the Christian life. It’s what He uses to grow and cultivate the Christian life.
Romans 10:17 – faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
James 1:21 – receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
1 Peter 1:23 – you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
2 Timothy 3:16-18 – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
• We must have an intense, passionate commitment to the centrality of Scripture.
The Bible is sufficient to meet every need of the human soul. (Psalm 19:7-10) When it comes to what we do in our corporate worship service, we look to the Bible alone.
5. Music – Singing
When we gather for corporate worship, music is an indispensable part of that.
Psalm 96 – Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
It’s no coincidence that we are told over and over to sing His praises.
Sadly, the controversy is usually about style, not theological content.
• Musical style should not be our primary concern when we discuss singing. What we should primarily be concerned with is the substance of the song.
Many contemporary songs being written today are sentimental poems about personal experience and feelings. Their messages are shallow and ambiguous. Worship music must be about who Christ is and what He has done.
• All true worship music, is written to teach and reinforce the Scriptures in an effort to direct our worship to God.
Worship music focuing your mind’s attention & heart’s affection on the person and work of Christ
Singing a song that could just as easily be about your boyfriend as it could be about Jesus is not true worship.
6. Ordinances
• Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are both pictures of the gospel.
They are a way that we can experience the gospel tangibly. They’re are ceremonies that point to the gospel.
7. Giving
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 tells us that we are to give, regularly, willingly, cheerfully, and generously
One question:
• Will you be engaged in the church?
Not merely involved. Not merely showing up.
But truly engaged in the church. And deeply engaged in all of the purposes of the church?
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