CHALLENGES To/For PUBLIC WORSHIP-VII—John 2:12-25
OR
Some Dynamics Of Public Worship
Attention:
Describe the outward physical ‘trappings’ of worship—types/styles/setting targets/music/chosen frozen/emotionally driven, etc.
What do each of these(& more) say to others?
Public worship can & does present definite challenges!
The Church can be tempted toward many directions regarding the manner & message of its Public Worship. There are real Challenges to bringing about Public Worship!...There are dynamics which, if denied, will keep our church & the public from being able to fully worship in s(S)pirit & truth!
Jesus made it plain that the temple worship had become tainted with improprieties.
Public Worship is to be free from impropriety.
OR
There is to be consonance(harmony/agreeability with God) in public worship.
When is public worship consonant(agreeable/harmonious)?
Some Challenges to (consonant/harmonious/agreeable)public worship.
Previously we have found a Challenge to (harmonious)public worship is its...
1. OCCASION(:13)
2. INVITATION(:13-14)
3. PROTECTION(:15)
4. RESONATION(:16-17)
5. AUTHORIZATION(:18-19)
6. REPLACEMENT, RESTORATION & FOCUS(:19)
7. IMPLICATION(:20)
8. REALIZATION(:21-22)
AND where there is IMPLICATION(:20) & REALIZATION(:21-22) in Public Worship, there is also...
9—A challenge to (harmonious)public worship is its...
COMMUNICATION(:23)
Explanation:(:23)Proof/Conviction
:23—“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.”
“Perhaps more than concluding 2:13-22, these verses commence the Nicodemus narrative”—Andreas J. Köstenberger; D. A. Carson; F. F. Bruce
Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time the Passover feast was being held.
The Jews who came to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover witnessed “His signs.” Jesus did “signs” in Jerusalem “during” the Passover “feast.” Because of His “signs” many people put their faith in Him.
Upon a cursory reading, one would think that these who “believed in His name” not only witnessed the “signs” but recognized them, putting them into effect in their lives so that they repented & trusted Jesus!...
However,. :24-25 seem to discount the “belief”(faith) of these as merely superficial! “Jesus made a clear distinction between those who were superficially impressed because they saw the bare signs & those who penetrated beneath the surface & grasped the truth that was signified by the signs.” The authority to become children of God as in Jn. 1:12, “involves unreserved personal commitment,” something at disparity with what is declared in Jn. 2:23-25.—F. F. Bruce
Admiration of the spectacular yields applause from many.
“To exercise faith on the grounds of having witnessed miraculous signs is precarious.”—D. A. Carson
“Signs are done in order to strengthen true, saving faith.” “Of themselves they do not create faith. The Holy Spirit must do this.”—William Hendriksen
Miracles do not create faith nor do they maintain faith. They are pointers to the object & focus of faith. If one’s faith goes no farther than seeing the production of miracles only, then that ‘faith’ is limited to the miraculous. Thus it is not saving faith.
cf.—Jn. 4:54—“This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”
Regarding which...“In the interim, other signs had been performed in Jerusalem & vicinity.”—A. J. Köstenberger
“Passover”(See :13)—pasca—
“Feast”—eorth—1) A feast day, festival. Strong—of uncertain affinity; A festival.
“Believed”(See :22)—pisteuw—
“Name”—onoma—1) Name: universally of proper names; 2) The name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.; 3) Persons reckoned up by name; 4) The cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason. Strong—from a presumed derivative of the base of ginwskw[To know](compare oninhmi[To gratify]); A “name” (literally or figuratively) [authority, character].
“Saw/Beholding”—yewrew—1) To be a spectator, look at, behold; 2) To see—2a) To perceive with the eyes, to enjoy the presence of one, 2b) To discern, descry, 2c) To ascertain, find out by seeing. Yewrew denotes a careful observation of details. Strong—To be a spectator of, i.e. Discern, (literally, figuratively[experience] or intensively [acknowledge]).
“Signs”—shmeion—Noun Accusative Plural Neuter—1) A sign, mark, token—1a) That by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others & is known, 1b) A sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature. Strong—An indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.
“Did”—poiew—1) To make; 2)To do. Poiew denotes "to do", to designate performance, to denote merely productive action, & to point to the action result. Poiew means to accomplish. poiew often means to do a thing once for all, & thus not to do continually or repeatedly. From these distinctions it follows that poiew, being on the whole the higher word[than prassw], is more often used of doing good, prassw more frequently of doing evil. Strong—To make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct).
Argumentation:
Jn. 6:5-15—“Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, & seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves & two small fish, but what are they among so many?” Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, & when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, & the disciples to those sitting down; & likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Therefore they gathered them up, & filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come & take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”
Jn. 7:28-31—“Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, & you know where I am from; & I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, & He sent Me.” Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, & said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?””
Jn. 8:28-37—“Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, & that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, & the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, & have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.”
Jn. 12:42-43—“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
Js. 2:14-20—“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked & destitute of daily food, & one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed & filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, & I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, & I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--& tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”
Illustration:
Driver’s test/Always includes a sign test/We must learn to recognize all shapes, colors, & symbols of roadway signs as we drive/Knowing these CAN prevent our being a danger to others & ourselves, keeping us within the confines of safety/DOING them accomplishes harmony & safety for all/COMMUNICATION
?What Jesus do you COMMUNICATE?
Application:
?What Harmony comes thru your/our COMMUNICATION for Public Worship?
?Does your COMMUNICATION present a righteous or an unrighteous challenge to/for Public Worship?
?Our Church a challenge to, or an advocate of, Harmonious Public Worship?
10—A challenge to (harmonious)public worship is its...
ATTESTATION(:24-25)
Explanation:(:24-25)
:24—“But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,”
The believers must have expected & wanted Jesus to act in their own manner(a seemingly godly yet actually ungodly manner) because of the statement about “entrusting.” Did they want to make Him king as in...
Jn. 6:15—“Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come & take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”
Though the multitudes, the disciples, & the twelve had their plans for the Messiah(Jesus), the Messiah had God’s plans to enact for them all!
Even regarding the things of God being favorably received, men will simultaneously at the very same time, inevitably put their own reigns upon God’s truth.
“Commit/Entrusting”(See :22, 23—“Believed)—pisteuw—1) To think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; 2) To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity. Strong—To have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. Credit; by implication--To entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ).
“Knew”(See :25)—ginwskw—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel—1a) To become known; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb; To “know”(absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
“All”—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“Men”—Added for emphasis—
:25—“& had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”
Jesus however, didn’t entrust Himself to these men for a second reason: because He knew the sinfulness of man & the power of the flesh within men to willingly overrule God.
Every individual of Mankind in every age & generation struggles with sin! The only solution is Jesus!
Jesus was Himself fully man as well as fully God. Thereby He knew full well the internal struggle of every “man” with temptation(Heb. 4:15). Thus Jesus did not “need” to be told what was “in” the deceptive heart(Jer. 17:9-10) of mankind. Sin’s deception is close & personal for everybody.
Heb. 4:15—“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Jer. 17:7-10—“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
1Cor. 10:12-13—“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
The true Church(individuals & corporately) recognizes the weakness & deception of human flesh...& that every person is capable of the most heinous sin.
Thus, apart from Christ—& His permanent disarmament of the power of sin by His work thru the Cross—We cannot measure up to what God made us to be...His children.
The purpose for the Church is to ‘proclaim’(in its manifold ways) Jesus as the Christ of God!
“Need”—creia—Noun Fem.—1) Necessity, need; 2) Duty, business. Strong—Employment, i.e. An affair; also by implication--Occasion, demand, requirement or destitution.
“Anyone”—tiv—Pronoun—1) A certain, a certain one; 2) Some, some time, a while. Strong—an enclitic indefinite pronoun; Some or any person or object.
“Testify/Bear witness”—marturew—1) To be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. To affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration. Strong—To be witness, i.e. Testify (literally or figuratively).
“Of/Concerning”—peri—Preposition—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong—properly, through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period).
“Man”2X(See :24)—anyrwpov—1) a human being, whether male or female; 2) indefinitely---Someone, a man, one; 3) in the plural--People; 4) joined with other words, as a “merchantman.” Strong—from anhr[a man] & wq(the countenance; from optanomai); Man-faced, i.e. A human being.
“Knew”(See :24)—ginwskw—
“In”—en—
Argumentation:
Jn. 1:1-5, 10-11, 14—“In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, & without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, & the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, & the darkness did not comprehend it.”.....“He was in the world, & the world was made through Him, & the world did not know Him. He came to His own, & His own did not receive Him.”.....“And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace & truth.”
Php. 2:4-11—“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, & coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself & became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Heb. 2:14-18—“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh & blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, & release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful & faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”
Jn. 12:31-33—“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”
Jn. 6:39-45–“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son & believes in Him may have everlasting life; & I will raise him up at the last day.” The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father & mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus therefore answered & said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; & I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard & learned from the Father comes to Me.”
(CONT...)10—A challenge to (harmonious)public worship is its...
ATTESTATION(:24-25)
What is in man—obedience to the flesh--fleshliness/perversions/self-aggrandizement!
The Bible depicts the human condition perfectly & also depicts its solution perfectly.
Mankind is prone to sin! And desperately needs the Savior!
Sin runs amuck in man until the individual person accepts Jesus payment for their sin...At which moment of repentance, the person confessing Jesus is forgiven of their sin & their sinfulness, solely thru God’s loving choice to forgive, personally guaranteeing & equipping us with His Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ sacrifice, along with your acceptance of it & trust in it, is the one by whom the devil is utterly defeated along with his trickery which is aimed at & draws power from reliance upon the flesh.
The Holy Spirit is the One by whom the devil, having been defeated for all time, is continually rendered harmless & innocuous in the believer’s life.
Illustration:
The ‘Mosquito Truck’ is approaching/We recognize its sound...similar to a high-pitched sound of high-pressure air escaping thru a nozzle/It is spraying a substance into the open air, which is ‘poisonous’ to mosquitoes/As it approaches we rush our kids inside because we don’t want them to be directly exposed to the chemical/We know the spray is meant to hinder or kill...We know its potentially dangerous to people...But we know that mosquitoes left to themselves are dangerous too...We do not need anyone to testify regarding either mosquitos or poisons/Good can come of either but just as easily & more-so bad can arise from them/ATTESTATION
Application:
?What Harmony comes thru your/our ATTESTATION for Public Worship?
?Does your ATTESTATION present a righteous or an unrighteous challenge to/for Public Worship?
?Our Church a challenge to, or an advocate of, Harmonious Public Worship?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
outward physical ‘trappings’ of worship—types/styles/setting targets/music/chosen frozen/emotionally driven, etc.
What do each of these(& more) say to others?
Action:
Challenges to (harmonious)public worship are its...
9. COMMUNICATION(:23)Proof/Conviction
10. ATTESTATION(:24-25)
1. OCCASION(:13)
2. INVITATION(:13-14)
3. PROTECTION(:15)
4. RESONATION(:16-17)
5. AUTHORIZATION(:18-19)
6. RESTORATION(:19)Replacement
7. IMPLICATION(:20)
8. REALIZATION(:21-22)
Pts. 9-10 presented 06/05/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
