WHY’D THEY DO THAT?
I Corinthians 14:40
S: Worship
C: Elements of corporate worship
Th: A Passionate Pursuit of God
Pr: GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR ATTENTION AND PRAISE.
?: How? How do we demonstrate it?
KW: Elements
TS: We will find in our study of worship elements that we use to communicate the worthiness of God.
Type: Propositional
The ____ element of our corporate worship is the…
I. PREPARATION
II. COMMUNITY
III. PRAYER
IV. MUSIC
V. TESTIMONY
VI. GIVING
VII. PROCLAMATION
VIII. COMMUNION
PA: How is the change to be observed?
Version: ESV
RMBC 06 March 05 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Worship: 8:30 or 10:30 service
One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Johnny was standing and staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The young man of seven has been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up and stood beside him and, gazing up at the plaque, he said quietly, “Good morning, son.”
“Good morning, pastor,” replied the young man not taking his eyes off the plaque. “Sir, what is this?” Johnny asked.
“Well, son, these are all the people who have died in the service,” replied the pastor. Soberly, they stood together staring up at the large plaque.
Little Johnny’s voice barely broke the silence when he asked quietly, “Which one sir, the 8:30 or the 10:30 service?”
You know…
If we are “dying” during our worship, something is amiss.
In our purpose statement, we communicate that Randall Baptist Church is gathering of believers who celebrate the person of God.
In other words, we are a people that worship.
In the big picture of things, we know that worship is both a private and public affair.
But in our discussion today, we are going to give consideration to worship in the public and corporate realm.
Through the centuries the Church has gone through a lot of transition.
As far as its location, it has moved from synagogues to houses to monasteries to cathedrals.
As far as its music, it has moved from Gregorian chats to just psalms to classical masterpieces.
And it has moved from no instruments to organs to pianos to bands.
The mentioning of these transitions alone should tell us that through the years there has been a lot of variety of expression when it comes to worship, that has both reflected the culture and personality of the people of that time.
This is still true today.
Let us be honest with ourselves, there are certain styles of worship, particularly when we talk about music, that we like best.
The tendency is to like ours best, and in turn, toss out the rest.
And if we really don’t like it, we will accuse it of being unbiblical and heretical.
TRANSITION:
But here is what we absolutely must remember…
1. When we gather for worship, it is not for ourselves.
We are not the audience.
Our audience is an audience of One.
So when come together for public worship, our attention is to be focused on God.
We are not to be focused on how we want things to be or on what we want to hear.
Our corporate worship is not about customer service as if we are the customers.
The words of a song we sing from time to time captures this well:
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You, all about You Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You, all about You Jesus.
You see…
Together, we affirm that God alone matters.
In the midst of our community, we need have this perspective…
2. GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR ATTENTION AND PRAISE.
A. W. Tozer says in his book Whatever Happened to Worship?...
In some circles, God has been abridged, reduced, modified, edited, changed and amended until He is no longer the God…(that is) high and lifted up.
We must recognize that there is something about God that is different.
He is above us.
He is beyond us.
He is transcendent, and because this is true, we can be delighted in the presence of this (as Tozer puts it) “utter, infinite excellence.”
3. Therefore, how we worship is of supreme importance (I Corinthians 14:40).
When we studied the 14th chapter of I Corinthians back in January, we saw that the context of this verse…
But all things should be done decently and in order.
…was a matter of bringing order and organization to their worship.
In a word, it had become chaotic.
But through the years, this verse has been abused when it comes to worship and the church.
For anytime an aspect of worship falls outside the norm, it comes out as a weapon.
The watchword is fear.
God is not going to tolerate any “stepping out of line.”
Unfortunately, when we worry about not doing anything wrong, we never get around to doing what is right.
It is like the sports concept of playing “not to lose,” which too frequently causes you to lose.
This verse is telling us, though, that when it comes to worship, we are to slow down, and think it through.
Jesus’ admonition to us is to worship in spirit and truth.
We are not to be so focused on truth that we forget that worship has a personal and emotional aspect.
On the other hand, we are not to be so expressive in our worship that we leave our minds behind.
Again, worship is not about us.
We are here for God.
He is the audience.
So how do we do this thing called worship?
How do we show God’s worthiness?
Well…
4. We will find in our study of worship eight elements that we use to communicate the worthiness of God.
Now, let’s not make any mistake here.
This is not a “to do list.”
Worship is not a matter of crossing things off.
Worship is not meant to be rigidly-structured, tradition-bound exercises.
In fact, creativity should be welcomed for we worship the creative God.
That which is new and different is to be allowed, because God has given talents and gifts of creativity.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first element of our corporate worship is the PREPARATION.
1. Worship is a deliberate slowing of our pace.
All week long we are on the run.
We are busy, busy, busy…
And in the midst of that busyness, we lose perspective.
We need the slow down.
We need to come together in community, to find out that we are not alone in the stresses that we face.
We are not alone in being off kilter.
We discover together that we need to get our priorities rerouted.
We have a God who is worthy of our worship.
And together, we come to be one voice that declares His worthiness and praise.
But if we are to get it right, we have to be prepared.
2. To be done properly, we must ready ourselves for the gathering.
Think for a moment…
Did you make any preparation for your worship this morning?
Did you pray?
Did you study the Word ahead of time?
Did you come in well-rested, or was it a party night last night?
You see, here is my burden…
We waltz into here acting as if we are doing God a favor by showing up.
But God is too holy and righteous to presume on Him in this way.
If we are to do this right, we must prepare ourselves individually.
II. The second element of our corporate worship is the COMMUNITY (Acts 2:42).
They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.
(THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language
© 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
The writer of Acts tells us that we have a life that is together.
So…
1. We must recognize that God has called us together.
ILL Home: Beverly Hillbillies
Let’s see if you remember this tune…and then the words…
Well now it’s time to say goodbye to Jedd and all his kin
And they would like to thank you folks for kindly dropping in
You all are invited back again to this locality
To have a heaping helping of their hospitality.
Hillbilly, that is.
Sit a spell.
Take your shoes off.
Y’all come back now, y’hear.
Well, just as the Beverly Hillbillies’ song was meant to make us feel as if their home was our home, we should find the same kind of emotion attached to our time here at church.
For the church is functioning well when we feel this is home.
You see…
2. We share in a common life.
This is, by the way, there is something in our service every week called “Randall Life.”
Some people call them announcements.
We do view them as vital to our worship because our community, our common life, is a reflection of our relationship with God.
They demonstrate that kingdom work, God-honoring ministry goes on throughout the week.
III. The third element of our corporate worship is the PRAYER (Isaiah 56:7).
In a verse that Jesus quoted, we find God’s priority for us in regard to prayer…
“…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
So why do we pray in our worship?
It is because…
Congregational prayer is an opportunity for us to speak with one voice.
In our worship, prayer appears several times.
Sometimes, there is an invocation, which is a deliberate invitation to God to be with us and to hear us.
Typically, we have a time called the “Church at Prayer” which is usually led by the worship leader of the moment.
We have an offertory prayer, to prepare us for our time of giving.
We usually close with a prayer at the end of the message, asking the Lord to bring His Words home to our life.
And we also have a benediction, which is both an exhortation and a prayer.
Sometimes, we have times of silence.
And much of our music, especially the worship songs, are prayers, designed to be sung directly to our Lord.
This is to be a house of prayer.
So prayer is an essential element.
Now, if we left out one of those things, would it mean we ruined the worship service?
Obviously, no.
But we do know that prayer plays an integral part, for God calls on us to be in communion together.
IV. The fourth element of our corporate worship is the MUSIC (Colossians 3:16).
Paul writes…
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Music is the language of the soul.
Now we all know that music tends to be the most controversial of all the elements of worship.
ILL Music: feud
Take for example, this pastor and choir director who had a bit of a feud:
One week the pastor preached on commitment, and how we should dedicate ourselves to service. The director then led the choir in singing, ’I Shall Not Be Moved.’
The next Sunday, the pastor preached on giving and how we should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The choir director then led the song, ’Jesus Paid It All.’
The next Sunday, the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should watch our tongues. The hymn was ’I Love To Tell The Story.’
The pastor became disgusted over the situation. The next Sunday he told the congregation he was considering resigning. The choir then sang ’Oh, Why Not Tonight.’
As the pastor resigned the next week, he told the church that Jesus led him there and was taking him away. The choir then sang, ’What A Friend We Have in Jesus.’
Music can be controversial, as we know.
And this makes sense when you think about it because music is very emotional.
We “feel” music when we listen to it.
So alongside of this, we need to recognize that there are styles of music we prefer and some we don’t.
It is vitally important, I believe, to be accepting and encouraging of music styles that we don’t prefer.
But what I hear from time to time, and I see more often, is that when a song comes we don’t particularly like, we just don’t sing.
We don’t like it.
We are not going to sing that song or that kind of music (and if we are really mad – we will call it music of the devil to justify our action).
Think for a moment…
What if I were leading a hymn, but it was not a hymn that I particularly liked?
In fact, it is one that as child growing up in the church I had sung over and over again, and frankly I am tired of it.
So the organ gives us an introduction.
We start to sing the first verse, but then I decide, I don’t want to sing this song, so I sit down.
Now the question is not how you feel, though you might not be too happy with me.
You might think that I am not being a very good worship leader, and you would be right.
The question is really, though, what does God think about it?
For by sitting down, I have shown a couple of things.
I have shown I have little interest in worship, because I am not making any effort.
And I have shown that I will not join in the oneness of worship that is so important, that is, to speak powerfully (and even emotionally) with one voice to our great God.
What I have shown is that what I like is the most important criteria when it comes to worship.
It is obvious that music is pretty important to us here at Randall, more than any of the other churches I have served in.
There is an intensity and a desire for excellence that is great to be a part of.
We have the best congregational choir that ever existed, in my humble opinion, and guests often say, that we really know how to sing.
Our congregational singing is very important, because it is our opportunity to be of one voice – both in spirit and in truth.
And if, for any reason, we choose not to sing, we harm the larger body, because we are no longer one voice.
We do a lot of what we call “special music” here, largely because God has gifted us with a lot of musical talent, and it should be used.
It would be irresponsible of us not to give people opportunity to sing and play to the glory of God.
But if we view it as a performance for us, we are not getting it right.
It is for God.
But when it is done for God, it does have a positive effect on us, for our hearts are encouraged by the truth and artistry that is communicated.
Even instrumental music (that is when there are no words that are said directly) – classical pieces in particular – they are intended to draw us closer to the Lord.
When they are done with artistry and with emotion, the music can speak to our hearts – to lift us up – to draw us closer to God.
Communication doesn’t always need words.
V. The fifth element of our corporate worship is the TESTIMONY (Matthew 5:16).
Jesus encouraged us with these words…
…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We are to declare the effectiveness of the good news.
What I mean by this is that when we know that we are a Christian, we have good news to tell.
And our time of corporate worship is a most excellent time to do it.
For when we can see that He has been working in others, we give praise to God.
He is continually working.
This is why we do testimonies from time to time during our morning worship (and anytime you would like to do one, let me know).
By the way, you don’t have to be saved from drugs or from being in a gang or some other horrendous past to have a good testimony.
Every person that is saved by grace has a story to tell, and it is to be told.
Two weeks from today, Olya is going to be sharing her testimony.
And three weeks from today, we will have at least two more testimonies as we will be baptizing during the worship time.
VI. The sixth element of our corporate worship is the GIVING (II Corinthians 9:6-7).
Paul says in II Corinthians…
…whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Part of our worship every Sunday is the time of offering.
It is a very important time, because…
Our readiness or our reluctance to give is a matter of the heart.
The church is often accused of only thinking about money.
But money is important because it is a matter of worship.
People give for all sorts of reason.
Some give because they feel the pressure to do so.
For others, it is guilt.
Others do it because it helps with taxes.
Some do it to impress others or to have some power.
There are holy reasons to give.
We give so to invest in the eternal.
We give so to establish that we trust God more than we trust our finances.
We give because we love God.
We give because life is bigger than me.
Our style of giving is to pass an offering plate, but this is a matter of style and convenience.
Some traditions have a box in the back that the offering is placed in.
Other traditions, like Mt. Ararat, do a march offering, with a plate or box in the front (I would love to do that here sometime).
VII. The seventh element of our corporate worship is the PROCLAMATION (Romans 1:16).
ILL Preaching: start all over again
After a worship service at First Baptist Church in Newcastle, Kentucky, a mother with a fidgety seven-year old boy told the pastor how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet.
About halfway through the sermon, she leaned over and whispered, "If you don’t be quiet, the pastor is going to lose his place and will have to start his sermon all over again!" It worked.
Well, perhaps some sermons go a little long, but let us never, never apologize for what Paul writes to the Romans…
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…
We have good news to tell, to respond to and to obey.
We don’t really make any apologies about the primacy of the Bible here.
It is our rule of faith.
It is our authority.
So we take time to proclaim it.
We take time to read it.
We take the time to explain it.
And we take the time to encourage new and changed behavior because of it.
VIII. The eight element of our corporate worship is the COMMUNION (Luke 22:19).
When Jesus introduced what we call communion, He gave this instruction…
“Do this in remembrance of me…”
You see…
We are to never forget.
We are to never forget the price Jesus paid.
And in a moment, we will take the time to practice this form of worship.
It is our practice to participate in communion once a month, usually on the first Sunday, and in the morning service.
There are some church traditions that do it weekly.
There are some traditions that do it once a year.
Other traditions always accompany it with washing of feet.
Regardless of one’s tradition, it is an element that is to be a continual practice.
We are to remember Jesus.
APPLICATION:
As a matter of philosophy of practice…
1. We practice a “blended” style of worship.
It is the idea and practice of blending tradition with the new.
Neither one gets to be used exclusively, rather both are valued.
We do that which is traditional and classical because it gives us a connection to our own past and even farther into history (many of our hymns find their source in the first millennium).
It is a recognition that what God has used can and will still be used.
We do that which is contemporary because God has not stopped working and stopped using creative gifts in believers.
For the glory of God, we build on our past, but we don’t stay there.
We keep moving, so to continually please and glorify God.
ILL God: Narnia
The author C.S. Lewis gets to the truth about God in the fantasy world he created called Narnia. There, God, is depicted as a lion named Aslan, the king of Narnia. In Lewis’s story, The Chronicles of Narnia, four English school children find themselves in Narnia after walking through an enchanted wardrobe. While in Narnia, the children meet Mr. and Mrs. Beaver who tell them about Aslan. They are frightened to hear that Aslan is a lion and they wonder if he is tame.
Lucy, one of the children, says, “I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just plain silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
2. God is never to be safe.
In a way, worship is destructive.
I know that sounds different.
But sometimes it is like a chainsaw.
Do you know why?
Because worship messes up my life.
It messes with how I spend my time.
It messes with my finances.
It messes with my career.
It messes with my relationships.
God is not safe.
He is continually demanding that I live differently than I am now.
So…
3. We must allow God to use our worship of Him to change us.
Every time!
If we don’t, we haven’t really worshipped.
If we don’t, we really haven’t give God the honor He deserves.
COMMUNION:
Right now…it is time to worship Jesus.
The world has always had men and women of charismatic, magnetic and commanding personality…Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr.
But now…it is time to worship Jesus.
Whatever may be attempting to distract you right now needs to be set aside.
For Jesus is drawing you right now, asking you to come closer.
Interestingly, in an unassuming way, Jesus was the most magnetic person who ever lived.
He grabbed the attention of those around Him.
He did it not only by the miracles that He performed, but even more by what He said.
He said things like…
I am the Bread.
I am the Light of the World.
I am the Door.
I am the Good Shepherd.
I am the Resurrection and the Life.
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
He was different.
When Jesus was being executed on a cross, He had ordinary men hanging on each side of him.
But He was not just a man, martyr, prophet or teacher.
He was the extraordinary God-Man, the sinless One—God.
As John testifies in his gospel:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And…
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
When we come to this table, we recognize that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the incarnate life and the sacrificial death of Christ.
He was lifted up to the cross where He draws us.
He draws us to Himself.
So as we come to the table, we recognize that he draws us once again.
He draws us to remember that He victoriously accomplished the salvation of those drawn in faith.
We practice “communion” because we are to remember the death of the Lord Jesus.
We take the bread to remind us that it was by the body of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died in our place.
He became our substitute.
We take the cup to remind us that it was by the blood of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died for our sins.
He became our sacrifice.
Being led in prayer by ..., let us take a moment and thank Him for being our sacrifice.
(Prayer)
The apostle Paul writes, "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
... will now come and lead us in prayer.
Again, the apostle Paul writes, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
RESOURCES:
Whatever Happened to Worship? A.W. Tozer
Up With Worship, Anne Ortlund
Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel, Ronald Allen & Gordon Borror
Articles
“Ministry and Money,” Dan Reliand, INJOY’s The Pastor’s Coach: Volume 5, Issue 18, October 7, 2004
“Feel First, Think Later,” Chuck Kraft, Worship Leader, September October 1997.
“When Contemporary Isn’t Contemporary Anymore,” Sally Morgenthaler, Worship Leader, n.d.
“The Uncomfortable Silence,” Rev., March/April 2003.
SermonCentral
Acts of Worship, Timothy Archer
Traditions of Men, Timothy Archer
Decently and In Order, Timothy Archer
Unity in Worship, Timothy Archer
Worship for the Disciple of Jesus, Alan Wilkerson
Healthy Church: One that Worships, Troy Borst
Contagious Adoration, Bruce Emmert
How Should I Behave in Worship? Don Hawks
