The Importance Of Coming Together For Worship

The ground has shifted in remarkable ways over the past four months. With the onset of a deadly virus, many of you rightly changed your Sunday habits of worship. A virus has demanded that we take precautions with our health. We are at a crossroads where scientists and doctors are battling for our safety. And economists are battling for our economy – to get us back to work.

But I want us to look underneath these two issues for something else. I want to focus on our attention on our habits related to worship for a few minutes. I believe this pandemic may very will alter our worship habits.

Colossal events have a way of changing us in ways we don’t see coming. Known as the greatest generation, many of our grandparents successfully fought WW II, came home and started a housing boom as well as a baby boom. Urbanization has moved more than half of the world’s population to cities for the first time in our history.

Do you know The Pill is turning sixty years old this year? Medical technology gave us birth control. The FDA approved the revolutionary pill on May 9, 1960. Known simply as The Pill, it changed the world. Not surprisingly, families are much smaller today than before the invention of the pill. In 1959, the US birth rate was just a hair over twenty-three babies for every 1,000 people. In 2020, that same rate is just under twelve babies for every 1,000 people. In time, we may not have enough children to make social security work for our nation. Yes, technology gives us some great gifts but at times, they come with a cost.

And now a pandemic has halted America in its tracks. For Christian worshippers, the ability to watch worship online is a great gift. I am so grateful for technology to connect with you. Yet, the ability to watch worship online comes with challenges too. You are good and right to be cautious and safe in these days. Yet, when our worship habits change so drastically, I think we need to refresh our thinking on our habits. If we’re not careful, we will develop new, harmful habits.

Take God’s Word and find Hebrews chapter 10 with me, would you? Page 1194 in the pew Bible.

Today’s Scripture

Our Scripture today is many sentences in English but is only one sentence in the original language of Greek.

This is a tightly knit argument: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:19-25).

Over the next few moments, I want to trace out why the Bible tells us to develop the habit of worshipping together. Let me offer you four reasons why you need to reconsider your personal worship habits in the coming days.

1. We Need to Follow God’s Commands

The primary reason we have gathered together is to worship Jesus Christ: “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).

The first reason you should develop the habit of worshipping together is because God Himself commands it.

1.1 God Commands Worship

The Lord commands it: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

God commands us to come together and this alone really should settle it for all of us. But this sounds heavy-handed and so we resist a command like this. We bristle at commands in our day.

1.2 His Commands, My Benefit

Most of us aren’t mature enough to simply obey God’s commands; instead, we have to understand why He commands us to worship together. We want His rationale to verify if His commands are good for us. Again, this is a lack of spiritual maturity on our part. God doesn’t tell us to do things because He has needs, but because we have needs. God’s commands are for our good. Every one of God’s commands is for your happiness. Every one of God’s commands is for your holiness. Every one of God’s commands is for your safety. Every one of God’s commands is for your security. Everyone of God’s commands are for our good.