I want to encourage you to open up your Bibles, if you would please, to Acts chapter 2.
! Acts chapter 2, we're continuing our study as we look at this church, the new church that has begun
! in the book of Acts. If you're using the Pew Bible, I would encourage you to turn to page 911,
so you can find us there. We have been moving through this book together, and we plan to continue
this study working through the book of Acts. I imagine it's going to take some time, but as we
continue to discover God's work in revealing himself to us through his word and helping us to
understand what the church means, that we as his church will be not only more informed, but will be
those who are better representatives of Christ himself. The story, or I should say the account
of the book of Acts, begins in Acts chapter 1, as the disciples are there with the Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. What I absolutely love about the beginning of this movement, this church age, and
any of you who know about the church, anyone who is familiar with this work of God in this church,
will understand the epic nature of what Christ has accomplished. That Jerusalem, it started there.
It moved to Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth. You and I are beneficiaries of a work that
started 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. It might be easy to be overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the sense,
the scale of what the church really means. It has gone through every age and is a part of every time
from the time of Christ to now, and it's spread across the globe. Maybe it's easy for us to be
overwhelmed until we come back to how it all started and we remember the nature of how things began.
Remember that Jesus gave his disciples two very simple commands. He said,
go to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit. Two simple commands is what started this epic age
that we get to call the church. This new work of God in establishing a people to himself,
not just Jews, but also including the Gentiles. And remember the promise that Jesus gave to the
disciples if they would obey. Acts chapter 1, 8, there's two of them. It says, you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Now, so what do the disciples do?
So they go back to Jerusalem, just as Jesus has said, and they wait, just as Jesus has said. And the
fulfillment of God's promise through his son Jesus happened exactly as Jesus had said. Ten days later,
when they go to Jerusalem, ten days later, there is a time of Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit comes and
dwells his people and turns them into witnesses. He makes them witnesses. This was a time of Pentecost.
This is one of three times throughout the Jewish calendar when every Jewish male was supposed to
come to Jerusalem, was supposed to give their offerings in the temple. It was a way for them
to worship, a way for them to demonstrate their commitment to the Lord. Well, in this time of
Pentecost, on this day in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2, we find that there are at least 16 different
nations that are represented from across the Roman Empire, in as many as 18 different languages or more
that are represented. How in the world will this message go forth? How in the world will God begin
to start this church movement? What's going to happen through the work of his Holy Spirit? And that's
where I find incredible relief and comfort. You see, we find here, even at the beginning of this
church movement, that the beginning of the church does not rest on gifted leaders. It doesn't rest on
those who know everything there is to know about doctrine. It doesn't rest on individuals who bring
their charisma, who bring their vision, who bring their purpose, who can stimulate the crowd and can
pump them up so that a church is born. No, a church rests entirely upon the person of Jesus Christ.
It rests upon his word, obedience to his name, because Jesus himself has said, I will build my church
and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And so these believers go out in the power of the
Holy Spirit. They speak. And what we find in Acts chapter 2 verse 11 is this. We hear them telling in
our own tongues the mighty works of God. Did you get that? They speak the works of God.
It's not just the gospel. It's not just doctrines. It's not just teaching. It is simply a goal of exalting
the name of the Lord Jesus. It's lifting up his mighty works. It's helping those in Jerusalem to
recognize the wonder of who he is, to testify to the glory of God. It begins, the church age begins
with a tension that is drawn to the wonder of who God is, his glory. And so that's where we began our
study by understanding the wonder of the glory of God and recognizing that if we're going to be God's
people, we too need to come to appreciate and understand God's glory. So what is glory? Well,
we defined it this way. We said God's glory is the visible manifestation of God's presence, power,
and authority. It's how you know that God is near. It's how you know what God has said. It's how you
know that God is in control. And so as we come to understand and see the glory of God, we come to
appreciate that his glory is written everywhere that we look because the heavens declare the glory of God.
You look into the heavens, you see the stars, you see the handiwork of what he has made in the
mountains, in the trees, and all the beauty of spring especially, the flowers that are blooming,
and you begin to understand the glory of God is evident in the things that he has made.
But then this, the greatest blessing of the Christian life is to come and have a personal
experience with the glory of God ourselves. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6, it says this,
for God who said, let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So it was the glory of God on display here
in Acts chapter 2. We hear them telling the mighty works of God. The glory of God is pushed to the
forefront in the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the
God. The glory of God is pushed to the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the
glory, speaking and confessing and witnessing to the glory of God. So then in Acts chapter 2 verse 21,
it says, it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
That's the focal point of their message. The focal point of their message is to draw
the listeners into wonder of who God is. To welcome them and invite them to enjoy
the glory of God for themselves and to do it by believing or calling upon his name so that they too
may have this experience of salvation and deliverance. I wonder this morning, do you know the son?
The son who the believers on that day of Pentecost were speaking about,
the mighty works of God, confessing the wonder of who he is and directing hearts to see the son.
I wonder this morning, have you called on the name of the Lord to enjoy salvation for yourself?
You see, that's where Peter begins his message and we see in the next several verses, beginning in
verse 22, going on to verse 24, that Peter will now speak about the son. He'll speak about the son being
fully man. He'll speak about the son being fully God. He'll speak about the son's death, his resurrection,
and the son being exalted to the right hand of the father. He preaches about Christ. And 3,000 souls
now respond to the message as we continue to work our way through Acts chapter 2. They respond to the
message, not in a way that is simply acknowledging the truth that they've heard, but they recognize
that the truth that has been spoken, now they're responsible to respond to this truth. So what do
they do? They repent. They see their sin. They repent from their sin. And they're baptized as an expression,
a way to demonstrate that the work of Christ, his death, his resurrection, is now a work that is
illustrated in their own lives as well, as they come to be baptized. This is what Jesus had prayed
for the night before his crucifixion. He's prayed for a community of believers. He's prayed for
souls of those who would come to faith in him and would be now one with him because of his work
on the cross. John chapter 17 verses 20 and 21 says this. This is Jesus' prayer. He says,
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
that they might be one just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us,
so that the world may believe that you have sent me. You see, a church was born. But why does the
church exist? What is the purpose of the church? And that's now where we turn our attention
beginning in verses 42, moving on to verse 47. Luke will answer this question here in the book of
Acts, not by giving us a brochure and kind of telling us all about it, but he's going to give
us a picture, a picture of a people, a people who have been changed, a people who have been brought
together, a people who are now unified and are expressing that oneness as we work our way through
these next several verses. But before we get there, I want to just draw your attention to this fourfold
purpose that we're going to begin to see unpacked as we make our way through these verses.
This fourfold purpose is what God has called every believer to be part of. And you can see the
banners behind me that we have bow, build, bless, and belong. But these represent the four priorities
that God has given to every believer, and especially believers who are gathered as a church to fulfill
the mission that God has called us to. The purpose of worship that we'll talk about in just a moment.
The purpose of discipleship, which we'll also talk about next week. The purpose of evangelism,
and then the purpose of our fellowship or our unity. All of these things, these pieces,
are a part of the priorities that God has given to us as a church and should be true in the lives
of every believer. So what are these fourfold purposes? Well, let me just touch on them and then
we'll concentrate this morning on worship. But first, worship. Worship. We've said that
worship, we kind of want to make this memorable. So we have compared worship with bow or to bow your
heart in worship to God. Of course, God has created us for worship. That those who have come to a place
of recognizing the glory of God, the worthiness of God, it should immediately bring them to the point
of recognizing not only his worth, but in bowing, in worship, in reverence, in devotion to him.
We see that in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, where Paul will say,
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Those of us who have enjoyed the benefits
of salvation. Those of us who have come to terms with the mercies of God. That while we are sinners
and because of our sin, we are hostile and enemies against God. That God still sent his son to us to
demonstrate his love. To Jesus, as Jesus walks in obedient life, and then he lays down his life
to pay for sin so that we can enjoy the benefits of his sacrifice and we can be forgiven.
Those who understand what Christ has done, his mercy for us, should be the first in line to worship him.
This is our reasonable worship, our spiritual worship that those of us who have come to faith
in Jesus Christ will do. This is what we were made for. So what is worship? Well, what we have said
that worship is living with a spotlight on Jesus. It's living with a spotlight on Jesus. And so it's
not just when you come to a morning service once a week that you come to worship. No, worship is meant
to be the expression of every part of every day. It's meant to fill the totality of your life. Every sphere
in which you live is meant to be a sphere in which you worship. Our work should be worship. Our family time
should be worship. Our leisure should be worship. Our sports activities, our academics, our time at school,
our gardening. Whatever we do is meant to draw us into a greater affection and a greater love for the Lord Jesus.
I love how the Apostle Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 10 31 where he says, whether you eat or drink or whatever
you do, do all to the glory of God. That is worship. Recognizing the worthiness of God and bowing before him
in worship. The Apostle Paul expresses this well in Philippians 1 21. You have that at the bottom of this slide.
For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So we recognize that every part of life is meant to draw us
deeper in love with Jesus and to put his life and his message on display so that others can see it as well.
Worship. The next is discipleship. And if worship is bow, then discipleship is build for us.
It's leading every person one step closer to Jesus.
Leading every person one step closer to Jesus.
And my guess is this morning
that we think about, when we think about making disciples,
disciples, my guess is that maybe you relate, you are familiar with a program, something formal
that helps you become a disciple. Maybe you're part of a Bible study. Maybe you're part of a small group.
Maybe you're part of some way to help you understand the Bible more. And so the formalized process of
discipleship is what we've become to be familiar with. And in each of those scenarios, there is a
discipler or a mentor or a teacher. Somebody who has more knowledge, who is helping those of us who have less knowledge
to be more like Jesus, to grow in discipleship.
But as we're going to see,
discipleship, while it does have a formal component,
is also meant to have an informal component.
It's about life on life.
It's about, it's meant to be about people who are together.
That discipleship can't happen without fellowship. And we'll learn about that more next week.
You know, we're familiar with Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20.
It says,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold,
I am with you always to the end of the age.
We tend to think that this verse is for the super Christian.
The ones who've arrived.
The ones who are really mature.
The ones who've been Christians for a while.
The ones who have all the answers.
Maybe the ones who we feel are really gifted.
But for the rest of us,
discipleship is just something we enjoy the benefits of.
But that's not how Jesus phrases this verse.
Notice, he's writing this verse to those who are disciples,
but those who will also be disciples.
And a disciple is simply somebody who is sent from Jesus to do his work.
Those who have come into relationship with him.
If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior,
and you've given your life to him,
then you are a disciple.
So this verse is for you.
It's for me.
And in our going, it says,
Go, therefore, and make disciples.
We have a responsibility.
All of us in this room,
who are believers in Jesus Christ,
have this mandate.
Go and make disciples.
And yet,
why is it that so few of us are doing this work?
I think it's because we misunderstand what discipleship is all about.
And we think that discipleship always has to flow downhill.
It has to flow from those who are more spiritual to those who are less spiritual.
And because we don't feel qualified,
we don't feel like we've arrived yet,
we're not that super Christian yet,
then we have nothing to offer.
But that's not what Jesus is saying here.
Somehow, all of us need to be involved in this process.
And how does it happen?
Well, I think it happens simply.
It happens simply as we understand the call that God has put on our hearts
to lead every person one step closer to Jesus.
How does that happen?
Well, that happens as God is working in your life.
And as you share how God is working in your life
with somebody that you're in relationship with.
Maybe that's a co-worker.
Maybe that's even one of your children.
Maybe that's a friend in your family.
Maybe that is somebody that's in your circles
who comes to this church
and they may be more spiritual
and have been a Christian for a long time.
They may be a baby Christian
and have only known Jesus for a couple of months.
They have something to offer you.
I think about this even for myself.
I've been a Christian now for,
well, I'm 53, I'll be 54 this year.
I got saved when I was five years old.
So what, is that 48, 49 years I've been a Christian?
And it's interesting that the longer you're a Christian,
the easier it is for complacency to rest on your heart.
There is something about the freshness of a new believer
that makes my heart warm.
And helps me, I'm kind of a fuddy-duddy, an old guy.
It helps me to realize the wonder of what the gospel can do.
It reignites in my heart an affection for Jesus.
It sparks within me a desire to be about discipleship and evangelism.
It does something for me.
And that's by design.
We belong together.
We need each other.
There are things that we have to offer each other.
It happens through mutual relationship and community that God has placed us in.
Every one of us needs to be about intentionally and incrementally
helping to encourage others around us to look more like Jesus.
Paul explains this well in Colossians 1, verse 28, when he says,
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom.
Why?
That we may present everyone mature in Christ.
If you're a believer here today, and you're part of this fellowship,
the people who are here belong to you.
They're your responsibility to help lead them one step closer to Jesus.
Jesus, in your conversations.
That our conversations are adorned with the gospel of God.
And the wonder of what Christ is doing in your heart,
so that you can encourage them to take one more step.
Evangelism is next.
In making disciples, we have to share this good news.
How do the disciples happen?
Well, they happen as we are proclaiming the mighty works of God to the world around us.
And this is what happens in Jerusalem.
And even this is not reserved for the elite believer.
We're instructed to share the news of the gospel wherever we go.
And this can seem quite intimidating.
You might say, I don't have the gift of evangelism.
This is not something I'm good at.
But, you see, we've found that something is helpful.
It's helpful to remember that God has called us all to two commands, right?
What is the first and great command?
It is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And you know what happens?
When that becomes true of you, it flows out into something else.
It flows out into the second command.
That you're going to love your neighbor as yourself.
You see, loving your neighbor will naturally lead to telling them about Jesus.
And the more you love Jesus with your heart, soul, mind, and strength,
the more all-encompassing that love will become.
And the more your identity will reflect the image of Jesus.
And so, the conversations and relationships that you're a part of,
the one thing that's going to stand out in that conversation is that you love Jesus.
So, rather than seeing evangelism as a transaction,
rather than seeing evangelism as an agenda or something that we need to do on a Saturday,
we see evangelism as an expression of our love for the Lord.
We live like Jesus to bless the world,
not to make converts.
We don't make converts.
God makes converts.
We have the responsibility of sharing the good news
so that God can then do His work of building His church.
See, we live to present the beauty of our Lord Jesus.
And He is beautiful.
And that's what Jesus did.
We see that in Acts chapter 3, verse 26, it says,
God, having raised up His servant,
sent Him to you first to bless you
by turning every one of you from your wickedness.
That's the joy that we get to have
as those who love Jesus
is wherever we go,
we get a chance then to express our love for Christ
to the world around us,
whether or not they ever come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Because it's about the glory of God
and affection for God
and entrusting to God
the results of that message.
Finally,
we come to fellowship.
What is fellowship?
Well, fellowship is this space
in which we belong together.
It's this space where we understand
we're connected together,
we're unified together.
And that's what we see in this church.
Acts chapter 2, verse 42.
And they devoted themselves
to the apostles' teaching
and the fellowship
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
This word for fellowship
is the word koinonia.
It's the word for sharing.
It's the word for community.
It's the word for togetherness.
They were of one heart,
one mind.
It was almost as if
they were like one person.
They're described as like one man
there in Jerusalem.
They're so connected.
And we realize
it's not just about being
in the same room together.
It's not about just sharing
the same space.
But it's growing in our affection
for one another.
And I use the word affection
because it's so much more direct
and fitting, I think,
than growing in love
with one another,
which is also true.
I really want to love you
by showing you
that I have an affection for you.
Not just general,
but very specific.
And this will show up
in our conversations.
It will show up
in our ministry to one another.
It will show up in our service.
It will show up
in the one another's that we do.
The bearing of one another's burdens.
The praying for one another.
The loving one another.
All the one another's
we find through the scripture
are taking place
through this fellowshipping aspect.
As we work through this passage,
we find in verse 42,
they're breaking of bread.
We find in verse 42,
they're praying for one another.
It prompted generosity
in verses 44 and 45.
All who believed were together
and had all things in common.
They were selling their possessions
and belongings
and distributing the proceeds
to all as any had need.
This was a community of individuals
who had real,
authentic affection
for one another.
It showed up.
So this is our fourfold ministry.
This is what God has called
every believer
to be involved in.
So let's turn our attention
just for the next few moments
back to chapter 2, verse 42.
And we're going to focus
and drill down
just a little bit more
on worship
and answer this question,
what is worship?
So that we know
how to be better worshipers.
So what is worship?
Worship begins
with knowing God truly.
It begins with knowing God truly.
We see that in verse 42.
It says,
And they devoted themselves
to the apostles' teaching
and the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread
and to prayers,
and awe came upon every soul.
And many wonders and signs
were being done
through the apostles.
And all who believed
were together
and had all things in common.
And they were selling
their possessions
and belongings
and distributing
the proceeds to all
as any had need.
And day by day,
attending temple together,
and breaking bread
in their homes,
they received their food
with glad and generous hearts,
praising who?
Praising God
and having favor
with all the people.
And the Lord added
to their number
day by day
those who were being saved.
Worship is defined
in several different ways,
but I find two
that are helpful.
John Piper says this,
It's treasuring God
above all else.
MacArthur has said,
it's to honor,
it's honor and admiration
that's directed to God.
Worship is the God-centered response
of the whole person.
It directs the whole person
to love Him the way
and worship Him
the way that He deserves.
And we find here
this atmosphere.
Did you notice it?
As we're working through
and read through these verses,
did you see
and get a sense
of the electricity
that's happening,
the enthusiasm
that's taking place
in these new believers
who are all together,
they cannot get enough
of one another.
Do you sense that at all?
This vibrance
that's taking place?
I think we can understand
and appreciate
what's happening.
I remember
my own conversion
that took place
when I was five years old.
And I remember
that Sunday morning,
it was an early Sunday morning
that my father
was waking me up
for church
for that morning.
And I don't know
what I'd been thinking
about that whole day,
but I do know
that my dad
and my mom
faithfully taught me
the scripture.
I knew what the Bible said.
I knew what the Bible
said about sin.
I knew that sin
separates us from God.
And I knew
that I was a sinner
because all have sinned
and come short
of the glory of God.
So as a sinner,
I had set myself
against God
and against His glory
and decided
to do things my way.
But God in His grace
sent His Son,
Jesus.
Why?
Because God so loved
the world
that He gave
His only begotten Son
that whoever
believes in Him
should not perish
but have everlasting life.
That's possible
because of Jesus'
righteousness.
Jesus'
perfection.
Jesus fulfilled the law.
He did it perfectly.
He was the God-man.
And as man,
He could die
for my sin.
As God,
that sacrifice
that Jesus paid
applied to everyone
who believed.
And I wanted to enjoy
the benefits
of that invitation
to recognize
that Jesus
in His death
paid for my sin.
We find that
in Romans 6,
verse 23,
the wages of sin
is death.
That's what I deserve.
But the gift of God
is eternal life
through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
So you have to know
Jesus.
And so I asked
my dad
in those quiet moments
if he would lead me
in a prayer
so that I could come
to know Jesus
as my own personal
Lord and Savior.
In that morning,
I gave my life,
my heart,
to Jesus.
And I appreciate
what my dad
wanted to remind me of
is that coming
to faith in Christ
doesn't mean
that everything's
going to be okay.
Matter of fact,
sometimes coming to Christ
makes things harder.
But having Jesus,
having Jesus
is all that we need.
Jesus has been sufficient.
Jesus has been
all that I need.
And for me,
there was
an energy
and a zeal
that happened
of fresh electricity
in my heart
because of the work
of Christ
in my life
in that moment.
Even as a five-year-old,
I was going bananas.
I couldn't help.
I wanted to rush
to all of my friends
in children's Sunday school.
I wanted to tell everybody
about what Jesus
had done for me.
And my next-door neighbor
the next day,
I ran across the street.
I wanted to tell her
what Jesus had done for me.
So you can imagine
the electricity
of this moment,
this church,
3,000 men.
Who knows how many
women and children
coming to faith in Jesus.
And the testimony
of knowing Jesus
not only led them
to worshiping Jesus,
but it led them
to community
with one another.
This electricity.
And this new joy
leads to sincere devotion.
And it's devotion.
You see that in verse 42.
Devotion to the teaching.
The apostles' teaching.
The apostles were teaching
about who Christ was.
The apostles were communicating
that word they heard
first from the Lord Jesus.
In John chapter 1,
we understand that
the word of God
was made flesh.
He dwelt among us
so that he could communicate
to a people
who needed to hear him.
Who needed to hear his word.
So they could know him
and worship him.
You cannot worship a God
you do not know.
And so God has communicated
himself through his word
so that we can not just
know him,
but we can be drawn
into relationship
and we can come
to worship him.
And that's why the gospel,
it's where the gospel begins.
And now flowing out
from this space,
now you see a people
who are changed.
They know God.
They're worshiping God.
And it leads to this next part.
Worship then also leads
to loving God supremely.
To loving God supremely.
You see this
in verses 46 and 47.
Notice.
And day by day
attending the temple together
and breaking bread
in their homes,
they receive their food
with glad and generous hearts.
Praising God
and having favor
with all the people.
Their affection for God
is reflected
in their affection
for one another.
God has changed them.
They're no longer
individuals.
Now they belong together.
And this affection
is spilling over.
The work of God
in their hearts
is drawing them
to one another.
This corporate nature
of their worship
is telling.
They recognize
that God had done something
and it had changed them.
And now they're not
just attending temple
individually.
Now they're attending temple
day by day together.
Hey, would you go with me
to the temple?
Let's do this together.
Let's worship the Lord together.
We're in this.
God has done something for us.
Let's celebrate this work
and do it.
Do it together.
And we understand
that worship
while it's amplified
on a Sunday morning
it's not restricted
to Sunday.
As a matter of fact
Sunday morning
isn't accomplishing
the objective
if it's the only time
that you worship
through the week.
See, we have failed
as a church
if worship doesn't
spill into every part
of your every day.
We have failed
in our purpose
as a body
if we're content
with just an hour
with God
once a week.
And that's what we
say when our worship
on Sunday
when it fails
to show up
on Monday
then worship
really isn't taking
root in your life.
And we see worship
in this church
worship that pervades
every dimension
of life.
They enjoyed worship
because they were
growing in love
with the Lord
and growing in love
with one another.
And finally
worship results
in obeying God
sincerely.
In obeying God
sincerely.
As we work
through this passage
we're going to
notice immediately
that all of the
patterns that we
see reflected
in this church
are first
patterns that
showed up
in our Lord Jesus.
That Jesus
himself was
a teaching
prophet.
That Jesus
fellowshiped
with his disciples.
He fellowshiped
with others.
Those intimate
times we get
to see even
at Bethany
as Jesus is
fellowshipping
with Mary
and Martha
and Lazarus.
He's also
breaking bread
with his disciples.
He's attending
temple with his
disciples.
Jesus is
fulfilling
the commands
that God
has instructed
him to do.
All of those
commings we find
throughout the
Old Testament
Jesus fulfilled
every single
one.
He is the
fulfillment
of all that
God expected.
And he's
establishing
that worship
to God
requires
obedience
to God.
We find in
Philippians
chapter 2
verse 8
this statement
in being found
in human form
he humbled
himself
by becoming
obedient
to the point
of death
even death
on a cross.
So the
apostle John
will say
in his letter
in 1 John
chapter 2
verses 3
and 4
and by this
we know
that we have
come to know
him
if we keep
his commandments.
Whoever says
I know him
but does not
keep his commandments
is a liar
and the truth
is not in him.
Now does that
mean that our
salvation
is contingent
upon obedience?
No.
It's contingent
upon the work
of Christ's
obedience.
He was
obedient
so we can
enjoy the
benefits of
that but
the assurance
of the
faith that
we have
is confirmed
by our
obedience to
the Lord
Jesus himself.
Our love
for him
spills out
in obedience
to him.
You see
at Maranatha
there are
some lanes
that we want
to try to help
kind of nurture
worship in
your life.
We want you
to see that
worship isn't
just something
that happens
here on Sunday
but it should
spill into
every part
of your week.
And I just
want to draw
attention to
a couple
very briefly.
First I
trust that you
notice that
our singing
is meant
to draw
you in
to worshiping
Jesus.
It draws
attention to
him.
It's living
with him
in the
spotlight.
And so
Pastor John
does some
things very
intentionally
to draw
attention to
Jesus
and not
distract
from him.
Things like
picking songs
that speak
about Jesus.
Picking songs
that use
the word of
God as a
foundation
for our
singing.
That draw
your affection
to him.
That help
you grow
and wow
this Jesus
is amazing
I want to
know him
more.
That's the
goal of the
songs that
we sing.
It's not
to draw
attention to
you and
all of
your
troubles
and all
of your
pains.
It's to
help you
understand
that in
your pain
you can
look to
Jesus
who's able
to resolve
them in
himself.
Maybe not
send them
away perhaps
but to
strengthen
you in
the process
of recognizing
that he
is this
friend that
sticks closer
than a
brother even
when you're
facing opposition.
We sing
songs that
are meant
to direct
your attention
to Jesus.
But even
in the way
that we sing
songs here
it's to
draw attention
to the
wonder of
Christ.
And that's
why John
has been very
careful to
kind of keep
the lights
up so that
we can see
one another.
We can enjoy
the benefits
of being a
part of this
community.
And while we
are individuals
and while we
do have a
responsibility
to worship
God one-on-one
with the
Lord,
Sunday morning
is a way for
us to be
together.
Pastor John
has often
said,
and I agree,
that when you
have a chance
to look around
the room
and you know
that somebody
in the room
is really
struggling
and yet there
they are
singing to
the Lord
praises to
God.
I trust that
that helps
to encourage
you to know,
you know what,
if they can
sing to Jesus
when things
are really
bad,
what a great
lesson for
my heart
to know
that Jesus
is able
to help me
even in
this pain
that I'm
feeling.
John also
wants to make
sure that we
don't spotlight
the giftedness
of our
musicians
or our
singers.
And by
God's grace
we have a lot
of really
gifted people
here.
I am so
thankful for
how God
has assembled
that.
But it's
not about
showcasing
people,
it's about
drawing attention
to our
Savior.
And so when
we sing
songs and
the way
we sing
songs,
we want
to make
sure that
Jesus is
the center
of all of
those things,
not a
musician who
is really
gifted in
what they
do.
We also
want to draw
attention to
the wonder
of who God
is through
our preaching.
So we're
going to
preach the
text.
We're going
to get you
into the
Word of
God.
And we're
going to,
by design,
normally we're
going to teach
expositionally
through books
of the Bible.
That's our
goal.
And what that
helps me to
do is
make sure
that I'm
not just
telling you
the things
that are
easy and
comfortable
for me to
say or
things that
are easy and
comfortable for
you to hear.
We want to
prioritize the
Word of God
and we want to
prioritize the
teaching so
that Jesus is
in the spotlight
through good
things and
hard things to
know, you know
what, here's a
church that's
going to tell me
the truth whether
or not it's
easy for me to
hear.
So we're
going to go
through books
of the Bible.
We're going to
teach in a way
that's expositional
verse by verse,
book by book,
that's the goal.
We also want to
be a people who
are drawn together
in prayer.
Pastor David has
done an amazing
job in putting
together something
every single week
called the
Powerhouse Prayer.
It is a little
telegram article
and it is
phenomenal.
It walks you
through not only
the prayer requests
that are current
in our body but
also walks you
through a passage
of scripture to
know how you can
pray more faithfully.
How can you use
the Word of God
to pray in a way
that you're not
distracted, that
helps to align your
heart to what God
wants to do.
Praying God's
words back to Him.
In prayer we also
have small groups
that incorporate
prayer as a main
element of their
time together.
prayer in giving.
We want to call
you to give not
because we need
money.
We want to call
you to give because
we want you to
enjoy the blessing
of recognizing that
God is able to
provide for your
needs.
And to enjoy the
blessing of knowing
Him for yourself
and seeing that in
your expression of
giving you're
trusting Him with
your stuff.
Fellowship.
We want our
fellowship to be
Christ-centered.
We'll talk about
that more next
week.
We want to draw
our attention not
just to the things
that are going on
in your life.
We care about those
two but we want
your fellowship to
be the kind of
fellowship we see
in Hebrews where
you're stirring one
another up to love
and good deeds.
And finally,
service.
Service to God.
In your service
here at Maranatha
that your service
is directed to
Him.
You see,
worship happens
when we gather
and sing and pray
and hear the word
of God.
We fellowship
and we praise
but worship is
meant really to
direct your hearts
to Him.
And I trust
that as we grow
in this together
that God will help
us to be faithful.
Let me pray.
Father, I thank
you.
I thank you for
your word and for
the challenge we
get from this
scripture.
how you put the
church together.
It's incredible.
Thank you that the
work of the church
does not rest on us.
The work of building
this church rests on
you.
So steer our hearts
towards you, Lord.
Help us to know you
more, to love you
more, to depend on
you more so that we
can show Christ
through our lives
more clearly day by
day.
In Jesus' name we
pray.
Amen.
God bless you.
Have a great week.
Amen.