Sunday, December 13, 2015 am
GOING ON TO PERFECTION 2015 (39)
The Christian and Public Worship (7)
Worship and God’s Word
Today we conclude our study of the various acts of worship.
Our goal in this study has been to better understand striving for
excellence in all that we do, including within our worship.
We know that God demands our best.
These past few lessons have focused on the Lord’s Supper, Giving,
Singing, and Prayer. Today
we want to notice God’s word.
I say, “God’s Word” because there are several things we do in
worship that involve God’s word – we read the Bible, we together study
His word as sermons are presented, invitations on Wednesday evening come
from the Bible and Bible classes are designed to build us up in the word
of God.
As
with every other act of worship, we need to use God’s word with the
absolute best of our ability.
This includes “rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)
a.
God’s word in worship – That we are to consider the word of God in our worship is
obvious. How can we know
what we are to do if we don’t take time to learn it?
Consider also the following:
i.
Acts 2:42 – they
continued in “the apostle’s doctrine”
along with other acts of worship.
ii.
Acts 20:7 – the
disciples came together to break bread.
On that occasion, Paul preached to them till midnight.
iii.
1 Corinthians 14
continually addresses understanding of truth as we are together.
Paul speaks of teaching to build up the body and emphasizes
understanding with one’s ability.
iv.
Many New Testament
letters were written for churches and expected to be read in their midst
and applied – 1 Thess. 5:27, see that this letter is read among the
brethren.
Colossians 4:16 – read it in the church and share it with Laodicea.
And read their letter as well.
b.
The nature of the word
of God –
it IS the word of God. Much of
the “truth” of preaching and teaching is to ensure that what we preach
IS truth. God’s word is the
ONLY source of authority to which we must appeal – Matthews 28:18, John
17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, etc.
Everything that we have noted about the word of God applies here – Heb.
4:12, Romans 1:16-17, Psalm 19:7 (perfect), etc.
It can build us up, keep us from falling (through apostasy and
neglect), make us more fruitful, etc.
c.
Preach the word –
What is preaching? It is
proclaiming the word of God to others so as to move them toward God.
One preacher described it as, “to storm the will.”
We need more preaching!
i.
Romans 10:14-17
– speaks of calling on the name of the Lord (vs. 13) and that “faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (vs. 17).
How is this accomplished?
Through preaching the word, “the
gospel of peace.”
ii.
2 Timothy 4:2
is a command of Timothy.
While his work involved teaching the lost, it also involved teaching
brethren in Ephesus where he was at.
Much of that letter, and the New Testament for that matter, is
directed toward instructing Christians, including within the assembly.
1.
Preach the word
– the word of God only!
Preaching is not a time to tell stories and throw in an occasional
scripture or moral lesson.
It is a time to ground brethren in the word of God.
Ephesians 4:11-16 -includes preachers (evangelists) in
grounding the people so that they are not tossed to and fro and carried
about by every wind of doctrine
2.
Preach it
“in seasons and out of season” – this calls for preaching what is
needed, whether it is pleasant or not.
3.
Convince (reprove) – to
identify and prove error;
Rebuke (reprove) – to
warn. Making application of
the exposed error
Exhort – to encourage to
right action.
4.
These three describe the
process of dealing with a subject – identify a problem, make the
application and encourage needed change.
iii.
Preach, “the whole
counsel of God” (Acts 20:27)
2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to study so that we can handle the word
accurately – “rightly dividing the word of truth.”
There is a great problem today
with some who won’t preach everything that needs to be said.
d.
Bible reading
– reading scripture is an important part of our worship.
i.
It was a fundamental
part of Israel’s worship.
Jesus, when He entered the synagogue read from scripture (Luke 4:16-18).
ii.
Again be reminded that
in some letters the brethren were TOLD to read the scripture – 1 Thess.
5:27, Colossians 4:16, etc.
iii.
Bible reading needs to
be done with the realization it is GOD speaking to us.
1 Peter 4:11, reminds us, “IF anyone speaks, let him speak as the
oracles of God.”
iv.
Timothy was told (as a
preacher), “Till I come, give
attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13)
That this includes public reading is implied by the other things
he is told to do in that verse
v.
In reading the Bible,
sometimes it is good to give a brief background of what is being read –
not a lengthy commentary or a sermon, but just setting up the context.
For example: In Nehemiah 8:8 tells us that as Ezra read, “So
they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the
sense, and helped them to understand the reading.”
vi.
Bible reading as a part
of our worship reminds us that we are here to listen to what God has to
say. It’s not about our
think so or commentary, but simply presenting a portion of God’s word
for consideration.
e.
Bible classes
– certainly a form of teaching God’s word.
I will address Bible classes next
week.
f.
Listening to the word.
i.
Where the Bible is read
and sermons are preached in public worship there is an audience to hear
the word of God. Those
listening have as vital of a role as those leading in presenting the
word. As listeners it is our
goal to get as much as we can out of the word.
ii.
Romans 10:17 tells us
faith coming by
hearing and hearing by the
word of God. For the word to
be received it has to be heard.
iii.
How often did Jesus say,
“He who has an ear, let him hear.”
Matthew 11:15, 13:9, etc.
That is another of saying, “Listen up!”
iv.
There are so many things
accomplished by a study of God’s word, it behooves us to listen well.
a.
It should be presented in love – Whenever God’s word is spoken, there needs to be genuine
love present.
Ephesians 4:15, speaking the truth in love causes us to grow.
b.
It is not about how
talented you are in presenting His word
– It is ALWAYS about the message!
1 Corinthians 2:1-5, It is not about excellence of speech , but
proclaiming the simple message of Christ and Him crucified for us.
1 Cor. 15:1-4 – the gospel Paul preached.
c.
It should be preached and received with faith
– we must believe it is the word of God and welcome it as such!
1 Thessalonians 2:13.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith we cannot please God.
Does this not include accepting His word?
d.
Receive the word with
meekness and humility
– James 1:21 tells us that we are to receive the word with these
qualities. We don’t approach
the word of God with arrogance – whether it be the “know it all”
attitude or “intending to prove what you already believe” or other such
faulty attitudes.
Acts 17:11 gives us a great example: “These
were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find
out whether these things were so.”
e.
IN all that we do,
intend to apply the word of God.
James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only.
In concluding the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the parable of
2 builders. The premise in
Matthew 7:24 was, “Therefore
whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to
a wise man who built his house on the rock:…”
a.
Following are some
practical thoughts to consider as we handle God’s word.
b.
Preachers and teachers
– this applies not only to sermons, but our Wednesday evening talks as
well. Following are some
suggestions to consider as you present that which you have prepared.
i.
Make the message about
His word and not about you (1 Peter 4:11).
ii.
Know what you are
talking about. You have to
study before you speak on a particular subject (2 Timothy 2:15).
iii.
Document what you are
saying with scripture – if one says, “The Bible says” let him back it
up. NOTE: I know there are
times when a passage comes to mind that you don’t remember (the more
experienced you become, the more this can happen), but when possible as
you prepare your message – make sure the audience knows where it comes
from.
DON’T assume everyone knows what you know!
This even applies to well-known Bible characters and accounts.
iv.
Make sure that any
scripture you use is “in context”.
The Bible is clear that we should not twist the scriptures to our
own destruction – 2 Peter 3:16, 2 Timothy 2:15 (handling accurately),
etc.
v.
Practice your message –
read over it so that you are very familiar with it.
It is recommended that one go over the message audibly while
alone to catch any problems.
vi.
When you speak – speak
loudly, clearly and with confidence.
Again, use the microphone to help you if needed.
vii.
Practice your message in
your life. Live what you
speak. Romans 2:21-24.
1 Timothy 4:16 says, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and
those who hear you.”
c.
Reading the word – the points just mentioned apply to the reading of the word as well.
But here are some suggestions along with these things.
i.
Practice the reading
ahead of time. We post the
text that is going to be read well in advance.
Read over it several times.
In private, read it aloud a few times.
IF it helps, print out the text to be read in large enough print that
you can see it easily and not be struggling over the print size, etc.
ii.
If needed, give a brief
introduction to the context (Note: This means you need to read the text
before and after to get the sense of the text). IMPORTANT: Just one or
two sentences!
iii.
Read loudly and
confidently. Practice helps
with this.
Some suggest reading with appropriate inflection – but do NOT
over-dramatize the reading.
For example: IF the text has a question – read it as a question.
Is the text a joyful or sorrowful occasion? Slight changes in
voice when someone is speaking.
BUT, don’t make it a stage play reading!
d.
Listeners –
i.
Show respect.
As in all worship, have proper demeanor in worshipping God.
In this case, realize that God is speaking to us.
Take that seriously.
Example: Nehemiah 8:1-8, when the word was read, the people stood
showing respect. We don’t
need to necessarily stand physically, but in our minds there needs to be
that respect.
ii.
Be ready to listen.
In Acts 10:33, Cornelius and his family we present and ready to
listen. They WANTED to
hear God’s word.
Ezra 7:10 speaks of how Ezra had prepared his mind to seek the Law of
the LORD.
Acts 17:11 speaking of the Bereans (again), they were “fair minded” and
“received the word with all readiness.”
iii.
Pay attention!
Listen well. Focus on
the message. This requires MENTAL effort.
It is NOT easy to listen to a 45 minute lesson and maintain
attention. But it can be
done if we work at it! Remove
distractions. Not a time to
be passing notes, checking email, texting, etc.
iv.
OPEN your Bibles.
Read the passages cited for yourself.
Don’t assume the preacher is properly quoting it!
Again, be like the Bereans – Acts 17:11.
v.
Take notes – or follow
along with the outline of the message.
vi.
One other observation –
be careful with distracting others as the lesson is being concluded.
Sometimes the sounds of getting ready for the invitation song
(zipping up Bibles, pulling out song books, etc.) might distract one who
has been moved by the lesson and is considering responding.
The
word of God is indeed powerful.
Hearing His word is one of the reasons we assemble.
These are some suggestions to help us handle God’s word both
accurately and with due excellence.
Let us resolve that even in this we are going to do our very
best, whether we are delivering the word or receiving it with meekness.
God certainly deserves that.