OceanSide church of Christ




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WORSHIP IS A SPECIAL TIME

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     Each Lord’s Day, the church at OceanSide assembles at 10:00 a.m. for worship.

 

B.     The hour that we assemble together is an extremely important time.

1.       Some know this so well that they would never miss it.

2.       Some mentally acknowledge it, but do not always show it in their actions.

3.       Some seem to be completely oblivious to how special worship really is.

 

C.     Why is this worship hour such a special time?

 

I.             IT IS A TIME OF PRAISE

 

A.     Praised defined:

1.       The act of expressing adoration

2.       The offering of grateful homage in words, or song, or actions

3.       The term comes from a word that means:  to value, to prize, to have worth

 

B.     II Samuel 22:4

 

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:  so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

 

1.       God is worthy of praise because of who He is.

2.       God is worthy of praise because of what He has done.

 

C.     This morning we have been telling God how great He is, how worthy He is, and how valuable He is to our lives.

 

II.           IT IS A TIME OF HUMILITY

 

A.     When the worshiper comes to praise God, he bows in His presence.

1.       He recognizes his weakness and God’s power.

2.       He admits his dependence on God’s resources.

3.       He acknowledges that he is foolish and that God is wise.

4.       He sees his wickedness in view of God’s holiness.

 

B.     Two verses:

1.       James 4:10

 

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall life you up.

 

2.       I Peter 5:6

 

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

 

C.     Perhaps, because we do not see God, we forget that this is a time of humility.

 

III.         IT IS A TIME OF THANKGIVING

 

A.     We sing an old hymn that says:  “He blesses and blesses again.”

 

B.     He provides:  life, health, food, clothing, family, freedom, and all spiritual blessings in Christ.

 

 

C.     We assemble as the body of Christ to give thanks:

1.       Psalm 100:4-5

 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:  be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

 

2.       Psalm 103:2

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

 

3.       Colossians 3:16-17

 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

D.    Please note that a refusal to give thanks unto God is a step toward apostasy, that is, a departure from God (Rom. 1:21).

 

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

IV.         IT IS A TIME OF LEARNING

 

A.     In Acts 20:7, the early church was assembled for worship.  Part of their time together was spent listening to Paul’s preaching.

 

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

 

B.     In I Corinthians 14, Paul addressed the worship of the church at Corinth.

1.       Two spiritual gifts are at the forefront of his instructions:  speaking in tongues and prophecy.

2.       Note:  Both gifts were intended to impart knowledge to the listeners.

3.       The “better gift” was prophecy because it could be understood by those in the audience without the need of an interpreter.

a.       I Corinthians 14:3

 

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

 

b.      I Corinthians 14:9

 

Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

 

C.     There are two ways we learn in the worship service.

1.       Through the lesson that is preached.

2.       Through the song service (Col. 3:16).

 

V.           IT IS A TIME OF SACRIFICE

 

A.     Sacrifice is something that is offered to God.  It is something that costs the worshiper something.

 

B.     In our worship, we sacrifice at least four things:

1.       Our time:  a precious commodity

2.       Our wills:  the desires of our heart for the will of God

3.       The fruit of our lips:  singing and prayer

4.       Our monetary gain in our giving

C.     Hebrews 13:15

 

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

 

VI.         IT IS A TIME OF REMEMBRANCE

 

A.     Each week, we gather to remember.  We remember the precious death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

B.     I Corinthians 11:23-25

 

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat:  this is my body which is broken for you:  this do in remembrance of me.  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood:  this do you, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

 

C.     There are so many things to remember:

1.       God’s love

2.       The suffering of Jesus

3.       His pierced body

4.       His precious blood

5.       The forgiveness of our sins

6.       Our freedom from Satan

7.       Hope beyond this world

 

D.    NOTE:  Not many, if any, who refrain from worship on Sunday give much contemplation to the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

 

VII.       IT IS A TIME OF FELLOWSHIP

 

A.     Fellowship is partnership, joint participation, communion, and intercourse between brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

B.     In worship, we fulfill some of our one another responsibilities toward each other.

1.       We get to greet one another (Rom. 16:16).

2.       We get to teach one another in song (Col. 3:16).

3.       We get to provoke one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24).

4.       We get to pray for one another (I John 5:16).

 

C.     This fellowship strengthens us in our Christian service.

1.       Together we are like glowing, hot embers in a fire.

2.       Apart from the other embers, we become dark and die.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     Nowhere in the course of this lesson have we mentioned that worship is “A Time of Obedience.”

1.       This was not to minimize our obedience.

2.       It was done to point out that our worship involves much more than just obedience.

 

B.     If I were going to mention obedience, I would express it this way.

1.       Worship Is A Time of the Expression of Love for God.

2.       Two verses come to mind.

a.       John 14:15

 

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

 

 

b.      Hebrews 10:25

 

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:  and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

3.       The Scriptures are clear.  Those who refuse to assemble for worship cannot honestly say that they love God.