Sermon for February 12, 2023

 

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

February 12, 2023

 

Let Us Worship – Part 3

What does it mean for you to worship?

Have you thought about what it means for you to worship? Are there certain things you do that draws you closer to the Lord? The Bible talks of five different things or ways to worship the Lord.

 

The first is to be a part of teaching the word or preaching of the word. In 1 Corinthians 4:16-17 we read: ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. Paul is teaching and preaching the in churches about Jesus and that is the first way to learn and worship the Lord.

 

The next way to worship stated in scripture is by singing songs that honor and glorify God. In Ephesians 5:19-20 we read: ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Clearly singing songs to our Lord is another way we are encouraged to worship the Lord.

The third way to worship the Lord is with our prayers. In Acts 1:13-14 it says: ¹³ When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Here we see a number of people praying for God’s will to be done after Jesus had ascended back to the Father. We know Jesus often separated for a while from his disciples to pray to God the Father, so we see prayer both as a group or congregation, as well as individually, is another way to worship the Lord.

 

Another way to worship the Lord is with our tithe. In

2 Corinthians:7-12: ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

We see the fourth way to worship the Lord by giving back to the Lord as he has blessed us.

 

The 5^th way to worship the Lord is to share in communion. As we come together to share in the bread and cup, we acknowledge to God what has been done for us through Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 we read: ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ 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.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Another way to worship the Lord is to recognize the depth of God’s love that he was willing to go to the cross to pay for our sins and a way to do that is to share in the bread and cup.

 

There are five specific ways to worship that are shown to us in the Bible. Most of us have come to church believing that listening or sharing in the word of God is a way to worship the Lord. Most everyone believes singing songs that tell the stories of God’s love and mercy is another way to worship the Lord. Of course, prayer time is mentioned many times in scripture so we probably always have realized praying either individually or as a congregation is another way to worship the Lord, but have you realized the gifts and offerings you give to this church, to other ministries or even to those of God’s children in need is another form of worship that God honors?

 

The last one mentioned is when we share in communion. Have you considered that is also a God honoring form of worship? Sharing in communion is an intentional act of obedience established in scripture. When we share in communion, we are telling the Lord, “Thank you for taking my place on the cross. Thank you for paying the price for my sins. I love you and know I need a savior.”

 

At the very least, these are 5 different ways of worship that we are given examples of in scripture. As you have been thinking about what draws you closest to God, how many of these 5 do you most closely relate to? God wants to have a relationship with us and that is why worship is important. Families that do things together, whether it is work or play, are stronger than those who do not. God wants us to have that close relationship that will make us stronger as well. Whether you are worshipping the Lord individually or as a church family, we will be better equipped to face life’s up and downs if our faith is strong. Worship is one of the ways to build up our faith. Whether it is singing songs of praise, reading God’s word, praying, coming together to listen to God’s word, giving of offerings or sharing in communion, God is there with us building us up and reviving our spirits. So let us worship the Lord in whatever ways draws us closer to God.

Pastor Larry