Embracing the Church: A Call to Continuous Worship
Summary
In this message, we reflect on the profound significance of the church and the call to live a life centered on worship and community. As we enter the holiday season, we are reminded of the incarnation of Christ, who came into the world to save us from our sins. This truth is not just a seasonal tagline but the core of our faith. Worship should not be confined to a specific time or place; it should be a continuous posture of our hearts, recognizing God's worthiness in every season of life.
The church, as the household of God, is not just a building but a community of believers who are the dwelling place of God. This understanding calls us to live with reverence, not only within the church walls but in our daily lives, as we are the temple of the living God. The church is essential for our spiritual nourishment and growth, providing a space for us to be nurtured into holiness.
In a world that often dismisses the church as irrelevant, we are reminded that the church is the pillar and support of truth. It is through the church that God's truth is upheld and proclaimed to the nations. This truth is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, who was revealed in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, and ascended into glory. As believers, we are called to uphold this truth by living it out, teaching it, and defending it against falsehoods.
As we look forward to 2025, there is a call to recommit to the local church, to prioritize gathering together, and to engage in healthy relationships that bring healing and growth. The church still matters because it is God's chosen vehicle for spreading the gospel and nurturing believers into godliness. Let us embrace this call with a renewed commitment to live for Christ and to be a part of His body, the church.
Key Takeaways:
1. Continuous Worship: Worship is not limited to a specific time or place but is a continuous posture of our hearts. We are called to worship God in every season of life, recognizing His worthiness regardless of our circumstances. This everyday worship transforms our lives and aligns us with God's purpose. [40:20]
2. The Church as God's Dwelling: The church is not just a building but the community of believers who are the dwelling place of God. This calls us to live with reverence, understanding that we are the temple of the living God. Our conduct should reflect this truth, both within the church and in our daily lives. [44:01]
3. Spiritual Nourishment through Community: The church is essential for our spiritual nourishment and growth. It provides a space for us to be nurtured into holiness and to engage in healthy relationships that bring healing and transformation. Isolation does not heal; community does. [54:18]
4. Upholding God's Truth: The church is the pillar and support of truth, entrusted with upholding and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called to live out this truth, teach it, and defend it against falsehoods, ensuring that it remains central in our lives and communities. [01:39:28]
5. Recommitment to the Local Church: As we look forward to 2025, there is a call to recommit to the local church, prioritize gathering together, and engage in meaningful relationships. The church still matters because it is God's chosen vehicle for spreading the gospel and nurturing believers into godliness. [01:47:56]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[40:20] - Worship Beyond Seasons
[44:01] - The Church as God's Dwelling
[47:38] - Commitment to the Local Church
[50:40] - Lamenting for the Church
[51:49] - Renewing Our Minds
[53:02] - Healing Through Community
[54:18] - The Beauty of Church Frustration
[56:14] - The Church Still Matters
[58:39] - Digital vs. Physical Presence
[59:31] - Substance Over Subsistence
[01:00:10] - Paul's Desire for Presence
[01:01:00] - The Role of Elders
[01:02:34] - Instructions for Godly Living
[01:03:53] - The Importance of Gathering
[01:05:44] - Mutual Spiritual Gifts
[01:06:46] - The Church as a Family
[01:07:42] - Honorable vs. Dishonorable Use
[01:10:43] - Reverence for the Church
[01:16:22] - The Church as a Household
[01:17:29] - Fitted Together as One Body
[01:19:11] - The Church as an Assembly
[01:20:13] - The Gathering of the Church
[01:21:19] - Dysfunctional Yet Necessary
[01:23:01] - The Significance of Gathering
[01:28:01] - The Role of the Word
[01:30:13] - Worship and the Word
[01:31:23] - The Power of the Word
[01:32:59] - Obeying Accompanies Belonging
[01:34:29] - Honorable Use Through Cleansing
[01:36:11] - Returning to God
[01:37:59] - The Church as a Pillar of Truth
[01:39:28] - Upholding God's Truth
[01:40:40] - Defending the Truth
[01:42:07] - The Mystery of Godliness
[01:43:42] - Celebrating the Incarnation
[01:45:06] - Vindicated in the Spirit
[01:47:21] - The Church's Confessional Statements
[01:47:56] - The Church's Role in Evangelism
[01:49:14] - The Preferred Option: Gathering
[01:50:03] - Invitation to Belong
[01:51:26] - The Gospel Invitation
[01:52:20] - The Day of Salvation
[01:53:34] - Repentance and Restoration
[01:54:32] - Reverence for God's Church
[01:55:35] - Gratitude for Christ's Sacrifice
[01:56:55] - Compelled by God's Love
[01:59:12] - Closing and Benediction
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. 1 Timothy 3:14-15
2. 2 Corinthians 6:16
3. Ephesians 2:19-22
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Observation Questions:
1. According to 1 Timothy 3:14-15, what is the purpose of Paul's writing to the church, and how does it relate to the conduct of believers? [01:00:10]
2. How does the sermon describe the church as the "household of God," and what implications does this have for believers? [01:16:22]
3. In 2 Corinthians 6:16, what does it mean for believers to be the temple of the living God, and how does this relate to the sermon’s message about reverence? [01:10:43]
4. What role does the church play in upholding and proclaiming God's truth according to the sermon? [01:39:28]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of continuous worship, as discussed in the sermon, challenge the traditional view of worship being confined to specific times and places? [40:20]
2. What does it mean for the church to be the "pillar and support of truth," and how can believers actively participate in this role? [01:39:28]
3. How does the sermon address the issue of digital versus physical presence in the church, and what are the implications for believers in maintaining community? [58:39]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that healthy relationships within the church contribute to spiritual healing and growth? [54:18]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current posture of worship. How can you incorporate worship into your daily routine, regardless of your circumstances? [40:20]
2. Consider your involvement in your local church. What steps can you take to deepen your commitment and participation in the church community as we approach 2025? [47:38]
3. How can you contribute to upholding and defending God's truth in your community? Identify one specific action you can take this week to share or defend the gospel. [01:39:28]
4. Think about a time when you felt isolated from the church community. What practical steps can you take to reconnect and build healthy relationships within the church? [54:18]
5. Evaluate your understanding of the church as the dwelling place of God. How does this understanding influence your behavior both inside and outside the church? [01:10:43]
6. How can you balance the convenience of digital church resources with the need for physical presence and community? What changes might you need to make in your church attendance habits? [58:39]
7. Reflect on the sermon’s call to recommit to the local church. What specific goals can you set for yourself to prioritize gathering and engaging in meaningful relationships within your church community? [01:47:56]
Devotional
Understood. I will now create the 5-day devotional based on the instructions provided.
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Day 1: Worship as a Heart's Posture
Worship is not limited to a specific time or place but is a continuous posture of our hearts. We are called to worship God in every season of life, recognizing His worthiness regardless of our circumstances. This everyday worship transforms our lives and aligns us with God's purpose. Worship is an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and goodness, and it should permeate every aspect of our lives. Whether in joy or sorrow, abundance or need, our hearts should remain steadfast in adoration and gratitude towards God. This continuous worship is not just an act but a lifestyle that reflects our deep connection with the Creator. [40:20]
Psalm 34:1-3 (ESV): "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!"
Reflection: In what specific ways can you incorporate worship into your daily routine, regardless of your current circumstances?
Day 2: The Church as a Living Temple
The church is not just a building but the community of believers who are the dwelling place of God. This understanding calls us to live with reverence, not only within the church walls but in our daily lives, as we are the temple of the living God. Our conduct should reflect this truth, both within the church and in our daily lives. As the household of God, the church is a sacred space where believers gather to experience God's presence and grow in faith. This calls for a lifestyle of holiness and reverence, recognizing that we carry the presence of God wherever we go. [44:01]
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV): "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."
Reflection: How does knowing that you are the temple of God influence your actions and decisions today?
Day 3: Community as a Source of Spiritual Nourishment
The church is essential for our spiritual nourishment and growth. It provides a space for us to be nurtured into holiness and to engage in healthy relationships that bring healing and transformation. Isolation does not heal; community does. In a world that often promotes individualism, the church stands as a beacon of community and support. It is within this community that believers find encouragement, accountability, and the opportunity to grow in their faith. The church is a place where spiritual gifts are shared, and believers are equipped to live out their calling. [54:18]
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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."
Reflection: Who in your church community can you reach out to this week to offer encouragement or support?
Day 4: Upholding and Proclaiming God's Truth
The church is the pillar and support of truth, entrusted with upholding and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called to live out this truth, teach it, and defend it against falsehoods, ensuring that it remains central in our lives and communities. The truth of the gospel is not just a message to be shared but a reality to be lived. As believers, we are called to embody the truth of Christ in our words and actions, standing firm against the deceptions of the world. [01:39:28]
1 Timothy 3:15 (ESV): "If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth."
Reflection: What steps can you take to ensure that the truth of the gospel is evident in your daily interactions and decisions?
Day 5: Recommitting to the Local Church
As we look forward to 2025, there is a call to recommit to the local church, prioritize gathering together, and engage in meaningful relationships. The church still matters because it is God's chosen vehicle for spreading the gospel and nurturing believers into godliness. Let us embrace this call with a renewed commitment to live for Christ and to be a part of His body, the church. The local church is a vital part of God's plan for His people, providing a space for worship, fellowship, and spiritual growth. By recommitting to the church, believers can experience the fullness of life in Christ and contribute to the mission of spreading the gospel. [01:47:56]
Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV): "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
Reflection: How can you actively participate in the life of your local church to foster growth and unity within the body of Christ?
Quotes
Because we as people of God have to get to a place in our lives where we don't need to wait on the day where we're told to come together to worship him, but rather we can become people who learn how to live our lives from an everyday posture of worship. [00:43:32] (15 seconds)
And when we wake up on Wednesday morning to celebrate however you so choose to recognize his holiday, you wake up remembering why he's worthy. You think about it. the vision and revelation and it's who is worthy there was none they searched everywhere there was none who was worthy to open the scroll and they asked who was worthy and the and the vision says suddenly there was one like a lamb that was slain that showed up in the middle of the thrones and that's why he's worthy that's why he's worthy of our worship that's why he's worthy of not just our verbal worship but our lives being offered to him as worship that's why he's worthy of our yes when it's hard that's why he's worthy of our worship when when life is beating you up that's why he's worthy of our worship when you don't have solutions to the things that's going on and you feel like you are abandoned or you feel like god isn't listening or you feel like things aren't going the way that you choose them to go in your life he's worthy of our worship even in those moments because he proved to us how much he loved us he proved to us how much he cares for us when he willfully no one takes my life he said but i lay it down nobody [00:44:30] (89 seconds)
The whole building is being fitted together and is being built into the temple of God. This means we are making up as individuals the whole building. We are not the whole building as individuals. We are fitted together to make up the whole. Let me make it a little bit more. Romans 12, 4 -5. For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body parts do not have the same function, so we who are the many are one body in Christ and individual parts of one another. [01:18:06] (31 seconds)
And so my prayer is that in 2025, we restore reverence and priority to the gathering also, not for a performance in a show, but because God has called us as individuals to gather together and worship in one voice as one body. Now, Paul establishes that the church is significant because we are the house of God, and without it, we are malnourished. But in the midst of that, we can't ignore that he talks about conduct, right? In the house of a God, right? And this is interesting because as God's dwelling place, and this seems like it should be like common, but it's not. [01:43:16] (35 seconds)
The church still matters because the church is God's vehicle for upholding his truth amongst the nations. A pillar is load -bearing. So it has the responsibility of upholding something. And in the case of God's word and truth, we are the ones that have been responsible for upholding it. Now, there's a very specific truth that Paul is going to get to. But in general, what he's saying is kind of in the same way in the Old Testament, he only gave his oracles to Israel, right? And they were the ones who were supposed to take his word and go and proclaim it amongst the nations, right? You know, they failed, didn't do what they were supposed to do, right? So now the church, consistent of both Jew and Gentile, now have the word of God and are the pillars and the support. Of that truth. He's given it to the church, his truth. He's revealed the mysteries to his church. This is why when you're talking to unbelievers or people who don't really know Christ, they can't understand what we're talking about. It don't make sense to them because it's been revealed to his church. [01:38:10] (52 seconds)
And then fourthly, we uphold the truth by defending the truth against lies. And I know some of y 'all are like, I ain't know. I ain't know. I ain't telling you to go be a heresy hunter. I ain't telling you. But the Bible is clear, 1 Peter 3 and 15. Everyone who act, be ready, right, to make a defense to everyone who gives an account for the hope in which you had. But with gentleness and respect. In Jude 3, behold, while I'm making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all handed down to the saints. [01:40:25] (33 seconds)
And so, Lord, my prayer and my ask and my urge and my petition is that we would be a body that reach city church. And everybody who is present today and everybody who will belong, Lord, that we would be a church that honors you. Strives to honor you. Fights to honor you. We know we won't be perfect. But we fight. We fight to honor you in light of what it is that you. So Paul says, in light of understanding the gospel, he says that it is therefore no longer. He said the love of God compels him. [01:56:55] (42 seconds)
And if you're someone who don't even have access into the church because you don't have faith in Jesus Christ, then my invitation to you is to come and belong. To believe on the gospel. To believe that you were a sinner. To believe that you have been separated from God, alienated from God because of your sin. That you'll believe, though, that God loved you so much. And there's nothing that you can do to fix yourself. There's no amount of work you can do. You can't pay it off. You can't work it off. You can't serve it off. You can't good deeds it off. Because all of our works are but filthy rags if we have no relationship with God. No relationship with Christ. [01:50:03] (45 seconds)
And knowing that God said, I love you so much, I'll come then. I'll come and I'll come so that I can pay the debt of your sin. For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. Through Christ Jesus, I'll come and I'll pay the debt that is owed. And not only will I just pay your debt, I'll then come to you and make my home in you. And that thing that was once in me, that was impossible to do without me, you will now be able to do with me. [01:51:26] (33 seconds)
For the new covenant says, I will place my spirit in them and I will teach them to obey all that I have commanded them to do. I will teach them how to obey. I will empower them to obey. But the correction to our actions follows the belonging. Because the spirit comes after the yes, not before. At least not in their dwelling state. [01:52:20] (27 seconds)
And all who believe on that, that confess that with their mouth and believe it in their heart, those are the individuals who will be saved. Those are the individuals who are now grafted or entered into or become a house in the fitted together household of God. But if you don't, if you're not that, then finding a church is just you finding a place to go on Sunday. But the invitation is not to find a place to be on Sunday. It's to belong to the household and family of God. And it's so simple to just believe on the gospel of Jesus Christ. [01:53:34] (40 seconds)
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