Worship for the Believer

  NOTE: This information was gathered & accumulated over years, thru reading various material & setting under godly men. I do not take credit for this tool that has helped me, I can only take credit for gathering it together in a way that is beneficial to me & I hope others. I do not wish to plagiarize anyone’s individual work, but I am unable to express proper citation due to gathering various notes & scraps of paper from my own study that I have accumulated over the years. I am grateful for all those who have allowed God to use them to help use become better witnesses to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Psalm 100:1-5  A Psalm for Thanksgiving

¹ Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
² Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing. 
³ Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 
⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 
⁵ For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Worship

1 Chronicles 16:23-31  ²³ Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.  ²⁴ Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.  ²⁵ For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods.  ²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.  ²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place.  ²⁸ Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.  ²⁹ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array.  ³⁰ Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.  ³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

“To worship God is to ascribe the proper worth to God, to magnify His worthiness of praise,

or better, to approach and address God as He is Worthy.”

Donald S. Whitney

 What does God say to us about Worship

·        Old Testament

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself any idols.

3. You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.                         (Exodus 20:1-11)

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

·        New Testament

Matthew 22:37-38 YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;  ²⁹ for our God is a consuming fire.

Believers are to Worship God in their everyday Lives?

Romans 12:1-2  

I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

v  Worship is lived out through the Head, the Heart and the Hands of the Believer.

 

Worship is Focusing on & Responding to God 

·        General Revelation  --  How God reveals Himself in His Creation, Nature 

Romans 1:20  ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Ø  General Revelation shows us there is a Creator-God

·        Special Revelation   --  How God reveals Himself thru the Word of God, the Bible 

2 Timothy 3:14-15 ¹⁴ You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,  ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Ø  Special Revelation tells us how to have a relationship with that Creator-God

 

v  Worship is about being Theocentric/Christocentric, God/Christ centered.

“The Glory of God is always the issue”

Gordon L. Borror 

Psalms 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 

“Your view of God is the most important view you have, and to the extent your view of God is distorted…to the extent, your life is out of focus.”

Gordon L. Borror

Worship is to be done in Spirit & in Truth

John 4:23-24 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

·        Worship in Spirit

Only a person indwelt by the Holy Spirit can worship God (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The Spirit reveals God to us, and teaches the truth of Scripture.

Worship of God in the Spirit begins through a Personal Relationship with Jesus 

·        Worship in Truth

Worship must be in accordance to the Truth of who God is as revealed by Scripture

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Worship on Earth is an Extension of Worship in Heaven 

Revelation 4:8-11  ⁸ And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME."  ⁹ And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,  ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,  ¹¹ "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

Worship is to be expected both Publicly & Privately

·        Public Worship (Ekklesia - Assembly - Local Church)

Hebrews 10:24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.                       

v  Believers are to meet together as a Body that they might worship God together.

Ø  In our Praise                                       

Ø  In our Prayer

Ø  In our Preaching                                 

Ø  In our Response

·        Private Worship (Individual - Family- Home)         

Matthew 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 

v  Believers are to spend private time alone with God.

Ø  In Reading, Studying, Meditating upon God’s Word

Ø  In Prayer and In Praise to God

Public Worship should fold into our Private Worship; 

And our Private Worship should fold into our Public Worship

                       

 

 

The Lord's Supper for the Believer

 NOTE: This information was gathered & accumulated over years, thru reading various material & setting under godly men. I do not take credit for this tool that has helped me, I can only take credit for gathering it together in a way that is beneficial to me & I hope others. I do not wish to plagiarize anyone’s individual work, but I am unable to express proper citation due to gathering various notes & scraps of paper from my own study that I have accumulated over the years. I am grateful for all those who have allowed God to use them to help use become better witnesses to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Corinthians 10:15-17  

¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread

The Lord’s Supper

“Breaking of Bread -- Communion”

What is the Lord’s Supper?

 The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. (Baptist Faith & Message 2000)

• Where Baptism is the initiating ordinance of the Christian Life into the Church

• The Lord’s Supper is an ongoing ordinance of the Christian Life within the Church

 

Why Observe the Lord’s Supper?

v  It is commanded by Jesus

Luke 22:19 ¹⁹ And when [Jesus] had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

v  The Apostles continued it

1 Cor 11:23,25 ²³ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread… ²⁵ In the same way He took the cup also after supper

• Observing is not watching but Participating in the Lord’s Supper

 

What are the Elements of the Lord’s Supper?

v  The Bread

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 The Lord Jesus in the night in which 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."

• Represents the incarnate (made flesh) Body of Christ Jesus 

• It is a reminder of Christ’s broken body unselfishly assumed
  & given for the forgiveness of sin

 

v  The Cup

1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

• Represents the Blood of Christ that was poured out that a new covenant
  may be made between God and man

• Without the Blood: There would be

§  No forgiveness and cleansing from sin

§  No relationship with God

§  No transformation of the Heart

§  No Salvation
 

What does the Lord’s Supper Proclaim?

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

v  The Lord’s Supper is a Visual Sermon,

• Proclaiming the Message of the Cross---the selfless death of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins 

• Proclaiming the Imminent Return of the Lord Jesus 

 

Does the Lord’s Supper bring about Salvation? 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

• The Lord’s Supper provides no saving work by which a person
  may proclaim right standing before God 

• It is an outward expression of a believer’s testimony of faith
  in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior

• It is a personal proclamation to the body of Christ that a person believes himself
  to be in right standing before God

 

Who May Participate in the Lord’s Supper?

Acts 2:41-42 those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.  They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching
and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

v  Only those who have:      

1)     Accepted by faith Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior

2)     Been scripturally baptized by immersion

3)     Joined in Fellowship with a Church and in good standing as a member

• Baptism is a symbol of the beginning of the Christian life 

• The Lord’s Supper is a symbol of the continuation of living the Christian life 

 

How Should a Believer Prepare Himself before Taking the Lord’s Supper? 

1 Cor 11:27-29 whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. ³⁰ For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

1)     Only after a prayerful self-examination of one’s walk with the Lord

2)     After Confession and Repentance of sins have been made

• To take the bread or the fruit of the vine when a person is knowingly and willfully disobedient toward the commands of God is to risk bringing judgment upon one’s self

•  There are consequences for partaking in an unworthy manner
  both Physically and Spiritually

• It is better and more right for a believer to allow the bread and fruit of the vine
  to pass than to sear one’s conscience

 

What does the Lord’s Supper Represent?

v  It represents:

1)     A Believer’s Union with Christ

2)     A Believer’s ongoing Identity with the Savior as His committed follower

3)     A Believer’s ongoing spiritual growth

4)     The unity and fellowship of the Body of Christ, in the local Church (1 Cor 10:16-17)

5)     Accountability within the Church both personally & corporately (1 Cor 11:28)

6)     The Missionary spirit of the Church in its proclamation of the Gospel (1 Cor 11:26)

7)     The Church’s anticipation of the end of the age and coming Marriage Supper of the Lamb

(Rev 19:6-9)

Baptism & the Believer

 NOTE: This information was gathered & accumulated over years, thru reading various material & setting under godly men. I do not take credit for this tool that has helped me, I can only take credit for gathering it together in a way that is beneficial to me & I hope others. I do not wish to plagiarize anyone’s individual work, but I am unable to express proper citation due to gathering various notes & scraps of paper from my own study that I have accumulated over the years. I am grateful for all those who have allowed God to use them to help use become better witnesses to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Romans 6:2-8  How shall we who died to sin still live in it?  ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  ⁵ For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,  ⁶ knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him

What is Baptism?

It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to a believer’s faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper. (Baptist Faith and Message 2000)

The GOSPEL

1 Corinthians 15:3-4   ³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

• When a Person Repents & Believes the Gospel 

• And by Faith Believes on Christ Jesus

Ø  Confessing Jesus as Lord & Believing God Raised Him from the Dead

§  They are Saved by Grace thru Faith

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Baptism is a Symbolic Act of Obedience

Colossians 2:12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

 v  Baptism is a Visual Sermon of Christ’s Death, Burial & Resurrection 

Romans 6:3-4 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

v  Baptism is a Public Profession of Faith.

Baptism does not “save you.” It is an outward expression of an inward change of the heart through faith in Christ Jesus as Lord & Savior. Only your faith in Him brings salvation. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

v  Baptism doesn’t make you a believer—it shows that you already believe.

• You’re Not any more Saved if you do
• You’re Not any less Saved if you don’t
  
  

Who should be Baptized? 

• Every person who has believed on Christ Jesus for the Salvation from Sin

Romans 10:9  If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved 

Acts 2:41 those who had received his word were baptized  

Why should a Believer be Baptized? 

1)     To Follow the example set by Jesus

Mark 1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

 

2)     Because Jesus commands that every Believer be Baptized

 

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

3)     It demonstrates that a person is a believer

Acts 18:8 many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. 

1 John 2:3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 

 

Why be Baptized by immersion? 

1)     Because Jesus was Baptized that way.

Matthew 3:16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water

2)     Every Baptism in the Bible was by immersion.

Acts 8:38-39 they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water

3)     The word “Baptize” means to “live under water.”

Ø  The Greek word baptizo means “to immerse or dip under water.”

 

When should a Person be Baptized? 

• As soon as they have believed!

Acts 8:35-38 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?" [And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."] And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.  

There is no reason to delay.

As soon as a person Believes, they can & should be Baptized. 

If you attempt to wait until you are “perfect” or “good enough” you will never get Baptized. 

We don’t get Baptized because we are perfect or good enough. 

We get Baptized because Jesus commanded it.

The Church & the Believer

NOTE: This information was gathered & accumulated over years, thru reading various material & setting under godly men. I do not take credit for this tool that has helped me, I can only take credit for gathering it together in a way that is beneficial to me & I hope others. I do not wish to plagiarize anyone’s individual work, but I am unable to express proper citation due to gathering various notes & scraps of paper from my own study that I have accumulated over the years. I am grateful for all those who have allowed God to use them to help use become better witnesses to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 16:13-18

¹³ Jesus was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" ¹⁴ And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." ¹⁵ Jesus said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Ekklesia - Church - Assembly - Body - Congregation

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. (Baptist Faith & Message 2000)

·        The Scriptures limit the office of Deacon to Men – 1 Timothy 3:8,12

 How was the Church Created?

Matthew 16:16-18 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona , because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

·        Upon the statement, that Jesus is the “Christ, the son of the living God.”

·        Upon this Truth Jesus built His Church & it’s the only thing Jesus promised to build.

Acts 2:1-4 ¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, [the disciples] were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance        

·        The Church was empowered to serve at its inauguration

·        The Promise of Jesus is fulfilled by the indwelling of all believers by the Holy Spirit.

How does Church Work?

u  Joining the Church

Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

§  The Church is made up of Baptized Believers.

u  Expectations of Church Members

Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

§  Devoted to…Preaching, Teaching & Personal Bible Study

§  Devoted to…Fellowship with other believers, corporately & privately

§  Devoted to…Partake in the Lord’s Supper

§  Devoted to…Prayer, corporately & privately 

The Priority of Church Fellowship is Harmony & Unity.

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,  being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

·        Harmony & Unity for its own sake, is neither

·        Never compromise the Word of God for a make believe peace

Christ is the Head of the Church (the Body of Christ)

Ephesians 1:22-23 [The Father] put all things in subjection under [Jesus’] feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 5:23 Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

Colossians 1:18 [Jesus] is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

·        The Church is a Body---Not a Business!

·        The Church is an Organism---Not an Organization!

1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.

Going to Church expresses our obedience to the Great Commandment

Mark 12:28-30 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND    WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'                      

·     How can a believer say “I am fulfilling the Great Commandment,” to Love God,

If If the believer disobeys God’s command to meet with the very thing He promised to build?

Going to Church….

u  Is a testimony of support for God’s Work in the World

Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

u  Enables a Believer to hear in person the Preaching of God’s Word

2 Timothy 4:2-4 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

u  Allows a Believer to partake of the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. 

u  Enables the Believer to experience special Blessings from God

1 Corinthians 14:26, 31 When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted

u  Helps to prevent an Unbalanced Life

Ephesians 4:14 we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

u  Shows we Love God’s People

John 13:35  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another

u  Is an indication the Believer is partaking in the promised eternal life

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.

Not Going to Church….

p  Is one indication of not being in God’s family

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

p  Is willful disobedience to the authority of God

Hebrews 10:24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

p  Is self-centered and foolish

Proverbs 18:1 He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

Going to Church does not make you a Christian.

Only a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior brings salvation.