Growing in Hope 15.pdfGrowing in Hope Lesson #15 Hope Grows as I Worship God Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living

Growingin Hope

Lesson #15

Hope Grows

as I Worship God

Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship.”

• A Christian’s entire life is worship!

Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” • A Christian also wants to have chances to worship God in a more formal way, with other

Christians -- we call this “public worship.”

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” • Although God is always with us, He promises to give a special measure of His presence to those

who gather in His name.

Defining “Worship”

• One of the common Hebrew words for “worship” literally means “to bow down.” (i.e. Ps. 95:6-7)

• The most common Greek word for “worship” literally means “to fall on the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.” - Thayer (i.e. Mark 5:6)

“Worship” means: _________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 15 – page 1

1) Some Truths Regarding God-Pleasing Public Worship

Gal. 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

1. God hasn’t told us _______________________________________________________________

1Cor. 14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

2. God does want our worship to be done ______________________________________________

Ps. 96:2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. 3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

3. Worship is to primarily focus on ___________________________________________________

1Cor. 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

4. Our worship should always ultimately focus on _______________________________________

1Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

5. Since all Christians are part of the Holy Christian Church, we want activity in our worship to be done by ____________________________________________________________________

Eph 2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

6. The Church doesn’t just exist now; it extends throughout time. Therefore, we want parts of our worship to _____________________________________________________________________

Ps. 81:1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.

7. Music and art are ________________________________________________________________

Hebr. 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ...

8. Our worship form will show _______________________________________________________


II) Some Biblical Truths to Guide our Worship Form

Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

1. Every Christian needs to be reminded again and again of two truths: 1) ________________________________________________________________________

2) ________________________________________________________________________

Rom. 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

2. Since faith only comes from hearing the Word, a major part of worship ought always be ______________________________________________________________________________

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

3. A good way to join together and encourage each other is to ______________________________________________________________________________

Matt. 18:19 Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

4. We want to join fellow believers in ______________________________________________________________________________

Ps. 96:8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

5. We want to have opportunities to ______________________________________________________________________________

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

6. We want to ______________________________________________________________________________


Two quotes regarding Lutheran worship:

“The Lutheran Church has a rich legacy to offer in its worship. Here is reality, not symbolism. Here we have real contact with God; not as we come to Him, but as He comes to us. He meets us in the proclamation of the Word. Here the Son of God distributes His actual body and blood for the assurance of the forgiveness of sins. Here the people of God gather to offer their thanks, their praise, and their prayers. This is the real thing!

“... People are longing for God. Where will they find Him? In the shifting sands of the inner life or on the solid rock of the Word of His Gospel? How are they to offer Him their thanks and praise? With trivial methods borrowed from the entertainment industry or in worship forms which focus on the praise of God’s gracious glory? This is the kind of worship that lifts the heart while it exalts Christ! And this is what Lutheran worship does.” (Harold Senkbeil, Sanctification, NPH, 1989)

“In a changing world the liturgical service offers changelessness ... Among people who are searching for roots the service offers a tie to the past. To people who are terrified of the future the service looks ahead to the next generation of worshipers. In a society of casual carelessness the service brings dignity. ... it does not speak of nuclear power or the arms race or Ethiopia’s starving masses, but about sin, grace, forgiveness, life, and heaven. ... The service is timeless and uncommon; it wants to be so. And thereby it puts the mature believer for one hour each week into a setting which reminds him that his relationship with Christ is also timeless and uncommon. The Sunday service with its historic order has nothing to do with earth -- and neither does the worshiper. And yet, as he comes before the throne of God he receives power to live on his earth as God would have him live.” (Professor James Tiefel “A Twentieth Century Look at Worship”)

THE CHURCH YEAR

1Corinthians 2:2 says, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” To assure that we keep our focus on the life, the work, and the words of Jesus, the Lutheran Church uses a “Church Year.”

The Church Year is organized around three major festivals -- Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Using those festivals insure that we review Jesus’ birth, His resurrection, and the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to faith.

There are alternative ways of looking at this. For example, some combine the Christmas and Easter Cycles into one cycle. Using that, the first half of the church year would examine Jesus’ life, the second half would examine the Christian life. (Or, in the first half we focus more on Jesus’ person, in the second half we focus more on Jesus’ teachings.) Below is one way of the ways of organizing the church year, the three-festival approach.


I. The Christmas Cycle. (December - January.)

a. Advent. Four Sundays leading up to Jesus’ birth. During this time we try to put ourselves “into the shoes” of the Old Testament believers who looked forward to a Jesus who was still to come. Often the best way for us to understand what they felt as they awaited Jesus’ first coming is to study the truths of Jesus’ second coming -- Judgment Day.

b. Christmas. Several Sundays during which we celebrate Jesus’ birth and what it means for us.

c. Epiphany. These Sundays review how Jesus revealed Himself to the world; both Jesus’ deeds and His words make it clear that Jesus is THE Savior whom God had promised to send.

II. The Easter Cycle. (February - April/May)

a. Lent. During these six weeks (or so) before Easter we focus on the events of Jesus’ sufferings and death. Lent ends with Maundy Thursday (the night before Jesus died and the night on which He instituted the Lord’s Supper) and Good Friday (the day He died).

b. Easter. We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This continues for seven weeks after Easter. It includes Jesus’ visible ascension to heaven which took place 40 days after Easter.

III. The Pentecost Cycle. (May/June - November)

a. Pentecost. This is the day -- 50 days after Easter -- on which the Holy Spirit poured Himself out in a miraculous way, allowing the disciples to speak in other languages in order to spread the Gospel quickly to all nations.

b. Trinity Sunday. This Sunday, the week after Pentecost, celebrates the fact that we have a three-in-one God.

c. The Pentecost Season. These 20-plus Sundays focus on Jesus’ teachings, especially as they affect the life of the Christian.

d. End Times. These last four Sundays of the Church year, beginning with Reformation Sunday, focus on the Last Day, on heaven (the goal of the Christian’s life) and on Christ as King.


Some practical tips on worship:

• Try to arrive in plenty of time so that you can collect your thoughts, clear your mind, and pray before the worship service begins.

• Be aware of your surroundings -- architecture, banners, etc. can all add to the richness of your worship.

• The more regularly you are into the Word during the week (family devotions, personal Bible study, etc.) the more rewarding your Sunday worship will become. Try previewing the Scripture readings before you come to worship and using the hymnal in your daily devotional life.

• Come to Sunday School/Bible Study. The more you learn about God, the more you will want to worship Him, and the more rewarding your worship will be.

Summary:

• While my whole life is worship, God also wants me to regularly gather to worship him in a formal way.

• Our public worship is to focus on who God is and on what God has done for us.

• The use of an organized worship form (the liturgy) insures that our worship will be rich in content and will have a proper sense of reverence and awe.

Oh, worship the King, all-glorious above; Oh, gratefully sing, His power and His love. Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise. (CW #243)

God invites me into His presence to worship Him! Hope grows!


! For study at home during the week:1) Complete the homework sections on the following pages.

2) To increase your knowledge of God’s Word, memorize this passage:

1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus

Christ and him crucified.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and

admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and

spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

3) Review Addendum #5 (Lesson #7) to reinforce the truths of worship.

4) Suggested daily reading: 1 Samuel 6-12.


Ezra & Nehemiah450 B.C.

Of the promises made to Abraham, only one remained -- the promise of the Savior. But the Jews were in exile, in Babylon! Under the reign of Cyrus (one of the kings under whom Daniel served) some Jews were allowed to return to the land of Israel. (Zerubbabel was the leader of that group, numbering less than 50,000.) They began to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. (These events took place around 550 B.C.)

About 100 years later, a priest named Ezra led back another small group of people. When Ezra arrived, he found that the people had become lax spiritually. (They had again intermarried with the unbelievers around them and worship had again become a low priority.) Ezra would be an important figure in calling the people to repentance.

Meanwhile a man named Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer of the king of Persia. We pick things up there.

Read Nehemiah 1-2

1. When Hanani came from Judah, what disturbing news did they bring about Jerusalem? (v3) ______________________________________________________________________________

2. What was Nehemiah’s reaction to it? (v4) ______________________________________________________________________________

3. When we studied prayer (Lesson #12) we used the acronym ACTS. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) How many of those can you identify in Nehemiah’s prayer? (1:5ff)

______________________________________________________________________________

4. Compare 1:8-9 to Deuteronomy 30:1-4. What do you notice? ______________________________________________________________________________

5. In 2:1-2, Nehemiah took the wine to King Artaxerxes. What does the king notice? (v2) ______________________________________________________________________________

6. In v3, Nehemiah explained that he was in misery because Jerusalem was in ruins. Artaxerxes then asks him what he wants. What is the first thing Nehemiah does? (end of v4)

______________________________________________________________________________

7. Now notice, v5 immediately continues with Nehemiah’s reply to the king. How long did Nehemiah have for that prayer mentioned in v4?

______________________________________________________________________________

8. What does that teach us about prayer? ______________________________________________________________________________

9. What requests does Nehemiah make? (vv5-8) ______________________________________________________________________________


10. After arriving in Jerusalem, what does Nehemiah go out and do? (2:13-15) ______________________________________________________________________________

11. Having seen the situation, Nehemiah then urges the people on. What does he urge them to do? (vv17-18)

______________________________________________________________________________

12. Although some unbelievers mocked them (they been using the Jews for selfish gain), they continued the work. What were the results? (cf. 6:15)

______________________________________________________________________________

13. What effect did it have on the enemy nations around them? (6:16) ______________________________________________________________________________

(The stage is set! We began with one person (Abraham) who had one son (Isaac). When Jacob had 12 sons the family began its tremendous growth. We saw them become a great nation in Egypt, saw them come to the land of Israel, and saw them grow to greatness under King David and King Solomon. We then saw them go downhill, saw the northern 10 tribes go into exile to be lost forever, then saw the southern 2 tribes also go into exile.

But now the people are back in the land of Israel, and only one promise is left-- the Savior! The Israelites would have their ups and downs for the next 450 years or so and would never return to prominence. But the line of the Savior was preserved and when the fullness of the time had come (cf. Gal 4), God fulfilled His final promise to Abraham -- the Savior was born in Bethlehem.)

Read Luke 4:16-30

1. When it was the Sabbath Day, Jesus went into the synagogue (the place where the Jews gathered for their public worship services) as “was His custom.” What do we learn from those three words?

______________________________________________________________________________

2. As you study the worship service in the synagogue, what facets of our own worship services do you recognize? (vv17-19, v21)

______________________________________________________________________________

3. The people seemed to react positively (v22), but it wasn’t heartfelt belief. (Perhaps they were simply commenting on how well he spoke, or maybe were saying, “Isn’t it nice to see a local boy make good.”) Their hearts, however, were far from Him. How can you tell that from vv23-27?

______________________________________________________________________________

4. What did the people want to do? (v29) ______________________________________________________________________________


5. How does Jesus deal with this problem? (v30) ______________________________________________________________________________

6. How many of the following statements accurately describes the “worship” of those people in Nazareth?

(Circle all those that apply)

a) It wasn’t really worship at all, because they rejected Jesus, the center of all real worship.

b) Simply because it was done on the correct day, God was pleased with it.

c) It was more interested in doing it in the right way rather than on focusing on the truths of Scripture.

d) It was hypocritical.

e) There may have been some believers there, because they did have the Word of God there.

7. How does this section lead you to confess your own sinfulness? ______________________________________________________________________________

8. For what does this lead you to give thanks? ______________________________________________________________________________

9. For what does this lead you to pray? ______________________________________________________________________________

Ecclesiastes 5:1 says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.” “Worship” like those people in Nazareth were performing -- simply going through the motions -- isn’t God-pleasing at all. Let us always come to listen and to praise our God!

For Discussion:

1. Why do we usually want to start the worship service with a confession of sins and assurance of forgiveness?

2. Some churches don’t use any worship form at all -- they just sort of do whatever comes out. What Biblical principles of worship are they ignoring? Into what danger do they put themselves?

3. For many years the Roman Catholic Church worshiped in Latin, even though only the priests understood it. What principles of worship did that violate?

4. Why is the regular use of a worship form important?


5. What are the four main parts of a worship service? (cf. Addendum #5 after lesson #7)

6. For what reasons do we use a church year?

Write the passages, from memory if possible.

1 Corinthians 2:2 ______________________________________________________________________________

Colossians 3:16 _______________________________________________________________________________


Match: Match the Bible passage (on the left) with the truth about public worship to which it refers.

1. …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Rom 3:23-24)

2. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Rom 10:17)

3. I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)

4. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. (1 Cor 14:40)

5. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1)

6. … you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on a foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

(Eph 2:19-20)

7. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Pet 2:9)

8. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. (Heb 12:28)

____ The entire congregation should be able to actively participate.

____ A form is proper.

____ The Gospel - the good news that Jesus is our Savior - is to dominate.

____ Two messages - Law and Gospel - are necessary in every worship service.

____ The Word needs to be there over and over, for only through the Word is faith created or strengthened.

____ God doesn’t require us to worship in a specific way; we have the freedom to choose the form.

____ The Church extends throughout time and throughout the world; we want to be connected to it.

____ Our worship form will show reverence and awe.


Growing in Hope 15.pdfGrowing in Hope Lesson #15 Hope Grows as I Worship God Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living

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