ENTERING INTO HEAVENLY WORSHIP-5
Summer Series “Growing in Worship”
Rev. Kevin L. Baker
INTRO
· Today we have come to the point in our study of worship when we talk about the place of prayer and the reading and hearing of the Bible in our worship. Next week I will devote a whole sermon to preaching about the sermon!
M. Luther. :I study my Bible like I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf. I search the Bible as a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb--study book after book. Then I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig, or a careful study of the paragraphs and sentences and words and their meanings.
It is impossible to righteously govern the
world without God and the Bible. George Washington.
That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.
Andrew Jackson.
I. THE COLLECT PRAYER OF THE PASTOR
1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
· After entering the presence of God, we continue moving deeper into the presence of God with a prayer called the collect, which is a prayer that collects many things about the theme of that day’s worship into one prayer.
· It begins with the words, “The Lord be with you.”
· Have you ever wondered why we do this? The answer is form the most ancient days one of the prayer dialogues of the people of God have been these words.
· The kind of worship God has patterned for us is interactive. You are not an audience who come to an auditorium to listen and watch, but are rather a royal priesthood who have an active part to lay in the worship of God.
· Church is not a rock concert or a play where certain performers perform on the stage for the entertainment of an audience. Worship is much more than entertainment. For those who have ears to hear let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
· Worship is an every member participation. After we praise God for forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ, the pastor prays a prayer called the collect. But before he does, he says a a short prayer of blessing over you, and you get to pray a short prayer of blessing over him.
· The Lord be with you. This prayer is saying ”Brothers and sisters, we are going to pray now, and as we do I pray that the Lord will be with you as we pray to fill you with power, authority, anointing, and wisdom.
· And then you say, “And also with you.” What you are praying over me is “Pastor, may you be filled in the same way you just prayed for us. “ Then we pray.
· This is one of the oldest prayers of the Church passed down through the generations. Some people are against tradition—this passing down of things from Jesus to the Apostles to the Church Fathers right down to our day.
· Let me ask you something, how many of you have family traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation that bring your family blessings? Think of birthdays, Christmas, holidays… So why do the same people who have family traditions resist the family tradition so of the Church?
· It is because 500 years some people called radical reformers said throw out 1500 years of church history and let’s start all over again. I would say in humility they the baby out with the bathwater. That tradition every generation is throwing everything away and starting over right to this day. Everything is a new thing all the time and they never make progress.
· Other reformers kept the baby and threw out the dirty water—those were called the Magisterial reformers because the movement received support from the magistrates, the ruling authorities (as opposed to the Radical Reformation, which had no state sponsorship).
· Reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Martin Bucer, Thomas Cranmer, Richard Hooker, and Lancelot Andrewes.
· Our CEC worship is built on the foundational thinking of the Anglican or English version of the Reformation which was a middle way, or via media as it is called, between Catholic and Protestant worship—a way of holding on to the good things the Church did in its 1500 year history, while embracing changes that actually purified and got the Church back on track in areas it has strayed from the Bible and tradition. End of history lesson…
II. THE READING AND PREACHING OF THE BIBLE
1 Timothy 4:13
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to
preaching and to teaching.
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,
· Even though there are so many Bibles in print and online today, I think there is still little reading of it according to church researchers.
· Paul’s exhortations about the Bible are needed as much now as back then when he lived. At our church, we follow the ancient pattern of reading from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the New Testament epistles, and the Gospel every time we worship.
· Most evangelical churches come nowhere near the amount Scripture reading in worship as we do. In fact, the Book of Common Prayer that is where we get all of our prayers from is 75% direct quoting of the Bible in the prayers we pray!
· When we hear the Word of God, we thank God for giving us the Bible because the Bible is God’s word that makes wise the simple as a light unto our feet, a light unto our path, and truth that sets us free form sin causing faith to come into us as it is heard.
· What do we believe about the Bible and its place in worship? I could preach for many months on this, so let me try to summarize with THE main characteristics of Scripture:
A. THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE: All the words in Scripture are God’s Words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.
B. THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE: The Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything contrary to fact.
C. THE CLARITY OF SCRIPTURE: The Bible is written in such a way that its teachings are able to be understood by all who will read it seeking God’s help with a willingness to follow it so salvation can be received. This is evidenced by Paul’s letters written not to church leaders, but to the Churches where they were to be read in public for all to hear and understand. The office of teacher is a gift to the Church to open up understanding the Bible beyond salvation for discipleship.
D. THE NECESSITY OF SCRIPTURE: The Bible is necessary for knowing the Gospel, for maintaining the spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will, but is not necessary for knowing God exists or for knowing something about God’s character or moral laws.
E. THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE: The Bible contains all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of history, and that it now contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.
THE GOSPEL
· After the two readings and the Psalm, we give special place to the reading of the Good News—the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
· When the Gospel is read, it is read out of a special book called the Gospel Book. Like the synagogue ark of Scripture scrolls, the Gospel book is given a special place in worship.
· The red book reminds of the Blood of Christ, and the book is brought in a simple or formal procession out into the midst of the people because Jesus was a preacher who was among the people sharing the good news through preaching. This reminds us that we too are supposed to take the word of God out of the Church into the world as ambassadors of the Kingdom.
· Sometimes the Gospel book is covered in a gold or silver cover that says to us that God’s word is more precious than gold and silver.
· As we announce the reading of the Gospel we glorify and praise God for giving us the witness of the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John when we say “Glory to you Lord Christ” and “praise to you Lord Christ.”
· We also sing a song called the Alleluia around the reading of the Gospel because as we learned last week, singing helps us to have the right emotional response to God enabling us to love the Lord with all our heart and soul.
· I don’t know abut you, but when I hear the Gospel, I am grateful for these words; grateful for Jesus coming to earth to show me the truth and the way to heaven; thankful for the commitment of the Apostles, Church fathers, monks, and martyrs who have preserved these words for so long so we can have them today.
CONCLUSION
· The great preacher Timothy Dwight said, “The Bible is a window in this prison-world, through which we may look into eternity. “
· Every week, if you have faith, when you hear the Bible read, when you read during the day—you can look beyond earth into heaven.
· Remember, the Bible is the seed of the sower, and your heart is the ground on which it falls. As a preacher, I stand here today to remind you to prepare your heart each week to hear the Bible read and preached like a farmer prepares the ground to have seed sown into it that will grow and bear fruit.
· God’s word sown into the soil of your heart is my job and the work of the Holy Spirit. Your job is prepare your heart to not be rocky or hard where the Word cannot grow. Amen.