What Happens When We Worship | Week 9

My name is Kyle served as lead Pastor here, I want to welcome

you to New Life Community Church this morning, glad that you've

chosen to be here today. If you remember it's good to see

you again for visiting with us. Welcome, we're glad that you're

here. If you have your Bible, which I

hope you do. We'll be in.

Jeremiah the book of Jeremiah chapter 1 oz where will be

Jeremiah 1 · chapter mention

started. Today, I'll quote from some

different Passages at times as we go through this, but this

will be our jumping-off Point. Anyway, Jeremiah chapter one,

we'll look at verses four through eight and a moment.

We are in the middle of a series called what happens when we

worship and we're looking at what takes place when we show up

on Sunday mornings, what's the significance of this?

What's happening? When we come together for a

worship service? So not just the singing, right?

It's everything that falls into the category of the time.

We from the time, we start through the time we finish.

And some of the things we've looked at or just really

foundational truths about what's taking place when we worship

what happens in Christian worship each week.

For example, we've talked about how we meet with God, you know,

when we come together, we are meeting with God, when we come

together to meet with God and we behold God, we are being

conformed to the image of his son, which is what we're told in

Corinthians. Not only are we meeting with God

being conformed. We are experiencing really

Covenant. Renewal.

God is rehearsing his Covenant with us as we come together.

We're going to talk some more about that today.

But what we find is that God is always faithful to his Covenant

even though we are not and then we rehearse the gospel in that,

you can't rehearse the Covenant without rehearsing the gospel.

We have to see that we are inadequate that we are

deficient, but East is all sufficient as our savior and so

we see Christ. And then last week, we talked

about how we commune together. This is nothing less.

It's a lot more than, but it's nothing less than the communion

of saints. It's the coming together of

God's people to worship God and so beginning today and over the

next few weeks, we're going to examine.

We're going to examine the conversation that's taking place

on a Sunday morning between God and his people.

What What pieces are there in this conversation?

And why do they matter this caught this conversation with in

Christian worship is what gives us the gospel shape to each

service. It's why we do what we do and we

try to do it in the order that we do it in.

And so the conversation that takes place between Christians

and God on a Sunday morning. Some of those pieces are this,

there's a call to worship. There's a confession of sin

during the service. There's preaching there's

fellowship with God. When we hear about our new

identity, we receive a new identity from Christ.

Then they're singing, We Sing new songs, right?

There's a new song in our heart and we sing those things and so

we'll see how those things collectively and individually

form us as Christians. They are telling the story of

the Gospel over and over again. And today, we're going to

examine the call to worship. Why do we do a call to worship?

What's the purpose of a call to worship?

Just as our covenant relationship with God, begins

with him calling us unto himself.

So to it is fitting for our worship, on a Sunday morning, to

begin with God, calling us unto himself and worship.

And so, if you're taking notes and kids, you can write this

down as well and your worship God.

The main thought today that I will share with you this in the

call to worship. God calls us to join his work.

Here's our cries for help and Promises to be with us.

Despite our deficiencies. I'll repeat that in the call to

worship. God calls us to join his work.

Here's our cries for help and Promises to be with us.

Despite our deficiencies. Now we're going to read Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1:4–8

chapter 1 verses 4 through 8. If you would, would you please

stand for that? When I'm finished reading, I'll

say this is the word of the Lord, I ask that you respond.

Thanks be to God. Jeremiah 1 verses 4 through 8,

Jeremiah 1:4–8

not of the word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed you

in the womb, I knew you and before you were born I

consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the

nation's then I said Lord God behold, I do not know how to

speak for. I am only a youth but the Lord

said to me, do not say I am only a youth for to All To whom Send

you, you shall go and whatever. I command you, you shall speak.

You're not be afraid of them for.

I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

We pray for us in the you be seated.

Heavenly Father. We know our deficiencies well

and so we thank you Lord that you have called us into a

relationship with you. Oh, Lord.

That in sending your son and hearing the gospel proclaimed.

You have drawn Us by your spirit unto yourself and so Lord.

We are here today is as men and women and boys and girls whose

hearts are growing more in love with you.

And the Lord, as we hear your word preached today, would you

help us to adore? You could you help us to have a

stronger faith in? You would you deepen our

understanding of who you are, Lord, that we might be more

fully committed to you that we might become mature men and

women in the Lord. Father, we understand again, as

I mentioned, our deficiency and coming to your word that without

your spirit, Lord, we are unfit unable to understand it.

And so we asked for the help of your spirit today, Lord, would

you make our hearts like good soil today?

Help our hearts be receptive to the seed.

That is your word to the watering, which is your word

that it might grow and bear much fruit in our lives.

Lord, we declare our allegiance to you.

We love you. We love your word.

We are grateful to be here, and now, it's in the Name of Christ.

I pray. Amen.

Amen. You may be seated.

So we may ask the question. Why is it that every time you

step foot in here on a Sunday morning?

If you're on time, right? That you hear a call to worship.

Why does it worship service begin with a call to worship?

It has everything to do with the power of God's word.

Is everything to do with the power of God's word.

Our God is a god of words. He is a God who speaks.

He has not only given us his word but he's given us the

ability as we just prayed for to hear and to respond to his word

as well. When God speaks great things

happen, when he primarily uses his spoken word to accomplish

his purposes in the world and in the lives of his people.

When God speaks things come to life, things grow Throw things

take place, and this is, what is happening in, Jeremiah 1 as God

calls the prophet to do his work, I'm just going to kind of

repeat it here, so we're seeing it in this light.

Now, the word of the Lord came to me saying now, the word of

the Lord came to me, the prophet writes saying, before I formed

you in the womb, I knew you and before you were born, I

consecrated you. I pointed you a prophet to the

nation's. I mean, oh, what a prophet does.

He takes the word of God, to the nation's, right?

This is what a prophet in the Old Testament was meant for,

he's taking the word of God, to the nation's, he's bearing on

himself, the word of God, given to him by the spirit of God, and

he speaking it for the nation's to here.

And so the word of the Lord comes to him and calls him, but

then the word of the Lord is going to be on him as he's being

sent so that he might prophesy to the nation's.

Jeremiah says, this is too much for me.

Says Ah, Lord God behold, I do not know how to speak for, I'm

only a youth. Jeremiah Was Young and the idea

of going to rulers going to Nations, going to the places

that God might call him to stand up for God, to speak the word of

God to these people was a bit, too much was overwhelming for

him. But the Lord said to me, again,

we see the word of God. Do not say, I'm only a youth.

For to All To whom. I send you, you shall go and

whatever. I command you, you shall speak.

You're not be afraid of them for.

I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord.

Incredible. So we see, we see things like he

said to me the word of the Lord came to me.

He's sending me to the nation's as a prophet which means I'm

carrying the word of the Lord. And then he he understands that

Jeremiah thinks he's deficient and he assures him in his

deficiencies that know. I'm going to be with you and

whatever. I command you, you shall speak.

Don't be afraid of them. For, I will deliver you declares

the Lord so it ends with Jeremiah starts with.

The Lord said unto me and it ends here with he declares.

The Lord. So God is speaking on the front

end. Speaking on the back end, he

speaking throughout the word of the Lord is, what's prominent In

this passage? It's incredible.

That a young Jeremiah would be cinched.

Sure. But the incredible thing that's

really taken place here is that God is speaking to his man and

he's equipping him for the work that he's called him to do.

This passage really shows us five really going to go through

these fairly quickly. But five incredible things about

the all powerful word of God. The first is this God's word has

Authority? God's word has Authority.

The word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed you in

the womb. I knew you, this is an

authoritative message. First, it's the word of the

Lord, that comes right, but then it's before I formed you, I knew

you, it's authoritative God's word carries authoritative

power. We must yield to God's word, not

his word yield to us. One of the great problems with

Bible misinterpretation today is that we come To the word of God

with our presuppositions are preconceived notions.

Our preconceived beliefs about things and we try to insert

them, mash them into the word of God and we get uncomfortable

with God's word when it says things that we don't believe.

Or when it says things that we don't like, when it uses a word

that we think. Oh, that's a tough word.

That's when we get uncomfortable with the word of God, but we

must be a people who yield to the word of God.

Not force God's word to yield to our word.

Amen. We are not authoritative.

We are not all powerful. Creation does not tell the

Creator, how he should run things, we yield to him, we

worship Him. And when he speaks creation must

listen, in fact, during those seven days of creation, even

this is incredible, even nothingness, obeyed, God's word,

like he speaks into the void. We read in Genesis 1 verse 2

Genesis 1:2

that the Earth was formless and void.

That there was a Darkness there that there was nothing.

And God speaks into the formless void, world and nothingness,

obeys, his commands. Meaning he brings out of

nothing. Everything he creates all things

out of no things, right? And is called a, Jeremiah God,

reminds the prophet who formed him in the womb.

He's saying before I formed you, I knew you. there's nothing that

will make a man feel small than to talk to someone who is able

to say to him listen before you were even formed in your

mother's womb I knew you Right? I mean, whatever deficiencies.

You think you have before that? God, he's saying, no, listen, I

know you better than, you know yourself.

I know what I've placed in you. I have consecrated you.

I have set you aside, right? That's what we see next.

God's word and parts blessing in life.

First, God's word has Authority, second God's word and parts

blessing in life before you were born, I consecrated you, I

appointed you a prophet to the nation's, so it's by God's word

that He blesses the prophet, he gives him a new life, I

consecrated you, I appointed you.

What's God saying? God, saying literally to him, I

have set you aside. I have named you a prophet to

the nation's. And what does this mean for

Jeremiah? It means that God has called

Jeremiah to carry God's all-powerful word to the

nation's to do the work of God. This is God's blessing.

This is life for Jeremiah. This is good for him.

The third thing we see is that God's word brings a curse to the

rebellious God's word, brings a curse to the rebellious.

We must recognize, there's a warning here in this passage to

those who are rebellious. He says I appointed you a

prophet to the nation's for to All To whom.

I send you, you shall go and whatever I command you, you

shall speak. And then, what does he say?

Do not be afraid of them. For.

I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord.

Well, if God's word was merely just rainbows and unicorns for

everyone, then why would Jeremiah need to be afraid at

all? Right?

We recognize is that when the word of the Lord comes to a

people that comes with warnings and admonitions as well, it

comes with blessing. Yes, but the blessing comes when

you obey God, there is cursing as well.

For those who disobey God. Here's some things about

Jeremiah's life. After several years of preaching

Jeremiah's family turned against him, I plotted to kill him.

Over the years, he was whipped and put in the stocks, he was

attacked by a mob. He was threatened by the king.

He was ridiculed some of zedekiah's princes had Jeremiah

arrested beaten accused of treason and thrown in jail.

If that wasn't enough, he was thrown into an empty, well, as

well. He lived through The Siege of

Jerusalem, along with the rest. And was there as the people were

taken away as captives. Perhaps worst of all though,

Jeremiah Was Alone. He was not allowed to marry his

family, abandoned him, the people turned against him and

didn't believe him. He was alone with the knowledge

of the whores coming for Judah. He knew these things that the

Lord was going to do and yet no one would listen.

The prophet endured so much hardship, because of God's word,

right? He's carrying God's word.

He's not making things up. He's not going to pick fights.

He's just saying what the Lord has told him to say.

And he knew so much hardship, because of the word of God.

Why was this? Why was their hardship?

Then from the word of God, if it wasn't a curse to the

rebellious, Right. It was a curse and so, they

attacked the Prophet. The Prophet was beaten, the

prophet was thrown in jail. The prophet was a cursed by the

people, though, blessed by God, Jeremiah witnessed both in

foresight and real-time the destruction of his people upon

judah's captivity. He pinned the book of

Lamentations, which is a highly poetic devis, and his

devastatingly beautiful series of immense about the fall of

God's people. Jeremiah spent 40 years telling

the people what would happen, 40 years, Prophesying in the name

of the Lord. What was the come warning?

The people and they did not listen.

And yet Jeremiah's Prophecy from God, reminds his people, there

will come a time of repentance and restoration mixed in.

All of those warnings is a promise from God that he is

going to be faithful to his Covenant.

Even though the people have been unfaithful, God's word, brings

pain and turmoil and most importantly, it pronounces the

definitive end to the work of Satan.

For thing, we see about God's word from this passage is that

it communicates with his peace that God communicates with his

people by his word. Now the word of the Lord came to

me saying I appointed you a prophet to the nation's It is by

the word of God. That he enters into relationship

with his people. It is by his word through His

prophets that he communicates with his people, as well.

All throughout the Bible, we see that God is communicating with

his people, by his word, he instructs.

Noah, he calls Abraham, he commission's Moses, he covenants

with David all by his word, he calls his profits by his word in

the New Testament. He is doing the The very same

things, the word becomes flesh, Jesus Christ, dwells among the

people, the preaches, the gospel proclaims.

The kingdom of God is at hand dies for it.

Is resurrected empowers, his Heap is people by what the

spirit of God to do, what to proclaim the word of God.

This new gospel message that Christ has died to save sinners.

So it's by his word, always has been that God is in relationship

with his people that God is bringing Covenant Fellowship to

us in the scriptures, we see that God speaks first.

Always his creation often responds with their inability.

You know? Isaiah says, woe is me.

Jeremiah says, I'm too young. Moses says, I don't speak.

Well, right, everybody had an issue, but when the Lord says

this is what's going to happen. And when the Lord Says, I'm

calling you to do this, guess what?

It's exactly what took place because the Lord's word is

all-powerful Jeremiah responds with his inability.

I'm too young. I don't know how to speak.

Well, And so, God speaks again. And this time he reassures

Jeremiah that I will be with you.

You have nothing to fear, we see the same thing in the Great

Commission of Christ. He speaking to his disciples in

Matthew 28:18 through 20, which is meant for us as well.

Matthew 28:18–20

It says, in Jesus came and said to them, right?

So God again, initiates God, the son is initiating, this Covenant

relationship and he says all authority in heaven and on Earth

has been given to me go, therefore, and make disciples

Peoples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of

the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them

to observe all that. I have commanded you and behold

was Christ. Say I am with you always to the

end of the age, was that mean for us?

Not one of us can come to the Great Commission and say the

Lord, you're saying this but you don't know my deficiencies.

You don't know mine and abilities in this, you don't

know how messed up. I am.

Why, why can't we do that? Because the Lord himself is

says, behold. As if he's anticipating our

rebuttal, I Am With You Always even to the end of the age.

And just as Paul says, if Christ is for us who can be against us.

All right, have all power in Christ.

Jesus comes to them, Jesus speaks to them, Jesus instructs

them, Jesus anticipates their expressions of inadequacies and

so he reassures them that he will be with them, always to the

end of the age. Fifth thing we see here about

God's word, is that God's word is the content of his

relationship with his people. It's the content by which the

relationship functions. It's the content by which the

relationship works, but the Lord said to me, Jeremiah said

rights, do not say, I am only a youth for to All To whom I

command you. You shall speak, then the Lord

put out his hand and touched my mouth.

This is in verse 9. And the Lord said to me behold,

I have put My words in your mouth, amen.

And God's word. We have all his promises and

God's word. We have all his degrees and

God's word. We have all his commands.

We have all his Comforts. We have everything that we need

for life and godliness. Second Timothy 3 tells us in

God's word, we like nothing of that, which we need to live for

the Lord. It can be found in God's word.

His word is the foundation for our Christian Life.

It's the way it's been for Millennia.

It's always been the word of God coming.

To the people that relationship begins with God.

And so it's by his spoken word which is eventually been

thankfully, we have it all written down here.

So that it may be passed on. That's always been the

foundation for his Covenant relationship with his people and

Deuteronomy chapter 6. As the people are preparing to

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

take the land to go into the land of which there are Idol

worshipers, and murderers, and idolaters, and adulterers and

all sorts of evil people. Moses says to the people from

God. Let these things.

My commands the commands of God be on your lips.

Be written on your hearts, teach them to your children as you go

along the way as you rise in the morning, as you go to bed at

night, as you sit around the table to eat, teach these things

to your children. Why?

Because that has always been the way that Covenant relationship

with God. Has been founded, its by the

word of God. And it's in the word of God that

we come to know. God, it's in the passing on the

things of God to the Next Generation that the next

Generations, have a chance at knowing who God is.

We've been looking at this in Sunday school, right?

The last couple of weeks and judges.

The indictment in Judges chapter 2 is that the previous

Judges 2 · chapter mention

generations forgot God. And so now the current

generation knows nothing of him. I work passing it down.

They didn't obey Deuteronomy 6 and then write it on their

hearts. They didn't have the word of the

Lord on their lips, when they would rise in the mornings.

When they go to bed at night, when they would eat around the

table, when they would go along the way, they weren't teaching

the things of God to their children.

And so, enjoy and Judges chapter 2, the people have forgotten

Judges 2 · chapter mention

God, all together and it says that they sought to do

everything that their heart desired. that's a really bad

thing because in Jeremiah and the Book of Jeremiah on down in

the history of Israel, he's coming to the people and he's

saying do not listen to your heart.

Because your heart is deceitful and desperately, wicked Above

All Things, who can know it. It's Jeremiah 17 verse 9 So this

Jeremiah 17:9

is why God instructs us to write his word on our hearts.

That's why instructs us to meditate on his word day and

night. It's why he instructs us to make

his word our way of life. As we see, in proverbs 4, So I

think we've reached somewhat of a point of clarity that without

the word of God. There is no relationship with

God, right? This is the there's two

Revelations that God has given us, okay, there's one that's

called natural Revelation so I can look at the rain and I can

say you know things need rain to grow.

God has brought rain. The rain is causing things to

grow. Won't be long.

Now will be mowing again, right? Won't be long now.

Your spring crops will be in fruition hopefully, right?

Why? Well, because God has designed

the world to work a certain way, that's natural revelation.

We look into all of these things you look at you the way you are

hard-wired the way you're created and you can say that

takes an Incredible God to create to make things work.

The way they work in our world. All right, but natural level

natural. Revelation is not enough to save

you. Nor is it enough to bring you

into fellowship with God? You cannot be saved by natural

Revelation. You cannot look at the sun and

the moon, and the stars and say Christ died to save sinners.

Right? You can look at the sun, the

moon and stars and say, Well, there must be a God, but this is

why so many religions worship the Sun, the moon, and the

stars. Because there.

They're unable to arrive at God, on their own.

What do we need? We need the word of God.

This is special Revelation, natural, Revelation works with

special Revelation to reveal, God to us.

Amen. And so, on the word of God, we

have God revealing himself to us in Christ.

The word of God becoming flesh, we have nothing less than God

himself coming to us. He might be numbered among men

and he might give up the glories of Heaven for a season to be

numbered among Men to die, our our death, for our sins, to be

raised to life. That we might walk in fellowship

with God. Again, if we believe that Christ

did exactly what he did, you can be saved.

But God must reveal himself. And the way he reveals himself

as primarily through his word, Through his word.

And so, in the call to worship on a Sunday morning, God is

calling us to join us work. He's hearing our cries for help

and he's promising to be with us despite our deficiencies.

That's precisely what we're rehearsing.

Every time we recite our weekly call to worship, so let me just

walk you through it quickly. When you walk into this room and

you stand there and the first notes of the music start and

Alan or someone else begins to speak.

And they welcome you into the service and they start saying to

all who are weary and need rest. This isn't a message.

From the heart of Alan to you. This isn't something that the

elders have pinned sinking. Hey, this is a really great

thing to say. This will be the thing that kind

of, you know, nudges them emotionally, to help them

respond, and singing. When we say to all who are weary

and need rest, we have nothing less than Matthew 11:28 through

Matthew 11:28–30

30 and our mind come to me Christ says all who labor and

are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you

and learn from me for. I am gentle and lowly in heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy Christ. Says, and my burden is light.

To all who are weary and need rest as a call from Christ to

come to him. Amen.

To all who mourn and long for comfort.

You guessed it scripture again. Jesus, in Matthew 5:4 says,

Matthew 5:4

blessed. Are those who mourn for they

shall be comforted? Blessed are those who mourn?

It's a call from Christ to come to Christ in your morning and to

receive his Blessing of comfort. To all who feel worthless and

wonder if God cares again. This isn't, you know, I grew up

in The days I guess, it's still kind of cool but I grew up in

the days where it was cool to to have a lot of problems.

You know, to hate your dad or your mom or kind of wear that on

your sleeves, we called it being emo.

I don't know if that's still the term, but all of our music

reflected it, you know, that sing songs about how life is a

nightmare. And, you know, now, I love you.

They have that song in your head.

Anyway, But it was yeah, it was like a badge of honor to feel

worthless. It's like if you could feel more

worthless than your friends. Then you were you had a really

going on, it's really strange. It's backwards, honestly.

But the truth is, is we all do feel worthless at times, right?

And the truth is you recognize that you're a sinner to

recognize. You have broken relationships,

you recognize that you've caused problems, that you've messed up.

If you're being honest with yourself, And in that you start

to feel worthless and if you're feeling worthless as you coming

to church, you may Wonder does God care.

Does he care? Matthew 10 Jesus says, Are not

Two Sparrows, sold for a penny and not one of them will fall to

the ground. Apart from your father, Two

Sparrows sold for a penny for one penny.

You can have Two Sparrows. That's a good deal.

But the penny riders that thing that you'll just leave in the

parking lot. When it falls out of your

pocket, you're happy to offer the penny to the cashier at the

gas station for that little cup that sits there, you'll leave

your opinion there. You're not leaving the 20 in

there, right? You know I'm going to leave the

quarter in there like that's for the pennies.

That's where the pennies go. You might leave a nickel to pin,

you know, if you're feeling good that day, Two Sparrows, one

penny. And what does Christ say, not

one of them falls to the ground, not one of them dies apart from

your heavenly father. Was it means he's in control of

the sparrows. It's in control and sparrows and

he controls the sparrows. He must control all things.

He controls the sparrows and he controls the last breath that my

daughter took. If he controls the last breath

that my daughter took that he controls the breath that I take

now. And he controls the call that

he's got on my life now, and they'll call that he's got on

your life. Now, he controls every moment of

every day, every millisecond Belongs to the Lord.

Why, or how do we know this? Because he controls the

sparrows. That's exactly what Jesus is

saying. And he goes on to say since, but

even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Now, I some of you might really be into yourself, right?

You think you you came to church today and you thought I look

good today, but I guarantee you, you didn't sit in the mirror and

number your hair's today. Not, I mean, you know, some of

you is getting easier than others, right?

But you're not number in your hairs.

Now, think about the days where you had a lot of hair, you

weren't sitting in number, in your heirs.

Well, what does it say? God knows you.

So intimately that he knows the number of the hairs on your

head. So not only of The Sparrows

important to God. But the number of hairs on your

head are important to God. You are important to God.

And this is what Jesus says, this is the conclusion, he draws

from those two examples he says fear not therefore you are of

more value than many sparrows. Amen.

So to all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares he does he

cares to all who fell and desire strength?

Isaiah 41:10 God. Speaking here through the

Isaiah 41:10

prophet fear, not for I am with you be.

Not dismayed for I am. Your God.

I will strengthen you. I will help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Amen. To all who fell and desire.

Strength, where do you go? You go to God.

God is inviting you to worship today, to help you understand

the strengths of the almighty at work in your life.

He says, come to all who sin and need a savior I said every one

of us, there's not one of us who walk in him, you might walk in

here, feeling strong one day, you might walk in here feeling

comforted one day. You might walk in here not

feeling weak one day, right? But to all who sent a need a

savior, that's every one of us. Every one of you needs Christ.

And for that, again, the word of God speaks Jesus, talking to

Nicodemus, who was a follower of the law, who was doing

everything that he could do on his own to have his own

salvation. To make his way to heaven.

Through his own good works. Jesus says to him, you must be

born again. And Nicodemus, like how do I do

that? You must have the spirit of God,

give you New Life. How does that happen?

Jenna Jesus says in John 3:16 for God.

John 3:16

So loved the world that he gave his only son That whoever

believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.

You believe in Christ. You have eternal life And then

our call to worship transitions into some new statements.

It says, to all of those people. This church opens wide her doors

with a welcome. From who?

Jesus Christ. Again, if it's okay for us to

have greeters out here, who are welcome you into the welcoming,

you into the building as you come in.

It's okay for Jasper to get up here and say we want to welcome

our guest today. It's okay for me to get up here

and say the same thing like it's okay for us to be welcoming and

warm with one another because why we have been welcomed by

Christ himself. And the hospitality of Christ to

welcome us unto himself in spite of who we are is worthy of us

welcoming one another into the into the house of God.

But when we call, when we do a call to worship.

I cannot call you to worship. I cannot tell you how you need

to worship me right. Why?

Because I'm a creature and creatures.

Don't get worship. The Creator gets worse.

And so when we stand we say this church opens wide her doors with

a welcome from Jesus Christ because if he's welcoming us

it's truly a warm welcome. It's a good thing to be welcomed

by the son of God. Romans 15 verse 7.

Romans 15:7

Therefore welcome one. Another as Christ has welcomed

you for the glory of God. We don't we don't welcome you

into here for our own Glory. We're not welcoming you here.

So we can tabulate some numbers at the end of the year and say

hey this is how many people we've had, show up, how many

people we have in a home groups? How many people got saved?

And baptized, we're not doing any of that.

What we're saying is we welcome you, as Christ has welcomed us

and we do that for his glory, the Renown of his name.

Not our own amen. Who is Christ?

And that's where our call to worship continues.

He is the Ally of his enemies. Romans 5 verse 10 says, for if

Romans 5:10

while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death

of his son much more. Now that we are reconciled,

shall we be saved by his life? Is the Ally was enemies.

Again. There are people who are setting

themselves against God, daily weekly rebelling against him.

God is not there, Ally in that moment.

That's where the word of warning and the words of admonition come

in. But if a sinner will heed the

words of warning, if a sinner will hear, what Christ says from

his word and turn from his sins and turn to Christ will.

Guess what? Christ has just become the Ally

of his enemies? Amen.

And then it finishes with and I just couldn't find it.

Set of verses more perfect for these last things in Romans 8,

but it finishes are called worship fitnesses.

With the crisis of the defender of the guilty.

He's the justifier of the inexcusable, he's the friend of

sinners. And this is what we say

enrollment or what Paul says in Romans 8:31.

Romans 8:31

This is why we say those things on Sunday morning, we're

reminding one another of these truths.

What then shall we say to these things all rights if God is for

us? Who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all.

How will he not also with him? Graciously, give us all things.

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect.

It is God who justifies who is to condemn Christ?

Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised.

Who is at the right hand of God. Who indeed is interceding for

us. All continues, but you can see

the hints of him, being the defender of the guilty, the

justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of Sinners already,

right? But Paul doesn't stop there.

He says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall

tribulation, or distress or persecution or famine or

nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake.

We were being killed all the day long, we are regarded as sheep

to be slaughtered. No, in all these things, we are

more than conquerors through him who loved us.

And then he just continues with a just keeps it on air for.

I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers

nor things present, nor things to come nor powers nor height

nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to

separate us from the love of Christ.

Art. Sorry from the love of God in

Christ Jesus. Our lord.

And once we've done that, we just say welcome, why?

Because now you've been welcomed by God Now you've been reminded

of the truths of God. Now, when you sing praises to

the Lord, when you sing unto God, When you pray together,

when you hear the word preached, you're doing it as those who

have been called in to worship by God himself and unless he

initiates our worship, there's no worship at all.

Unless he starts the worship, there's no worship at all.

Once we are called by God's word into worship, then we are

welcome to come. We are helped by his spirit and

coming, because we'll see our deficiencies right through all,

who are weary and need rest to all who mourn and long for

Comfort. We see our deficiencies and yet

his Spirit helps us. And we are equipped as we go

from this place on Sunday mornings for the work that God

has for us. But we're also equipped in that

moment for the work that we do right here together.

Gather in the call to worship, God calls us to join his work.

He hears our cries for help and he promises to be with us

despite our deficiencies. Let me talk to you a little bit

more about how God initiates, and we respond.

It's important to understand that God initiates.

That's what we're saying. That's what we've said from

Jeremiah to what we've looked at with what I mentioned earlier

about just Moses and Noah and David and Abraham and Paul and

you know all the likes. In your own life, God initiates

and you respond. It's not the other way around

but because of our tendency to self-centeredness Because of our

tendency to be selfish self involved.

People it's tempting to view God as the one who responds and

submits to us, rather than ourselves as the ones who

respond and submit to God. It's tempting to think that we

are in the driver's seat. Jonathan Cruz in his book.

He says this. He says it's God's word not

man's. That has the power to constitute

a relationship of God. What are we saying?

He must call us if we are to come and worship him.

Is it old confession of faith says?

It says though, rational creatures are responsible to

obey God as their creator, the distance between God and these

creatures is so great that they could never have attained the

reward of life. Except by God's voluntary

condescension, he has been pleased to express this through

a covenant framework. Again we wouldn't be able to

come to the Lord if Christ had not first come.

John says this. Well in his epistle he says we

love because what Christ? First loved us.

We're responding to the love that we've received were

responding to the relationship that has been begun with us.

God is always the initiator of Covenant relationship with him.

After all, it must be this way because he is too great for us

to ascend to you. And I cannot Ascend to the

heights of God in any way, shape, or form, no matter how

Godly, you think you've lived this week?

None of us have given to God in a way that he he should repay

us. He doesn't owe us anything,

right. He is.

God and we are not. And so he is too great for us to

ascend to therefore he must condescend to us.

If we were going to have a covenant relationship with him,

another way to think of it as this.

God is the only one powerful enough to bring something out of

nothing. As I mentioned earlier in

creation, this is exactly what he does.

He created all things out of know things, it is simply by his

own powerful word that he creates all things.

Again, Jonathan Cruz was helpful in helping me.

Understand that it's not just Covenant relationship that he

initiates but it's in Redemption and in worship as well.

Let me read this to you think of creation.

When we were absolutely nothing God by the power of His word

called us into existence Genesis 1:26.

Genesis 1:26

Let us make man in our image. We didn't call ourselves into

existence. God damn it.

And just as he brought us out of the Dark Void of Genesis 12,

that formless void area, he brings us out of the Dark Void

of sin. In Redemption, John 5, Jesus

says most assuredly, I say to you the hour is coming and now

is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and

those who hear will live. Jesus goes on, in John chapter

John 10:32

10, verse 32 him the doorkeeper opens in the sheep hear his

voice and he calls his own Sheep by name and he leads them out.

John 15:16, Jesus is saying you did not choose me, but I chose

John 15:16

you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and

that your fruit should remain that, whatever you ask, the

father in my name, he may give you and these text, we see that

God is always the initiator. And his new testament letter to

the Church of galatia, the Apostle Paul makes the same

point, the Galatians are guilty of turning to false gospels,

turning to new ideas turning to Works based salvation or at

least Works based sanctification, and that's what

he gets onto them for. But now, that you have come to

know God or rather to be known by God.

How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless?

Elementary principles of the world whose slaves you want to

be once more. He's saying you've been set free

from the principles of the world.

You've been set free from those things and now you're willingly

wanting to walk back into that you'll be slaves again.

Paul's making it clear who starts and sustains, the

Covenant relationship that Believers enjoy.

Why would we turn our back on that second Corinthians 4:6

2 Corinthians 4:6

Paul? Says, again making the same

point, but possibly more. Clearly this time for God who

said, let light shine out of darkness and now, he's tying it

to the creative power of God. He says, for God, who said let

light shine out of Darkness has Shone in our hearts, to give the

light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face.

Face of Jesus Christ, what's he saying?

It's a new creation work that happens in you.

It is God who speaks and makes your heart of the gives your

heart, the ability to see the light of the knowledge of the

glory of God. In the face of Jesus Christ, he

initiates and we respond. It is God alone who calls us in

creation and Redemption. So why would our worship

Services? Be any different.

God, not only does the work in making us worshipers in

Redemption. He does the work in our worship

as well again. I want to read a cruise quote

here. He says God calls us to the

greatest work. His redeemed people could ever

take up in the created World worship.

It's the greatest work we could ever take up in the whole world

that we be worshipers of God. The word Church in the Greek is

ekklesia, which means called out ones and are very name.

We recognize that we are those whose entire identity.

Hangs on the fact that we are in a relationship with God and

which he is calling us Reckless Iya called out ones.

You've been called out by God. But from what, and where does

God call us? Cruz continues.

For the last six days, you have been flooded with the

Temptations and sinfulness of this worthless world.

But on Sunday, God calls us out of that worthlessness and into

his worthy presence. Psalm 84 10 the psalmist writes

there for a day in your courts is better than a thousand

elsewhere. He goes on to say, I would

rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in

the tents of wickedness. Cruz continues this one day in

seven will reorient us. It reshapes us.

It puts the imprint of the gospel story on our hearts and

erases all the false Impressions that the world has left on us

about what the good life really is.

Right. When you feel the pull, you feel

the Temptation during the week. That the good life is really

this that it's I give in to what my heart desires.

The good life is that I should have no restrictions on my life

at all. In the God, who is trying to

restrict me must not be any kind God at all.

He must not be a good God at all.

Because he's keeping me from expressing the truest version of

myself, which is the most important thing wrong.

A true expression of a sinful nature is nothing more than

depravity, which will earn condemnation in hell, right?

What a true expression of a life Redeemed by the god, that

created it. Now, we're getting somewhere.

Now, we're talking about life, and this is why Christ says he's

just very, you know, you had to read between the lines with

Jesus, he's not speaking and gray matter here.

He's telling you in black and white red, depending on which

Bible, you have, right? In John 10:10.

John 10:10

He says, the thief comes to steal and kill and to destroy,

but I have come that they may have life and life to the Fuller

life. Abundantly.

So the world promises life but it's really the thief disguising

theft. And murder and destruction.

But Christ promises life. And where are you going to find

life? Right here.

The words of God. The word of God.

This is it. This is the god, breathed.

Spirit given. Word of God.

Not to us. It's black and white and you can

buy a pretty Bible to make it feel more important.

You can read it on your phone and it will feel like something

you could just kind of throw away.

But I'm telling you the words in here are life.

The words in here. Give life.

And if you're not in submission to the word of God and you don't

know life in God. You've been fooled, you've been

duped by the world, you've bought a lie, the accuser of all

accusers. is accusing, you The liar of all liars has deceived

you. Crew says truly just as in

creation and Redemption, we could say that in worship, we

are called out of nothing and into something.

And worship weekly worship were called out of nothing.

And into something. Life itself.

In the call to worship, God calls us to join his work.

He hears our cries for help. He promises to be with us

despite our deficiencies. Therefore, the call to worship

isn't just a way to begin the service.

And we may not keep the same call forever, right?

What we will always do is begin the service with the word from

the Lord to his people. Something that reminds us of his

character, his attributes of how good he has been to us of how

trustworthy he is, how faithful he is.

Because if we can't worship on that, Foundation or worship, who

knows where it goes from there? Then the call we are recalling,

the very word of God, which is what I've sought to try to show

you today. And then recalling the word of

God, we're saying it is God who calls us.

It is God who condescends to us, because we are deficient on our

own. And it is him who reassures Us

by his promises that he is with us despite those deficiencies.

We come each week to give God. The honor that is due His holy

name. And that is why we have a call

to worship that reminds us of our overwhelming deficiencies.

And more importantly, it reminds us of God's overwhelming

sufficiency He is all sufficient.

If it were not for God's initiating call to worship just

as he does in creation just as he does in Redemption.

Then we wouldn't come to worship at all.

But praise God, that he calls us to join us work.

Here's our cries for help for help in our inabilities and he

promises to be with us just as he has done for his people

across space and time. He alone is worthy of our

worship. Amen.

And invite the worship team up. I will pray for you as they

come. We're about to sing a song

called. Yes, I will.

And it begins by saying this. I just want to recite it to you

and then I'll pray. It says I count on one thing.

The same God that never fails will not fail me now.

Amen. I meant me, pray for you.

Heavenly Father. What a joy, it is to be with

your people to join with them as my brothers and sisters in the

Lord. And to worship you today, God,

we thank you. That we are able to worship you

today because you have called us to be your people.

As first Peter to reminds us that we are a holy nation, a

royal priesthood. We've been called out of

Darkness, into Marvelous Light. We are the called out ones.

We are the church. And so we pray she we thank you

Lord that you have been always good that you have been always

faithful. And so, as we prepare to sing,

now it's with that, in mind. Yes, we will worship you.

Because you are the only constant in our lives.

You were the only true source of good and our lives.

You are the only one that's faithful in our lives.

And it's our hearts desire to glorify your name to magnify you

in all the Earth to make you, Lord of every moment.

Of our day to make you Lord of every slice of Our Lives.

Lord help us. Not to hide a thing from you As

if we could. Lord help us help us in our

deficiencies, in our inadequacies to make you Lord of

every area of our life. To come into submission under

your word. And every way that we and every

way that we're able, Form us formless father into the image

of your own son. That would be like him.

Laura, thank you for the grace and the mercy that comes to us

in Christ I think you Lord. Or anyone in here today, who's?

An unrepentant Center. Is unsaved not trusting Christ.

Lord, the same mercy and Grace that has saved the rest of us is

available to them as well. I pray.

Lord that you would soften their heart.

If you would draw them to yourself, that they would

receive salvation today. We love you, Lord.

We praise you for the honor. We have to worship you.

Thank you for calling us here today.

In the Name of Christ. I pray.

Amen.