What Happens When We Worship | Week 3

Let's say, welcome to you. My name is Kyle, a service, one

of the pastor's here. I want to thank you for being

here with us this morning, especially for visiting today.

Thank you for that as you're being seated or making your way

to your seat. If you're already, there

Ephesians 2 is where we'll be today.

So I asked its you open your Bible turn to Ephesians chapter

two seasons chapter 2, we're going to continue our series on

worship What specifically were answering the question.

What happens when we worship and so week one, just kind of by way

of recap, we talked about how you are created to worship.

You are a worshipper by your very identity and you are

worshipping. Something always, we got into

that a little bit more and week two.

But in week one what we were establishing is that worshiping

God his way or speaking. God his way is the most

important thing you will ever do.

And then in week two, we built on that and we said that you

become what you behold. This is a Biblical principle

taken from 2nd Corinthians. We saw there in chapter 3 that

as we are beholding, the image of the glory of Christ, We are

Becoming transformed into that same image from one degree of

Glory to another and so you are becoming what you behold.

We looked at how Israel and their idol worship was becoming

like their idols and so it's true that you also become like

Christ as you behold Christ and worship.

So whatever you're worshipping as one who is created to

worship, you're becoming like that thing.

And so you become what you behold, we say, God forms and

shapes you as you behold the glory of Christ in corporate

worship today, we're going to build on that just a little

further and explain why we become what we behold in

corporate worship just a little bit further.

And what happens in corporate worship is that we meet with

God. When we come together on Sunday

mornings, we are meeting with God.

I want to explain that to you. That might sound a little crazy,

a little cuckoo on the front end, but won't explain to you.

But how, What's Happening by the spirit of God is that we're

actually meeting with God when we come together and worship and

so if you're taking notes, you can write this down, it'll be on

the screen here behind me. So you'll have a minute to write

it, but in corporate worship, we meet with God, in Heavenly

worship by the spirit. In corporate worship, we meet

with God and Heavenly worship by the spirit.

Let's look at Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2 is going to be a

really a springboard into some other text as well.

But Ephesians 2 is explaining to us.

What's happened in US? And what's being done?

Among Us As We Worship the Lord, or as we're expressing faith in

Christ. And so if you would, would you

stand. Now, as we read Ephesians 2,

going to start in verse 17, just read through verse 22.

So just a few verses here today. Or 17 and he came and preached

peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near

for through him. We both have access in one

Spirits through the father. So then you are no longer

strangers, and Aliens but you are fellow citizens with the

Saints and members of the household of God, Built on the

foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ, Jesus himself,

being the Cornerstone. In whom the whole structure

being joined together, grows into a holy Temple in the Lord.

In him, you also were being built together into a dwelling

place for God by Spirits. This is God's, holy word.

Thanks be to God. And let me pray for you.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time.

We have now in corporate worship together.

We thank you, Lord, that In this passage.

What we're reading is that we who were once far off, we who

were once far away from Christ, not walking in faith, we who

walked in our own wisdom, our own Construction who are as

earlier in Ephesians 2. We read, we were dead in our

trespasses and sin. That Lord, you came and

preached. Peace.

Another words, there was a way to reconciliation by belief, and

your death, and Resurrection Christ.

And that by faith in you, we are reconciled to God.

We have peace with God. And as we see here, in this

passage, there was now peace between Jews and gentiles.

That they were able to come together as Christians in the

church and worship you as one body.

And so Lord, we join with them today, as men and women, who

were, once far off, boys and girls, who once went their own

way. Father, we come today to worship

Christ by the power of the spirit at work in us that in

him. In Christ, we are being built

together into a dwelling place for you.

Father by the Spirits, that's a fully trinitarian work and it's

a mystery in some ways to us, but we praise you.

That the truth stands. And As We Gather today we meet

with you Lord. Would you transform our hearts

as we look into your perfect word today?

Do increase our love for you, you deepen, our knowledge of

you, you strengthen our wisdom, Lord that we might walk as one,

who is wise in these days? We love you.

We thank you for the power of your spirit at work in us.

Now, in Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

And you may may be seated. There was a time not too long

ago and I briefly mentioned this last week.

We're covid the the initial impact of covid-19

No idea what they were looking at and it was really difficult

decision, but we to closed our doors for five weeks.

And in those five weeks, we did video Services.

We I still regret this to this day but how could you know,

right? We didn't meet, we didn't gather

for Easter, we did Easter in our homes, watching a TV screen and

our pajamas. Most of us, And, and I just

can't imagine going back to those things and coming out of

it, we said, we'd never do that again.

We've never closed the doors again, but one of the things I

remember people saying so frequently after we began

together. Again, even as we were doing

parking lot services for a while.

Is that I've missed this. And others saying many saying

there's just something about gathering with others to worship

God, that isn't the same as being in my house.

And it's true. There's really something

Supernatural taking place when you gather with Believers for

corporate worship and that's what we missed.

Many of us unbeknownst to ourselves.

We're missing the supernatural element of gathering with

Believers meeting with God in corporate worship.

So these statements are not just simply true because they're

about strong, emotional feelings or type bonds with other

believers. Those things are certainly not

absent, that's part of it. You're being knit together with

brothers and sisters to Worship the Lord with one another to

strengthen one another. So, there's real bonds here,

mean, it's many of us Snow. The Know, the truth that you're

closer to church family than you are your own blood kin,

sometimes you just have more in common, right?

Especially if your blood kin is not saved, they're not

Believers, right? There's there's more in common

with Believers and so, those things are true.

There are feelings or tight bonds that are present Among Us.

But something deeper is taking place in corporate worship, we

meet with God, when we come together on his appointed day

and worship him in the ways that he has instructed us.

And so Sunday worship might seem mundane at first glance, it

might seem like one of those things that you can either take

or leave at first glance. But when you taste and see the

glory of the Lord, alongside the Saints of God and you understand

that you were being transformed and you see the transformative

nature of coming together week in and week out.

You understand that God is there something Supernatural is

happening. And so, as we said last week, we

become what we behold and in corporate worship, what were

beholding is, God himself were beholding, God because God is

here with us. And in fact, if we were coming

together and not meeting with God, if we were coming together

in God's, Not present, then all of this would really be quite

pointless. We may as well stay in our homes

and watch a service online, we may as well not worry about

Gathering. We might as well spend our

weekends at the lake. Or in the deer stand or doing

whatever else, your favorite hobby may or may not be.

If that were the case, but it's not.

What's happening, is that God is gathering with us in corporate

worship that in corporate worship.

We were being equipped to be his image bearers, we being

transformed from one degree of glory to the next.

We are beholding God and because we are beholding, God, we are

being transformed. God is using ordinary means of

Grace. To perform extraordinary

transformation and our lives. When I say ordinary means of

Grace. I'm talking about singing As we

sing together as we pray. As we hear the word read, as we

hear the word preached, as we celebrate baptisms, as we

receive, the Lord's supper together, and we do all of that.

According to the instructions that God has granted to us in

his word. We are being transformed because

in those things, God meets with us.

Some may argue that God is omnipresent right?

And I would not disagree. God is everywhere all the time

and his spirit so they may argue well, his Spirit dwells within

Believers. And so Believers ought to be

able to meet with God at any time and any place.

This is a particular popular thought in our culture,

especially during the summer or during hunting season, or

baseball, season's or whatever, right?

Some may say, I'm just as close to God on the lake or I'm just

as close to God on the deer stand as I am in church on

Sunday. Well that that's a really nice

sounding thing to say, but it's unequivocably false.

It's blatantly false, it's untrue.

I do believe in the omnipresence of God.

I believe that God is everywhere at all times, but God does not

promise to meet with Believers everywhere at all times.

He does not command Believers to hike, tall, mountains or

Skeletor East and or sunbae on their favorite Lake before he

will meet with them, he has however commanded Believers to

not forsake, the Gathering of the Saints, do not forsake, the

Assembly of the Saints and an axe to what we read after Peter

preaches, on the day of Pentecost and three thousand

Souls were added to their number.

That day added to the church that day they immediately.

But happens in verse, you know, acts 2:1 through 41.

Acts 2:1–41

And then in 42, you read and they devoted themselves to the

apostles teaching the prayers to Breaking of bread and to

fellowship with the Saints, what happened?

The church began to be the church.

You see the church? Beginning its process of

regularly meeting together. Just a few verses later.

It says, they gather day by day and the temple, and then homes

with one another for those purposes.

And so God's primary means. Well, let me say this, you may

encounter God during your private prayer, you may

encounter him through your private scripture reading times.

I hope that you do you may encounter him through group

Bible studies, we've had many wonderful moments in group Bible

studies around here. You may encounter him and family

worship. And I again, I hope that you do.

And then those things are vital for your growth in the knowledge

of the Lord, their vital for your growth, in the wisdom of

God, they're part of your sanctification.

So, I'm not saying those things, don't matter or that something

isn't happening there, but God's primary means throughout

scripture for meeting with his people is with the gathered

Church, its with the gathered people and so in, what's

happening in weekly corporate worship is that we can be

certain that we are meeting with God.

This is Supernatural because we're meeting with God so you

might find them on occasion somewhere else.

But if you want to meet with God regularly, you will find him

gathered with his people during weekly worship.

Again, let me remind you of Ephesians two Seventeen through

twenty two and talk a little bit about what's taking place here,

and he came and preached peace, to those who were far off and

those who were near. So now, he's talking about those

who are far off for the Gentiles, those who are near

where the Jews. And the piece that is being

explained here is the same. Whether you're Jew or Gentile,

its faith in Christ, brings peace with God, it's not going

to be through your works as the Jews would have thought.

It's not going to be through some other practices as

Gentiles, maybe would have thought and at this time Jews

and Gentiles were often separated in worship, Jews were

allowed to go into the inner most places of the temple.

Gentiles had to sit outside and watch.

There was a dividing wall called a wall of hostility.

But set between the Jews and the Gentiles.

And God removes this through Christ that by faith.

In Christ, there's one Faith, one baptism, one Lord, right?

And by faith, and him were all coming together.

And so for through him, Paul writes we both have access in

one Spirit to the father. So then you who are no longer

strangers and Aliens, but you who are fellow citizens with the

Saints. And the members of the household

of God Builds on the foundation of the Apostles, and Prophets

Christ, Jesus himself being the Cornerstone.

So all these things that were written in the Apostle written

in the prophets and now are being written in the apostles or

a piece of this. But Christ is the Cornerstone,

these things are being built on Christ.

They're supporting the truth. That Christ is the one who

unites all, who believe in him. Together and one Faith.

Things are not meant to be at odds with one another.

And then he says, in whom the whole structure in Christ in

whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a

holy Temple in the Lord. So Christ is the Cornerstone,

the prophets, and the apostles, and what they're writing are

building on crisis, at Cornerstone.

And what's being erected is a temple for the Lord.

And whom you also are being built together into a dwelling

place for God by the spirit. What's he saying?

Now to the church there at Ephesus, he saying you guys are

being built together as a Dwelling Place.

The Lord dwells in you. We just read this, we didn't

read it. Sorry you would have just read

this. Paul would have just are the

elders who are reading this to the church would have just read

this in Ephesians 1 that by the spirit, you are now saved.

You're sealed by the spirit, you're secure by the spirit, the

spirit dwells in you. And he says it's the same Spirit

Which Way raised Christ from the dead.

And so now in Ephesians 2, he's explaining that that same spirit

that you received upon belief is now.

It's uniting you together into a dwelling place for God.

He resides with you. It's amazing.

And so you have really incredible statements and just

these few verses we have access to the father in one Spirit.

You are no longer strangers and Aliens.

But you are fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the

household of God in Christ. The whole structure being joined

together, grows into a holy Temple in the Lord, and Christ.

You also are being built together into a dwelling place

for God by the spirit. And so the truths of what Paul

is writing about in Ephesians could be summed up in this way,

God has called you out of darkness and he brings you into

his lights and he does this by the power of the spirit through

the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, you now have access to

the father. You are now being built into a

household for God, the whole thing from beginning to end is

becoming a holy Temple in the Lord.

In Price. You were being built into a

dwelling place for God by the spirit incredible.

And so the reality of this work is seen, most clearly in

corporate worship, you see the temple coming in to form on a

local level. And so, when we talk about the

church, you can talk about the church at two levels, right?

There's the church Global, which would be like Big C church,

right? This is all the Christians

across time across the globe, right?

This is the Church of Christ. And then there's local

expressions of The Big C Church which would be just local

congregations. Which are small expressions of

what's taking place on a global scale.

Alright, everybody follow that. So what we're doing in here is

simply identifying us with Christ, right?

We are those who are in Christ by faith and in that were

joining ourselves together with Christians across time and space

if you will. Right.

It's a Transcendent family and it goes from the beginning of

time with the faith of Adam to the end of time with whoever the

final Christians on Earth might be when Christ descends and

establishes himself and the new heavens and the new Earth and we

all worship together as as one people of God from every tribe

tongue and nation of the world. Amen, will be a beautiful

Reality. And what this is, is just a

local expression of that reality.

You're sitting next to people, your in-home groups with people,

you're in biblical, manhood or Womanhood with with people.

You're in Sunday school with people.

Right. You worship on Sundays with

people whom you might have. No other thing in common with

except the Glorious truth that Christ has saved you from your

sins and granted you new life. And by that mere fact, you

worship. I think I've told the story

before it's been a while but it's a wonderful little anecdote

to talk about what we're explain further.

What I mean, when I went to Brazil, a few years ago is

almost 3 years ago, now, it's kind of hard to believe time to

go back. But when I went to Brazil, a few

years ago, we loaded up in a car, a little sedan, and we were

driving through what they call the bush.

It's just, I mean, it's it's logging roads in South Arkansas,

right? You're driving down logging

roads, essentially, and we're in this little Ford.

Sedan and the things just bottom and out and with every pothole

and mudhole, we hit is really incredible and to top it all

off, we're being led to the place that we're going by two

guys on dirt bikes. Right?

And we're following them in this little.

Savannah were just sliding everywhere.

I mean it's a lot of fun. You're not supposed to motorized

and sedans in case you didn't know but we were.

And so as we drive for 40 minutes at least and we come to,

I mean, it's just, it's pitch black, there's nothing all

around you. It's like 9 p.m. at night.

And we come there's a light ahead and we pull up to this

place and there's 70 plus men and women and boys and girls

gathered under essentially, what's a like a light.

You would have outside your shop and then there's a shop building

there with the chairs that they use for the service.

I want to know how electricity is out there to be honest.

It may have been running off generator, I'm not sure.

And there's the shop building had chairs in.

It had some speakers equipment and they've set up church under

this light with June bugs. Just absolutely murdering you

while you're out there. I mean, it was a slew of June

bugs and, and people have gathered to hear the word sang

to hear the word read and taught.

To encourage one another. We shared a mill of, you know,

the sloppiest soup. Mess rice thing I've ever eaten

in my life with coffee coffee goes with every meal and Brazil.

And so, we did that afterwards, but it was beautiful and it was

amazing. And then, that way, not knowing,

even the words that were being sung, right?

Recognizing Tunes because their songs, even that we're familiar

with some, Not recognize not understanding.

I'm trying to seeing some of it in English.

What I could remember, I was joined together with brothers

and sisters and worship of God across tribe and tongue and

Nation. All right, and the only way that

happens is by the power of the spirit of God. right, you show

up in an assembly in a Buddhist Monastery, or a typical of Islam

or something to that effect, right?

As a Christian, and you try to worship alongside those people.

It's going to be foreign to you. It's going to be weird and it's

not going to work. Are you going to be out of

place? The spirit of God, unites

Believers together. The spirit of God, draws

Believers into worship with God on a spiritual level.

That that even, we can't comprehend very well in the

moments that it's taking place. And so the reality of the work

is seen in corporate worship. We see this happen before eyes

in corporate worship. You may encounter God other

places. I'm not saying that you don't

see it, you know, encounter God, as you're reading the word at

your coffee kitchen table in the mornings, or you're reading it

with your children, are you having interaction with a friend

or you have an interaction with your child?

As you're talking about the Lord together?

I'm not saying you don't encounter God in those ways.

Absolutely. We do.

But we don't build habits around random events.

We don't form our habits for worship around Random Acts

seeking, for that thing to be the thing that makes worship

happen, right? We form our habits from the

commands of God. We form our habits around what

God is actually said for us to be doing so that we can be

certain that we will fully and regularly encounter him in

worship. So, in the Old Testament, God

commanded the Israelites to build a tabernacle.

This was a Lisa was going to travel with them and the

Wilderness Journeys. We're going to erect this

Tabernacle 10 of meeting if you will, and God was going to show

up there and he did often. Through the ministry of Moses

and the levite priest. God showed up.

And there were, there were sacrifices made.

There was a tone that made there was Washings that were done

there and the whole nine yards, right?

Everything that needed to happen to meet with God, atone for sin

and all of that happened there. God met with his people there in

the tent of meeting. Once the Israelites make it into

the promised land, and in the days of the Kings, we read about

how this time of meeting moved to.

A temple. And so there was a temple built

for God. And in the same way, there were

sacrifices made, there were Washings that were done.

There was a, you know, you know, the ark was present, the mercy

seats, they're all the same things, right?

But now it dwells in the temples, the presence of God was

there and so they would regularly meet with God.

That would see the glory of God through Tabernacle worship

Temple worship later on. And so the question becomes and

a lot of what churches are chasing today is, is that same

kind of Old Testament worship. And the question is, does God

still meet with his people? Does he still have a house if

you will? And we don't have pillars of

smoke, we don't have Washings, we don't have Bloody sacrifices,

praise the Lord, These Old Testament forms of worship.

However, foreshadow a better way for worship a way that we now

know we worship God free of Tabernacles and temples because

of the work of Jesus Christ. So in Ephesians 2, what we're

reading and what Paul is teaching here is that we were

being built into a dwelling place for for God by the spirit

of God. But how does that happen?

And where does that happen? Jonathan Cruz outlines us pretty

well in his book on worships. I'm going to share a couple of

things there that he mentions first.

Is this, how do we, how do we meet with God?

We meet with God through the blood of Jesus taking notes.

You can write that down. How do we meet with God?

We meet with God through the blood of Jesus.

Hebrews 10:19 through 22, the book of Hebrews is all about

Hebrews 10:19–22

correcting, Christian worship, specially from Hebrews, who had

either already forsaken, What Christian worship should look

like, or were being led to forsake what Christian worship

should look like. They were going back to their

Old Testament. Jewish roots, either by

judaizers, who were present saying we still need to do all

these things. And so Hebrews is likely not

saying it is, but it's likely a sermon from Paul.

All to the Hebrew people written by Luke saying, hey, no.

Here's what right worship looks like.

And Hebrews 10:19 through 22, we get this therefore Brothers

Hebrews 10:19–22

since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the

blood of Jesus, how do we do it by the blood of Jesus by the New

and Living Way that he opened for us through the curtain that

is through his flesh and since we have a great high priest over

the house of God, let us draw near with a True Heart in full

Assurance of faith. Faith with our hearts sprinkled

clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure

water. And so what the writer of

Hebrews is saying is that the Washings and the blood sacrifice

are the once, and for all finished work of Christ, there

his work, he has washed forever. Those who put their faith in

him, he has sprinkled clean, with his own blood, those who

put their faith in him once and for all time.

And so we draw near to God with a true heart.

Now, in full Assurance, whereas in Jewish worship your Near with

some assurance. Right?

Because you're trusting in the blood of bulls and goats you're

trusting in something that you're going to have to come

back tomorrow and do again and the next day and the next day,

and there was no end to this kind of blood sacrifice.

But we get to draw near with a True Heart in full Assurance of

Faith by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Our faith is in the shed blood of Christ that he has died for

the Forgiveness of our sins. And so, we enter into worship

with God. We meet with God, by the blood

of Christ, are no longer to look into Temple.

Washings were no longer looking to just how spiritual which this

is what this is, what people who are very legalistic or trying to

do our, there's a difference between Living.

Holy lives as God has commanded. He's commanded us to be holy and

then and then legalism there's differences the difference in

legalism is that you think and legalism you're making yourself

clean enough to come and worship God.

And if for some reason you're not clean enough you now draw

near without full Assurance, you draw near hoping, right?

It's like a coin flip for you. When you draw near to God in the

Assurance of your own legalistic Moral Moral, ISM.

But when you draw near to God in full Assurance of faith in

Christ, faith in his blood, which is wash, you clean, you

come near and total freedom from sin.

You draw near with a heart that trust Christ alone and you're

not trying to just clean yourself up or wash yourself

real good before you show up, you're saying, I have come only

by the blood of Christ. I sing the songs today because

Christ has washed me. I sing these songs today because

the blood of The sprinkled me clean.

I hear the word read. I hear the word preached.

I proclaim the word today as someone who has been washed by

the blood of Christ. I'm not coming to you in my own

my lack of Holiness. My own want to be moralistic,

right? We don't draw near in those

veins and then we walk away as those who recognize we've been

washed by the blood of Christ. So therefore let's go live lives

that reflect that. What's what?

Paul is saying in Philippians, 1:27.

When he talks about living a life that is worthy of the

manner of Christ or worthy of the gospel live in such a way

that it's worthy of the Gospel you're showing Christ has saved

me and I'm submitting myself to him, I'm following him.

And so in the Old Testament, under the old Covenant, there

had to be a sacrifice every single time someone were to draw

near to God, and even the priests who were making the

sacrifices, would have to make sacrifices for themselves.

What a job, right? What a mess but not anymore.

Hebrews 9:12 he answered Christ entered once for all and to the

Hebrews 9:12

holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves.

But by the means of his own blood thus securing, don't miss

this, thus securing an eternal Redemption.

How long does your Redemption last?

Eternal. Right for all eternity.

If your faith is in Christ, if your trust is in Christ, your

Redemption is eternal. By faith in the work of Christ

on the cross, your Eternal Redemption is secured for you.

You are purified for Eternal worship forever.

It's your belief in the good news of Jesus Christ that makes

you even capable of worshipping brothers and sisters.

We do not draw near to God by making a one-time pronouncement

of faith. Brother, we draw near to God

through a continual expressing of trust and the sacrificial

work. Of Jesus Christ.

We're trusting in Christ and his work for the Forgiveness of our

sins, not in ourselves, not in our own faith, not in their own

ability, not in our own knowledge or wisdom were

trusting in Christ alone. And so we come to God the Father

through faith in God by through faith in God the son by

dependence on God the spirit I'll say it again because I got

tongue-tied. We come to God.

Through faith in God, the son by dependence on God, the spirit

from corporate worship. Again, I've put this before you

at the very beginning, this is what we're talking about in

corporate worship. We meet with God, in Heavenly

worship by the spirit. So the answers my next question.

Really? Where do we meet with God?

How do we meet with God? It's through the blood of Jesus

Christ. Where do we meet with God?

And Heaven. Now, you might expect me to say

in this place. You might think it's in the

local church. You might think it's in the

building itself, but you're meeting with God in heaven.

Let me explain Hebrews 8:1 through to.

Hebrews 8:1

Now the point in what we are saying is this, we have such a

high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the Throne

of the Majesty in heaven. A minister in the holy places in

the true tent that the Lord set up, not, man, or by Satan.

True 10th, through 10th. But the Lord set up, not man

again, at one time the tent of meeting was on the Earth, right?

It was in Tabernacles and temples but now Christ dwells in

the true tent, which is in heaven.

And so, real worship the reality of worship, the reality of your

spiritual worship each week is that it takes place in heaven.

We meet with God and His Heavenly Sanctuary when we come

together and worship. And so when we meet with God in

corporate worship, the spirit draws us into Heavenly places,

is what it means by your being built into a household of God by

the spirit. We're being drawn by the spirit

of God and to Heavenly places, we join the worship of Heaven.

Alan read it earlier but Isaiah 6 the Angels around the Throne

of God and the vision of Isaiah. What are they saying?

Holy holy. Holy the whole earth is full of

the glory of God. What are the Angels doing

worshipping, right? You and I, when we join In

Worship or joining in the Eternal worship of God, this

worship is not based on the fact that we're worshipping were

merely just joining in to worship.

That is always taking place. The worship of God never ceases.

And you're drawn by the spirit of God into Heavenly places to

join, with the angels and the Saints who were there to Worship

the Lord. And Hebrews 12 18, it says for

you have not come to what may be touched again these Earthly

sanctuaries. Tabernacles and temples those

things may be touched. You can put your hand on them.

You can walk through the doorways.

But again, the rider here, if Hebrews saying you've not come

to what may be touched? That's how it was.

This is what it is like now. He continues in verse 22,

Hebrews 12 verse 22 and 24, but you have come to Mount, Zion to

Hebrews 12:22

the city of the Living. God, the heavenly Jerusalem and

to innumerable angels and festal Gathering into the Assembly of

the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge

of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect and to

Jesus the mediator of a New Covenant and to the Sprinkled

blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Wow. You've not come to what may be

touched? You've not come to a chair,

you've not come to a place that you can see and touch doors.

As you walk into it, you've come to worship God, you've come to

meet with God and so you do You join listen to what he says,

you've come to the city of the Living.

God, the heavenly Jerusalem to innumerable, angels and festal

Gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn, who are

enrolled in heaven, just meeting the firstborn Saints.

And to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the

righteous made perfect, those who are awaiting new bodies.

And to Jesus the mediator of a New Covenant into the sprinkled

blood that speaks a better word than the blood.

Of able. So this is where we meet with

God, brothers and sisters. It's not here in this building.

Its in heaven were drawn, spiritually to meet with God and

the Heavenly Jerusalem there, we are with the angels and the

Saints and worship there. We are meeting with God through

our mediator Christ, Jesus Again by faith and his blood, we've

come through him to meet with God in heaven.

And I know like this is difficult because we do not yet,

see it, right? We're not getting to peer into

heaven as Isaiah did. And to see the kind of worship

were joining into ours is a worship by faith, not by sight,

which doesn't make it any less real.

At all, and it's not like a blind faith.

Faith is not unbelievers like to equate Faith to hopelessness.

Right. Like, well, you can only believe

that by faith which is just kind of like You know saying

Abracadabra or something like that.

It's just a it's a magic word that you guys use to be able to

say that you believe something. You believe it by faith.

It's like no, no, no, no, that's not what faith is.

Faith is not hopelessness. Faith is the hope of things yet.

Unseen faith is the reality that those things exist, and that

what God has said is true. And so, we come to God and

worship in Heaven by faith. We are joining with the angels

in heaven and worship of Our God, by faith.

We are joining with the angels through Christ and his blood by

faith. We are beholding God and being

transformed from one degree of Glory to another by faith in

God, Amen. It's as sure as sure can be.

In fact, it's a greater reality than things.

You can touch. It's a greater reality than

things. You might see.

It's more. Sure.

And so this is where we meet with God.

We do not yet see it. We cannot yet, touch it.

It is spiritual, but it is real and by faith.

In Christ through the spirit, we are drawn by the father to

worship him in the Heavenly places.

Jesus teaches on this, in John chapter 4, Jesus encounters on

John 4 · chapter mention

his journey. His disciples had gone away have

left him, he comes to a well and Samaria, which is a group of

people who were outside of those Jews, right there Gentile, like

folks, and they are dogs according to the Jews.

Just the worst of the worst. and Jesus Encounters this woman from

Samaria, who's come to this well, outside the city to draw

water and he has this interaction with there and you

can read in John 4, won't focus on the whole thing because

there's a lot there but He offers to her living water.

And she doesn't really understand what he's saying

because, well, if you were at the well and some man offered

you living water, you probably wouldn't understand either,

right? He says, if you'll drink of this

water that I'm offering you, you'll never thirst again.

And then he says, the one who offers the water is the messiah.

Saying that he's the Messiah. And she mentions that she knows

that his people. Well, she first says that that

our people worship here on this mountain, but your people

talking about the Jews, say that real worship takes place in

Jerusalem, has to be there. Jesus responds with this.

He says in John 4 21. We read this.

Jesus said to her woman, believe me the hour is coming.

When neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, will you

worship the father? And then two verses later, he

says this but the hour is coming.

And is now here when the true worshipers will worship the

father in spirit and Truth For the father is seeking such

people to worship Him. God is spirit and those who

worship Him must Worship in spirit and Truth.

She God's people don't have to worry about worshiping and a

special place or on a particular Mountain.

You now participate in a Heavenly worship.

That is spiritual worship, it's filled with and it's dependent

upon the work of the Holy Spirit.

Not the place in corporate worship.

We meet with God and Heavenly worship by the spirit of God.

And so I asked, do you want to meet with God?

Yes. If your faith is in Christ and

your answer is yes, I want to meet with God.

Then go to worship. Go to worship.

Don't go fishing or hunting, don't go on vacation.

I don't mean that you can't ever do those things.

That's not what I'm saying. That's legalism right here, we

are back at that again. I'm not saying legalistic

things. Today, I'm saying, rather do not

look to worship God in random places.

Look to worship God, where he has promised to meet you.

God promises us that he will meet with us in the ordinary

place of worship. Now, again, you might be sitting

there saying, well, I thought you just said that it was in

spirit and truth and that it wouldn't be on this mountain or

that mountain. That's true.

It's with the gathered Saints according to the New Testament.

it's with the gathered Saints on the Lord's Day, according to the

New Testament, again right, after right, after Christ, was

crucified and resurrected and Peter preaches, a sermon The men

and women there who give their hearts to the Lord, who submit

themselves to Christ says about 3,000 added to that.

They write, they devoted themselves to the apostles

teaching the breaking bread Fellowship, the Saints prayers,

they're Gathering Together. And then, throughout throughout

Acts. On the first day of the week as

the church was gathered on the first day of the week, when they

gather to break bread on the first day of the week, Paul gets

up and preaches on the first day of the week you see this phrase

over and over again, the Old Testament Sabbath day was

Saturday. The New Testament day of worship

is the first day of the week. Why?

Because that's the day that Christ Rose from the grave on

the first day of the week. We read this at the end of

nearly all the gospels. On the first day of the week,

the disciples Rose and went to the tumor Mary Rose and went to

the to, right? And so, we gather on the first

day of the week, we do not neglect worshiping with the

Saints. The point is, it's not the

building. That's significant, it's not the

people. Necessarily, it's not that I

shouldn't even say that. It's not the, it's not the

performance, from the people, that's significant.

It's none of those things is the fact that you're gathering with

the Lord's people on the Lord's day to worship him.

It's why you can gather in the bush of Brazil and meet with

God, still Amen, it's a spiritual thing and so I don't

mean that you can't miss a Sunday.

I mean, don't miss Sunday saying, I'm as close to God

doing X, as I am meeting with him with the Lord's people on

Sunday morning. That's untrue.

God promises us that he will meet with us, in the ordinary

place of worship. And there in the ordinary place

of worship. He's going to use ordinary means

of Grace. Prayer preaching of the word

singing, baptisms, the Lord's supper, right?

These things are how we experience the presence of God

in corporate worship. And so we it's mundane for a

reason. It's ordinary for a reason.

It's regular for a reason because your life especially

your life by faith in Christ is mundane and ordinary.

It's a daily waking up and going to God in prayer and reading his

word trusting in Christ all over again, tomorrow.

Just as you did today and so you come to worship God and to have

that thing out. I'll talk to you about this in a

couple of weeks. But what's Happening Here is

we're having that Covenant renewed with us.

We're being reminded of the work of God as we come together in

regular worship. And so God uses regular means to

transform Our Lives. And it's meant to be that way

because your life is all about patterns and rhythms and habits

and the things that you do. Show the world.

What you behold? They show the world what you

worship. And so your worship on Sundays

is meant to fortify your heart and mind to continue in worship

with God throughout the week. We need this.

Reminder, as I talked about last week, we forget easily quickly

the necessity of corporate worship and what's taking place

here and so if someone wishes to avoid the regular practice of

corporate worship, We have to question their motivations.

We have to question the heart for doing that at the deepest

level. You have to question what's

going on in their heart. When a when a Christian or

someone who proclaims to be a Christian says, I don't need

corporate worship. One of the questions that we

have to ask is, do they truly want to hear?

God, speak to them. Or are they merely clearing some

space to better hear themselves speak?

You'll find normally that the latter is true.

They would rather hear themselves than to hear God.

I would rather follow their own desires than to follow the

desires of Christ. They would rather submit to

themselves and submit to God. Again this doesn't mean you

shouldn't have your personal and family times of worship.

Hopefully I can get that cleared today.

You should do those things regularly.

Wake up in the morning, read your scripture, pray lead, your

kids, and reading the word of God.

Pray with them sing a song together.

But those places are not the most special sacred place to

meet with God. And I will say this, if you make

If you're setting aside time in your home to meet, with God, it

through scripture reading and prayer.

Or through some sort of family encouragement, whether it's

prayer together at night before you go to bed or whatever. if

you do that, but then on Sundays worship is It's just, you can

take it or leave it. We got this ball game this

weekend, we've got this vacation, we've got this Lake

trip, we've got this thing, right?

There's always something getting in the way of corporate worship

and you are undoing and practice.

What you say, you believe. And that practice is going to

Bear greater witness to your children than what you're saying

with your mouth. It's why we have.

Praise God for the college students that are here today.

But it's why we have college campuses full of people who grew

up Christian, who abandon the faith, as soon as they get the

chance, If there's no substance, their parents raised them to be

moralistic. People church was a part of the

moralism. But there was nothing there

about actually worshipping God and coming to him and your

necessity for the Lord. And so you can kind of take it

or leave it so I can be moralistic apart from church.

Absolutely. You can there's a lot of

moralistic people that don't go to church.

That's, that's no bearing on whether or not you're truly

saved or not. And so don't undo in practice.

What you're saying with your mouth, the message that you want

to teach at home, commit to the Lord's Day, commit to being

gathered with the Saints on Sunday mornings.

It's important, and it's spiritual, and you're being

drawn together by the spirit into worshipping God.

And it's the most special sacred place to meet with God and

praise God. That he makes it possible for us

to do this. God is going to use the small

moments in your daily life. That's there's no doubt about

that to sanctify, you, but the place where God forms us into a

new people, the primary location of that sanctifying work is not

the small moments of every day. Rather it is the seemingly

mundane but truly wonderful moment of corporate worship.

That's a quote from crew. The brothers and sisters.

We must strengthen our appreciation for corporate

worship. May we not be tossed to and fro

by the world's mockery of corporate worship.

By the world's mockery of our God, May our hearts and Minds.

That have been made new by Christ.

Continue to grow in godliness, continue to grow and that

understanding and may we not heed.

The wisdom of the world, which is full of hearts and Minds that

have not been yet made new by Christ, and they therefore do

not understand the necessity and the power of corporate Worship.

In fact they are spiritually blind.

The church is the bride of Christ and in corporate worship.

We are becoming one people by one spirit and one faith in

Christ Jesus. The spirit of God bonds us

together, unites Us in peace. So that we may strive together

for the faith of the gospel and in corporate worship, we meet

with God, and he gives us his guidance through the preached

word through singing through through seeing christ-centered

songs Through praying prayers that are dependent upon him in

baptism and the Lord's Supper are administered in corporate

worship only by the command of Christ.

And so corporate worship is where we meet with God.

This is one of the most amazing things about what happens when

we come together on Sunday mornings We meet with God and

Heavenly worship by the spirit. and so, I encourage Keep coming

keep coming. Keep seeking the Lord alongside

us? Amen, let me pray for you.

Heavenly Father, we love you. We praise you, Lord for your

kindness toward us. Lord that you have saved us.

You have forgiven our sins because of the blood of Christ,

Jesus, your son, whom you sent to die on that cross the bear,

the Wrath, that was meant for us.

So that we might know you father that we might be at peace with

you. And Lord as we come to worship,

this is what we're coming to do, we're come to come to fellowship

with you. We're coming to be Sanctified by

you. We're coming to have you

minister to our hearts and Minds as we are drawn, by the spirit

of God into these, Heavenly places where we're joining in

the Eternal song of worship. The Eternal conversation of

worship. And Lourdes.

It's hard for us to see it. Sometimes it's hard for us to

understand it. So, father, I just ask that you

would deepen. Our affections for Christ.

That you would strengthen, Lord our desire together with the

Saints, on the Lord's Day. And meet with you.

Lord, it's an Incredible Gift that you've granted to us. the

opportunity to meet with you week in and week out through

ordinary things like singing and preaching, and pray, and eating

a dinner and And washing watching someone go into the

Waters of baptism and come out at all of these things father.

All of those things. Are sanctifying us the reminding

us of Christ and his sacrifice. They're strengthening our hearts

to continue the good fight of Faith, their deepening, our

faith. They're encouraging, mutual love

and affection among the saints of God.

And there's probably so much more Lord that we don't even

realize in the moments of what's taking place.

Of how you're working on us. And so we praise you for the

gift of corporate worship and praise you that you meet with us

here each week. And the father, I do want to

pray for anyone in here. Who doesn't, who doesn't know

you as Savior? Has not submitted themselves to

you who's not repented of their sins Place.

Their faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who's not called on your

name to be saved? Lord, would you draw them to

yourself by the power of your spirit?

Would you grant to them repentance and faith?

Help them to turn from their sins, the turn in faith to

Christ, Jesus, to be made new by your spirit. lord, it's a work

that only you can do and so we trust you for it.

But again, we thank you Christ's name we pray.

Amen. But again, we thank you Christ's

name we pray. Amen.