Category: Worship
Subject: Worship
Sermon: Dealing with Distractions
In our distraction filled society, the Christian needs to be sure not to be distracted from serving God. Four items are discussed: Morality, Attendance, Worship and Study.
Sermon Powerpoint View and Download:
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Sermon: Spirit and Truth
Justin Carrell discusses Jesus’ meaning in answering the Samaritan woman’s question regarding the proper place to worship God, recorded in John 4.
Mining the Scripture: Revelation 1:9-11
It is believed that all of the apostles other than John were martyred for Christ. They were given a great responsibility in the early church, and great authority, delegated to them by the Lord. But this made them obvious targets of persecution. While John kept his life, he was exiled to the small island of Patmos “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:9), off the western coast of Asia Minor. This is where he wrote the book of Revelation, which is dated either prior to the destruction of Jerusalem (69 AD) or late in the first century during the reign of Domitian (96 AD). If the latter date is accepted, this makes John a very old man at the time of writing.
The book, as indicated by the text, is a record of visions he received while “in the Spirit.” The “Lord’s Day” in the text probably refers to the first day of the week, when Christian worship is offered (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
He was instructed by the Lord (described in verses 12-20), to write and share with the Asian churches the things he saw and heard.
Fall 2022 Meeting with Kyle Campbell
Our Fall Meeting, 2022 with Kyle Campbell, November 5, 2002. A series of fundamental lessons answering fundamental questions.
The theme: “Can you show”
Lesson 1: Can You Show That There is a God? (Saturday)
Lesson 2: Can You Show that the Bible is the Word of God? (Sunday 9AM)
Lesson 3: Can You Show that Jesus Rose from the Dead? (Sunday 10AM)
Lesson 4: Can You Show What the Bible Says? (Sunday 11AM)
Lesson 5: Can You Show That the Bible Can be Understood? (Monday)
Lesson 6: Can You Show How We are Saved? (Tuesday)
Lesson 7: Can You Show What Worship Is? (Wednesday 10AM)
Lesson 8: Can You Show What the Church Does? (Wednesday PM)
Lesson 9: Can You Show That Chrisitans are Moral People (Thursday)
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Glorifying God
The Bible clearly teaches that those who seek to please the Lord are expected to glorify Him. Some may not be fully aware of what that entails. First, consider a definition of the term. The Greek word doxázo is found numerous times in the New Testament, and is defined by Thayer in an illuminating way. It means “to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate.” It has the idea of holding the object in honor, and to “cause the dignity and worth of some person to become manifest and acknowledged.”
In 1 Corinthians 6:20 Paul wrote, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Here we see the responsibility of the Christian, in response to His redemptive efforts on our behalf. Because of what He has done for us, we should praise Him, and celebrate His righteousness and preeminence.
Sermon: The Samaritans
The lesson discusses the origin of the Samaritans (2 Kings 17), and a few applications we can make concerning authority (John 4).
The Patternists: In Spirit and Truth
In John 4, the apostle records Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. She asked Him about proper worship, and asked whether the Jews or the Samaritans had it right. Her question was concerned with location. Was Jerusalem the right place? Or was the mountain located adjacent to the well the proper place to worship God?
Jesus’ answer was Jerusalem. “We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). More importantly, Jesus indicated an impending change, in covenant and worship. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
Sermon: The Curious Case of Micah and His Idols
Micah was one in Israel (like many others) who did what was right in his own eyes (cf. Judges 17:6). His willful, uninformed worship of God teaches us much about the dangers present in our own day.
The Patternists: What is Profane Fire?
The question for our consideration is taken from Numbers chapter 3, when Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, lost their lives for disobeying God. “Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered profane fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai…” (3:4). The full account is found in Leviticus 10:1-3.
Both these men, serving as priests, took their censers, put fire in them, and offered it up to the Lord. However, the Lord did not accept their sacrifice. “So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:2).
Sermon: Better Things
The Hebrews epistle establishes that Jesus Christ, and all that surrounds His advent, ministry and covenant, are better than what came before.
Sermon: In Spirit AND Truth
In order for our worship to be pleasing to God, we must offer it both in spirit AND in truth.
The Patternists: The Purpose of Musical Worship
One mark of Christian worship is its simplicity. Though much pomp and circumstance has cropped up in the centuries following Christ’s establishment of His church, the first century Christians were humble and in the worship they offered up to God.
When they gathered together on the Lord’s day, they prayed, sang, gave as they were prospered by God, heard the word of God taught, and remembered the Lord’s death through the simple feast Jesus instituted. There were calls for them to wait on one another, to be unified, to edify one another, and to give glory to God. Worship was never about them. Never about their own talents. Never about how the church could serve them. It was always and only about what they could do for God and for each other.
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Joyful Expectations
Back in the early spring, there was so much uncertainty about the future. I truly thought that the COVID virus would impact our lives for only a short period of time. When we as a congregation began to talk about how to handle the circumstances, that was the question I was asking myself. How long? Three months? Six months? Never did I think we would be looking at over a year of limited social interaction, and compromises to ensure safe assembly. Some other congregations in other states and other places have yet to return to any semblance of a normal worship schedule.
Sermon: Job’s Worst Day
Five things we can learn from Job’s response after losing his possessions and family. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)
- Note: No video was recorded of this sermon.
COVID-19 (33) Worshiping the Creature Rather Than the Creator
A couple of days ago I watched a discussion regarding the ongoing protests in America. The premise was the seeming desire of protestors to abolish the institutions and way of life that has characterized America from the beginning.
As a response to the part that racism plays in the conflict, the host of the program (a news anchor) referred to the Declaration of Independence. She said that the declaration clearly states that “nature has created all of us as equals.”
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