Christ Church

How to Worship Jesus Christ

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

The apostle Paul wanted to sing in the Spirit, but wanted to sing with the mind also (1 Cor. 14:15). In a similar way, we come here week after week to worship God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Spirit of God. But it is important for us to understand what we are doing, and why we are doing it. Otherwise we will drift into a mindless routine—which is quite distinct from a Spirit-led routine.

The Text

And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Col. 2:4-7).

Summary of the Text

In verse 4, Paul warns against the seductive power of a certain kind of religious approach, the kind that always fails to approach Christ. Even though Paul was not present with the Colossians (v. 5), he was with them in the spirit. He rejoiced as he beheld their order (taxis), and the rock solid nature of their faith in Jesus Christ. That word taxis is a military term, and should be understood as a kind of regimentation. But note that this order was both disciplined and alive. It was not the order you could find in a row of gravestones, but rather the order of a military troop, arms at the ready. It was more than such order that pleased Paul, but it was certainly not less. Paul then urged the Colossians to walk in Christ Jesus in just the same way they had received Him (v. 6), which was of course by grace through faith. As they did so, they would be rooted and built up in the Christian faith, in just the way they had been taught. The overflow of this, when it is happening, is abundance of gratitude. As with all things of this nature, we measure whether or not it is happening by the fruit. So with that said, why do we do what we do in worship? And how does it relate to the worship of Jesus Christ?

The Structure of Our Worship

Consider first the broad outline of our worship service. We find five basic elements:

Call to Worship—we invoke the name of God, and enter His gates with adoration and worship

Confession of Sin—we wipe our feet at the door.

Consecration—we offer ourselves up to God as living sacrifices.

Communion—we sit down for table fellowship with our God.

Commissioning—we are sent out into the world.

The first and last elements “bookend” the service. The first invites us in from the world to assemble before the Lord to worship Him. The last sends us out into the world in order to function as ambassadors of the right worship that we have offered.

The center three elements follow a basic biblical pattern of sacrifice. In the worship of the Older Covenant, God commonly required three kinds of sacrifices together. When they were offered together, they came in this order. First was the guilt offering (confession of sin: Lev. 17), then the ascension or burnt offering (consecration: Lev. 16:24-25), and then the peace offering (communion: Dt. 12:17-19). We see this overall pattern in Lev. 9 and 2 Chron. 29:20-36.

We call worship that follows this basic pattern covenant renewal worship. But our relationship with God cannot expire, like a lease. We are not renewing anything in that sense. It is more like how food renews the body.

Filling It In

We find in various places of Scripture that certain particular practices are called for in New Covenant worship. One of the things we do therefore is look at the nature of that practice and decide where it would best fit within this over all structure. For example, the Bible requires the public reading of Scripture in worship (1 Tim. 4:13). So where do we put it? It seems to fit best under Consecration. The Bible commands us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). Where do we place the different kinds of songs? We are commanded to have preaching (1 Tim. 4:2). Where does that go? In doing this, we are seeking to be obedient while arranging our worship intelligently.

Posture and Demeanor

A very common temptation among the Reformed is to over-engineer the intellectual aspects of our faith. Reason and systematics have their place, but that place is not every place. Reformed people need to be reminded that they have bodies, and that these too are involved in worship. This is why we lift up holy hands in the Gloria Patri (1 Tim. 2:8), and why we kneel when we confess our sins (Ps. 95:6). We stand in order to show deep respect for God’s Word (Neh. 8:5). Our overall demeanor is to be solemnity mixed with gladness. “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord” (Ps. 122:1). Middle English had a word for this demeanor, and it is one we seek to cultivate. It is called solempne.

Conversation Between God and His People

Worship is a time of meeting. During this time, God speaks to the people through His ordained representatives (as in the Scripture reading, assurance of pardon, or the sermon). During this time, the people also speak to God, either through their appointed representatives (as in the prayers of petition), or all together with one voice (as with a hymn or psalm, or the creed). We should therefore learn how to think of the worship service as a very large conversation, with a direction and theme, and not as a disparate collection of random spiritual artifacts, crammed into a shoebox. You are not here as a spectator. You are not here to be watching. You are here to be partaking.

In the Call to Worship: God says, “Come, meet with Me.” We say, “First, let us praise Your majesty.” Having done so, God warns us through the Exhortation not to approach Him with unclean hearts. We respond by Confession. God responds by declaring that we have Assurance of Pardon. This is a conversation in which you all are called to actively participate. As you do, you are following the most important conversation in the world, which is between God and His people.

Worship is War

One other thing must be mentioned. So last, we return to our passage in Colossians. The order we are cultivating here is not the order of porcelain figurines in a china hutch, neatly arranged on a shelf. The order we are pursuing is alive and disciplined, the order of a well-trained military unit. And why? Because every Lord’s Day we go into battle. But as God’s people we fight on earth from the high ground of heaven.

We ascend into the heavenlies in our worship and meet with our God there (Heb. 12:22). But this heavenly worship is not something that has fearfully run away from the enemy on earth. Rather, as the book of Revelation shows in great detail, the worship of the saints in heaven accomplishes God’s judgments on earth. The twenty-four elders worship God in heaven (Rev. 4:10), and the seven seals are opened in heaven (Rev. 5:5). But this does not leave the earth unaffected by it.

How to Worship Jesus Christ

We worship Jesus Christ when we magnify and adore Him in His performance of His office. That means that we worship Christ by coming through Him to the Father (John 14:6). In the verses just prior to our text, we are reminded of this. He wanted the Colossians comforted, knit together in love, and into all the riches of a full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ (Col. 2:2–3).

“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18). We honor the Spirit by honoring the Son. We honor the Son by coming to the Father. But when we come to the Father, we do not leave the Son behind. We come to our Father as Christians, with the name of Jesus Christ in our mouths. “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).

Read Full Article

Psalm 22

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Text

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?. . . “ (Psalm 22)

The Song of His Father David

“We shall not be able to ‘explain’ the content of the fourth utterance from the cross, at least, not the essence of it … A well known saying has it that those who would understand the poet must go to the poet’s country. And now the poet par excellence is appearing on Golgotha. Be quiet, for Jesus is speaking. The creative spirit. The sensitive soul. And the Author of the psalms. Now He will sing, will recite his severest hymn – and no longer endure his own verses. You all remember that the fourth utterance, to put it that way, is a ‘quotation.’ It is literally the overture of Psalm 22. The Son of David is repeating the song of his father David.” Klaas Schilder.

The Forsaken Messiah (vv, 1-2, 12-18)

The Faithful Messiah (vv,  1-2, 3-5, 9-11, 19-21)

The Victorious Messiah (vv. 21-31)

Dr. Michael McClenahan is an Irish Presbyterian minister and Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological College. He has degrees in Jurisprudence, Theology, and Ecclesiastical History from the University of Oxford, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the theology of Jonathan Edwards. He is the author of Jonathan Edwards and Justification by Faith (Ashgate, 2012). This academic year he is the holder of the New Saint Andrews Lectureship.

Read Full Article

God’s Math

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Sermon Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19

The Problem of Pain is a well known booklet written by C. S. Lewis making the argument for why a good God would allow pain in His universe.  One aspect of his argument is our culture’s confusion between kindness and love.  We prize kindness with the view that we would prefer a God with more of a benign “grandfatherly” kindness over a father’s disciplinary love.  The difference is mainly one of outcome.  The former is seen as just watching over us to keep us content and happy, the latter is focused on making us good using whatever means are necessary to achieve that benefit.  Lewis in his chapter on God’s Divine Goodness puts it this way:

“When we want to be something other than the thing God wants us to be, we must be wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy.”

Given how much Peter deals with existing and anticipated suffering in his letters, approaching this with the right calculus is extremely important.  I’ve labeled it using God’s new math.

How was Peter qualified to teach on this subject?

From verse 15, what is the one way that we are not supposed to suffer?

What Fiery Trial is Peter referencing in verse 12?

What is the timing of Peter’s letter?

How does Nero fit in?

What was the nature of the suffering/persecution? 

What does “his glory revealed” mean in verse 13?

What time stamp does Jesus give his disciples in Luke 9:23-27 and Matthew 16:24-28 related to his coming glory?

How does this coming in glory relate to Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24?

How was God’s glory revealed in the judgement of Pharaoh?

What is the connection between Christ’s suffering and our own in verses 13, 14, and 16?

What did Jesus accomplish in His suffering?

What is necessary if the Father is going to successfully make us like Jesus?

How are we to process God’s judgment starting with us in verses 17-19? 

Who actually goes first: us or God?

Who is clearly in control of our suffering?

What is the role of the church in the midst of persecution?

How does God’s Math apply to us in our time?

Read Full Article

Departure from Bethany (Easter 2018)

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

The message that we Christians have for the world is a message that concerns certain historical events, and we include with that message the theological import, the theological meaning, of those events. We preach and declare that Christ died and rose, and we also declare that this same Christ was the God/man, meaning that His death was a propitiation for our sins, and that His resurrection was the vindication or justification of all who believe in Him. His new life is our new life, which we possess by faith alone.

The Text

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:3–8).

Summary of the Text

This passage from 1 Corinthians contains a wonderful summary of the contents of the objective gospel. That gospel includes in it a summary overview of some of the resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ. But first, Paul had passed on to the Corinthians what he had received (v. 3). In accordance with the Scriptures (v. 3), Christ died for our sins (v. 3). He was buried, demonstrating that the death was not play-acting, not a sham (v. 4). The third day He rose from the dead, which was the initial moment of resurrection (v. 4)—a great event that was also in accordance with the Scriptures (v. 4). But the gospel contains more than just that initial instant of resurrection. What we call the resurrection includes the 40 days between that moment and the time of His ascension into Heaven. He appeared first to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve (v. 5), and after that to over 500 brothers at one time (v. 6). The word had gotten out over the course of those 40 days and quite a crowd had assembled. Most of those witnesses were still alive decades later when 1 Corinthians was written (c. 53-55 A.D.) Then James saw Him, and all the apostles (v. 7). After that, in a way that was a bit irregular (because it was after the Ascension), the Lord appeared also to Paul (v. 8).
Sunday Morning Chaos

In all four gospels, the women are the first at the tomb Sunday morning (Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20). The stone has been rolled away, and the tomb is empty. Mary Magdalene apparently separates from the other women, and goes to find Peter and John (John 20:1-2). The other nine disciples were not with Peter (perhaps because of his shame over his denial?), and they are found by the larger group of women. Peter and John run to the tomb, and find it empty, with Mary Magdalene apparently coming along behind them. After they depart (John having believed), Mary stayed there, saw the angels, asked about the body, and then after that encountered Jesus Himself (John 20:17). So Mary was the first to see the risen Christ, and as a group the disciples generally did not believe her (Mark 16:9-11). The other women had gone into the tomb separately (Matt. 28:5-10), and were sent by the angels to tell the disciples. As they were going back to Jerusalem, Peter, John and Mary Magdalene were coming back out of Jerusalem, on the way to the tomb. After Jesus appeared to Mary, He also appeared to the women on the way back to Jerusalem, who had been too frightened to speak to anyone (Mark 16:8). But after He appeared to them, they were able to deliver the message (Luke 24:9-11).

40 Day Timeline

While it is best not to be too dogmatic about such reconstructions, here is a suggested timeline:

  1. Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18);
    2. Salome, Joanna, the other Mary, and one other woman at least (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10);
    3. Simon Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5);
    4. Cleopas and companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35);
    5. The disciples, Thomas missing (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25);
    6. The disciples, with Thomas present (John 20:26-29);
    7. Seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-23);
    8. Disciples and small crowd on a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:6);
    9. James, the Lord’s brother (1 Cor. 15:7);
    10. Disciples, probably in Jerusalem, before they walked to Bethany on Mt. Olivet, where He ascended (Luke 24:49-53; Acts 1:3-11).

Please note that we are talking about a lot of people who saw the Lord, and in broad daylight.

Departure from Bethany

Bethany was a village located about a mile and a half from Jerusalem. It is the place where Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46). It is the place where the Triumphal Entry had begun (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29). During the week that preceded His arrest, the Lord stayed in Bethany (Matt. 21:17; Mark 11:11-12). Simon the Leper lived there, and it was in his house that Mary had anointed Jesus (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). And Jesus led His disciples out to Bethany before He ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:50).

It is hard to escape the conclusion that Jesus went to Bethany and saw Lazarus, Martha, and Mary there. The conclusion of His resurrection appearances was not the dissolution of His friendships, but rather the eternal and everlasting ratification of them. He went to a town; He ascended into Heaven from a place. He knew people there. When He ascended, there were houses in the background, one of them being a place where He had previously stayed. In short, this last resurrection appearance was an event in history, in full color, under the same sun we have enjoyed this morning. We don’t know the precise latitude and longitude of the last place where Jesus was standing before He left, but God knows it. No doubt many an unwitting tourist has stood on the spot. There is probably a car parked there right now.

And because there is no reason a car couldn’t be parked on that very spot, your sins are forgiven. These things really happened, in other words. And by “really happened,” I mean something like actually happened. As sure as this Bible is on the pulpit, that being something that actually happened, so also Jesus walked to Bethany for His departure.

Those who want to pretend that Jesus rose, will also have to pretend to be forgiven. Those who know, as we do, that Christ is risen are also privileged to know that we also will rise. He is risen indeed.

Read Full Article