OceanSide church of Christ

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WHY ARE WE HERE?
Worship

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     One of the three most important questions that people ask is:  “Why are we here?”

1.       In other words, people want to know why they are on this earth.

2.       They want to know the purpose of their lives.

3.       The most succinct answer was given by a king named Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:13.

 

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep his commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man.

 

B.      The title of our lesson, this morning is:  “Why Are We Here?”

1.       Our title does not encompass the totality of our lives.

2.       It involves what is happening right now, at this very moment.

3.       Why are we here right now? 

a.       We have gathered together. 

b.      Each of us made a decision to be here. 

c.       So, why are we here?

 

C.     If we were to ask each person individually why we are here, and if we were honest, there might be as many reasons as persons attending.

 

D.     Maybe we should be considering this topic:  “Why We Should Be Here.”

 

I.                    THE MAIN REASON:  To Worship God

 

A.     The main reason everyone of us should be here is to worship God.

 

B.      Worship:  to bow or to prostrate before God in order to show honor and give homage for who He is and what He has done.

1.       This worship is to be done in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

 

God is a Spirit:  and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

a.       “In truth” means in harmony with God’s divine Word (John 17:17).

b.      “In spirit” means that it must spring from a heart whose full intent and focus is to worship the heavenly Father.

2.       The Father seeks such individuals to worship Him (John 4:23).

 

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:  for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

 

C.     This worship involves five different elements. There is something that each worshipper is to accomplish as he/she engages in that act of worship.

1.       Glenn will often end the announcements with this statement:  “Let us begin in song.”  Singing is one of the elements of worship.

a.       Hebrews 13:15

 

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

 

b.      In addition to the vertical component of singing, there is a horizontal aspect as well.

1)      We are to speak to one another in our singing (Eph. 5:19).

 

Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs…

 

2)      We are to teach and admonish one another in our singing (Col. 3:16).

 

Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…

 

3)      As we sing with and to one another, we pay attention to the words of the songs.  They are intended to teach us and admonish us in spiritual truths.

a)      This world is not my home.  I’m just a passing through.

b)      Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?

c)       To Canaan’s land I’m on my way where the soul of man never dies.

d)     Each day I’ll do a golden deed by helping those who are in need.

e)      I want to be a worker for the Lord.

2.       After two songs, we usually have a prayer.

a.       1 Timothy 2:8

 

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

 

b.      Prayer very simply is “man speaking to God.”

1)      As we pray in our assembly, we have one who is leading.

2)      However, all of us are praying.  We need to pay close attention to the words of the man who is leading us. 

a)      His words are to be our words.

b)      His requests are our requests.

c)       His pleadings for forgiveness are our pleadings.

3.       The third element of our worship is the sermon or teaching component.

a.       When Paul met with the church in Troas for worship, the Bible says:  “Paul preached unto them” (Acts 20:7).

b.      In this component of worship, God is speaking to man from His holy Word.

c.       Our purpose is simple, and summarized in these words:  “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Sam. 3:9).

1)      The God of the Universe is speaking.

2)      Our Creator is speaking.

3)      The all-wise God is speaking.

4)      Our loving Father is speaking.

5)      The One who is eternal, the First and the Last, is speaking.

d.      James 1:19

 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

 

4.       Following the sermon, we partake of the Lord’s Supper.

a.       Jesus said there would be a “day” upon which the Lord’s Supper would be taken once the kingdom was established (Matt. 26:39).

b.      That day, according to Acts 20:7, was the first day of the week.

 

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…

 

1)      “Breaking bread” refers to the Lord’ Supper.

a)      The writer uses a figure of speech called a synecdoche where a part stands for the whole.

-          Breaking bread includes the bread and fruit of the vine.

-          Breaking bread also involves the totality of elements of the worship service.

c.       The Lord’s Supper is really designed for one purpose, to commemorate the death of Jesus on Calvary (1 Cor. 11:26).

 

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

 

1)      We often will say that we come together to remember the Lord’s death, resurrection, and Second Coming.

2)      We “do shew the Lord’s death” Paul said.  Even the elements speak only to the cross of Calvary.

a.       His body (Matt. 26:26)

 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

 

b.      His blood (Matt. 26:27-28).

 

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

 

3)      Two questions:

a.       What about its being a time of self-examination?  This examination is supposed to come before you partake of the supper.

b.      What about the phrase:  “till he come”?  That simply tells us how long we are to engage in the practice of remembering His death.

5.       As we say:  “Separate and apart from the Lord’s Supper, we are also commanded to give.” 

a.       1 Corinthians 16:1-2

 

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gathering when I come.

 

b.      In our giving

1)      We prove our stewardship returning to the Lord what really belongs to Him.

2)      We prove our love.

3)      We manifest our faith.

4)      We demonstrate our concern for the work of the church.

5)      We indicate our will to sacrifice to the Lord.

 

D.     As we engage in worship, we must remember that we are not here to

1.       Talk to others

2.       Play games

3.       Look at our cell phones

4.       Be worship critics

 

II.                 A SECOND PURPOSE:  Fellowship or Edification of One Another

 

A.     I wish I had the ability…

1.       To convey to each of us how God views the body of Christ as a fellowship.

2.       To teach us how God wants us to feel about one another as a family.

3.       To get us to understand the seriousness of the responsibilities we have to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

B.      Being here today is primarily about worship, but it is also about our fellowship and our edification of one another (See Heb. 10:23-25).

 

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works:  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:  and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

1.       Notice that this is one complete sentence and not three separate sentences.

2.       Paul urges us to hold fast the profession of our faith.  Two commands involved:

a.       Consider one another

1)      Strong (2657):  to observe fully

2)      Thayer:  to consider attentively, to fix one’s eyes or mind upon

3)      Vine:  to perceive clearly, to understand fully, consider closely

b.      Provoking to love and good works.

1)      Strong (3948):  to incite

2)      Thayer:  an inciting

3)      Vine:  A stimulation

c.       These things are done by “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.”

d.      Three thoughts:

1)      We are here today for each other. 

2)      Considering and provoking do not happen my simply sitting on a pew.  There is supposed to be active involvement one with another.

3)      We certainly cannot do these things if we are not in the assembly.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     We have tried to emphasize why we are here in the assembly of the saints today.

1.       To worship God

2.       To observe and to stimulate one another to love and good works.

 

B.      One day all of us will stand in Judgment (2 Cor. 5:10a).

 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…

 

C.     We may have a question in mind:  “Why am I here?”  (2 Cor. 5:10b)

 

…that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.