WORSHIP IN RESPONSE
A.M. 11/9/03
D. L. Moody said that his "greatest mistake" occurred October 8, 1871. On that night his message was based on Pilate's question, "What shall I do then with Jesus?" (Matthew 27:22) As he concluded, he said, "I wish you would seriously consider this subject, for next Sunday we will speak about the cross, and at that time I'll inquire, 'What will you do with Jesus?'" Ira Sankey then sang the closing hymn, which included the lines, "Today the Savior calls; for refuge fly. The storm of justice falls, and death is nigh."
Little did anyone know that these words would be the last ever heard in that huge hall. Even as they were being sung, the soloist's voice was nearly drowned out by the sound of clanging bells in the street. That was the night of the great Chicago fire which almost destroyed the entire city. Among the hundreds who died were some who earlier had been in Moody's audience. The evangelist was greatly distressed by this and lamented his tragic error in not asking men and women to receive the Lord that evening.
"Now, whenever I preach," he said later, "I press for a definite decision. I would rather lose my right hand than give people even a day to decide for Christ, for I don't know if I'll ever see them again." The gospel invitation is a "today only" offer! from Paul Lee Tan, "Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations." Holwick’s Illustrations
It was Christmas Eve. Ruth sat in the back of the North Plainfield Baptist Church. This was a significant service. Mike, the unsaved husband of her friend Joy was there. Mike had said that he would never darken the doors of this church. But there he sat.
The Pastor presented the Gospel. Then he did an unusual thing for him in particular and for service conclusions in general.
The Pastor asked if anyone would like to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior to please stand right where they were. “Oh no”, Ruth thought, “Doesn’t Pastor know that Mike’s there. Mike will surely be offended at such a bold, public, invitation.”
Imagine Ruth’s surprise when she opened her eyes to see one person standing. You guessed it. It was Mike. Unknown to Ruth, God had been working in Mike’s heart about coming to Christ. And unknown to Ruth, the Pastor just felt led to give that different type of invitation. Mike came to Christ that night. The Lord saved a soul. This is a true story. I was that Pastor.
For several weeks we have been talking about worship. Some of the things that we have talked about have included:
· Worship as a way of life
· Worship at the table
· Worship in song
· Worship in prayer
· Worship in the Word of God
Although we could go on and talk about some other aspects of worship, such as giving and fellowship, I am going to conclude the series this morning, with one more aspect of worship. I have called it Worship in Response.
After you have worshipped in song and prayer, and after you have worshipped by reading God’s Word it is time for you to respond to what God has shown you during the Worship Service. It is an act of true worship to submit to whatever God wants of you. It is time to say “yes” to God’s invitation.
Whether you are a Christian or not, God often has an invitation for you!
The invitation is summed up in one word – COME!
That’s a familiar word, isn’t it? We use that word “come” as an invitation all the time.
We invite people to come to dinner.
We invite people to come to church.
We invite people to come to us for help.
The retailers invite you to come and shop.
Clubs and organizations invite us to come and join.
What are some of the things that God invites us to?
He invites us to:
COME TO REDEMPTION
COME TO REPENTANCE
COME TO REST
COME TO RESPONSIBILITY
COME TO RESOURCES
COME TO REDEMPTION
Rev. 22:17 - And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Here we are at the end of the Bible.
The Book of Revelation is being summed up.
The whole Bible is being summed up.
God is saying that our response is to come.
The invitation is to the one who is “athirst”, that is, spiritually thirsty.
Someone who is spiritually thirsty understands that he or she is a sinner.
Someone who is spiritually thirsty realizes that there is something missing in their lives.
Someone who is spiritually thirsty realizes that unless they get help they could end up in hell!
Someone who is spiritually thirsty has come to the end of themselves.
That person is invited to come to the water of life.
The water of life is available because of what God’s Son did on the cross. Listen for a moment as I share a few Scriptures that explain what he did.
Isaiah 53:5-6 - But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Romans 5:6-8 - For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 - For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
You are a condemned sinner, who needs a Savior, somebody who can pay the penalty for our sins.
You need someone to redeem you, to pay the ransom so you can go free. Jesus paid the price for you sins. He has redeemed you. You must simply come to Him and accept “the water of life” which is offered freely.
John 3:16-18 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
If you have been coming to this church very often you realize that I give some sort of an invitation to come to Christ almost every Sunday Morning. Why do I do that?
I do that because the most important decision you’ll ever make concerns Christ. I do that because I never know who will be in church and who has yet to trust Christ. And we don’t want you to miss Heaven. So we keep inviting. I fear that some of you sit there week after week, and have never accepted Christ’s invitation to salvation.
Come to Him for forgiveness.
Come to Him for a new life in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This, of course, is the most important invitation of all, because it deals with everlasting life or everlasting death, or punishment.
COME TO REDEMPTION
COME TO REPENTANCE
Isaiah 1:18 - Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
In the course of a worship service, it is possible for those of you who are Christians to become convicted of sin in your life. Although we have received forgiveness that will place us Heaven and a new life that makes us not want to sin, we still sin.
1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:10 - If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Our sin as Christians does not keep us out of Heaven.
It does place us out of fellowship with God.
Psalm 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Isaiah 59:1-2 - Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: [2] But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
So God gives us another great invitation, Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Though sin has made your clothes a dirty red, they can be cleansed. What does it take to make them white as snow?
As Christians we need to repent. We need to turn from our sin, and come to God for forgiveness. We are to confess and forsake our sins.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
God is light. As we walk in His light, in the light of His Holy Spirit and the light of His Word, our sins will be obvious to us. As God reveals them to us, we are to confess and forsake them.
Christian, you might have noticed that part of the invitation at the end of a worship service is often to confess sin. Unconfessed sin will only make you miserable, because it separates you from fellowship with your Heavenly Father.
COME TO REDEMPTION
COME TO REPENTANCE
COME TO REST
Matthew 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
I often use Matthew 11:28 in funerals.
I point out that Jesus offers two kinds of rest.
He offers rest from sin and rest from sorrow.
Rest from sin, of course, comes when we come to Christ for redemption.
Rest from sorrow comes when we take Jesus’ yoke.
A yoke was part of the harness made for an animal.
It was made of wood and was used for control.
When we take Jesus’ yoke, we are submitting ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and Master.
He is the answer to our sorrow because his yoke is easy, and the burden He gives is light. It’s not overbearing. And we find rest.
So often we have no rest of souls as Christians because we have not allowed Jesus to be Lord of our lives. If we want rest from sorrow we must submit to Him!
COME TO REDEMPTION
COME TO REPENTANCE
COME TO REST
COME TO RESPONSIBILITY
Tying right in with rest is the concept of responsibility.
Jesus has called us as disciples. We are to be His learners.
We are to follow Him.
Luke 9:23 - And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
What is the first thing Jesus did when He began His ministry? He was baptized.
What is the first thing Jesus expects you to do after you have trusted Him as your Savior? He wants you to be baptized.
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The first command given to new believers in the Book of Acts is to be baptized. On Pentecost Peter told 3,000 new believers to be baptized. When Peter first brought the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10, the first command given to the new believers was to be baptized.
There is no record of any baby being baptized in the Scriptures. Every person baptized as a Christian in the Bible was someone who was making a profession of faith. Although folks mean well when they baptize babies, it’s not in the Bible. So, if you claim to have been baptized as a baby, and you say that’s your baptized. I’m sorry but you have not been baptized.
Baptism will not save you, but baptism is the first step you make as a disciple. Baptism is also an act of worship. If you have not been baptized as a believer, you are being disobedient.
Luke 9:23 - And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 14:26-27 - If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. [27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Sometimes at the end of a worship service, my response to the Lord Jesus will be as a disciple. I will deny myself in order to do His will. I will say “no” to myself, my family, my friends in order to do what He wants. That means I’ll follow Him no matter what the cost. I will hear Jesus saying “Come after me”, and I will come.
Let me remind you also that part of being a disciple is being a fisherman.
Mark 1:17 – And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
As we follow Him, Jesus molds us, trains us, and makes us fishers of men. That means sometimes God will speak to us about going to a specific person and sharing Christ. Sometimes He will speak to us about being a full time fisher of men as a pastor or as a missionary.
When Jesus says “Come to Fish for Me”, we need to heed the call.
COME TO REDEMPTION
COME TO REPENTANCE
COME TO REST
COME TO RESPONSIBILITY
COME TO RESOURCES
Hebrews 4:14-16 – Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. [15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus never called you to go it alone.
You have not been called to be a disciple in your own strength and power.
One resource we have is the Son of God in Heaven.
He is there as our high priest.
When we need help in being a disciple,
When we need help fighting sin in our lives,
When we need strength for the day,
We are to come to Him at the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace.
Sometimes at the end of our services, you may feel a need to come to Him concerning your problems.
He says to you, “come” and you should.
Not only is the Son of God a resource, but so is the Spirit of God.
John 7:37-39 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
If you have come to Jesus the Holy Spirit lives inside of you.
He is there to help to comfort to guide.
Rely on Him to control you.
We have come to the end of another worship service.
It is invitation time. It is time for you to respond in worship.
COME TO REDEMPTION
COME TO REPENTANCE
COME TO REST
COME TO RESPONSIBILITY
COME TO RESOURCES