Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

We are going to start a short series this morning on the purpose of the church.

We need to be reminded why we are here as a church.

We don’t have to look very far to find churches who have forgotten why God placed them where he did.

It’s more than a simple reminder, it is a call for us to be doing what God has called us to do.

Our purpose as a church is like an anchor that keeps us from drifting.

We need to make sure our anchor is secure and be clear on why God has placed us here.

This is not the only reason to be clear on and embrace our purpose.

Knowing our purpose also serves as compass, it sets the direction for us.

We need to ask ourselves, are we being faithful to God’s purpose in the context God has placed us?

Are we being faithful in our worship of God, our evangelizing of the lost and our discipling of the church?

When we’ve answered these questions then we are better equipped to know where to move as a church.

This guides us as we consider our future and the many ministry possibilities ahead such as building a gym, or hiring a new staff, or starting new programs.

Therefore we need to ask ourselves, are we being faithful to God’s purpose in the context God has placed us?

When we know God’s purpose for us and know the current state of our ministries then we are better equipped to know where to move as a church.

This guides us as we consider our future and the many ministry possibilities ahead such as building a gym, or hiring a new staff, or starting new programs.

We want to develop a ministry plan for reaching our community, building one another up and glorifying God.

This requires knowing how we are currently doing in those areas and that requires us to be clear on what God has called us to be and do.

in order to be faithful to the purpose God has given us we must ask what does this look like for us here at Lighthouse and are we being faithful to what God has called us to?

Are our ministries, events and services seeking to fulfill what God has called.

It is very easy to get in a rut, to do what were doing because … well that’s just they way we do it.

It isn’t just our current ministries or activities but plans and ideas for the future as well.

We want to build and gym, but before we ever put a shovel in the ground we need to be really clear on how having a gym will further help us fulfill God’s purpose for us.

Therefore being clear on God’s purpose for us helps us to make decisions and

So what am I asking from you as we go through this series?

Commit to be here for each message (or listen online if you can’t be)

Be willing to be a part of the future ministry plan of Lighthouse, both in the planning and in the carrying it out (serving).

Be willing to be a part of the future ministry plan of Lighthouse, both in the planning and in the carrying it out (serving).

Pray!

For me as I speak and share with you.

For one another that we will experience unity.

For God to be glorified in Lighthouse Fellowship Baptist Church.

Pray

Pastor Rob and I believe any ministry plan for our church must be based on God’s purpose for us as a church.

Therefore, we begin with God’s purpose for the church.

We believe we are mandated by God as a church to focus on worship, evangelism, and discipleship.

We don’t find any one verse in scripture that gives God’s full mind on the purpose of His church.

But when we look at scripture as a whole we believe these three things are very clear and also broad enough to capture all the facets of ministry.

This morning we are going to look at Worship.

This could easily be a series, in fact each point of my message could be a series.

But we don’t want to preach a series on each point at this time.

We want to see the big picture.

We will be looking at several passages of scripture

I will not be giving references to everything I say or explaining each point as fully as I could

Created to Worship

The word worship is not used here but the concept of what worship is, is front and centre.

God created man to “be His visible representation” on earth.

Not just so that people would know there is a God but they would even know what that God was like.

Therefore, man was created to represent God in His entire being - emotions, will, mind, choices, body…

Gen 1:

We were not created just to know God.

The point of having a relationship with God is to bring glory to Him.

We were created to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and give Him glory in all we do!!

This is the purpose Paul holds unbelievers accountable to in .

This is the purpose Paul holds unbelievers accountable to in .

this is what man has been created to do!!

It is the focus of both evangelism and discipleship and is the only one of the three that we will do for eternity.

God does something in - calls out Abraham, to make a nation, a people from him.

Why did God call Abraham out and make a nation from him?

God’s purpose for man does not change, every man is still accountable to glorify His maker.

But God calls out a people to glorify him and be a witness for Him together.

This begins a theme that God carries through right to the church and into eternity.

There is individual responsibility to worship God and now there is a corporate or community context to worship as well.

Why did God start the church?

Created to Worship in Community

God does something in - calls out Abraham, to make a nation, a people from him.

Why did God call Abraham out and make a nation from him?

God’s purpose for man does not change, every man is still accountable to glorify His maker.

But God calls out a people to glorify him and be a witness for Him together.

This begins a theme that God carries through right to the church and into eternity.

There is individual responsibility to worship God and now there is a corporate or community context to worship as well.

God is not content to just have individuals worshiping Him

God is continually calling people out and together to worship Him.

We were created to worship and worship in community.

God is not content to just have individuals worshiping Him

The Barrier to Worship - Sin

Adam and Eve sin and are thus separated from God. Sin affects every part of their body - emotions, will, mind, choices, body… Their ability to fulfill God’s purpose for them is drastically affected because their relationship with God is destroyed.

We don’t really see the full effect of sin on man’s ability to worship God until God starts instructing Israel on how to worship Him

Leviticus teaches us it is a great privilege to worship God but also that it won’t be easy.

God is holy and people must be holy in order to worship Him.

The book of Leviticus is full of laws and sacrifices instructing the people how to live holy lives and thus bring glory to God.

Although there are instructions on the specifics of the how and the what of sacrifices and offerings the repeated emphasis is on the heart condition of the giver.

- yet Israel (and us) continually forget this very important point.

1 Sam 15:

Ps 51:

Leviticus doesn’t just instruct them in holiness rather it shows them they simply don’t measure up.

- they simply cannot be holy.

The problem is not simply that they cannot uphold all the commandments, but the sacrifices, offerings and commandments cannot make them holy.

God is holy, therefore He can only accept worship that is holy.

Holy worship can only come from holy people.

Thus man is unable to to fulfill the purpose for which God created him.

Jesus was born under the Levitical system to fulfill that system and thus bring out from under it all who would trust in God.

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The Heart of Worship - Jesus

The focus of worship becomes Jesus because Jesus does what no one else could do.

He does what the law or sacrifices could never do.

Jesus brings Life!!!!!

Jesus fulfills the O.T. requirements to worship God.

He doesn’t just make them obsolete but He makes them complete.

How does He do that?

He lives a perfect sinless life and dies on the cross as a sacrifice for man’s sin.