August 26 Jesus went to the
synagogue to worship as we have come to church to worship & listen to Jesus
Luke 14:7
In the gospel Jesus was in a synagogue and it was Jesus custom to be in
the synagogue – the Jewish church - every Sabbath. Today he was teaching -
other times he was simply one of those who had come to worship – to join in the
prayers and the singing of psalms, and to listen to the readings of scripture.
So Jesus went to worship and did the same things you’re doing today –
pray and sing and listen.
But the presence of Jesus is always a sign of the coming of the
Jesus heals people spiritually, he heals them emotionally, and
sometimes he heals them physically.
Jesus comes to us to liberate us from whatever is holding us in
bondage. To lift us up
and inspire us, so that we can walk straight and tall.
A worship service creates a space – an opportunity – for God to act in
your life - an opportunity for the Spirit to move your heart and influence your
mind. We celebrate Christ and believe
his Spirit acts in worship, and we respond by faith with open hearts.
Our second lesson was a reading from the Book of Hebrews – and it
wasn’t easy to follow. Yet it does say a
lot about what we’re doing here this morning.
But you have come to
But you have already come…means, we, as believers, already experience that
future
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Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that
cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable
worship with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28
We respond to what we have already received by gathering on Sunday morning
for a service whose technical name is Eucharist – a Greek word which
simply means thanksgiving. We are here
today to offer thanks to God in prayers and songs, hymns and psalms – to make a
joyful noise to the Lord.
We gather together to offer thanks as a church - the assembly of
those who are enrolled in heaven, because through the Holy Spirit, God has
called us into this fellowship.
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The lesson warns - carefully listen to God’s word:
See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking;
for if they,
the Hebrew people after the Exodus, did not escape when they refused Moses,
who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one
who warns from heaven - Christ who speaks through the words of the gospel.
Hebrews 12:25
Do not refuse to listen - pay attention to God’s word. One of the primary aspects of our worship of
God is simply hearing God’s word - Hearing it afresh, as if we’re listening to
it for the first time. It is by hearing
the word that we are built up and grow and glorify God.
In just listening to the Bible readings and a sermon, you are being a
disciple – doing what the first disciples did, listening to Jesus. By listening, you are taking a step in
following Jesus in that you are focusing on His way.
And when you say “yes” to what you hear, you are allowing him to direct
your life – and thus you are accepting Him as your king – you’re living as a
citizen of His kingdom.
And you may find yourself doing something you wouldn’t have done if you
had not listened to Him.
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Every word of scripture is potentially a word from the Lord to someone
here today. So listen carefully.
Expect God’s word to be spoken to you.
Maybe not every time you come to church, but often enough to make
careful listening worthwhile.
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As teenagers explained in the Children’s Sermon, if you are going to
listen, you’ll have to be quiet. God
speaks softly. So you have to quiet your
mind, and try to push away all the distractions so you can concentrate on
listening to God’s word with an open mind.
We all lead busy lives, so really listening and concentrating isn’t easy
– it’s work.
By the way, that’s one reason
for children’s chapel – having the young children leave during the reading
God’s word and the sermon. It’s also why
we provide a nursery. So you won’t be
distracted and can thoughtfully listen.
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As you listen, don’t only ask “What do these words mean”, rather listen
with the question, “What is the Lord summoning me to do though these words.” Be open to the real possibility that God has
something to say to you about your life, and that he uses words from the Bible
as a means to speak to you.
For the word of God is active and living, sharper than
a two-edge sword... and discerning the
thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
The words of scripture are “living words” because the Spirit uses them
to move your heart and mind.
Perhaps when you listen to the sermon, your question shouldn’t be, “Do
I agree with this?” but rather “How does God expect me to change to make
this sermon make sense?”
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A devout believer sought guidance for the next step in his life. He decided he would close his eyes, open his
bible, and point his finger to a verse.
He opened his eyes and read Judas went out and hanged himself. He decided he needed a little more guidance,
closed his eyes again and when he opened them his finger was pointing to the
verse Go and do likewise.
You can’t just randomly open the Bible and expect it to apply to your
life. That’s one reason we have Bible
study classes.
But Jesus promises His Spirit will help you understand as you read the
scriptures prayerfully. His Spirit can
apply those words from the Bible to you.
So when we read the lessons and interpret them, you can listen for the
voice of God speaking directly to you.
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Occasionally in conversation after the service, one of you will share
something you got out of it – a point that had direct application to your
life. That’s good, but what may be
surprising is that I never thought of that point. What you heard, never
occurred to me. It’s especially
surprising if we’re talking about my sermon.
How can that be? You heard
something I don’t remember saying? The first sign of my senility?
No, I think it’s an example of the Holy Spirit working in your mind –
using the spoken word to speak to you with the message that you need to hear
now.
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For those of you who haven’t heard the Lord directly speaking to you
about your life during any service, let me remind you that we’re all different
and the Lord can be subtle. Often that
guidance from the Lord is just a feeling that you get over time. Perhaps, a growing, gradual sense of
something God wants you to do – or God wants you to be. If later you were asked, what prompted you to
take that path, you might not be able to give a clear
answer. There was no one thing, only a
growing conviction that this is something you should do. There were only hints, glimpses, suggestions,
and other subtle leading. Perhaps that
subtle leading was your voice from heaven.
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We hear the word and then we respond by singing hymns and songs, by
reciting the creed and offering prayers, by sharing the peace and holding hands
during the Lord’s Prayer. But even while
we are offering to God, He is not silent.
The Spirit continues to move us and speak to us through those hymns and
prayers. For Christ
promises to be present in the gathering of the church: Where two or three
are gathered together in my name, Jesus says, there am I in the midst of
them.
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Even now, Christ is near us,
but
we discern His presence by faith.
By faith, we
join in the worship of the heavenly
In faith, we
offer our prayers and listen for God
speaking
to us through the Words of scripture.
Through faith,
we are healed spiritually and liberated from the bondage of sin.
By faith, we receive a foretaste of the Kingdom, and a share of His
Spirit and power.