SPEAKER_01: I've often wondered uh what it must must be like to be asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a National League baseball game.
SPEAKER_01: It's one of those unusual occurrences where no matter how much you practice ahead of time, there comes that moment when you simply have to stand and deliver.
SPEAKER_01: And uh as Bobby said, in the original design of tonight's service, I was to have given the sermon earlier and the vote to affirm me was to come later, but Pastor Jesse wisely decided to reverse those two elements.
SPEAKER_01: So just in case I tank the sermon, you would have already committed yourself and there'd be no way to back out.
SPEAKER_01: Now you laugh at that, but uh if you look at this picture closely, you'll see that the young lady throwing the pitch actually missed her target by 30 feet and hit the photographer in the head.
SPEAKER_01: I also uh realized at this point that if the vote had not gone positively, you would have not uh had the opportunity to eat the cookies across the hallway.
SPEAKER_01: So there's always that incentive as well.
SPEAKER_01: I want to thank you so much for uh being here tonight and for welcoming Charlene and me into your family.
SPEAKER_01: We're looking forward to serving here, and it's an honor for me tonight uh to stand here in this place where so many others have faithfully taught the Word of God.
SPEAKER_01: Let us pray together.
SPEAKER_01: Holy Spirit of God sent into our hearts to guide us into all truth.
SPEAKER_01: We pray that you would uh illuminate our hearts and our spirits to give us an understanding of your word and cause us when this evening is over, not only to be those who have who have looked into the perfect law of liberty, but those who walk in that truth.
SPEAKER_01: We ask this all for the Savior's sake.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: I'd like to share a few thoughts tonight on the unifying power of worship.
SPEAKER_01: If we take a moment to consider the history of Christian worship, this might appear to be an unusual sermon title.
SPEAKER_01: Worship has been a source of division and conflict from the very beginning.
SPEAKER_01: Cain and Abel's story is a story about conflict and jealousy in worship.
SPEAKER_01: And the people of God have found countless ways and countless reasons throughout the ages to fight about worship.
SPEAKER_01: The crusades were waged ostensibly about worship and the liberation of the Holy Lands.
SPEAKER_01: In the years before the Reformation, over half a million people fought with one another over the use of icons and images in worship.
SPEAKER_01: Later, the Reformation and the subsequent Counter-Reformation fomented immense conflict.
SPEAKER_01: And Christians have fought to the death with other Christians over issues related to baptism and the Lord's Supper.
SPEAKER_01: Closer to our own time, we've witnessed what's come to be known as the worship wars.
SPEAKER_01: Churches split and animosity festered over what songs could or could not be sung in worship and which instruments could or could not be used to accompany those songs.
SPEAKER_01: So it might seem odd for me to stand before you tonight to talk about the unifying power of worship, because in many times and places the history of worship has been anything but unifying.
SPEAKER_01: From my military friends, I've learned the acronym Bluff, B-L-U-F, which means bottom line up front.
SPEAKER_01: And the bottom line up front is that anytime the focus of Christian worship deviates from the gospel and the exaltation of Christ, it will inevitably become a battleground for our warring selfishness and idolatry.
SPEAKER_01: But it doesn't have to be this way.
SPEAKER_01: And I would like to briefly share with you six ways worship has the power to unify the people of God.
SPEAKER_01: First, worship unites us together as the body of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Something wonderful and mysterious happens when you and I gather in this place to worship.
SPEAKER_01: The Holy Spirit that indwells each believer and joins us to Christ also joins us together to one another as a visible expression of the body of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: The phrase the body of Christ is a common metaphor in the New Testament for the gathering of God's people.
SPEAKER_01: But we should not restrict the metaphor to mere symbolism.
SPEAKER_01: Paul writes in Romans 12, for just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body.
SPEAKER_01: Each member belongs to all the others.
SPEAKER_01: In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul invokes two essential symbols from worship, the broken bread and the wine of communion, to describe how we are united with one another in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And then he goes on to say, Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
SPEAKER_01: While Jesus was not speaking specifically about corporate worship in Matthew chapter 18, he did nonetheless promise that wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
SPEAKER_01: There's been an unfortunate trend in Christian worship over the course of the last three decades that views corporate worship as many individuals simultaneously worshiping in the same space, but not necessarily together.
SPEAKER_01: This trend soft pedals the horizontal koinonia aspects of corporate worship and emphasizes the individual's personal expression.
SPEAKER_01: Although the trend seems to be decreasing, this is why so many churches still turn off the lights and pump up the volume, so you're free to express yourself individually, any way you want, without even being aware of those who are standing nearby.
SPEAKER_01: But corporate worship is not hundreds of simultaneous, individual acts of worship.
SPEAKER_01: We are mystically formed together as the body of Christ, and we experience things corporately that we cannot experience when we are apart from one another.
SPEAKER_01: Enjoins us.
SPEAKER_01: That is, it requires us to attend the corporate gathering of the saints for corporate worship.
SPEAKER_01: Because it's only in that context that we can spur one another on to love and good works, and encourage one another all the more as we see the day approaching.
SPEAKER_01: It's only in the congregational setting that we can speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Corporate worship unites us together as the body of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Secondly, worship unites us into the communion of the Godhead.
SPEAKER_01: I fear that sometimes we have the mistaken impression that worship is something we do for God in his absence.
SPEAKER_01: Now, intellectually, we know that he's aware of what we're doing because we've been taught that he's omnipresent and he's omniscient, but experientially we don't think of him as actually being present in this room.
SPEAKER_01: News flash.
SPEAKER_01: He is actually present with us here in this room when we're gathered for worship.
SPEAKER_01: And we are gathered together into the communion of the Godhead.
SPEAKER_01: Now, what do I mean when I refer to the communion of the Godhead?
SPEAKER_01: I don't think we spend enough time talking about this wonderful mystery.
SPEAKER_01: So let's begin by describing the internal relationships of the triune God who concurrently manifests himself as Father, Son, and Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: We know that their triune relationship is one of intense love for one another.
SPEAKER_01: While they each have their own agencies, they perpetually share a mutual adoration of one another.
SPEAKER_01: Now, just to be clear, I'm not suggesting the heresy of the Mormon church that somehow we become gods.
SPEAKER_01: Nor am I saying that we are somehow, our personhood is absorbed into the essence of the Godhead.
SPEAKER_01: Rather, through the blood of Christ, we are welcomed into God's triune fellowship when we gather for worship.
SPEAKER_01: They perpetually declare each other's worship, and when we declare God's worthiness, we enter into that holy communion.
SPEAKER_01: It's clear in Scripture that Jesus adores the Father.
SPEAKER_01: He speaks of coming to do the Father's will.
SPEAKER_01: He taught that he only spoke and acted according to the Father's direction.
SPEAKER_01: And ultimately he gave his life to fulfill the Father's plan.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus' mission in life was to reconcile us through his blood and welcome us into the relationship that he has with his Father.
SPEAKER_01: But the Father speaks in similar ways of his delight of the Son.
SPEAKER_01: At Christ's baptism, and then again later at his transfiguration, we hear the very voice of God saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
SPEAKER_01: And then in Hebrews chapter 1, we have a litany of scriptures where the Father exalts Jesus, calling him God, and directing mankind to worship Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Referring to Jesus, God is quoted as saying, Let all the angels of God worship him, and your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
SPEAKER_01: God, speaking of Jesus, said, You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning.
SPEAKER_01: So it's clear that God the Father reciprocates the love that Jesus has for him.
SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, you know that in John 14 and in John 16, Jesus spoke of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, saying that it was good for him to go away so that the Spirit would come to the disciples.
SPEAKER_01: Not that the Spirit would promote Himself, but that the Spirit would point them to Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus prayed, I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear, but when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
SPEAKER_01: He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
SPEAKER_01: He will glorify me, because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
SPEAKER_01: All that belongs to the Father is mine.
SPEAKER_01: That is why I said that the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.
SPEAKER_01: Even in this brief quote from John, we see the intimate love and unity of the Godhead.
SPEAKER_01: And when we gather to worship, we enter into that holy communion of worship and love.
SPEAKER_01: The call to worship that you hear at the beginning of a worship service delivered by a man standing behind a pulpit actually mirrors the summons to worship that we receive from the Holy Spirit as He forms us into the body of Christ and welcomes us into holy triune worship.
SPEAKER_01: Indeed, entering into that holy communion by sight and not only by faith will be for us the joy of eternity.
SPEAKER_01: Now, lest you fear that the wind-up for my ceremonial first pitch is taking too long, I'll move along more quickly.
SPEAKER_01: Thirdly, worship unites us around the gospel story.
SPEAKER_01: You know that the word gospel is used in many ways and many places these days, but just because the word gospel is used doesn't mean that the gospel story is actually present.
SPEAKER_01: There's lots of gospel music that doesn't contain the story of the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: And there are churches that week after week talk about their allegiance of the gospel and their defense of the gospel who don't actually ever take time to explain what the gospel is.
SPEAKER_01: But when Christians gather for a true recitation of the gospel through preaching and a reenactment of the gospel through the ordinances that Christ gave us, we are united around the gospel story.
SPEAKER_01: Let me illustrate it this way.
SPEAKER_01: I want to ask a series of questions and ask you all, please, to respond together out loud.
SPEAKER_01: How old were you when you came to faith in Christ?
SPEAKER_01: What was the name of the local church where you heard the gospel?
SPEAKER_01: What is your favorite hymn or worship song?
SPEAKER_01: I could do this all day.
SPEAKER_01: Now, what is the name of the one who died for your salvation?
SPEAKER_01: What is the name before whom one day every knee will bow?
SPEAKER_01: Who is coming again in glory to receive you into the Father's kingdom?
SPEAKER_01: I could do this all day.
SPEAKER_01: Even with our diversity, we are united as one when we focus on the story of the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: My point is simply that if you come to church listening for your favorite song or your favorite style or your favorite preacher, that will inevitably lead to separation.
SPEAKER_01: But if you come to church listening for the gospel, and I know that this church has a long history of celebrating the gospel, this will inevitably lead to the unity of God's people.
SPEAKER_01: Those of us who study the architecture of worship, think of the weekly gathering as being comprised of three elements: structure, content, and style.
SPEAKER_01: And the story of the gospel has a direct impact on all three.
SPEAKER_01: To begin with, even the structure of the worship service mirrors the Ordo Salutis, the process of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: First, the call to worship mirrors the electing call of God as we have each been chosen in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Second, seeing his exalted glory, we are made aware of our sinfulness, we confess our sin, we receive forgiveness, and we respond with acts of praise and worship.
SPEAKER_01: Next, in the same way that we humble ourselves to God's truth at the time of our conversion, we submit ourselves to the preaching of his word.
SPEAKER_01: And then finally, we are sent out in gospel joy to serve God and share his love with others.
SPEAKER_01: This has historically been called the gospel order, the fourfold order of structure of worship.
SPEAKER_01: The gospel is also clearly evident in the content of worship.
SPEAKER_01: Our mandate is Paul's declaration, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile.
SPEAKER_01: So we sing the gospel, we declare the gospel, we preach the gospel, we pray the gospel, because the gospel is both the only thing we have and the only thing we need.
SPEAKER_01: Finally, the style of worship reflects the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: Style is that component of corporate worship that interfaces with human culture because the gospel is for people and must be understood by people.
SPEAKER_01: But the mistake that some have made is to make style to be the gospel, thinking that we can perhaps attract the unbeliever by our cultural relevance or our creativity, and then later tell them the story of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Rather, I think the best guidance that we have in Scripture for a style of worship that honors God is found in the book of Psalms and the Book of Revelation.
SPEAKER_01: These are both books that are primarily about worship.
SPEAKER_01: And here we discover a joyful reverence that should characterize the meeting of believers for worship.
SPEAKER_01: Fourth, worship unites us in the mission of the church.
SPEAKER_01: The church that I grew up in had a slogan etched in stone over the entrance: Enter to worship, depart to serve.
SPEAKER_01: And this essential unity of worship and service can be traced throughout the scripture.
SPEAKER_01: When God called Abraham into a covenant relationship with himself, he promised, In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.
SPEAKER_01: At the dedication of the great temple, Solomon prayed for those outside the covenant who would be drawn into the worship of Yahweh.
SPEAKER_01: He prayed, as for the foreigner, who does not belong to your people Israel, but has come from a distant land because of your name, do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your name.
SPEAKER_01: We're all familiar with Isaiah's glorious vision of God seated on his throne in majesty.
SPEAKER_01: Isaiah is cleansed of his sin, and he experiences the worship of the angelic host, and then he hears the very voice of God for service.
SPEAKER_01: And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for us?
SPEAKER_01: And then I said, Here am I, send me.
SPEAKER_01: Simeon held the newborn Jesus in his arms, knowing that the worship of Messiah would extend out from God's people to all the nations of the world.
SPEAKER_01: And he prayed, Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.
SPEAKER_01: And if you listen carefully, you'll hear Pastor Jesse conclude our worship services with this benediction.
SPEAKER_01: Go in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, walk in his ways, do his will, and serve him with gladness.
SPEAKER_01: This is an appropriate benediction because worship unites us in the mission of the church.
SPEAKER_01: Fifth, worship unites us in the love of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: In Psalm 133, David borrows an image from Israel's worship to illustrate the beauty of unity that's found in worship.
SPEAKER_01: How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.
SPEAKER_01: It's like the precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe.
SPEAKER_01: The anointing oil that was used to consecrate Aaron for worship was a sign of God's blessing.
SPEAKER_01: It emitted a fragrant aroma that followed him wherever he went, and it was poured out lavishly, running on his head and his beard and down on his vestments.
SPEAKER_01: And so it is for us.
SPEAKER_01: God is pleased and magnified when we are united in worship and the anointing of his love is poured out lavishly upon us.
SPEAKER_01: The prayer that was closest to the heart of Jesus on the night in which he was arrested was that we would be unified.
SPEAKER_01: He prayed, My prayer is not for them alone.
SPEAKER_01: I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
SPEAKER_01: May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
SPEAKER_01: I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity.
SPEAKER_01: Again, Jesus is not speaking strictly about corporate worship here, but where do we have any greater opportunity to love and encourage one another than when we are gathered for worship?
SPEAKER_01: Of course, as a musician, I love to hear the people singing, but to be honest, the part of worship that is most moving to me is when the congregation speaks with one voice to declare God's goodness found in one of the psalms, or to declare the scripture truth that's found in the Apostles' Creed.
SPEAKER_01: So if you ever find yourself on the fence some Sunday morning, wondering if whether or not you should go to church that day, I hope that you'll not make the decision so much based on what you'll experience or how you will benefit, but rather think about your brothers and sisters in Christ, whose heart is encouraged and whose faith is strengthened when we are unified in worship.
SPEAKER_01: Finally, worship unites us with a church universal and anticipates our heavenly abode.
SPEAKER_01: There's a line in the Apostles' Creed where we affirm our belief in the communion of the saints.
SPEAKER_01: That communion in worship is not only uniting us with the visible church, that is, those that are sitting beside you in the pew right now, but it also unites us with the invisible church that's comprised of all the saints of the ages who have finished their race.
SPEAKER_01: When we are summoned here by the Holy Spirit at the appointed hour, unified together as the body of Christ, and welcomed into the fellowship of triune worship to celebrate the story of the gospel, we are mystically stepping out of this fleeting so-called reality and entering into the eternal, ceaseless worship of the holy, holy, holy, uncreated one who sits on heaven's throne.
SPEAKER_01: The Apostle John experienced the worship of an eternally unified church as he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus gave him a glimpse of that perpetual worship of heaven, worship that continues unabated to this very moment.
SPEAKER_01: Our gathering here is but a foretaste of the glory and unity that we will experience on that day.
SPEAKER_00: And now, for a parting word from Pastor Jesse Johnson.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_00: If you're in the Washington, DC area, I would love to see you at Emanuel Bible Church.
SPEAKER_00: For more information on our church or our current service times, go to IBC.church.
SPEAKER_00: For more information about the Master Seminary and their Washington, D.C.
SPEAKER_00: location, go to TMS.edu.
SPEAKER_00: I hope this resource has been a blessing to you and it helps you seek the Lord daily, serve others around you, and share the gospel with all of us.