In Acts 2 we discover that the first church devoted themselves to 4 things. They committed to worship, fellowship, the scriptures, and prayer. These four things are what we will study in this first section of this sermon series focused on how we know Christ.
The passage we looked at in our discussion of knowing Christ through worship was Colossians 1:15-20. This passage addresses why we worship in the first place. I made this point, “So often we miss the point of worship when show up on Sunday morning hoping to get something out of it. As though the point of worship is what we glean from it. Worship is not about us or what we get from it. The most basic and fundamental concept that we must understand is that we do all of these things because they glorify and honor God. Our operative thought concerning worship ought not to be the hope that we can get something out of it, but rather that we can bring something of worth to it.”
It is to this end that our passage speaks. Christ is why we worship.
This Colossians passage says four things about Christ that are the foundation of why we gather to worship.
1. All things were created by him.
We come to know Christ in our worship because as we celebrate the handiwork of God’s creation we are celebrating the work of Christ. He may have been born on Christmas, but he was born into a world that he created.
2. All things were created for him.
Not only is Christ worthy of our worship because he created all things. But he created all things, especially us, so that we might give him worship. We are not the focal point of creation- Christ is. As his creation we have been infused with the purpose of glorifying him. In our worship we fulfill our reason for being and in so doing come to know Christ more fully.
3. All things are held together in him.
He is worthy of our worship because he still holds the stars in their place. By his word the planets stay in their motion. By his will summer gives way to fall, and fall to winter, and he brings the planet back to life with spring. The very seasons exhibit the redemptive fingerprint of Christ. We come to know Christ in our worship as we celebrate the fact that he’s got the whole world in is hands- and they are loving hands.
4. We are reconciled to God through him.
We come to know Christ more fully in our worship because our worship is a celebration of the good news of the gospel- namely, that the Word that created all things and sustains them for his glory left that glory, abandoned the heavenly place, in order to be born as a peasant and die as a criminal. And why? Because we sinned.
By him. For him. In him. Through him.
When Christ is in the center of our worship then in our worship we will come to know him.
The passage we looked at in our discussion of knowing Christ through worship was Colossians 1:15-20. This passage addresses why we worship in the first place. I made this point, “So often we miss the point of worship when show up on Sunday morning hoping to get something out of it. As though the point of worship is what we glean from it. Worship is not about us or what we get from it. The most basic and fundamental concept that we must understand is that we do all of these things because they glorify and honor God. Our operative thought concerning worship ought not to be the hope that we can get something out of it, but rather that we can bring something of worth to it.”
It is to this end that our passage speaks. Christ is why we worship.
This Colossians passage says four things about Christ that are the foundation of why we gather to worship.
1. All things were created by him.
We come to know Christ in our worship because as we celebrate the handiwork of God’s creation we are celebrating the work of Christ. He may have been born on Christmas, but he was born into a world that he created.
2. All things were created for him.
Not only is Christ worthy of our worship because he created all things. But he created all things, especially us, so that we might give him worship. We are not the focal point of creation- Christ is. As his creation we have been infused with the purpose of glorifying him. In our worship we fulfill our reason for being and in so doing come to know Christ more fully.
3. All things are held together in him.
He is worthy of our worship because he still holds the stars in their place. By his word the planets stay in their motion. By his will summer gives way to fall, and fall to winter, and he brings the planet back to life with spring. The very seasons exhibit the redemptive fingerprint of Christ. We come to know Christ in our worship as we celebrate the fact that he’s got the whole world in is hands- and they are loving hands.
4. We are reconciled to God through him.
We come to know Christ more fully in our worship because our worship is a celebration of the good news of the gospel- namely, that the Word that created all things and sustains them for his glory left that glory, abandoned the heavenly place, in order to be born as a peasant and die as a criminal. And why? Because we sinned.
By him. For him. In him. Through him.
When Christ is in the center of our worship then in our worship we will come to know him.
Pastor Scott
No comments:
Post a Comment