Worship of God

 

Read Acts 2:38-47

 

The result of Peter’s sermon.

 

Peter preaching to thousands of pilgrims who were gathered from different countries (known world then) to observe the Pentecost in Jerusalem. This man Jesus whom they knew was Christ the Lord, whom they crucified. When they heard, their hearts were pierced with pain as they crucified the Messiah.

 

God created us to honor him and to worship him.

Adam and Eve – Fellowship with God in Paradise, there was worship of God.

Sin – separated man from God. Man wanted to make his own gods, images bow down – worship.

God gave the 10 Commandments to the Israelites told them to worship God only, not to make any images.

 

How to worship God?

We cannot come to God in our sinful nature, sinful state to worship him, God is infinitely holy and we are sinners.

Our sins has to be cleansed in approaching God in worship.

Cain and Abel both went to worship God. God accepted only Abel’s offering. Blood sacrifice. He did it by faith.

Abraham went to worship God in Mt. Moriah, he told the servants ““Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”  Abraham killed a ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Tabernacle and the temple in the OT, animals were killed when people went to worship God.

Heb 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission

 

Acts 2:38  Remission of sins. Pardon of our offenses, forgiveness, in Jesus Name.

1 Peter 1:18-19

knowing that you were not redeemed (Saved, purchased to God) with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

True Repentance is to leave the sins we loved before, hate those sins and now to Love Jesus for what he has done for us and to follow him.

Water Baptism – To show the world, public declaration of your faith in Jesus, what happened inside, you will show outside.

God chose Israel and showed them in the beginning, who God is and how to be saved and how to worship him.

 

Acts 2:39 now in these last days, the gospel is not given to one nation but to all nations.

 

What is the gospel?

Acts 2:40  Be saved? What do you mean by saved? Saving from a danger, eternal fire, hell, lake of fire, God’s wrath. Why we need to be saved? God will punish all sinners, all sinners are who are not in Christ.

Perverse generation. Sinful generation.  Noah and his family were saved from the wrath of God.

Lot and his children saved from the wrath of God.

 

3,000 people got saved from Peter’s simple but powerful message. Many of them would have been pilgrims.

 

New Testament Church.

 

Worship of God

  1. Doctrine. (Verse 42) Many churches say we don’t want doctrine, we just want to worship God in the spirit. Doctrine simply means the word of God, teachings of Christ.

Apostles Doctrine, not their own teachings but what Jesus had taught them. Mat 28:19-20, Holy Spirit will bring in to remembrance. John 14:26

What is the useful of doctrine? Show is what is not right and what is right. Also learning doctrine we will come to know God and what he requires from us. Most important thing for the new church is that they will grow from the word of God.  1 Pet 2:1-2

 

  1. Worship God in Fellowship. Christians coming together as one body to worship God.  Fellowship is not Christians getting together and having worldly fun, jokes and entertainment, worldly, fleshly fellowship. John Calvin said, “doctrine is the bond of brotherly fellowship amongst us.” (1 John 1:6)

Luke 24:32 “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

1 John 1:3 Fellowship is spiritual not carnal.

True fellowship is talking of Christ, talking of God’s word, encouraging one another in God’s word. 

 

  1. Worship of God is having Holy Communion with the family of God. Remembering what Christ have done for our poor souls, worshipping God through Christ. Exalting Christ on what he has done.
  2. Worship of God by prayers.  Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Having communion with God, as Christians we have a relationship with God through prayer.
  3. Worship of God is praising God. (Verse 47) We praise God by singing hymns to God, but is it meaningful to your hearts what you sing? Sing and forget. Praise God for what Christ had done for us, saving us, giving eternal life, thanking him for giving spiritual food, for spiritual blessings. Eph 1:3. Praising and thanking God for answering prayers, thanking him daily for providing our needs, protecting from sin.

 

  1. Worship of God produce results. Doctrine, fellowship, prayers, praising God will produce results. What is the result? Christian love.   See verse 44-46. Here we see 3,000 people were saved, mostly pilgrims and there were needs in the church. We see generosity, unselfishness. Whatever they could help others they did it as unto the Lord. True love is giving.  Father gave his son to us, that is love. Christ did not say I love you but gave his life.

 

  1. Worship of God is a steadfast continuation. It is not a one time act. But continual, daily act. (See v 42 and 46) We worship God in our fellowship in home and wherever but a daily continual act. (Rom 12:1)

 

  1. Worship of God is not hypocritical. Not a show, not manufactured or artificial only to be seen only in the church.  (John 4:24) Not traditional, only for a specific time, only in the church. But all the time, not a burden but in gladness and simplicity of heart. (V 46)