New Life Bible Fellowship Church
9/14/25

      • Psalm 98:1–3KJV1900

  • Brethren, We Have Met to Worship
  • O' How I Love Jesus

      • Psalm 146KJV1900

  • Introduction:

    In our day of pleasure seeking, artificial intelligence, and a general overall malaise when it comes to life and its purpose, we the body of Christ can find ourselves either hiding out waiting for the Lord to return, or immersing ourselves into the culture, lock, stock, snd barrel, or something in between.
    So, why are we here anyway…why doesn’t the Lord just take us home after He saves us, after all, we have very little in common with the world system (or at least shouldn’t have), and everyday here on earth is a trial of immense proportion, especially as we get older. Do we have a purpose for being here?
    It seems that the church itself has lost its appeal in our culture, and people think nothing of scheduling events and activities that keep them from church attendance or involvement in any way. But it’s not just our culture that has this problem…even those who profess to be Christ’s body, His visible church, many times look at church attendance or involvement as a date on the calendar, and seek to squeeze it into an already busy life and hope to make it if nothing else arises, making it low in their priority of tasks.
    On the other hand are we to return to the days of legalism where no matter what, any time the church doors are open, we must be there.
    It seems like, which is the case in much of our lives, we swing between these extremes since we have little understanding of what the church and its purpose is all about. My hope is that as we go back to basics, mining our truth from God’s timeless, infallible word, we will gain a renewed excitement and passion for the Purpose of the Church, and see it not only as the visible display of the incarnation of Jesus Christ to this dark, evil world, but an absolute must in our growth to maturity as His people move along in their sanctification process, being supplied with healthy doses of God’s ordinary means of grace.
    The context of this series of three sermons was not created by the pastor or the elders but is found solely in the scriptures where our purpose as a church is very carefully delineated, for instance, in the book of Acts when the first church was beginning, we read that, under the direction of the apostles, the first church was actively pursuing its purpose as we read in in Acts 2:42-47
    Acts 2:42–47 ESV
    42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
    From these verses we get our three sermon titles:
    Worship God (Acts 2 46-47)
    Acts 2:46–47 ESV
    46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
    Edify the Saints
    Acts 2:42–45 ESV
    42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
    Evangelize the Lost
    Acts 2:47 ESV
    47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
    So this is where we are going for the remainder of the month of September, this morning beginning with our first and most important purpose, To Worship God. This extremly important purpose was understood by those who wrote the great confessions and catechisms, for instance:
    The first question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism sates:
    Question: What is the chief end of man?
    Answer: Man’ s chief end is to glorify God, (1 Cor. 10:31, Rom. 11:36) and to enjoy him for ever. (Ps. 73:25–28)
    We will see that there is an intimate relationship between worship and glorifying God. There are so many passages I could have chosen for this message, but I settled on Psalm 96, so let’s read that together…

    Text: Psalm 96:1-13

    Psalm 96 ESV
    1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

    Main Idea: Because God’s people have been called first and foremost to worship God, all that we are and do must manifest that worship to the world in which we live.

    Background:

    The English word "worship" comes from the Old English, meaning "worthiness," "dignity," or "honor", it could be rendered “worth-ship”, ascribing great value to something.
    Old Testament
    The primary Hebrew word for "worship" is shachah, which means "to bow down" or "prostrate oneself". 
    It is used roughly 170–173 times in the Old Testament.
    While often translated as "worship," it literally describes a physical posture of submission, reverence, and honor to both God and respected humans.
    The concept of worship is also conveyed through other terms, such as abad (to serve) and yare (to fear or revere). These are also translated as "worship" depending on the context.
    Some sources suggest that the concept of worship appears in the Old Testament more than 8,000 times if broader terms like "praise" are included. 
    New Testament
    The main Greek word for "worship" is proskyneō, which means "to fall down before" or "kiss towards". 
    It is used 60 times in the New Testament.
    This word can be found in the Gospels, where people bowed before Jesus, and frequently in the Book of Revelation, which depicts heavenly beings worshiping God.
    Other words conveying the meaning of worship include:
    Latreuō: Means "to minister or serve" and refers to religious service. Paul used this term in Romans 12:1 to describe presenting one's body as a living sacrifice, which he calls "spiritual worship".
    Sebomai: Refers to reverence and awe and is used in passages like Matthew 15:9. 
    The point is this…it is a priority in the scripture, and therefore must also be our priority. So lets look at this Psalm which calls the nations to worship the Lord, proclaim His glory, and rejoice in His sovereignty as the Creator and King of all. Though the writer of this Psalm is not revealed, the purpose of it clearly is. This Psalm may have been the basis for the thanksgiving Psalm David sang when he brought the ark to Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles 16:8-35.
    As we expose this Psalm, we will note that we are given several imperatives that make up our worship. However, they are not imperatives that are open for discussion and allow us to fill in with our own worship content, but they are given with precise content and detailed reasons for such commands.  This Psalm commands us to worship, shows us how to worship, and gives us the reason why we are to worship.  I leaves nothing to our imagination.  So we begin with the command to:

    I. Sing a New Song (1-4)

    1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! - we begin with a general statement which will be detailed shortly.
    sing (syr [imperative] - music with words, used twice) to the Lord - Repeated twice for emphasis, where the worship is to be directed, to Yahweh alone, the covenant keeping God of His people.
    a new song - invites us in a new and fresh way to continually renew our worship and reflect on God's ongoing work in our lives. Because God is so vast, we can bring a new song every day without exhausting our content.
    all the earth - Since God is King of the whole earth, and not merely of Israel, the writer calls on all His subjects to praise Him. What has begin with God’s people Israel, will include members of every nation at the return of Christ.
    2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. - again our imperative to sing is to include two more imperatives of content:
    bless his name - in the Hebrew, the word bless mean to speak words of excellence about, and name, always denotes the reputation and characteristics by which one is known. So to put it together, we are commanded to declare the excellencies of God’s reputation. This is not just an Old Testament idea:
    1 Peter 2:9 ESV
    9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
    tell of his salvation - the Hebrew imperative tell, is associated with heralding good news, and what is that good news…his salvation. Again, from the New Testament with the emphasis on His work:
    Titus 3:4–5 ESV
    4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
    3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
    Declare (spr [imperative] - make a written record, count out) his glory (this first use of this noun, which we shall define shortly) among the nations - The declaration to the nations anticipates the spread of the gospel (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; see note on Ps. 22:27).
    his marvelous works among all the peoples. God’s acts in history provide marvelous events for which to praise Him, e.g., He “made the heavens” (v. 5). Our own lives also provide a personal backdrop of this declaration.
    4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
    For - our first explanation why.
    great (gadol [adjective] - out of the ordinary in degree) is the Lord -His greatness or bigness is immeasurable, beyond our human capabilities to fathom (incomprehensible).
    greatly to be praised - with His immeasurable greatness as our focus, this becomes the standard measure of our praise, in fact He has top priority, and is to be…
    feared above all gods - the idea is that His immeasurable greatness is so immense that it renders all other so called gods or our own personal idolatries invisible, and without contest.
    The Psalmist now goes into even more detail as he draws our complete focus away from all else to…

    II. Ascribe Glory to God Alone (5-9)

    I believe this to be the core of this Psalm of worship as we see the exclusivity of the object of our worship.
    5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
    For - we now receive further explanation as to why our God is to be feared above all gods…
    all the gods of the peoples are worthless (elil [noun] - nothing or nonentities) idols - this is why God begins His law with these commands:
    Exodus 20:3–5 ESV
    3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
    but the Lord made the heavens - in contrast to the nonentities, God created all things from nothing. Therefore, the following attributes should be noted…
    6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
    Splendor and majesty - describes royal magnificence (21:5; 45:3), which is suited to the theme of divine kingship (cf. 104:1; 111:3; 145:3; Job 40:10). Our God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and as a result we come to Him and view His…
    strength and beauty, are attributes of God and become the definition and standard of what strength and beauty are…these attributes are to be viewed…
    in his sanctuary - where God is, that is, we come to God by His invitation to view His glory. Much like what Isaiah experienced as he was commissioned by God:
    Isaiah 6:1–4 ESV
    1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
    As those who intensely worship Him in His sanctuary, we are to…
    7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
    Ascribe (yhb [imperative] - used 3x in vss. 7-8, give, come, come on) to the Lord - means recognition and declaration of God's Intrinsic Worth. This definition is extremely important since we must understand that we add nothing to God’s worth or value through our ascribing, but that we recognize and declare what is already inherent with God!
    We see first of all the who of this command…O families of the peoples,
    The what of this command…glory and strength -
    Inherent Worthiness: The Hebrew word for glory, kavod, carries the meaning of "weightiness" (bigness) or "importance," (highest priority) emphasizing the profound significance and unparalleled magnificence of God. 
    Manifestation of Attributes: God's glory is the visible and knowable expression of His invisible perfections—His holiness, justice, power, love, mercy, and beauty—as He reveals Himself to humanity. 
    Ultimate Standard: It serves as the standard from which humanity has fallen short due to sin, yet it is also the source of His grace and the ultimate hope for future glory for believers. 
    How God's Glory Is Seen
    In Creation: The heavens and the earth declare God's glory, with nature serving as a testament to His handiwork and His ability to connect with all people, as Psalm 19:1-4 says. 
    Psalm 19:1–4 ESV
    1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
    In Grace and Redemption: God's glory is uniquely manifest in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, through whom He offers grace to believers, according to John 1:14. 
    John 1:14 ESV
    14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
    In Humanity: Humans, as image-bearers of God, can imperfectly participate in His glory by reflecting His character and letting their good works bring praise to God, Matthew 5:13-16.
    Matthew 5:13–16 ESV
    13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
    bring an offering, and come into his courts! - an offering. See Lev. 2. The word is also used for the tribute due a king (2 Kin. 17:4). Also shows by what means we enter the presence of our great King, with an offering, (OT), and by the blood of Christ (NT) (Heb 10:19-22)
    Hebrews 10:19–22 ESV
    19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
    9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!”
    Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness - come into the splendid presence of the all-holy one, ascribing the immeasurable worth of His glory.
    tremble before him, all the earth! - recognizing His awesome holiness causes us to tremble because of our wretchedness. (Is 6:5)
    Isaiah 6:5 ESV
    5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
    Therefore, the connection between Worship and Glorify, is that we recognize and ascribe to God his attributes. Worship is our responsive action to God glory (attributes).
    Finally, our personal and corporate worship becomes a display of God’s glory in which we…

    III. Proclaim the King’s Coming (10-13)

    10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” -
    Say among the nations,- Note that the spill over of our worship includes the nations (Gentiles), and the eternal truth that…
    “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; - God is sovereign no matter what the circumstance look like.
    he will judge the peoples with equity. - A day of God’s righteous judgment is coming. So therefore, instead of cowering in fear, all of God’s creation with extreme optimism in His sovereignty is to break out in worship…
    11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy - the inclusion of all creation which Paul tells us groans presently…Rom 8:20-22
    Romans 8:20–22 ESV
    20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
    13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” - God will have the last word as the faithful righteous judge who is perfect and impartial. The world is founded on secure moral principles, the unchanging character of God (cf. equity; and “righteousness” and “faithfulness,” 96:13). This is the story of Worship and its final result:
    Titus 2:11–14 ESV
    11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

    So What?

    Do we understand that individually and corporately, our number one priority is to worship God in everything we do and say?
    1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
    31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
    Do we understand that to worship God means to rehearse all that God is (His glorious attributes), and declare these attributes (ascribe) to ourselves and to those around us?
    So what does this mean?
    If you are young, middle-aged, or old…worship
    If all is good…worship
    If you life is falling apart…worship
    if you are well…worship
    if you are sick…worship
    If you can figure things out…worship
    If nothing makes sense…worship
    Do we understand that by doing so, we prepare ourselves and the world for the return of Christ and His subsequent judgments?
    Why can we worship when the evil of this world seems to have won…because, the sovereign God has ultimately won and the day of His judgment on evil is coming…so in the meantime…we worship!

      • Acts 2:42–47ESV

      • Acts 2:46–47ESV

      • Acts 2:42–45ESV

      • Acts 2:47ESV

      • Psalm 96ESV

      • Psalm 96:1–2ESV

      • 1 Peter 2:9ESV

      • Titus 3:4–5ESV

      • Psalm 96:3–4ESV

      • Psalm 96:5ESV

      • Exodus 20:3–5ESV

      • Psalm 96:6ESV

      • Isaiah 6:1–4ESV

      • Psalm 96:7–8ESV

      • Psalm 19:1–4ESV

      • John 1:14ESV

      • Matthew 5:13–16ESV

      • Hebrews 10:19–22ESV

      • Psalm 96:9ESV

      • Isaiah 6:5ESV

      • Psalm 96:10–12ESV

      • Romans 8:20–22ESV

      • Psalm 96:13ESV

      • Titus 2:11–14ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 10:31ESV

  • Christus Victor (Amen)
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
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