Study Guide: "The Inner Essence of Joyful Worship"

Text: Philippians 1:18-24

OPEN:

Worship is the one thing believers should know the most about and practice the most often.  The reason is that worship is what we were created for. This is the final end of all existence: the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of his glory. And he created us so that we would see this glory and reflect it by knowing and loving Him-- with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. And yet, worship seems to be something that believers disagree about most and understand least.

So we need to build a common vision of what worship is and what we are gathering to do on Sunday morning, and scattering to do on Monday morning. What is it? Why do we do it? How do we do it? You may be surprised at what we find in the Bible about this central Christian act known as "worship."

Let's begin with a startling fact, namely, that in the epistles of the New Testament there is very little instruction that deals explicitly with corporate worship - what we call worship services. Not that there were no corporate gatherings for worship: 1 Corinthians 14:23 speaks of "the whole church gathering together," and Acts 2:46 speaks of the early church "attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes," and Hebrews 10:25 speaks of "not neglecting to meet together." But this is not much and the remarkable thing is that, even when the gatherings are in view, the apostles do not speak explicitly of "worship."

Let me illustrate this so that you feel its full force. In the Old Testament the most common word for worship is the Hebrew word hishtahvah (or some related form of that word). Its basic meaning is "bow down," with the sense of reverence and respect and honor. It occurs 171 times. In the Greek Old Testament, 164 of those instances of this Hebrew word are translated by the Greek word proskuneo.  In the Greek New Testament this is the main word for worship - proskuneo. But when you look at its use something astonishing appears. The word is common in the gospels (26 times) - people would often bow down worshipfully before Jesus. And it is common in the book of Revelation (21 times) because the angels and elders in heaven often bow down before God. But in the epistles of Paul it occurs only once, namely in 1 Corinthians 14:25 where the unbeliever falls down at the power of prophecy and confesses God is in the assembly. And it doesn't occur at all in the letters of Peter, James or John.

This is truly remarkable - that the main word for worship in the Old Testament is virtually absent from the letters of the New Testament. Why is this? Why are the very epistles that are written to help the church be what it ought to be in this age almost totally devoid of this word and of explicit teaching on the specifics of corporate worship?

The main point is that the New Testament reveals a stunning silence about the outward place and forms of worship and a radical intensification of worship as an inner, Godward experience of the heart manifest in everyday life. The silence about outward forms is obvious in the fact that the gathered life of the church is never called "worship" in the New Testament. And the main Old Testament word for worship (proskuneo) is virtually absent from the New Testament letters.

So we may conclude that the essence of worship is not external, localized acts, but an inner, Godward experience that comes out not primarily in church services (though they are important) but primarily in daily expressions of allegiance to God - in the way you relate to your family, in the way you handle disappointment, or keep your marriage vows, or speak up for Christ.

I.  What Experience of the Heart Magnifies God?

Today I simply want to identify what the essence of that inner experience is which we call worship. If it is not essentially an outward act, but an experience of the heart, what is that experience?

I take it as a given that worship, whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively, is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent God is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious he is. Worship is all about reflecting the worth or value of God.  So the question we are asking this morning is: What inner experience of the heart does that? If the essence of worship is not mere outward form, but inner, Godward experience, what experience reveals and expresses how great and glorious God is? To answer that question we go to Philippians 1:20-21.

Does Paul tell us what kind of inner experience exalts Christ in this way? Does he reveal the essence of worship? The answer is that he does, and he does so in verse  21: "For me, living is Christ, and dying is gain." The Greek contains no verb: "To live Christ, to die gain." Paul's expectation and hope was that Christ would be exalted whether by his life or my death, because living is Christ and dying is gain.

In light of that, we can now say that the inner essence of joyful worship is cherishing Christ as gain - more gain than all that life can offer - family, career, retirement, fame, food, friends. The essence of worship is experiencing Christ as gain-- it is savoring Christ, treasuring Christ, being satisfied with Christ. This is the inner essence of worship.  The inner essence of worship is prizing Christ, cherishing  him, treasuring him, being satisfied with him.

II. Some Implications for Worship:

1. Joyful worship is radically God-centered.

The basic attitude of worship on Sunday morning is not to come with your hands full to give to God, but with your hands empty, to receive from God. And what you receive in worship is God, not entertainment. You ought to come hungry for God. Come saying, "As a deer pants for the flowing springs, so my soul pants for thee, O God." God is mightily honored when a people know that they will die of hunger and thirst unless they have God.

If our focus shifts onto our giving to God, one result I have seen again and again is that subtly it is not God that remains at the center but the quality of our giving. Are we singing worthily of the Lord? Are our instrumentalists playing with quality fitting a gift to the Lord? Is the preaching a suitable offering to the Lord? And little by little the focus shifts off the utter indispensability of the Lord himself onto the quality of our performances. And we even start to define excellence and power in worship in terms of the technical distinction of our artistic acts.

2. Joyful worship is an end in itself.

If the essence of worship is passionate enjoyment of God himself, then worship can't be done authentically as a means to anything else. You simply can't say to God, I want to be satisfied in you so that I can have something else. Because that would mean that you are not really satisfied in God but in that something else. And that would dishonor God, not worship him.

But in fact for thousands of people and pastors the event of "worship" on Sunday morning is conceived of as a means to accomplish something other than worship. We "worship" to raise money; we "worship" to attract crowds; we "worship" to heal human hurts; we "worship" to recruit workers; we "worship" to improve church morale. We "worship" to give talented musicians an opportunity to fulfill their calling; we "worship" to teach our children the way of righteousness; we "worship" to help marriages stay together; we "worship" to evangelize the lost among us; we "worship" to motivate people for service projects; we "worship" to give our churches a family feeling, etc., etc.

In all of this we bear witness that we do not know what true worship is. Genuine affections for God are an end in themselves. 

I am not denying that authentic worship may have a hundred good effects on the life of the church. It will, just as true affection in marriage makes everything better. My point is that to the degree that we do "worship" for these reasons, to that degree it ceases to be authentic worship. Keeping satisfaction in God at the center guards us from that tragedy.

3.  Joyful worship makes all of life an expression of worship.

“Phrases like Worship Service or Service of Worship are tautologies. To worship God means to serve him. Basically there are two ways to do it. One way is to do things for him that he needs to have done - run errands for him, fight on his side, feed his lambs, and so on. The other way is to do things for him that you need to do – sing songs for him, create beautiful things for him, give things up for him, tell him what’s on your mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in him and make a fool of yourself for him the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love." __F. Buechner

Worship includes what we do from 10:00 - 11:00 am on Sunday mornings, but it's really about what we do with the other 167 hours of the week.  

All of life is to be an expression of worship because in every moment the Creator is present.

CLOSE:

So we may conclude that the essence of worship is not external, localized acts, but an inner, Godward experience.  Then, when we come together for that brief hour or so on Sunday morning he will be duly praised, because he is duly prized. And who knows what God might reveal to those among us, if we really, authentically prize God in our midst. If we really come, saying: "As a deer pants for the flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Faith and Necessity

I just watched a man walking toward a shoe repair shop in 30 degree temperatures while wearing one shoe and carrying the other. An authentic marriage of faith and necessity. I can't help but wonder if my own intermittent lack of faith results from a shortage of perceived need. Too frequently I opt to function like I do not need God's involvement at all.

"Father, grant me the faith of a shoeless man in winter whose hope rests on the availability and skill of the cobbler."

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor--from www.danefowlkes.blogspot.com)

Great Day at BUMC

What a great day we enjoyed yesterday at BUMC!  I personally benefitted from the warm spirit of community as we gathered for worship and the eager receptivity I noted as I taught from Philippians.  I encourage each member of our fellowship to spread the good news of what God is doing at BUMC. Bosqueville and surrounding areas need to know about a church that is sincerely seeking to be God's agent of reconciliation in the community. Thank God for a fellowship of authentic believers that truly love indiscriminately!

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: Essentials of Joyful Growth

Philippians 1:9-11

Open:

There is no truer indicator of spiritual maturity than his or her prayer life.  Paul's prayer life reveals more of his spiritual vitality than all of his preaching, teaching, and miracles combined.  And we learn as much from what Paul did not pray for as we do from what he did request from God.  The recorded prayers of Paul reveal a notable absence of prayer for material things.  Instead, spiritual matters on his heart took priority.  Our present text presents five specific elements of joyful growth that Paul requested on behalf of his beloved Philippian believers.

I. Growth in Love (1:9)

"that your love may overflow more and more..."

1. Love is at the very heart of biblical Christianity.

- Love is an tribute of God's essential nature (1John 4:8,16) and will be the most obvious attribute of a life that reflects Him.

2. God's love originates in God's Word ("with knowledge") and then applies it in the world ("and full insight").

II. Growth in Excellence (1:10)

"to help you to determine what is best"

1. "To" may better be translated "so that", indicating that the first essential (love) is the foundation of the second (excellence).

2. "Determine" is a word from classical Greek that was used of assaying metals to determine purity.     - This means to carefully identify whatever is best, most crucial.

- For the believer, this more than distinguishing good from evil.  This is discerning what is best.

III. Growth in Integrity (1:10b)

"so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless."

1. "Pure" comes from a word that reflected the ancient practice of holding a piece of pottery to the light in order to reveal whether or not it had any cracks.  Unscrupulous artisans would conceal cracks with a dark wax that made the cracks undetectable in ordinary sunlight.  Reputable dealers would often stamp their product sine cera ("without wax") as a guarantee of high quality.

- A pure Christian life is one without deception: Who you are in public is compatible with who you are in private.

2. "Blameless" expresses the extent and goal of integrity -- to influence others positively rather than negatively.  "Every believer is an arrow.  Which way are you pointing?"

IV. Growth in Good Works (1:11a)

"having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ"

1. This refers to something that happened in the past and that has continuing results.

- Our righteousness will never increase because we already have the righteousness of Christ.

- Our fruitfulness may and should increase as we grow in the previous joyful essentials (love, excellence and integrity).

2. It is God's purpose to produce good works in the lives of all believers. (Ephesians 2:10)

V. Growth in Glorifying God (1:11b).

"for the glory and praise of God."

1. God makes believers fruitful for the sake of his own glory. (John 15:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31)

2. We do good works not to gain God's acceptance, but to honor Him.

Close:

Paul gives us five essentials for joyful spiritual growth as followers of Christ.  These are not matters of duty, but joyful delight.  There is a God-ordained progression here that begins with godly love and eventually results in glorifying Him.  If we have a problem with anynof these essentials, we need to identify the issues and then look to the previous one in order to resolve the failure.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: Elements of the Joy Journey

Text: Philippians 1:3-8

Open:

The  Philippian church was not perfect as we will see later in this letter.  But in contrast to most of the other churches with which Paul was associated, they had no deep moral or spiritual problems.  And as the Apostle Paul thought about this beloved congregation his joy overflowed.  In verses 3-8 Paul touches on five specific elements of his Spirit-created joy as it related to the Philippian believers.

I. The Joy of Recollection (verse 3).

"I thank my God every time I remember you."

1. This element of joy has to do with remembering people and events from the past that brought joy to his mind and heart.  

2. Joyful remembrance is selective.  This is choosing to remember the goodness, kindness and successes of others rather than their faults and failures.

II. The Joy of Intercession (verse 4).

"constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you"

1. Praying for others produces joy in the heart of the intercessor.

2. True intercession is more than making a request on behalf of someone.  It is entering into the experience of the other.

III. The Joy of Participation (verse 5).

"Because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now."

1. The word used here for "sharing" is koinonia.

2. True fellowship comes from a shared relationship (in Christ) and a shared purpose (in the gospel).

IV. The Joy of Anticipation (verse 6).

"I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ."

1. Nothing can encourage a Christian as much as the knowledge that, despite life's uncertainties and difficulties, and no matter how many spiritual defeats there may be along the way, he/she will eventually be made complete in Christ.

2. God will have no unfinished works.

V. The Joy of Affection (verses 7 & 8).

In these verses Paul's rejoicing reaches a crescendo.

1. There can be no greater or more exhilarating joy than that produced by deep, abiding love for others.

2. Genuine love originates in the mind, not in the heart. (1 Thessalonians 4:9)

Close:

Paul gives five specific elements of his Spirit-created joy in reference to the Phillipians believers. These same elements will produce joy in each of us if we put them into practice:

- Remember/focus on the positive concerning others.

- Intercede for others/ share in their suffering and need.

- Get involved personally in extending the gospel of Christ to those who haven't heard.

- Stay encouraged by the fact that God leaves no believer's life unfinished.

- Choose to love others without discrimination.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: "Finding Joy in the Journey" (Shout for Joy series)

Text: Philippians 1:1-2

OPEN:

John MacArthur writes: "People today are consumed by the passionate pursuit of happiness.  Self-help books, motivational speakers, and advice columnists claim to offer the key to happiness, but for many the door remains locked.  Unable to control their circumstances, they find themselves instead controlled by their circumstances."  

There is a Word from the Lord  to help us break free from the shackles of circumstance and it is found in Philippians. Paul's brief letter to the Philippians Church some 2,000 years ago holds the key to understanding how you and I in 2014 may rise above our circumstances and rediscover the joy of living.  In this study, we will find fresh hope for the life we always dreamed of.  Today we begin at the beginning, and Paul’s salutation in 1:1-2 serves well as an introduction to the study

The circumstances of both the writer and the recipients of this brief letter were not those that would be expected to produce joy and happiness.  When the apostle Paul wrote this letter to his beloved Philippian congregation, he was in his fourth year of Roman imprisonment, awaiting Emperor Nero’s final decision in his case.  The Philippian church also had its share of problems:

Its members were desperately poor, so much so that Paul was surprised at their contribution to the offering he was collecting for Jerusalem (2 Co 8:1-5).  Like Paul, they were being persecuted for the cause of Christ (1:27-30).  What made matters even worse was that they were being attacked by false teachers (3:2, 18-19).  On top of everything else that set the stage for potential disaster, a feud between two prominent women in the congregation threatened the unity of the church (4:2-3).

So, how is it that this has been termed, “the letter of joy”?

Our purpose in undertaking this study is to learn the secret of joy, peace, and contentment regardless of our circumstances.

I.  Something is Different About this Letter (1:1)

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.”

Letter writing is practically a lost art with the wide-scale use of email, so much so that a traditional letter is categorized negatively as “snail mail.”  This is a very recent phenomenon.

The opening of this letter is different from that of most of Paul’s in one very interesting respect.  It is the difference shared by all of Paul’s European letters—Philippians and the two to the Thessalonians—and by the little personal note to Philemon.  The notable difference is the absence of the word “apostle.”  In all his other letters, Paul feels the need to remind his readers that he writes with all that his apostolic position grants him.  It is Paul’s way of emphasizing that he writes with apostolic authority, something that was very important in the early church.  But things are very different as he addresses his beloved Philippians.

II.  Something is Different About this Church (1:1).

“To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi…”

The Philippian church was the first church Paul planted in Europe.

He came to Philippi on his second missionary journey under the dramatic direction of the Holy Spirit [Acts 16:9-10].  Though the initial converts were Jews or Jewish proselytes [Acts 16:13-15], Gentiles made up the majority of the congregation.  The city’s Jewish population was so small there was no synagogue there—or else the women Paul initially encountered would not have been meeting outside the city on the Sabbath.  Two dramatic conversions, that of wealthy Lydia (Acts 16:13-15) and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:25-34) helped jumpstart the fledgling congregation.

As a result, the Philippians had a deep affection for Paul as he did for them.  This letter is a highly personal one.  The first person pronouns “I” and “my” appear 51 times in the brief letter.

"This is a letter of the heart, a true love letter, full of friendship, gratitude, and confidence."

III.  Something is Special About this Description of the Christians (1:1).

The term “servants” that Paul applies to himself and Timothy and the term “saints” that he applies to the Philippian Christians are to be seen as parallel terms.  In other words, believers in Christ are both servants and saints.

1. Servants.

This English word is far too weak a word to represent the Greek douloi: most commentators translate this more accurately as “bond-slaves”—a concept that would be vividly familiar to every reader of this letter.  Many of the church were, or had been, slaves themselves—and the word would have immediately caught their attention.  The word doulos refers to one bound to another.  Paul’s use refers to one whose will is swallowed up in the will of another.  It refers to one who serves another to the disregard of his/her own interests.  Paul frequently uses this term in his letters indicating his relationship to Jesus Christ.

Richard Foster: "There is a major difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant.  If choosing to serve, you are still in control.  If choosing to be a servant, you relinquish that control to another."

There are positive aspects to being a bond-slave:

1) The master is responsible for his slaves’ needs—feeding, clothing, housing, and all else is the slave-owner’s concern (Mt 6:24-25; Phil 4:19).

2) The master is responsible for his slave’s duties—slaves do not choose their own task or their own sphere of influence.  Size and sphere is the master’s choice.

3) The master is responsible for the slave’s supplies.  Whatever God tells us to do, we can do it, because we will never lack God’s supply.

- J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, had 986 faith missionaries in China by 1910.  His motto was: “God's will, done God's way, never lacks God's supply."

2. Saints.

The word “saints” is the translation of a Greek word (hagiois) meaning “to set apart” in its verb form, and “set apart ones” in its noun form.  Saints are set apart from sin to holiness, set apart from Satan to God, consecrated for God’s sacred fellowship and service.

3. In Christ

All believers are saints, not because they are themselves righteous, but because they are “in Christ Jesus.”  Our position is “in Him.” The word “in” (en) is used with the locative of sphere in the Greek, meaning that these saints were saints in the sphere of Christ.  That is, Christ is the sphere in which the believer has his/her new life and all his/her interests and activities.

“For me to live is Christ.”

“For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)

- This is the key that unlocks the door to joy.  We are positionally “in Him” and are to live practically “in Him."

A word of caution is in order here: We do not learn to live like saints by focusing on a set of rules and regulations majoring on what saints don’t do.  We learn to live like saints by focusing on what it means to be “in Him,” to operate within the sphere of Jesus Christ.

CLOSE:

Let me state again our purpose in undertaking this study.  Our goal is to learn the secret of joy, peace, and contentment regardless of our circumstances.  How do we face all that we face and endure all that we endure and through it all experience genuine joy?

- Obey like servants

- Act like saints

- Operate consciously in the sphere of Jesus Christ

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Shout for Joy: Rediscovering the Joy of Living

On Sunday, January 5, we will begin a new sermon series: "Shout for Joy: Rediscovering the Joy of Living."  Please share this with all of your family members and friends and encourage them to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10 am in the historic Bosqueville United Methodist Church.

Many people today are consumed by passionate pursuit of pleasure and happiness, but for many it is a fruitless search.  Unable to control their circumstances, their circumstances end up controlling them.  Paul's brief letter to the Philippian Christians some two thousand years ago holds the key to understanding how you and I in 2014 may rise above our circumstances and rediscover the joy of living.  Plan to join us for each of these stirring messages containing practical help for the matter of triumphant living.  Find fresh hope for the life you always dreamed of.

Here are a few of the upcoming messages that you will find inspiring and informative:

January 5     "Finding Joy in the Journey      Philippians 1:1-2
January 12   "Elements of the Joy Journey"  Philippians 1:3-8
January 19   "Essentials of Joyful Growth"   Philippians 1:9-11
January 25   "The Inner Essence of Joyful Worship"  Philippians 1:18-24

I look forward to seeing you each Sunday for this encouraging journey of joy!

Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor
Please feel free to email with comments and/or questions: circuitwriterbumc@gmail.com