16. How Would Jesus Lead Worship? Biblical insights for today's church -- Sam and Sara Hargreaves

Worship (summary of the biblical perspective on worship):
-Worship is about reverently drawing near to God.
-being obedient in service to God's design for our lives.
-offering God the praise and glory that he alone deserves. p. 9-10

1. Jesus is my worship leader?
-Heb 13:15 'Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name."
Jesus is the fulfilment of OT worship, which was centred on the sacrificial system and was led not primarily by the musicians but by the priests.
The central chapters of Hebrews "show how Jesus fulfils all that God set up for worship in that first covenant and goes beyond it to allow everybody access to worship their heavenly Father God."(p.21)
-"When God created humanity, his plan was always for us to worship him and live in his presence. but we sinned (Gen 3) OT worship's central problem: 'if an unholy ppl come into contact with the holy God, the result can only be certain death (Exo 33:20; Leviticus 10:1-3; 1 Chron 13:9-10) p.21
"we are 'infected' by the disease of sin, which leads to death (Rom 5:12). God's holiness is a 'consuming fire' (Heb 12:29), obliterating any unholiness it encounters. p. 22
Atonement-Heb 10:19-22 the blood of Jesus, a great priest (the representatvie of God's ppl in their worship, closest figure in the OT to a worship leader p.24; Heb 4:15). 'It is all too easy to be casual and glib about coming into God's presence in worship, forgetting that we can do so only because we have been saved from death. Luke 23:44-46-curtain torn, made possible for us to enter the heavenly reality of which the OT system was only a picture--coming into the presence of our loving Father. p. 24
How is this possible? the incarnation and the Trinity.

2. Humble servant

3. Leader with authority
how Jesus was with his 12 disciples, spent time with them, he picked those for their character. "How much do you value prayer and the creation of space to listen to God when you recruit ppl to be in your team?" p.75 Jesus began by allowing the disciples to observe him as he ministered (7:11); "make it a habit to pray specifically & regularly for our team members and those we mentor" (Lk 22:31-32) Jesus prayed for Simon's faith.
-what we can hope to express in worship:
Gathering ppl (Ps 95:1-2)
Praising God (66:1-4)
Remembering God's deeds in recent & personal experience (40:1-3), and in our corporate life and long ago (78:1-4; 136: 1-26)
Giving thanks (92:1-4)
Placing trust in God (25:1-3)
Recognizing God's holiness and majesty (29:1-11; 93:1-5)
Coming quietly to hear his voice (95:6-7; 131:1-2)
Contemplating how nature reveals and glorifies God (19:1-6; 104:1-32)
Intimate adoration (63:1-8)
Lament, expressing sorrow over disappointment or tragedy (22:1-2; 137:1-4)
Confession & absolution: personal (51:1-17) & corporate (130:1-8)
Intercession: for justice (58:1-11), for the world (67:1-7) & for ourselves (80:1-3)
Reflecting on and responding to God's word (119:9-16)
Remembering what God thinks of us (139:1-18)
Pronouncing blessing (121:5-8)

4. Creative communicator
-"The Bible is full of creative engagement with God. ...God's beautiful, symbolic design for the tabernacle and its furnishings (Exodus 25-28), the singing and dancing of the Israelites (Exodus 15:2-; 1 Chron 25; 2 Sam 6:13-15) or the dramatized actions of hte prophets (Eze 4; Jer 19:1-13)" p.86
-Jesus used parables-relating everyday life things to the message & to different audience
-limitations of music: only hearing & some ppl can't sing. multisensory: illustrations with props, visual aids, audience participation. e.g. write lament prayer, art corners for reflection/express themselves before God.
-Lk 7:36-50: "the extent to which we have been forgiven, and that we are 'loved much' by Jesus, do we respond by 'loving much' with extravagant offerings of worship?'
Jn 12:1-8 Judas complains that the money the woman who poured perfume on Jesus. Have we ever been guilty of scrimping financially or in the use of our gifts in our worship of Jesus?" p. 89
-Celebrating the Communion: "to encounter Jesus as he offers himself and us to the Father, by the Spirit; to join around the table as brothers and sisters, as equals, to proclaim his gracious death for us until he comes again." p.97

5. Reliant on the Spirit
Lk 10:38, 5:17, 24:19
power 'dynamis' of the Holy Spirit. Pray. Allow space for the HS to reveal truth so that congregation can response in worship.
-"all Christian worship must be empowered by the Spirit (see Philippians 3:3)
-Lk 11:11-13 our Father longs to give us his Holy Spirit, bc he loves us as his children. Jesus promises that the Spirit will well up within us (Jn 7:37-39); The real test of being Spirit-filled is if we are empowered to live and worship more like Jesus (Gal 5:22-25). Lk 11:5-10 keep asking and seeking.

2015-21 Feb 2017
Abingdon: The Bible Reading Fellowship, 2009