Dear Christian friends:
Today, the first Sunday in Advent, we begin a new
church year of worship. Why do we worship? Why do we go
to church? Our text tells us, "not forsake the assembly of
ourselves together." We are commanded to gather together
regularly in church. But why? Because of friendships?
Because we feel bad if we don't? Because of duty? Our text
tells us one great reason why God wants us to gather
together in worship:
True Worship Encourages One Another To Good Works
But it must be true worship. Not all worship will
give such wonderful results or blessings. If we go to
church carelessly or without thinking we do not encourage
one another to good works. Christians do not always
remember that they are going before holy God. They do not
see God; only His minister. And so we have little respect
for Church, preaching and worship. Not very eager. Feel
bored and uninterested. True worship means we feel to come
before God with strong faith. We feel the need for God.
We feel love and praise for Him our one great Helper.
This means that everything which interrupts true
respect for God must be thrown away. Our indifference,
selfishness, fleeing of shame and guilt, idolatry - love
of worldly things. Chiefly we must remember that we need
and have forgiveness of sins. That is why we begin each
worship service by humbly confessing our sins to God and
receiving His forgiveness. But sometimes we see people
yawn during the confession of sins. It shows apathy. We
should think about our sins, cities sins, nation's sins!
Beg God's mercy.
Our sermons, Lord's Supper also should impress on us
that we have sins and need and have forgiveness. For the
very heart of true worship is that Christ, the Chief Priest
has made a sacrifice for man's sins. And he did not
sacrifice bulls or sheep as the Old Testament priest Aaron.
He sacrificed Himself on the cross. He was both Priest and
Lamb in one. And by sacrificing Himself, He has opened the
road to God for us. Therefore in our worship we follow this
way Jesus went into the holy place before God, pleading not
self-righteousness, but His righteousness and His blood.
Such worship stimulates one another to good works
as our text shows. (vv. 23-25) The holy writer says, "Let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;
and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and
to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one
another: and so much more as ye see the day approaching."
He speaks of "professing our faith" and assembling
ourselves together" that means gathering for worship. When
we gather together at church we talk, and sing and preach
about our faith in Jesus. And we do this not only to have
a nice gathering or to see how many we can get together
(to break records), but we "consider one another" and to
exhort one another. Paul says in Colossians 3:15-17 "Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts
to the Lord." Again in Ephesians 5:18 He writes; "Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." I
want to underline the works: "teaching and admonishing one
another" and "speaking to yourselves."
Often we think we only speak to God in church
worship; But that is only half of it. By our worship we
speak to one another to ourselves, teaching and helping
one another. Thus if we fail to come to church with our
brothers and sisters in Christ, we fail to teach and help
them on that Sunday. Church members maybe feel: "If I stay
home I will hurt no one." That does not agree with our
text.
So you see in true worship we teach and admonish
one another. What do we teach? Christ, by our confession
of sins; by pastors absolution in the name of Christ; by
our reading of Gospel lessons, by preaching, hymn signing
and attendance at the Lord's Supper and by Baptism we
teach and admonish one another of Christ our God and Savior.
This is a powerful thing: It teaches our hearts
and enables us to love God and serve Him. But someone may
say: "All right but weekly is too often - once a month or
once a year is enough! But the holy writer says we ought
to do it more and more regular: "do it so much more, as ye
see the day approaching." What day? The day means the
last day, judgment day. As we near the end of the world we
are to gather together more often than before. Maybe you
think the end is far away. If you look around in the world
you can easily see proof that the last day is very near.
Wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, fighting, hating,
killing, violence between people, wickedness multiplying.
These are some of the signs of the last days. Read your
newspapers and magazines and you will see.
Yesterday the army successfully fired the Atlas
I.C.B.M. 6325 miles full range. The U.S. has a terrible
weapon in the Atlas and Russia has the equal of it. In
one more year Russia will have an I.C.B.M. prepared and
aimed at all our large U.S. cities including Spokane.
Next year the U.S. will build Atlas launching sites in
many places also here at Spokane and aim them at Russian
cities and targets. That is your sign of the last Day.
What more proof do you need?
So let us not forsake church gathering together
to worship our Lord and Savior and also by that teach
and admonish one another in faith that we may not despair
in these troubled days, but endure faithful unto the end.
But if we sin and forsake gathering ourselves
together we will lose faith and wait for the end in fear
and anger against God and man. (verses 26, 27)
May God graciously keep us gathering together with
one another unto the end.
Amen!