The Importance of Worship

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-24-2026

Psalm 145

 

Introduction:   Psalm 145 sets the stage for Psalms 146-150 as each of those Psalms begins and ends in the phrase of praise: “Praise ye the Lord!”

A.  I often say that this generation will never know the America we grew up in.  There is truth to that statement because of the degradation of the society in which we must live. 

 

1.  The change affects us older people because of the drastic shifts from the 40s and 50s to the present day.  Common sense, integrity, submission to authority, truthfulness, honesty, modesty, and self-respect are becoming things of the past. 

 

2.  Unfortunately, our children and grandchildren have never experienced these things.  If evolution is moving toward a higher plane, this generation we see today did not evolve in the right direction.

 

B.  Thus, it is with true worship: spirit and truth.  I go to many churches today and am uncomfortable.  This newfangled form of worship steals my worship away because I have known days when church was a place of reverence, holiness, order, and separation from the world.  I find little of these things in present-day churches.

 

C.  I said all that to say this: Our children and this present world will never know these things unless we praise the works of God to them.  This is an action, not just words spoken.  I believe the key verse of Psalm 145 is verse 4.

 

Psalms 145:4  One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

 

D.  We have a lot of visitors who come here a time or two, then never come back.  Why?  Great question!

 

1.  They do not like our music.  They are so used to churches being entertainment centers, with music that has the beat and lyrics of the world.  We sing as our spiritual fathers once sang.  Ever heard of singing out of a Hymn Book?

 

2.  They do not like our Bible.  Having never been taught doctrine, they have worldly bibles in their hands, not the Holy Bible of our fathers.  Many do not even bring a Bible, as the TV screens on the walls are available for them to read.

 

3.  They do not like our preaching.  Let me rephrase that.  They do not like my preaching!  Straight and to the point!

 

E.  There are no complaints here, no petitions, no cries for deliverance. This psalm is filled with worship. Why this introduction?  Because the Bible tells us, through the personal life of King David,  how and why to worship.

 

1.  The Responsibility of our Worship.  “I”  I cannot worship for you, and you cannot worship for me!  Every child of God is admonished to worship their Creator.

 

2.  The Resolve of Worship.  “Will”  Psalm 100 sets the pattern of worship that God wants and requires.  When it is church time, resolve to come into His presence with praise, singing, and thanksgiving.

 

3.  The Reverence of our Worship.  “Extol Thee”  To place in a place of high esteem.  Reverently as His name is Reverend!  I refuse to be called Recverend because of my esteem and love for God.  He is worthy, not I.

 

4.  The Reason of our Worship.  “My God, O King”  He is LORD.  You do not make Him LORD!  He is also Ruler: King.

 

a.  Verses 5-13.  For Who He Is!  “My God, O King”  He is our God, but He is also the child of God’s King!  This is reason enough to worship Him. We will take a short look at what God does for us, but if God never did anything other than save us, that’s enough! 

 

1)  Verses 5-6.  His mighty works, His majesty, and His greatness.

 

2)  Verses 7-9.  His goodness, righteousness, graciousness, compassion, long suffering, and mercy.

 

3)  Verses 10-13.  His kingdom, both now and to all generations, and eternally.

 

b.  Verses 14-20.  For What He Does!  The things that God does for us are beyond numbering, so I will briefly mention a few of them found in this Psalm.

 

1)  Verse 14.  He upholdeth and raiseth up.  When we fall, He catches us.  When we stumble, He stabilizes us.

 

2)  Verse 15.  He watches over and provides for us.

 

3)  Verse 16.  He satisfies the hungry.

 

4)  Verse 17.  All His work is holy.  You can depend upon that.

 

5)  Verse 18.  His is nigh and hears our prayers.

 

6)  Verse 19.  He is always there with and for us.

 

7)  Verse 20.  He preserves and delivers us.

 

5.  Verse 20.  The Regularity of our Worship.  “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.”

 

6.  Verse 4.  The Relegation of our Worship.  “One generation … to another” – In this present evil world, our children and converts MUST see the reality of our Saviour and the change that our salvation brings.  If they do not see it in us, they probably will not see it in the world.

The Importance of Attending Church

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-24-2026

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5; Hebrews 10:22-27

 

Introduction: 

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  (Be not shaken) That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (3)  (Be not deceived) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, (Be not except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  (4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.  (5)  (Let us be reminded)  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

 

Hebrews 10:22-27  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  (Let us be faithful to assemble) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but (Let us exhort) exhorting one another: and so much the more, (Let us be watchful) as ye see the day approaching.  (26)  (Let us be obedient) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  (27)  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

 

1 John 2:28  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

 

1.  Just allow me to preach to us all this morning!  We live at the end of the last days with rampant sinfulness all around us. I am not here to fix that this morning because it will wax worse and worse.  My greatest fear is that we will allow the things of this present world to change us also.

 

2.  I want to tie some phrases together this morning as I begin a series on the Church. “A falling away” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” in Hebrews 10:25.  Both “falling away” and “forsaking the assembling” mean the same thing.  You had to be somewhere to fall away and also to forsake something.

 

3.  Now, for a good biblical example of these phrases, let's go to 2 Timothy 4:

 

2 Timothy 4:10a  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…

 

4.  This “present world” that drew Demas away from the Lord first and the Apostle Paul later continues to have an effect on both the pulpit and the pew!  So, hang on for a little while as every one of us needs this message!

 

A.  This November will be the Golden Anniversary of my salvation.  Fifty years!  I was once young (28 when I was saved), and now I am old (78 and counting).  In my years of salvation, bible college, and pastoring, I have witnessed 2 Thessalonians chapter two, verses 1-5, come to fruition.

 

1.  During the early years of salvation, Barbara and I saw the excitement of our home church as it was 1,000+ strong, hundreds coming in on the buses and making professions of faith.  It was all new to us, so we sat and watched with awe.  What we did not see but were quickly introduced to was the church's foundation, which was cracked.  Great preaching and tremendous singing, but a church that was in the process of falling away.  The pastor was soon to resign, and a power struggle raised its ugly head. And the huge crowd dwindled in a couple of years to about 85 people sitting in that massive sanctuary.

 

2.  During those years, God began to groom Barbara and me by allowing us to step up and help the church stabilize.  I was a babe in Christ, and Barbara was not yet saved (which took place in 1982).  Driving a bus, teaching Sunday School, chairman of the board of deacons, school board, radio board, plumber-electrician-grounds keeper, but a soul winner.

 

3.  Less than a year after Barbara was saved, God, in His infinite mercy, called me to preach.  I did not know what He wanted me to do or where He wanted me to go.  I only knew that God knew all the details, and my desire was to follow Him.  I didn’t know where to go, but God led us in the way He wanted us to go. 

 

4.  I spent 4 years in Bible College with app 250 men of God that, like my family, brought their wives and kids in.  Those were the glory days as God was calling and sending families around the world to once again turn the world upside down.  I still did not know what God wanted me to do, but I was “bucking in the traces”.  I wanted to do something for the glory of God because of what He did for Barbara and me!   We owed a debt that we could not pay to the One who paid a debt that He did not owe.

 

5.  God sent me to a faithful handful of people who loved God and loved the church.  God used these few precious saints to stabilize the church and help it grow. 

 

6.  Over this past half-century, I have had many opportunities to quit and go back to the world from which Barbara and I came.

 

7.  I said all that to say this: I have seen a generation that loves God and continually serves Him around the world today.  But, throughout the years, I have also seen the decline in spirituality and faithfulness come to pass.  The “falling away” has taken its toll upon the people of God, from the pulpits to the pews, as spirituality and faithfulness are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

 

B.  There has been a serious decline in church attendance in the past few decades, and this decline is simply a fulfillment of Scripture.  The days of Noah (eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage), Lot’s Day (they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded), and Demas’ Day (having loved this present world … departed unto Thessalonica).  Pastors preach Hebrews 10:22-26 to little or no avail as more and more of God’s people have fallen in love with the world at the expense of the local churches.  Decline in church attendance is a direct result of a decline in spirituality and a love for the world! 

 

1.  It has been prophesied that in the last days there would be a falling away, and we are in the middle of it.  Normally, we classify the “falling away” as the spiritual apostasy that is certainly in full swing.  But I have seen such a fearful change in believers and churches in general over these past 39 years. 

 

2.  I remember the faithfulness of God’s people here at Temple and the loss that we have suffered as we watched them grow older and pass on to heaven through the veil of death.  Years ago, the crowds on Sunday night and Wednesday night, along with Sunday School,  were virtually the same as on Sunday morning. 

 

3.  The older generation treated the Lord’s Day as the Lord’s Day.  Though we still have families like that, across the Bible Belt, we find more and more churches canceling services each week or making them optional.  They love the things of the world more than the things of God!  That bothers this old preacher!

 

C.  The “form of godliness” has permeated the ranks of the professing believers with little or no conviction or holiness of life.  “As the manner of some is” has become the rule instead of the exception, with more and more of the once faithful now either slack in their faithfulness or completely out of church. 

 

D.  The Importance of God’s House.  The phrase “The house of the Lord” is used 213 X  in the Bible.  The phrase “house of God” is used 87 times in the Bible.  That is a total of 300 references.  This does not include other references such as “temple” and “tabernacle.”  God’s house is a place of great importance.

 

E.  In Hebrews 10:25, we find the command of God to assemble.  That in itself should be all that is necessary to get God’s children to be faithful, but faithful attendance will never be accomplished until we see the value of the church, along with having a love for the church.  There is an old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink!”

 

F. Hebrews 10:25 shows the importance of the assembly of the local church.

 

1.  The Emphasis of God’s House - Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  Why the emphasis?

 

a.  It Is A Place Of Rallying.  (When you are down.)

 

b.  It Is A Place Of Relying.  (When you are devastated.)

 

c.  It Is A Place Of Renewing.  (When you are defiled.)

 

d.  It Is A Place Of Revival.  (When you are defeated.)

 

2.  The Exhortation of God’s House - Hebrews 10:22-25  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

a.  Let us draw near in holiness.

 

b.  Let us draw near in faithfulness.

 

c.  Let us draw near in consideration of others.

 

d.  Let us draw near in exhortation.

 

3.  The Excitement of God’s House - Psalms 122:1  I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

 

a.  What a Privilege.

 

b.  What a Pleasure.

 

4.  The Ecstasy of God’s House - Psalms 27:4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

 

Psalms 55:14  We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

 

a.  Ecstasy means an overwhelming feeling of great joy, delight, or intense emotional excitement.

 

b.  The Joy of coming to church and worshipping God!

 

c.  The Joy of coming to church and seeing the brethren.

 

d.  The Joy of coming to church and leaving this old, sinful world behind for a while.

 

e.  The Joy of serving God in obedience to His command.

 

Conclusion:  Don’t let the things of the world draw you away from church.  Let the Love of God draw you to church!  Don’t let “falling away” be a vivid description of you.  The Lord is coming, and we are leaving one way or the other soon. 

The Regulation of Biblical Tongues

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-20-2026

1 Corinthians 14

 

Introduction:

A.  I would like to finish spiritual gifts and, especially tongues, tonight.  First, I would like to answer an obvious question that no one has asked.  Why, out of all the sign gifts that were passing, did the Bible only mention three in chapter 13?  Because these three, prophecies-tongues-knowledge, are the only ones that can be faked!

 

1.  You cannot fake miracles by walking on the water, parting the Red Sea, stopping and restarting the water cycles, etc.  Only God can do that.

 

2.  You cannot fake healings, though many have tried.  I tell these fake healers to go to St. Jude, where these precious children are dying of cancer, and empty the beds.

 

3. You cannot fake prophecies or see into the future.  Tell me what is going to happen in my future or the future of our nation.  No man or woman can do this.  Seers, sages, prognosticators, dreams, and visions are gone.  Even the weatherman or woman, with all their tools, cannot predict the weather next with complete accuracy.

 

B.  The three passing gifts mentioned that ceased when the complete revelation of God that we call the Bible was done.  Today, there are no prophecies, extrabiblical knowledge, and no tongues!

 

C.  I am not going to try to convince the Charismatic Movement, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, etc., because they have a Bible, and if they have the Author of the Scriptures living inside, they are ignorant at best of what it says (though accountable because they have a Bible to read and study), or they are willfully ignorant because they will not hear the Word of God.

 

D.  Though vanishing at the time, the Holy Spirit set parameters or regulations to guide the believer.  Paul stated their irrelevance within the local church.  There are no instances in the Bible where they were ever spoken in local churches, but Paul regulated them because, at times, there were unbelieving Jews who assembled with them.

 

1.  Paul gave their irrelevance in preaching or testifying. 

 

1 Corinthians 14:8-11  For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?  (9)  So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.  (10)  There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.  (11)  Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.

 

1 Corinthians 14:19-20  Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.  (20)  Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

 

2.  Paul gave their irrelevance in prayers. 

 

1 Corinthians 14:14-15  For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.  (15)  What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

 

E. The word unknown is mentioned six times in six verses.  All six are italicized, indicating they were inserted by the translators, not by God.  There is no such thing as an unknown tongue in the bible.

F.  Let’s look at the regulations quickly.

1.  Rule #1.  1 Corinthians 14:21-22  In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.  (22)  Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

 

Biblical tongues were meant to be spoken in the presence of unbelieving Jews, both indigenous and proselytes.  I wonder how many tongue-speaking churches have ever heard that.  No doubt many have read it, but apply that to the time it was written.  They are right in that respect, but wrong in thinking they have the gift without any regulations.

 

Isaiah 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

 

2.  Rule #2.  1 Corinthians 14:27  If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

 

“If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three”

 

I wonder how many tongue-speaking churches have ever heard that.  No doubt many have read it, but apply that to the time it was written.  They are right in that respect, but wrong in thinking they have the gift without any regulations.

 

3.  Rule #3.  1 Corinthians 14:27  If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

 

“and that by course;”

 

Tongues were to be used in an orderly fashion, one at a time.  Today’s tongue-speaking is done with as many as will speak anytime they feel like it.

 

I wonder how many tongue-speaking churches have ever heard that.  They are wrong in thinking they have the gift without any regulations.

 

4.  Rule #4.  1 Corinthians 14:27-28  If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.  (28)  But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

 

“and let one interpret.  But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church.”

 

All Biblical tongues were to have immediate interpretation.  No interpreter, no tongues!

 

I wonder how many tongue-speaking churches have ever read or heard that.  They want these passing gifts with no biblical regulations.

 

5.  Rule #5.  1 Corinthians 14:32-33  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  (33)  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

 

Biblical tongues were to be controlled by the speaker.  These out-of-control speakers cause confusion.

 

“And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

 

I wonder how many tongue-speaking churches have ever heard that.  They want these passing gifts with no biblical regulations.

 

6.  Rule #6.  1 Corinthians 14:34-35  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  (35)  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

 

Biblical tongues were to be spoken by men only! 

 

1 Timothy 2:11-14  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.  (12)  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  (13)  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  (14)  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

 

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” 

 

These verses in 1 Timothy and 1 Corinthians are in perfect agreement. 

 

I wonder how many tongue-speaking churches have ever heard or been taught that.  Pentecostal Movements are women-driven ones.  The vast majority of tongue-speakers are women, and this is clearly stated and forbidden by the Bible.

 

Conclusion:  1 Corinthians 14:38  But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

The Charity That Binds

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-13-2026

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

 

Introduction:

A.  Over the past few weeks, we have been dealing with the spiritual gifts that the Lord gave to both individuals and the local church.  In the three lists of spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4, we find that, biblically, there were given sign gifts, which were passing gifts given until the completion of the scriptures, and permanent gifts that were to be used within the local churches, along with the completed scriptures.

 

1.  All three of these chapters that deal with spiritual gifts are an open rebuke! 

 

2.  Chapter 12 rebukes them for choosing the least (last mentioned gift of tongues) of all gifts, which tend to glorify the individual, and encourages them to choose the best gifts (service gifts), which are all about others.

 

3.  Paul uses the words “earnestly covet” in chapter 12 because they were coveting the least of the sign gifts that glorified themselves rather than the service gifts that glorified God and others. Covet and covetousness are used 41 times in your Bible, and the First Mention, the Last Mention, and almost all of those in between are used in a negative spiritual light!

 

1 Corinthians 12:31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

 

4.  Chapter 14 sets the rules for the gift of tongues because of the Corinthians' misuse of them.

 

B.  2,000 years ago, certain of the passing gifts brought self-glory, confusion, and division within the Corinthian church.  This carnal church was the only one mentioned by the Holy Spirit in the Bible that had such division. 

 

1.  Elevation of individual sign gifts brought about pride in self.  The same happens today with pseudo-spiritual gifts.  They are saved, but we are not.  They are filled with the Holy Ghost, but we are not.

 

2.  Elevation of individual sign gifts brought about confusion within the body of Christ.  Now, instead of the sign gifts being given to certain individuals, they are given only to certain denominations.

 

3.  Dividing and classification within the body of Christ, which brings about confusion and contention.  God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace within the Church.

 

C.  The middle chapter concerning spiritual gifts gives the recipe for unity in the Corinthian church.  A refocusing upon the things that unite instead of divide, along with gifts that will remain instead of those that are passing.  Christian charity that binds, rather than passing gifts that divide.

 

D.  The meaning of Charity.  Many of the new perversions called “bibles” have changed the word to “love.”  This is a cardinal mistake!  The word “love” is an “umbrella” that covers many kinds of love.  Charity is a peculiar love.  It is the love of the brotherhood. 

 

1 Thessalonians 4:9  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

 

1.  Many churches are measured by their highly educated, articulate preachers. Make a beautiful, articulate speech, impress the people, but—without charity—your message is just another hollow sound.

 

2.  Many churches are measured by their social standing.  Have all the doctors, lawyers, etc. that you want and be “nothing.”  A local church is not a social club.

 

3.  Many churches are measured by their beautiful buildings.  When I was stationed in Germany, I saw the beautiful architecture of 500-plus-year-old churches that are now just that, beautiful architecture.  A local church is not an ornate building but a “called out assembly of saints” to worship.

 

4.  Many churches are measured by the size of their membership.  The Bible is clear on the direction of the “many” and the “few.”  Most of the time, many are headed in the wrong direction because they are popular with this world.  A local church is measured in quality, not quantity.

 

E.  You can have all of these things and become a “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” and be “nothing” in the sight of God. 

 

John 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

 

1 John 4:7-12  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  (8)  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  (9)  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  (10)  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  (11)  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  (12)  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

 

1.  Charity must be a universal love of the brethren.  Verses 1-3.  It loves all and loves all equally.

 

a.  Charity has nothing to do with social status.

 

b.  Charity has nothing to do with financial clout.

 

c.  Charity has nothing to do with ethnicity.

 

d.  Charity has nothing to do with gender.

 

e.  Charity has nothing to do with faithfulness.

 

e.  Charity is equal from the pulpit to the pew.  From the pew to the pulpit.  From the back pew to the front pew. 

 

2.  Charity supersedes the passing, charismatic gifts of chapter 12.  The Corinthians could have these spiritual gifts and continue to be a “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”  Simply stated, hollow and meaningless.  With that said, let us look at the best definition of charity, which is found in 1 Corinthians 13, with the Word of God giving it these characteristics:

 

3.  Charity is a binding love of the brethren.  Verses 4-7.  It is what holds the local church together.

 

a.  Charity Suffers Long – “Charity suffereth long” 

 

b.  Charity Is Kind – “and is kind”

 

c.  Charity Is Happiness For Others - “charity envieth not”

 

d.  Charity Puts Others First – “charity vaunteth not itself”

 

e.  Charity Has A Proper Opinion Of Self – “is not puffed up”

 

f.  Charity Behaves – “Doth not behave itself unseemly”

 

g.  Charity Does Not Get Mad – “is not easily provoked”

 

h.  Charity Gives The Benefit Of The Doubt – “thinketh no evil”

 

i.  Charity Is Broken Hearted Over Sin – “Rejoiceth not in iniquity”

 

j.  Charity Loves Right – “but rejoiceth in the truth”

 

k.  Charity Is Forbearing – “Beareth all things”

 

l.  Charity Hopes For The Best – “hopeth all things”

 

m.  Charity Remains Constant – “endureth all things”

 

n.  Charity Never Fails – “Charity never faileth”

 

o.  Charity trumps all things – “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity”

 

4.  The three gifts remaining that unite instead of divide: 1 Corinthians 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Worship and Warning

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-10-2026

Psalm 95

 

Introduction:

A.  Psalm is an interesting one with a two-fold breakdown: Verses 1-7 – A call to worship. And Verses  8-11 – A solemn warning.  It begins with praise and ends with admonition. 

 

B.  Worshipping in spirit and truth, which is commanded, has become lost on our generation.  So many of God’s people think they do God a favor when they come to church, hear a sermon, and give a big dollar.  A cute story:

 

One little boy was listening to his parents discuss the church service.  The mother stated she did not like the song services.  The dad said that the preacher’s sermon was too long.  The little boy said that he thought that it was a pretty good show for a buck.

C.  The same God who invites us to sing also demands that we hear His voice.  One preacher from Great Britain, many years ago, said this about worship:

 

“For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the Holiness of God; to feed the mind with the truth of God; to purge the imagination by the beauty of God; to open the heart to the love of God; to devote the will to the purpose of God.”

 

D.  The dictionary defines worship as adoration, homage to be given to God. This reminds us that true worship is not merely an outward expression but an inward submission.  True worship involves praise, singing, giving, and involvement.  It is a marvelous event when the corporate body of believers in a local church can truly worship together.

 

E.  Now the breakdown of the Psalm.

 

1.  Verses 1-5.  An Invitation to Worship. 

 

a.  “O come,”  Worship is corporate as well as individual.  This invitation to worship is all-inclusive.

 

b.  An expression of Joyfulness.  “let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”  Not me sing; not you sing; but we sing!

 

c.  An expression of gratitude.  “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving”  God has been good to us all.

 

d.  As expected attitude.  “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”  We do not worship based upon how we feel; we worship God because of who He is!

 

2.  Verses 6-7a.  A Call to Adoration. “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

 

a.  Here we find Reverence.  “Bow down… kneel”   Worship involves humility: the humbling of self and elevation of God.

 

b.  Here we find Relationship. "For he is our God”  We are His, and He is ours.  Children of G through faith and a new birth.

 

c.  Here we find Dependence.  “We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand”

 

Interlude:  Four times in the verses above, we find the admonition “let us.” That shows us that worship of God, though commanded, is still a matter of personal choice! “Let us” rejoice in the God of our salvation with thankfulness and adoration. Or, as the children of Israel did during their years in the wilderness, let us choose to harden our hearts through unbelief and sinfulness. The same choice remains today.

 

3.  Verse 7b.  A Call to Obedience.  “To day if ye will hear his voice”

 

a.  A Present Moment.  “To day”  Today, not Tomorrow.  An immediate response is indicated here.

 

b.  A Responsibility to Listen.  “if ye will hear his voice”  “If” is conditional, which leads to the warning of the rest of the Psalm.

 

 

4.  Verses 8-11.  A Warning against Hardening the Heart.  Reiterated in Hebrews 3:15-19.

 

a.  As Example Given.  “Harden not your heart, as in the provocation…”

 

Exodus 17:4-7  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.  (5)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.  (6)  Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.  (7)  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

 

b.  A Danger Exposed.  “They do alway err in their heart”  Both obedience and sinfulness are heart issues. 

 

1)  Deceitful hearts.

 

2) Divided hearts.

 

3)  Discouraged hearts

 

4)  Dirty hearts.

 

5)  Defiled hearts

 

c.  A Consequence Promised.  “Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.”

 

Conclusion:  Let us observe to worship and flee the warning.  It is possible to be near God’s work but far from God’s will.  Psalm 95 presents a powerful contrast:

 

1.  Joyful praise vs. stubborn rebellion.

 

2.  Soft hearts vs. hardened hearts.

 

3.  Entering rest vs. missing blessing.