Bible Study:  Worship

 

 

A Bible Study:

Growing in Faith … Visiting our Father’s House

1. Why is our Father’s house such a blessing to us?

            Jeremiah 7:1-3   This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Stand at the gate of the LORD’s house and there proclaim this message: ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.

What urgent message did the Lord have for the people of Judah as they came to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem?

Why was it so important that they repent, that they “reform their ways and their actions”?

Why is that an important message also for us to hear as we come to our Father’s house?

Point to Ponder
There is a great danger that we come to worship as the people of Judah once did: thinking that if we give to God His “hour”, then the rest of the week is ours to use as we please. Jeremiah forcefully reminded those who came to God’s house in his day that their lives and their worship were not two separate things. Their spiritual foolishness was in danger of costing them their place as children of God. How important that the calls to repentance we hear in our Father’s house strike our hearts!

 

2. Our Father’s house is such a blessing to us because…

            Genesis 28:16-17  (Just before these verses, Jacob had been given a special dream by God in which he saw a stairway reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. The Lord appeared at the top of the stairway and assured Jacob that the promise of the Savior would be fulfilled through his family) When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he though, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heave.” (Jacob called the place “Bethel” which means “house of God”.)

Although God is certainly present everywhere in the world, what made this place so special to Jacob?

In what special ways does God come to meet us and comfort us in our “house of God”?

Point to Ponder
Have you ever thought of each worship service as an appointment with God? Without fail, at each worship service, God has an appointment He keeps with you. He never fails to be present with His grace and mercy in His Word. Through the Sacrament of Baptism He comes to take little ones to be His own. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus comes to feed our souls on His body and blood and to assure us that we are His own. You have no more important appointment each week than the one God makes with you at His house!

 

3. Our Father’s house is such a blessing to us because…

            Hebrews 10:25  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As Christians gather for worship, what blessing does the author of Hebrews tell us we receive from each other?

What are some ways that you are encouraging others as you worship with them?

At the end of the verse, how does the author remind us that it is absolutely vital that we remain encouraged in our faith?

Point to Ponder
The next time you are in worship, look around and thank God for all the others who share a common faith with you. As you hear them sing the hymns, speak the prayers and confess their faith, thank the Holy Spirit for their encouragement, and for letting you be an encourager to them.

 

4. Our Father’s house is such a blessing to us because…

            Psalm 100         Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

What added reason to “enter (our Father’s) gates” does the Psalmist give us here?

What are some of the reasons he lists for which we have reason to give our Father thanks and praise?

Can you think of other reasons he does not mention here?

Point to Ponder
As Lutherans, we emphasize that the most important “direction” of worship is God to us. We could not truly worship at all if He did not come to us to feed us and guide us with Word and Sacrament. But there is another direction of worship – us to God. We have a need to worship because we have more reasons than we can count to bring Him our special thanks and praise. It is in our hymns and our prayers that we express this purpose for being in our Father’s house!

 

5. Our Father’s house is such a blessing to us because…

    Here are some ideas to help us get more out of public worship:

Try to arrive at least five minutes before the service starts. Offer a prayer asking the Lord to accept your worship of Him and to open your heart to hear and grow in love for Him.

            Read over the hymns and Scripture readings. See if you can determine what the main message of that worship service will be.

If you attend worship with others in your home, spend some time on the way home, or at the dinner table, discussing what you heard that day.

             If you are not presently attending every weekend, pray for the determination not to miss any of your
            “appointments” with your Lord. Don’t forget about Advent and Lent and other special services too.

In the days following worship, reread the sermon text and see to it to remember its applications to your heart and life.

 

We pray: Lord, thank You for Your living Word and the opportunities to worship You

with our whole heart as often as we are able in Your house and with our lives. Amen.