Deliberate Church – Mark Dever
Nine Marks Ministry – http://www.9marks.org
When the Church Gathers (Chapters 6-12)
When we gather to worship:
- What should we do?
- How should we do it?
- With so many different things going on in our church culture how do we know what is right?
Understanding and Applying the Regulative Principle of Worship
Chapters 6 and 7
Regulative principle – – Everything we do should be warranted by Scripture.
- Explicit command.
- Good and Necessary implication of biblical text.
The normative principle would say that as long as scripture does not biblically forbidden, a church is free to use it to orders its worship.
The regulative principle forbids anything not commanded by Scripture, whereas the normative principle allows anything not forbidden in Scripture.
D.A. Carson states “there is no single passage in the N.T. that establishes a paradigm for corporate worship.
God cares very much how we are to worship Him.
In the Old Testament
Exodus 20:3-4 – [3] “You shall have no other gods before me. [4] “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (ESV)
Exodus 32:7-10 [7] And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. [8] They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” [9] And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. [10] Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” (ESV)
In the New Testament
John 4:19-24 – [19] The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. [20] Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” [21] Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. [22] You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. [24] God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (ESV)
- Here worship was inadequate because it was not based on the truth…it was sincere yet not sufficient.
1 Corinthians 12 – Lays out an understanding of order and purpose in the Church
- Prophecy and tongues – vv. 1-5
- Weigh carefully what is said – v. 29
- God is not a God of confusion but peace – v. 33
Worship has always been regulated by revelation – WHAT GOD HAS REVEALED TO HIS PEOPLE AT A PARTICULAR TIME
- In OT, In NT, and now
- NOW WE HAVE SCRIPTURE….nothing more is needed!!!!
THEREFORE, HOW DO APPLY THESE PRINCIPLES (CHAPTER 7)
Jesus builds His church by the power of the Word
Matthew 16:18 – [18] And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (ESV)
Romans 1:16–17 – [16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (ESV)
Romans 10:17 – [17] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (ESV)
THEREFORE, THE WORD IS CRUCIAL AND SHOULD BE CENTRAL
READ THE BIBLE
1 Timothy 4:13 – Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (ESV)
Matthew 4:4 – But he answered, “It is written,” ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (ESV)
PREACH THE BIBLE
2 Timothy 4:1–2 – [1] I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (ESV)
Think about our current crisis… Do you want a word form ME or a Word from GOD?
PRAY THE BIBLE
1 Timothy 2:1 – First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, (ESV)
Matthew 21:13 – He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (ESV)
SING THE BIBLE
Ephesians 5:19–20 – [19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, [20] giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (ESV)
Style verse content. (CONTENT IS KEY)
Do we remember the beat or the Words? (PERFORMANCE DRIVEN OR WORD DRIVEN)
Theological content of the words we sing (we need to take this very seriously)
SEE THE BIBLE – The Ordinances
Lord’s Supper
Luke 22:19 – DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
1 Corinthians 11:27–28 – [27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (ESV)
Before we partake we should understand who we are in the faith. AS A CHURCH WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE TEACHING ONLY THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN SAVED AND BAPTIZED SHOULD PARTICIPATE.
It is something that takes place within the corporate ministries of the church. (I DO NOT BELIEVE IN VIRTUAL COMMUNION)
Baptism
Romans 6:3-4 – [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
In the ordinances, then, are where we see the Gospel enacted, and our participation in it dramatized. They are where the word of God’s promise is spoken to us in tangible forms… we touch and taste the bread and wine; we feel the waters of baptism. (DEVER)
Questions to Consider:
Have we even considered these things?
Where are we as a church?
What is our attitude when we gather to worship?
What are we trying to accomplish with our worship?
Do we really want God to bless our worship and our church?