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John Chapman

From Redemption to Worship

Exodus 15:1-22
John Chapman August, 31 2025 Video & Audio
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In John Chapman's sermon titled "From Redemption to Worship," the main theological topic revolves around the nature of worship as stemming from a profound understanding of redemption. He argues that true worship is a heartfelt response that arises from recognizing what God has accomplished for His people in Christ, particularly through the lens of Exodus 15, where Israel sings after being delivered from bondage. Key Scripture references include John 4:22-24, where Jesus emphasizes worshiping the Father in spirit and truth, and Exodus 15, which depicts Israel's song of praise following their deliverance. This sermon underscores the practical implication that genuine worship requires assurance of salvation and an understanding of Christ's redemptive work, which leads to authentic expressions of adoration and gratitude.

Key Quotes

“When we really understand what the Lord has done for us, who He is, and what He's done for us, then we really truly bow down and worship the Lord.”

“Worship is not in ignorance. Worship is born of knowledge. Knowledge of God, knowledge of Christ, and knowledge of ourselves, and knowledge of redemption.”

“Salvation is the complete work of Christ and we have nothing to do with it.”

“True worship flows from a heart assured of redemption, occupied with Christ alone, and walking in the power of the resurrected life of Christ while journeying through the wilderness to glory.”

What does the Bible say about true worship?

True worship involves worshiping God in spirit and truth, as instructed by Jesus in John 4:24.

The Bible teaches that true worship is not dependent on location or ritual but is rooted in a heart relationship with God. Jesus, in John 4:24, states that 'God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.' This emphasizes that worship must align with a genuine understanding of who God is and what He has done for us. True worship cannot merely be a ritualistic act but must spring from a heart filled with love and devotion toward Christ, recognizing His work of redemption and grace in our lives.

John 4:24, Exodus 15:1-22

Why is understanding redemption important for worship?

Understanding redemption is crucial for worship because it is the foundation that allows true worship to flow from a grateful heart.

Understanding our redemption in Christ is foundational to true worship. When we grasp the full extent of our salvation—from our bondage to sin to our freedom in Christ—we are moved to genuine worship. As mentioned in the sermon, 'true worship does not happen until we understand our full salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.' Our salvation through Christ's sacrifice enables us to approach God with assurance, allowing us to truly offer our worship, knowing that we have been redeemed from the curse of the law and the power of sin. Hence, worship flows from a heart that acknowledges and is filled with the joy of salvation.

Romans 3:24, Hebrews 10:14, Exodus 15:2

How does doubt affect our ability to worship God?

Doubt can hinder our worship because it stems from unbelief about our relationship with Christ.

Doubt acts as a significant barrier to worship. It can lead to a lack of assurance in one's relationship with Christ, which impedes genuine worship. As the sermon points out, 'true worship is not going to come out of that kind of heart.' When one is plagued with doubt, they may question their love for Christ or their standing before Him, preventing them from entering into true worship. This doubt can be rooted in focusing too much on oneself and one's failures rather than on the completed work of Christ. Overcoming doubt requires looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, which cultivates a heart that is confident and ready to worship.

Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 73:1-2

How can we worship God in spirit and truth?

We worship God in spirit and truth by centering our focus entirely on Christ and His redemptive work.

Worshiping God in spirit and truth involves a heart that is fully engaged and focused on Christ. It means laying aside all distractions, including our feelings and self-centered thoughts, and recognizing that our true worship is a response to who God is and what He has done for us. As stated in the sermon, worship should be entirely Christ-centered, devoid of any self-glory or personal experience. This approach requires us to dwell on His attributes, His sacrifices, and His ongoing work in our lives, which compels us to respond in gratitude and praise. When we shift our focus from ourselves to Christ, we enter into a deeper, transforming worship experience.

John 4:24, Exodus 15:1-22

What does it mean to be complete in Christ?

Being complete in Christ means that through His work, we lack nothing in our redemption and relationship with God.

To be complete in Christ signifies that through His sacrificial death and resurrection, we have all we need for salvation and relationship with God. As emphasized in the sermon, 'He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.' This means that our standing before God is secure, as we are accepted in the Beloved and made righteous in Him. We cannot add to this perfection, nor do we need to. Recognizing our completeness in Christ allows us to worship freely, knowing that we are fully accepted, loved, and provided for. It liberates us from the burdens of doubt and self-effort, allowing our worship to be rooted in thankfulness for what He has accomplished.

Colossians 2:10, Ephesians 1:6

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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Turn back to Exodus 15, Exodus
15. We looked at this chapter last
week, the first 21 verses, this song, the first song ever written,
recorded. And what a song and what an occasion
for it to be written. When the Lord delivered Israel
from the Egyptians and led them across the Red Sea on dry ground,
and they were safe on the other side, and God drowned their enemies. God did that. God killed them. That's what He did. He killed
them. Now the title of the message
this morning is From Redemption to Worship. From Redemption to
Worship. We have gathered here this morning
for one purpose, one purpose, and that is to worship the Lord
Jesus Christ. That is why we are here this
morning. To give unto Him the glory THAT'S
DUE UNTO HIS NAME, THE HONOR AND THE GLORY THAT BELONGS TO
HIM, AND HIM ALONE. AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE HERE THIS
MORNING, TO WORSHIP HIM, AND TO WORSHIP HIM BY GOD'S GRACE
AND GOD'S POWER, TO WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH, NOT PRETENSE,
NOT GOING THROUGH THE MOTION, BUT TO TRULY FROM OUR HEARTS
worship our Lord to really do it. I prayed this morning as
I often pray Lord help us to worship you in spirit and truth
you hear me you you've heard me and you hear me praying that
from this pulpit all the time help us to worship you in spirit
and in truth You know, I don't say anymore and when I was younger,
I said, I'm going to church. I don't say that no more. I'm
going to the worship service. We are the church. I'm not going
to the church. We are the church and we're gathering
together to worship the Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit, through
His Word. And I've often asked myself this
question, what is worship? And have I ever, ever truly worshiped
the Lord Jesus Christ? When you worship something or
someone, they have your heart, they have your devotion, they
have your love, they are the pinnacle. Nothing rivals that
which you worship, nothing does. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
the object of our worship. HE HAS OUR HEARTS, HE HAS OUR
ATTENTION, HE HAS OUR LOVE, BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD IS SHED ABROAD
IN OUR HEARTS, THEREFORE WE RESPOND IN LOVE. LOVE RESPONDS TO LOVE. IF GOD HAS SHED ABROAD HIS LOVE
IN YOUR HEART, I PROMISE YOU IT'S GOING TO COME OUT. HENRY
USED TO SAY ALL THE TIME, IT'S GOING TO LEAK OUT ON YOU. If
grace is in you, if the love of God is in you, it's going
to leak out on you. It has to. It has to. It's coming out. It'll
come out in your conversations. It'll come out in your conduct.
It'll come out in your life. It'll come out if it's in there.
It's not going to be concealed. Now in preparing this message,
I thought of the woman at the well and the conversation she
had with our Lord when she met Him. And she spoke of her father,
she said, our father's worshiped in this mountain. She said, you
Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place to worship, but our
father's worshiped in this mountain. And our Lord replied to her in
John chapter 4 verses 22 through 24, in case you want to go back
and read it. But here's our Lord's reply to
her. She said, Our fathers worshiped in this mountain. And the Lord
said to her, You worship you know not what. You don't know
what you're doing. You don't know why you're worshiping,
what you're worshiping. You're just going through the
motions. You're religious. And you're going through the
motion, the ceremonies and all of that, but you don't know what
you're doing. And the reason the Lord could
say that because He's the object of worship. He's God and He knows
her heart. He knows she's not worshiping
Him. The Lord knows those who worship
Him. He knows our hearts this morning. He knows every heart
here that's worshiping Him here this morning. He knows. HE SAID
TO HER, YOU WORSHIP YOU KNOW NOT WHAT WE KNOW WHAT WE WORSHIP
FOR SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS. THE LORD GET THE TYPES THE PICTURES
AND ALL THAT OF CHRIST THE SACRIFICES WERE GIVEN TO THE JEWS AND CHRIST
CAME AS A JEW. BUT NOT ALL THE JEWS NOT ALL
THE JEWS BECAUSE HE SAID TO THE PHARISEES YOU'RE OF YOUR FATHER
THE DEVIL. But Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Joseph, and many
others that did believe God, they did believe the gospel. And he says this, But the hour
cometh, and now is, when the true WORSHIPERS shall worship
the FATHER in SPIRIT and in TRUTH. You can't worship God with a
lie. He's to be worshipped in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. God is
not worshipped with our hands. It says He's not worshipped with
men's hands. He's worshipped with the heart. It's the heart
that worships Him. True worship does not happen
until we understand our full salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now when we really understand
what the Lord has done for us, who He is, and what He's done
for us, then we really truly bow down and worship the Lord
when we understand what He's done for us. That's why He said to that woman,
you worship you know not what. Worship is not in ignorance.
You see, worship is born of knowledge. Knowledge of God, knowledge of
Christ, and knowledge of ourselves, and knowledge of redemption. And He gives that knowledge.
That doesn't come from a seminary. That is revealed by God to the
heart through the preaching of the gospel. Now Israel stands
redeemed and safe on the other side of the Red Sea, and for
the first time they worship the Lord in song. Four hundred years
has gone by, they've been in bondage, and now they've been
delivered from the Egyptians, been delivered out of bondage,
they've crossed the Red Sea. What a miracle they witnessed!
They've been redeemed by the Passover Lamb, the blood was
shed, they were redeemed and they were brought out and they
were taken across the Red Sea. And there they stand, safe. There
they stand safe. Their enemies drowned in the
Red Sea. You see, listen, it's not until we understand our redemption
in Christ that we really have something to sing about. We really understand what we're
singing about, and we are singing to the one who has redeemed us.
We're not just singing about Christ, we're singing unto Him.
You notice in this song, in the first verse, Then sang Moses
and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord. They sang it unto the Lord. TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS WHEN WE EXPERIENCE
SALVATION IN ITS FULLNESS. WHEN WE TRULY EXPERIENCE IT IN
ITS FULLNESS. NOW OUR SALVATION, OUR SALVATION
IS THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE WORSHIP. IT'S THE FOUNDATION. KNOWING
OUR DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE PRECEDES OUR WORSHIP OF THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST. WE HAVE TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN REDEEMED FROM. Don't we? We must understand the bondage
we've been delivered from and how Christ delivered us by His
blood and His righteousness. There's got to be some real understanding
of that. Has to be. And we can only find
real peace of heart and real worship if we are able to grasp
the complete redemption we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. That
complete redemption. And we had nothing to do with
it. I told this to someone the other day that called me. Someone
from way back in my past. And I told them this. Salvation
is the complete work of Christ and we have nothing to do with
it. Nothing. All to Him I owe. He saved me. I didn't help Him save me. I
didn't cooperate with Him, and that's the reason I'm saved,
because I cooperated with Him. I'm not saved BECAUSE I BELIEVED
HIM. I BELIEVED HIM BECAUSE GOD SAVED ME. FAITH IS NOT THE CAUSE
OF SALVATION, IT'S THE EVIDENCE OF IT. ARMINIANISM HAS FAITH
AS THE CAUSE, IT'S THE MISSING INGREDIENT. THERE IS NO MISSING
INGREDIENT IN SALVATION. JESUS CHRIST COMPLETELY SAVED
EVERYONE WHOM HE DIED FOR. I MEAN A MULTITUDE OF SINNERS
NO MAN CAN NUMBER. AND YOU KNOW THIS, IF NOT NOBODY
WOULD BE SAVED. NOBODY WOULD BE SAVED. THERE
IS NOT A SOUL ON THIS EARTH THAT WOULD ASK GOD FOR MERCY IF GOD
DID NOT SHOW THEM MERCY. and give them a heart to cry
unto Him for mercy." I realized, of course, you realize this as
you get older and the Lord teaches you the gospel and you grow in
grace and the knowledge of Christ, you realize it was the Lord doing
it all alone, causing me to move toward Him, causing me to call
upon Him, causing me to ask for mercy. And that's of God. that's of
God, that's the Holy Spirit working within a center, moving that
center to Christ, moving that center to call upon Christ, revealing
to that center Christ and his need of Christ, his or her need
of Christ. Salvation, Jonah said it right,
salvation is of the Lord. If anybody knew Knew that it
would be Jonah in the whale's belly under in the sea if I'm
coming out of this alive God's gonna have to save me God's gonna
have to do it. I'm in the belly of a whale If I'm gonna come out of this
alive God's gonna have to do it and if I'm gonna come out
of this life alive And stand in glory Christ is gonna have
to save me He's going to have to do it from Alpha to Omega,
beginning to end. He's going to have to do it. Salvation. Our salvation in Christ
is the foundation of our worship. You see, there's a real necessity
of one's assurance of salvation. Now you and I cannot truly worship
the Lord and we're doubting all the time. Am I His? Am I not? Am I His? Am I not?
True worship is not going to come out of that kind of heart,
that kind of conduct, it's not going to do it. What is the great hindrance to
worship? What do you think it is? I'll tell you exactly what it
is. DOUBT. You know what doubt is? UNBELIEF. UNBELIEF. There's still, in every
believer, there's still too much unbelief. That's what doubt is. That's what it is. Not completely
convinced of my interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. David said
this, God, in Psalm 73, God is good to Israel, even to them
who have an upright heart, but ask for me. But ask for me. I got a problem. Here's something that we struggle
with. I have no reserve, I have no
doubt, zero doubt, that God is good to His church, that God
could save His church. But as for me, but as for me,
I'm so sinful. Well, since I've believed, I'm
more sinful since I believed and I felt like I was before
I believed. You know, as you get older, things change with
conviction of sin. The one thing that troubles me
the most now at my age, the one sin that troubles me the most
at my age is my attitude. That troubles me more than anything. ARE NOT ALL THINGS OF GOD, THEN WHY WOULD I COMPLAIN? WHY
WOULD I DOUBT? HAS HE EVER FAILED ME IN 69 YEARS? HAS GOD EVER FAILED ME? HAS GOD
EVER FAILED YOU? WHY WOULD WE DOUBT HIM? You know,
I've said this oftentimes to others and people that have talked
to me about things and I have told them, one of the things
I have told them is this, attitude's everything. The way you go at
something and look at something and the way you handle that with
your attitude is all the difference. Now you can go through a trial
complaining or you can go through a trial Giving glory to God. It's one way or the other. I
want to do it giving glory to God There's no sin that troubles
me as much as my attitude does Lord give me a right David said
give me a clean heart and a right spirit in Psalm 51 Give me a
clean heart and a right spirit To worship you with to live out
my life with on this earth and Our greatest hindrance is doubt.
It's not completely convinced of my interest in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's too much focus on myself. You know, I can tell you this.
This is true. Everybody in here will be happier
if you forget about yourself. I've tried. See if you can get
through the day and forget about yourself. You'll be so happy.
You'll be so much happier if you can just forget you even
exist. I'm telling you the truth, the
more you can forget about yourself, the happier you'll be. I promise you, I'm telling you
the truth. Too much focus on oneself, too much focus on our
feelings rather than on Christ and His accomplishments. These
are things that I'm telling you that I've learned as a believer
over the years of growing in grace and in knowledge of Christ
for 50 years. If our focus is on Christ and
His accomplishments and not on us and how much advancements
we've made. That's why Paul said, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Don't look at yourself,
look at Christ. Look at the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you want real assurance and real confidence and real hope,
look at that man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. Too much
focus on ourselves, too much focus on our feelings rather
than on Christ. And what we need to do is grow
in grace and knowledge of Christ. This helps remove all doubt.
The more you and I grow in grace and knowledge of Him, and this
is my constant prayer for this congregation, and I know a lot
of that I'm responsible for, your growth in grace and knowledge
of Christ. I stand here and preach to you
every week. I've got to feed you Christ. I'm not going to
feed you a bunch of other stuff. If I feed you Christ, the bread
of life, you're going to grow. You're gonna grow in grace and
knowledge of Christ. You can't grow in grace and not
grow in knowledge of Christ. They go together. Like faith
and repentance, they go together. You can't have one without the
other. Not at all. And then worship is hindered
when conscience is not fully purged from dead works that serve
the living God. You're always feeling like you
gotta do something. And I tell you what, in this life, you gotta
work for everything. But salvation is free. Everything
else you got to work for. You got to work for your bread. You got to work to pay your home.
You know, you got to work. But salvation is free. And that's
the only thing we want to work for. Everything else we want
free. That's why people play the lottery. They want to win
the lottery so they can all have to work. Isn't that right? They
don't have to work no more. They can play the lottery, buy
the lottery house, buy the lottery car, have this lottery family
and all that, but when it comes to salvation, no thank you, I'll
work for it. And that's the only thing you can't work for. That's
the gift of God. Eternal life is the gift of God.
A gift is not something you work for. If you work for it, it's
called wages, it's not called a gift. It's not a gift if you
work for it. The wages of sin is death. You earned it. Everyone who perishes
earned it. But the gift of God's eternal
life, that's not something God asks you if you want. That's
something God gives you. He gives it to you as a gift. Now listen, we cannot worship
if we are not fully persuaded. that Jesus Christ is all in all
if we are not fully persuaded. If we are not fully persuaded
that in Him you are complete. Now only a fool would try to
add to that which is complete. He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. Only a fool would try to add
to perfection. If you add anything to perfection
you make it imperfect. You're complete in Christ. That's
what you got to get a hold of. You're complete in Him who has
worked out our salvation. He worked it out. You know, Paul
said it to the Galatians. He said, have you begun in the
Spirit and are you made perfect by the flesh? In other words,
you're going to finish it off by the flesh. You're going to add
to it and perfect it by the flesh. They're in Galatians chapter
3. No, we began in the Spirit and we end in the Spirit. Now when does true worship happen?
Here is when true worship happens, when Jesus Christ is a sinner
and self is forgotten. Forget about yourself. Concentrate
on Him. I'm not going to start singing. I'll run you all off. You'll
say, you just get back to preaching. The Lord didn't give me that
talent. But anyway, that's what it is. Forget about yourself.
Concentrate on Him. And worship Him. The hardest
thing under heaven to do is forget about yourself. But here it is. WORSHIP HAPPENS WHEN THE REAL
FOCUS OF THE SERVICE IS ENTIRELY CHRIST-CENTERED. This song starts out, the Lord
says here, Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song
unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord. For
he hath triumphed gloriously THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER HATH
HE THROWN INTO THE SEA. Maybe we can read it like this,
HE HAS TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY, HE HAS PUT AWAY OUR SINS. Doesn't
it say in Hebrews chapter 1 that HE BY HIMSELF PURGED US FROM
OUR SINS. HE PURGED US, HE TOOK THEM AWAY. They're gone. I remember my sins. I'm aware of my sins. But He
put them away. God doesn't see them. God does
not see my sins. You know why He can't see them?
It's not because He's blind. It's not because He won't turn
around and look at them. It's because they don't exist anymore. That's
how thorough redemption is. He completely put them away. I have gotten hold of that more
in the latter years than I did in those early years. Those early
years I was, there was so much on feeling. But now it's God's Word. This
is what God said. This is what God said. I take
God at His Word. And I'll take the Word of God to the throne
of grace. Lord, YOU SAID! Don't be afraid to do that. How
many of you, when you were children, and when you had children, how
many times did you say, or your children say to you, you said,
you said we were gonna go. You said we were gonna do this.
They took your word. How much more God? You see, we
can lie, we're liars. I told you last week, everybody
in here is a liar. We've all lied. God hasn't, God
can't lie. So here it is, you take Him at
His word, His promises. When the worship service is entirely
on Christ, no mention of self, feelings, or efforts enter into
true worship. Paul said in Galatians 6.14,
But God forbid that I should glory THAT I SHOULD GLORY IN
MYSELF, THAT I SHOULD GLORY IN MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THAT I SHOULD
GLORY IN PLACE, RACE, OR GRACE. God forbid that I should glory
save except in the cross. He's not talking about a piece
of wood. He's talking about the sufferings of Christ. Save in
the cross OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BY WHOM THE WORLD IS CRUCIFIED
TO ME AND I UNTO THE WORLD. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING FOR THE
WORLD NO MORE, AND THE WORLD HAS NOTHING FOR ME. WE ARE NOT
FRIENDS. I AM FRIENDLY OUT THERE, BUT
THE WORLD IS NOT MY FRIEND. SCRIPTURE SAID, HE THAT IS A
FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS AN ENEMY OF GOD, BECAUSE THE WORLD HATES
GOD. THIS WORLD HATES GOD. IF THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST CAME INTO THIS WORLD AGAIN, LIKE HE DID THE
FIRST TIME, WE WOULD CRUCIFY HIM AGAIN. IF HE WALKED OVER
THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM, THEY WOULD CRUCIFY HIM AND THE GENTILES
WITH THEM WOULD CRUCIFY HIM AGAIN. THE WORLD HASN'T CHANGED. The only change is the change
that God makes in sinners. I'll give you a new heart, He
said. That's a change. A new birth, that's a change.
Outside of that, the world is just as hateful and mean as ever.
The only reason you and I can still live in this world is because
God, by His sovereign power, constrains the human race so
that we can live in it. And every now and then, God draws
His hand back. And you say, wow, how can he
do that? Well, if he draws his hand back
from you, you don't know how he can do it, how a person can
do what they do. You'll see what human nature
really is. Human nature is restrained. Henry said this one time, and
I have never forgotten it, do not confuse sovereign constraint
for personal holiness. DO NOT CONFUSE SOVEREIGN CONSTRAINT
FOR PERSONAL HOLINESS. Remember that. WORSHIP FLOWS FROM GAZING UPON
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HIS WORK OF REDEMPTION. That's when
it happens. Psalm 92, 4, FOR THY LORD HAS
MADE ME GLAD THROUGH THY WORK. Thy work, thy work of redemption,
thy work of grace. You've made me glad. I've never
met anyone whom the Lord has saved get mad over it. I've never
met anyone mad about when the Lord saved them. Oh, you made
me glad. You've made me glad through your
work, not only for me, but now listen, also in me, in me. Now it's made me glad through
thy work, I will triumph, I will triumph, I will overcome in the
works of thy hands. Paul said, I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. And then worship is not emotionalism. It's not religious forms. It's
not external aids. Worship is when Jesus Christ
is the very center of attention. HE'S THE VERY FOCUS OF SONG AND
PREACHING. I like what the psalmist said
in Psalm 73, Whom have I in heaven but thee? Everybody wants to go see Mommy,
everybody wants to see Grandpa, Dad, everybody wants to go see
those passed on. And he says here, I don't have
anybody in heaven that I desire to see more than I want to see
you. I want to see the saints of old. I'd like to see Abraham.
I want to see Henry, Rupert. I want to see them. I want to
see them. But not more than I want to see
Christ. He's the one who died for me. Whom have I in heaven
but thee, and there's none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Mother, father, sister, brother?
No, they got to get back. They got to get in the back of
the line. There's nobody on this earth
greater than Christ. And I tell you what, sooner or
later God will prove it. He'll bring you to the place
where He'll prove it. Whether you love Him or you love
your family the most or whatever it is, whatever it is. Peter,
he said, now listen, Peter, lovest thou me more than these? More than your fishing nets?
More than your income? Do you love me more than you
love these? That, my friend, will be a trial
when He brings that before you. And then the scope of worship
goes from our redemption in Christ to our final glory in the Lord
Jesus Christ. In this song, worship starts
with deliverance from Egypt and it ends with the reign of the
Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 18, the Lord shall reign
for ever and ever. That's what it says in verse
18. He shall reign. He's reigning right now. He's
reigning right now over every nation, every leader. There is
no loose cannon out there. Satan is not a loose cannon running
around. As mad as it probably makes him,
he's still accomplishing God's will. You know that? He's nothing
more, as someone said, than a pit bull on a chain. When Israel left Egypt, it said
that not even a dog moved its tongue against Israel. And when
Satan was going to try Job, when he wanted to get Job, what did
he have to do? He had to get permission from God. And God
accomplished His purpose in that trial that Job went through.
What a trial! He allowed Satan to do some very
difficult things to his child. But boy, when Job came out of
that trial, he knew God deeper than ever before. He experienced
God I don't want to know some facts about God. I'm telling
you the truth. I want to know God. You know
why? Christ said eternal life is to
know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. I'm not on a fact
finding mission. I want to know God. I want to
know him here before I get there. I woke up this morning thinking
about that. My whole morning thought was,
Lord, let me know you. I can't know you unless you make
yourself known to me. Make yourself, reveal yourself
to me. Let me know you. That was my
prayer this morning. It was 5.30 this morning. I woke up, 5 o'clock I think
I woke up, and I got to thinking about this message, and I got
to thinking about knowing God. That's a powerful thing to do
is to know God. When we understand that we've
been redeemed, that means purchased. We've been purchased. Saved from
the curse of the law, the clutches of Satan, the power of sin. When we really know that, believe
that, understand that, then we can worship. Then we can worship. true worship spans the whole
of redemption from the cross of Christ to the kingdom of God
the everlasting kingdom of God when one day he'll say enter
in to the kingdom prepared for you by my father and here's the heart's response
to worship I will prepare him and habitation in verse 2 We're
gonna worship leads to a desire for the presence of God. I desire
the presence of Christ here this morning, do you? For two or three are gathered
together, there am I in the midst of them. Is there two or three
here this morning that truly want the Lord to be here to worship
Him? Well, He's here. He's here, just
two or three of you, here. Just two or three. I like what
Moses said, listen to this, this is the heart of God's children
in Exodus 33, 14, and 15. And he said that the Lord said,
My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And
Moses said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not
up hence. If your presence is not here,
Lord, I don't want to be here either. I don't want to be here
either if the Lord's not here. The believer doesn't want to
go anywhere where the Lord's not. I don't want to go anywhere
where I'm not comfortable if I was to have Christ there with
me because Christ is in you. Think about that, He's in you. God, listen, God dwelling with
man is the grand end of our redemption. Now you can read that over in
Revelation 21, but listen, in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 16, the
latter part of that verse reads like this, As God has said, I
will dwell in them, Christ in you, the hope of glory, walk
in them, and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people. That's the grand end of redemption.
That's it, that's the grand end of it. to be with God. God be
with us. God dwell in us. That's amazing. And the believer, listen, as
we walk through this world, I'm going to close. I'm going to
close. There's three things here I want to point out. The believer's
life in this world, first of all, we have a physical presence
in this world, don't we? We live in this world. We're
here. We are in this world and we're traveling through this
wilderness called world. We're traveling through it. But
as we travel through it, we know that we are seated at God's right
hand in the Lord Jesus Christ. We live with that awareness. We live with it. We're in this
world, we're traveling through, but we are already seated in
glory. That wasn't as real to me 50
years ago as it is now. I'm here and I'm there. I'm here
and I'm there. I'm there in Christ. Our position in Christ ought
to inspire us to true worship. We are seated at God's right
hand. Let me say this last of all. In worship, let us lay hold of our full position
our full salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lay hold of that. We are washed in the blood of
the Lamb. We are accepted. It says in Ephesians
that He, God the Father, hath made us accepted in the Beloved. We are made righteous in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And we leave behind self and
spiritual uncertainty. If I have any uncertainty, it's
really this, I'm really not certain about Him. It's not really me,
it's Him. The more I'm certain I am about
Him, the less I have to deal with in my own self. I'm His,
He's mine. I'm His responsibility. He's
my surety. Is Christ your surety? You are
His responsibility to bring home, spotless and without blame. And by faith, let's enter boldly
into the Holy of Holies at the throne of grace and cast our
cares upon Him. Lord, here's one of my cares.
Make Yourself known to me. Let me know You. and let every redeemed heart
sing, the Lord shall reign forever and ever." One writer wrote this,
he wrote this and I thought it was good. True worship flows
from a heart assured of redemption, occupied with Christ alone, and
walking in the power of the resurrected life of Christ while journeying
through the wilderness to glory. That's the summary of our worship
of Christ. All right.
John Chapman
About John Chapman
John Chapman is pastor of Bethel Baptist Church located at 1972 Bethel Baptist Rd, Spring Lake, NC 28390. Pastor Chapman may be contacted by e-mail at john76chapman@gmail.com or by phone at 606-585-2229.
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