Exciting Worship Recognizes Family

Scripture: Philippians 1:1-2

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Insights:  Last week we finished the first part of our sermon series titled REAL Worship.  In that first part we spent several weeks learning about how worship was relevant for our daily lives.  In this second part of our sermon series we are going to examine how our worship is also exciting.  Throughout this second part I will use the word exciting and joy interchangeably at times.  The reason is because it is out of the joy we experience in Jesus that worship really does become exciting.  The best book in the Bible, in my opinion, that addresses this exciting joy we have in the Lord is Philippians.  As a result, we will spend the next several weeks in this fantastic book and learn how our worship ought to be exciting because of Jesus.  In many ways, the first sermon point in this second part of the sermon series is exactly the same point as the last in our first part of the sermon series out of First Peter (Did you follow all of that, because I think I got myself lost even while typing it).  Both of these have dealt with our family.  Last time we realized that family was relevant for our worship and in today’s verses, which is just a traditional salutation in the first century, we pick up on the fact that our families also bring us a great deal of joy.  When we joyfully worship with our family we are brought into the exciting part of communal fellowship that enhances our worship to the glorious One.  Beloved, it is my prayer that you wake up each Sunday with an exciting anticipation to the fact that you are getting to join together in worship with your fellow family members.  This thought ought to excite you from the top of your head all the way to the bottom of your feet.  These services are weekly family reunions and they ought to be joyfully exciting.  I prayer your weekly church service is filled with this kind of attitude.

Questions:

1.  Are you a member of the family of God?

2.  If you are not, what has hindered your birth into his wonderful family?

Prayer: Father, thank You for my salvation.  I am so grateful that You have birthed me into Your family.  I am forever alive with You because of Your immense love for me.  Thank You.  Amen.