Why does the sermon matter in the worship service? In short, the answer to this question is that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through words. He is a God of words. The heavens declare His glory, and the earth shows His handiwork. But the words of God are the way that we know God, His purposes, and His eternal plan of redemption. To understand this, we should start at the very beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). With these foundational words, God’s Word begins. How did God create? He could create using any method He desires. He could form things manually. He could think things into existence. He could design something to create everything else. Yet, He did none of these. Instead, He spoke. “God said …” and it appeared. As we consider the creation narrative, it is important to ask why God created by speaking. He was placing an important emphasis on His word.

After creating everything, Genesis informs us that He walked and spoke to Adam and Eve every day in the Garden. No doubt he was teaching Adam all that he needed to know to be the caretaker that God designed. God was also, most certainly, revealing himself to Adam and Eve through those conversations. God created all things by His word because He is a relational God. His desire is to commune with His creation.

Furthermore, God also sustains creation through His word. Hebrews 1:3 informs us that one continuous action of Christ is to uphold the universe through the word of His power. While we have discovered many things about the universe through scientific study. The truth remains that there is much more we do not know and will not know. What keeps the universe from falling into absolute chaos? Science cannot fully answer this question. However, Scripture is clear. The answer is God’s words.

Finally, the day will come when God will judge the created world with His words and bring in the new heaven and new earth. Revelation 19-21 contains this account. When Christ returns, He is pictured as judging the world with a sword coming out of His mouth. In this picturesque language, John is describing the power of God’s word. When Jesus speaks, it will be effective and will condemn unredeemed humanity to the Lake of Fire. Then, through His word, the new heaven and the new earth will come.

Sitting in church as a child, I wondered at times why the person up front (the pastor) talked so much. He would have everyone open their Bibles and then spend 45 minutes or so droning (or so it seemed to me as a kid). Yet, as you well know, this is precisely what I do to you. Over the next few months, through these letters, I would like to give you a biblical explanation as to why the Sunday sermon is essential. In fact, not only is it important, I will argue that it is and should be the center point of our corporate worship.

In a day when so many churches are unwisely moving away from the proclamation of God’s Word, we must preserve truth by standing firm. Over the years, I have often argued for the regulative principle in worship. If you don’t know what that is, you can go back to those Pastor’s Pens on worship on the church website or listen to the sermons on worship on the website located in the Foundations series. In short, the regulative principle argues that we are only to do what God tells us to do in worship. We will demonstrate that God tells us to value the proclamation of the Word.

This series of letters will be divided into two parts. The first part will address the question, “Why do churches focus their service around a sermon?” We will answer the question in two parts. First, we will spend several weeks demonstrating that God is a God of words. When Jesus came in the incarnation, John identifies Him with the title, “The Word.” God created through words, revealed Himself through words, and came as “The Word.” As a result, I will argue in the second part that God is to be worshiped through words. So, the church’s corporate worship should center on the proclamation (the spoken word) of the Bible (the Written Word).

After we have sufficiently established the value God places on words in worship, we will move to the second part of the series addressing the question, “How can I get the most out of the Sunday Sermon?” We will begin by addressing both the struggle in the pulpit and the struggle in the pew. Pastors don’t always preach outstanding sermons. When Christian and I evaluate the service every Monday, we spend time discussing the sermon. Inevitably, we have significant critiques. There is also a struggle in the pew. The week is long, and there is something about Sunday mornings. I am convinced it is the work of Satan in our lives that makes us so sleepy on Sunday. As a result, we can struggle to listen. However, we must learn to listen intentionally.

When we learn to listen intentionally to the sermon (and any conversation), we get much more out of them. As a result, this section spends several weeks examining how people listen. Hopefully, this will help us learn to listen more intentionally. Then we will address how relying on the Holy Spirit and intentionally applying the sermon can transform our lives. I hope that this will be a helpful and practical series of Pastor’s Pens. I invite you to join me on this journey every week (Lord willing).

Have you ever sat through a sermon or lecture and thought to yourself: “So what?” A speaker can do a great job explaining the content, but if he doesn’t show why it’s relevant, then it won’t make a difference. As we’ve discussed God’s attributes, this same question should be on our minds. How do we respond to who God is? What should we do with this information? God demands a response from us. And we see that response in the final attribute that we will examine. God is worthy of worship.

To worship means to humble yourself and bow in submission to someone. Worship involves praise, service, and devotion. Scripture teaches that God alone is worthy of our worship. Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” God is worthy of our worship simply because He created us. We exist by His will and for His purpose and glory. This attribute is exclusive to God. Only God is worthy of worship (Matt. 4:10). The first and second commandments forbid the worship of any other god or idol (Exod. 20:3-6). The last verse in the book of Psalms says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Psa. 150:6). So if you’re breathing right now, then you’re commanded to praise the Lord. This is the proper response that God expects from us.

So what should worship look like? If you visit ten different churches, you will probably see ten different styles of worship. So what does Scripture say? We learn a lot about worship in the book of Psalms. That’s why we begin every Sunday service with a call to worship from the Psalms. If you read through this collection of songs, you’ll learn what God desires in our worship. First, we discover that worship must focus on God. It’s not man-centered or shallow. The Psalms are rich in theology. They speak about real-life issues but always draw our attention back to God. For this reason, it’s a good exercise to grab a journal and write down all the attributes of God that you can find in this book. The Psalms teach profound truths about God and the world He created.

From this, we see secondly that worship involves spirit and truth. For instance, when David says in Psalm 8:1, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” I doubt his face looks like Grumpy from the Seven Dwarves. David’s emotions are evident in his worship of God. We cannot divorce emotion from worship. However, there should always be a balance with truth. As Jesus says in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The truth should stir our affections (the spirit). Our emotions should be excited by the character of God. So we worship God in spirit and truth.

Third, we observe that proper worship should have variety. Some Psalms are happy and exciting (see Psalm 100). And others are solemn and heavy (see Psalm 53 or 63). Some of the Psalms focus on God’s justice (see Psalm 2). At the same time, others focus on His mercy (see Psalm 51). Our worship should have variety. At Cambria, we sing a mix of hymns and modern songs that range from exciting to solemn themes to provide a variety for our worship. To pretend that life is always happy is dishonest. To always look sorrowful is a misrepresentation of God’s blessings. Therefore, our worship should contain various themes and moods to express the whole scope of life in submission to God. God is worthy of all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).

“Does God care about me?” Almost everyone has asked that question at some point in their lives. As human beings created in God’s image, we long for God. We long for a higher power that cares about us. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has put eternity into man’s heart. We long for the eternal. This means we have an intrinsic desire for meaning and love. Ultimately, God put this in our hearts to lead us to Him. Because nothing can satisfy this longing except God. Last week, we looked at God’s transcendence. We learned that God is distinct from His creation and depends on nobody for anything. But Scripture also reveals that God is simultaneously immanent. That means God is involved with and cares deeply about His creation.

From cover to cover, we see God’s immanence in the Bible. He created the Earth to be ruled by mankind. He cared for Adam and Eve despite their sin (Gen. 3:21-24). He made a promise to crush Satan and sin through the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). He called Noah to build an Ark to preserve the human race through the Flood (Gen. 6-9). He called Abraham from the land of Ur to make him the Father of His people (Gen. 12). He offers us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:16). The Bible is full of stories and people that God cared for. God is involved with His creation because He is immanent.

Paul’s sermon in Acts 17 takes this attribute of God even further. God isn’t just involved in His creation; He determines everything in His creation. We also call this sovereignty. God sovereignly directs everything in the universe. Acts 17:24-28 says,

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”

God is deeply involved with mankind. He determines where we live and how long we live. He sovereignly controls all of His creation. Nothing happens to His surprise. God is not far from His creation. He desires for us to repent and seek His grace. This truth about God refutes Deism. This view holds that God is a distant being who only interacts with the Earth when necessary. Deists reject special revelation because they believe knowledge of God is attained through reason and natural observation. Deism was a widespread belief in the early centuries of the United States. Many of the Founding Fathers were actually Deists. But Scripture teaches that God is actively and personally involved with His creation. He didn’t create the world, then let it be. He created the world for a purpose and is moving everything toward that purpose because God is immanent.

Throughout Scripture, we see God’s involvement with mankind. He created mankind to bear His image on the Earth. He cursed mankind for our disobedience in the Garden of Eden. He punishes the wicked and brings them to nothing. He blesses His people and continually provides for them. Ultimately, He sent His Son to die for us on the cross so that we could be with Him forever. God has always been involved with His creation. Thankfully, He loves us and cares about us. Our souls long for Him because He is immanent.

I once heard a sermon titled “God needs you.” This may sound nice, but is it true? Unfortunately, this kind of theology dominates Christian thinking today. Christian bookstores are filled with books about you. Preachers can pack pews by preaching all about you. This is because we like to think that God needs us. We might not say it, but the thought lingers in the back of our minds. But Scripture reveals that God is transcendent. Which means God doesn’t need us. But as we’ll see, this makes His love and grace even more amazing.

God is absolutely distinct from His creation. That means God is above, separate from, and outside all created things. We often refer to this as the Creator-creature distinction. The universe and everything in it were created by God, but God Himself is Uncreated. So on a fundamental level, He is not a part of His creation. God is completely other. He is unlike everything else because nothing else can compare to His size, knowledge, power, or majesty. Isaiah 57:15 says that God is high and lifted up and inhabits eternity. This distinction has many implications.

First, because God made all things, He is the Divine Owner, Operator, and Sovereign King of all things. He is exalted above all with infinite glory and majesty. Psalm 113 expresses this truth in verses 4-6, “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?” The obvious answer to all these questions is no one. No one is like God. He is completely unique.

Because God is transcendent, He doesn’t need us. In Acts 17, we read Paul’s address at the Areopagus to the Men of Athens. As Paul described the One True God, he made this key statement, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” Unlike the ancient gods of Greece, the True God does not need mankind’s service. He is not dependent on man for anything.

Because God is transcendent, He is beyond our full comprehension. Romans 11:33-36 summarizes this point by saying, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” God has revealed Himself to us in His Word, but mankind cannot fully understand the depth, riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God.

Because God is transcendent, His love for us is amazing! Although God is far beyond anything we can even imagine, He still loves us. God isn’t just beyond us in being and wisdom, He’s beyond us in love, compassion, and grace. Isaiah 55:6-9 reveals this priceless truth by saying,

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God doesn’t need anything or depend on anyone, because He is transcendent. He is above and distinct from His creation. He is the ruler of all. And He’s beyond our comprehension. But God still chooses to love us and pursue us! He doesn’t act like us or do what we think because He is so much greater than we think. Praise God because He is transcendent.

As we celebrate Independence Day, it’s good to thank God for our country. We praise God for our freedoms and rights. We are grateful for religious liberty and free speech. Although our country faces many challenges, we are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth. However, with all the blessings we enjoy today, one virtue is severely lacking. Patience is almost a forgotten quality. Ironically, the technology designed to save us time has made us less patient and busier. We want what we want, and we want it now. Whether it’s unusual traffic, long wait times, or delayed deliveries, we tend to be very impatient. We get easily annoyed when things don’t go our way.

Once again, our tendencies in life often shape how we view God. We sometimes assume that God acts like us. When we mess up, we imagine that God reacts the same way we do. We think that He’s frustrated and ready to give up on us. But thankfully, Scripture reveals that God is patient. What is patience? Patience is often used interchangeably with long-suffering or forbearance. It’s the ability to exercise self-control and endure people who annoy or provoke us. When we think about God’s patience, we’re reminded of our sinfulness. We provoked God’s wrath through our disobedience. We deserve eternal punishment for our sins. However, despite our rebellion, God is patient toward His people. Psalm 86:15 says that God is slow to anger. He endures our weaknesses. “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are but dust” (Psa. 103:14). So, God is patient with us.

Regarding God’s patience, 2 Peter 3 teaches us that God’s delay in bringing about the final judgment is for our benefit. As we anticipate Christ’s return, we can trust that God’s patience serves a purpose. Peter writes to believers in verse 9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Therefore, God’s delay works in our favor. Consider this—if Christ had returned 100 years ago, you might not be alive. If he had come 20 years ago, you may not have repented and faced His wrath. God’s delay is for our good. For those of us who have repented, it’s a blessing that God waited! This is why Peter concludes his letter by saying, “Count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Pet. 3:15).

“If God is patient, then I’ll wait to follow Him later in life.” This is a common thought among unbelievers. However, Paul rebukes this foolish idea in Romans 2 when he warns those who think they can escape or control the coming judgment. In verse 4, he says God’s patience and kindness should lead us to repentance because we cannot escape His judgment on our own. We cannot presume upon God’s grace for the future and reject Him today. We’re called to repent now. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” You’re not promised tomorrow, so turn to Christ today.

As Christians, we are called to imitate God by practicing patience. This fruit of the Spirit should be visible in the lives of believers (Gal. 5:22). We should be slow to anger with our spouse, children, and friends because God is slow to anger with us. We should be self-controlled when faced with a grievance at work or on the road. This type of patience is impossible to achieve on our own, but as we humbly submit to God’s Spirit working through His Word, this fruit will become evident in our lives. The world could use more patience. We are so quick to become upset and defensive when things don’t go our way. Thankfully, God doesn’t act this way because He is patient.

One of the most important questions in human history is found in John 18:38, “Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’” As Jesus stood before Pilate and faced crucifixion, He told Pilate that He came into the world to bear witness to the truth. To which Pilate replied with this question. Before it was answered, Pilate turned to the crowd and said that he found no reason for Jesus to be crucified. However, the crowd insisted, and we know the rest of the story.

Pilate’s question is fascinating because it’s the question everyone must ask in life. What is truth? Your answer will define your life. The world defines truth as something you create for yourself. So you’ll hear people say things like: “That’s my truth” or “Speak your truth.” But truth isn’t a possession. Truth is a reality. It’s not something that we can change to satisfy our desires. We call that a lie. A Google search will define truth as something factual, real, and constant. Truth can’t be proven wrong because it’s factual. It’s not a myth or legend, and it doesn’t change. The truth is the truth.

So, what is truth? Jesus said earlier in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” This is one of eight “I am” statements that Jesus made to declare His deity. Jesus, being God in human flesh, said that He is the truth. So the answer to Pilate’s question was right in front of him. What is truth? God is truth. This means that God is who He says He is. He is factual, real, and constant. Everything He is and does is true. This also means that God is the Source of all truth. How do we know 2+2=4? Because God said so. He is the Author of truth. In John 17:3, Jesus refers to the Father as “the only true God.” Man is good at making false gods. But only One God is true!

Because God is truth, He cannot lie. Titus 1:2 says that God never lies. Hebrews 6:18 says that it is impossible for God to lie. He cannot contradict His perfect character by lying or breaking a promise. Because God’s nature is completely true, He will not change. He cannot improve or diminish. Everything He says and does is totally true without any error. He doesn’t deceive, alter the story, or make promises that He can’t keep. God’s nature is genuine.

This attribute also means that God’s revelation is true (Jn. 17:17). Everything He says in His Word is accurate and true. Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Because His Word is truth, it will never pass away (1 Pet. 1:24-25; Matt. 5:18). Seasons come and go. Plants, animals, and people grow, wither, and die. The world is in constant change. But God’s Word never fades or dies because it is true. Therefore, His Word will never fail (Isa. 55:11). Every promise will be kept. Every prophecy will be fulfilled. God’s Word is true.

This attribute of God leaves us with no reason to doubt. If God is truth, then why would we fear? Don’t be misled by the world’s definition of truth. Because God is truth, He is worthy of our commitment, trust, and obedience. He will never lie to us. He will never deceive us. We must remember this attribute of God when we read His Word. Every verse is true. So the promise of forgiveness is true. The promise that God will never forsake us is true. The promise of eternal life in heaven is true. The promise of a glorious inheritance is true. The promise of being with God forever is true. God will deliver on all of His promises because He is true.

“God must be punishing me.” You’ve probably heard this statement before. Many people view God as a Cosmic Blacksmith ready to strike them with a hammer when they mess up. They think He’s waiting up in heaven, lightning bolt in hand, ready to smite them for the smallest mistake. When things go wrong in life, they immediately conclude that God is mad at them. This conclusion fits their notion of the Cosmic Blacksmith. But that’s not the God we find in Scripture. Yes, God is perfect in holiness and justice. Yes, there are times when God does strike down the wicked. However, the fact is God has a completely different posture toward His people.

Thankfully, Scripture teaches us that God is merciful and gracious. David writes in Psalm 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” He goes on to say that His love for us is as high as the heavens are above the earth. He has compassion for us. When God forgives us, He removes our sins from us as far as the East is from the West. God is a forgiving God to His people (Psa. 99:8). Scripture even says that God desires mercy (Hos. 6:6). Think about that- God likes to forgive you! It’s not a burden for Him. It’s not something that He gives reluctantly. He eagerly desires to forgive you. God invites us to come to Him because He is merciful and gracious.

God’s mercy is often translated as “loving-kindness” or “steadfast love” in the Old Testament (Psa. 5:7; 6:4; 13:5; etc.). This term denotes God’s covenant faithfulness to His people. As Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” These verses describe God’s relationship with His people. His loving-kindness toward us will never cease. His mercy is endless and fresh every day to meet our needs. God is great in His faithfulness to us because He is merciful. Even when we sin for the hundredth time, He will forgive us.

God’s grace is very similar to His mercy but has a slightly different meaning. Mercy is God withholding from us what we deserve (His wrath). Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve (His goodness and blessings). Salvation is the greatest gift of God’s grace. Romans 3:23-24 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Although we sinned against God, He provided redemption through Christ so we could be justified. Ephesians 2:8 reiterates this truth, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” God gave us righteousness when we deserved wrath. God gave us freedom when we deserved death. God gave us heaven when we deserved hell. That is grace!

God’s mercy and grace are not just one-time benefits. It’s not that we begin the Christian life by grace but then finish the job by works. Paul refutes this idea in Galatians 3 by arguing that the Spirit of God started, preserves, and will finish our salvation by His power and grace. The whole Christian life, from justification to sanctification and ultimately glorification, is all by God’s grace (Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:29-30). As we face the ongoing battle with sin, we can trust God’s mercy to forgive us when we mess up. We can rely on God’s grace to change us and give us victory. As we seek to please God with our lives, we must remember that our good works are only possible by God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 2:12-13).

God is not a Cosmic Blacksmith ready to smack you with a hammer. He is gracious and merciful. So why do we often view Him in this way? Our view of God will determine our view of life. If we view God as someone out to get us, then we won’t trust Him, and we’ll fail to obey His Word. But if we see God as our Merciful and Gracious Father, we will begin to trust Him. When life gets hard, we won’t doubt His grace. When we mess up again and again, we run to Him because He will receive us with open arms. Our God is merciful and gracious.