A Christ Centered Theology of Worship

Not This Mountain

Who is Mark Deering III?• Became a follower of Christ early in my life

• Married for 7 years in June to Cassie, 3 children (Emmett, Zeke, Annabel)

• Bachelor in Music from Oklahoma Baptist University

• 1 year at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

• 1 year online Liberty Theological Seminary (MA in Worship and Leadership)

• Worship Arts Pastor @ Door Creek Church

• @mdeeringiii – twitter

• Anything active outside, basketball, weekend warrior, hanging out

Resources• worshipartspastor.wordress.com (download this PPT or PDF)

• Ross, Allen P. “Recalling the Hope of Glory” (Kregel, 2006)

• Whaley, Vernon M. “Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Repsonse to God’s Call” (Nelson, 2009)

• *Beale, G. K. “Eden, The Temple, and the Church’s Mission in the New Creation” JETS 48/1 (March 2005) 5–31

• Carson, D. A. “The Gospel According to John” (Eerdmans, 1991)

• Kidd, Reggie “With One Voice: Discovering Christ’s Song In Our Worship” (Baker, 2005)

A Christ Centered Theology of Worship

Not This Mountain

Why a Theology of Worship?• Everyone is a theologian

• Just about everyone thinks they know everything about worship

• Understanding the theology of worship is taking a next step

• If you are going to lead it, you need to know what it is your leading

• Theology is the foundation to how you build your ministry by shaping how you plan and plumb lining how you move forward

• Never just be a musician in the church

John 4 ESV

4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

John 4 ESV

11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

John 4 ESV

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.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

• Sacrifice

• Cleanliness

• Light

• Communion and provision

• Prayers of intersession

• Atonement

• High Altar

• Laver

• Candlestick

• Table

• Altar of Incense

• Ark of the Covenant

What is was What it meant

Tabernacle & Temple

Holy Place and Holy of Holies• Light

• Life

• Provision

• Communion

• Intersession

• Knowledge

• Reminder of the greatness of God: creation, beauty, etc.

Eden• “Tabernacled” means dwelling of God and the Garden was a

unique place of God’s dwelling

• The lampstand, a representation of the tree of life

• River of Water, God’s provision of life as seen in the bread

• Gold and Precious Gems are wealth, beauty, and brilliance

• Trees represent beauty and provision throughout

• Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Law (in the Ark)

• Temple and Tabernacle had priests, the Garden had Adam

The restoration to spiritual service could only come through the Lord’s provision of a new beginning, through redemption. Thus, when God redeemed Israel and made them a kingdom of priests, he was in essence re-making them as the functioning image of God on earth, for all who represent the Lord and do his will are fulfilling the design of the Creator. But this spiritual restoration was provided fully in Christ. In the fullness of time God sent forth his Son into the world. This Son, Jesus, was revealed as the image of the invisible God, the licenses of God, and the express image of the Father. Only believers in Jesus Christ, those who are “in Christ,” can attain the likeness of God. And this they do as they are conformed to the image of the Son through the Word of God. Therefore, it is through the redeeming work of Christ that people can now realize what it means to be a kingdom of priests; now they can worship and serve as they were intended to do.” (Ross, 107-108)

Exod. 19:5-6; Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 1:3; Col. 3:10; Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Peter 2:1-10

EdenTabernacle

Temple Jesus

Jesus’ Fulfillment of the Temple• The one and final sacrifice (Heb. 7:27)

• Washed with his blood (Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:14)

• Life and Light of men (John 1:4,5; 8:12)

• Bread of life (John 6:35)

• High Priest (Hebrews 8:1-6)

• Our Priesthood in Christ (1 Peter 2:4-10)

John 4 ESV

4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

John 4 ESV

11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

John 4 ESV

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.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

What We Learn from John 4• Jesus uses the imagery of water and the provision of life

• Jesus validates the Jewish history of worship (tabernacle/temple)

• Jesus condemns all other forms of worship

• Jesus gives the blueprints for worship in the future (now)

• Jesus actually lays out his plan for salvation

• Jesus describes Worship as Trinitarian

• Jesus identifies himself as the Messiah

A Christ Centered Theology of Worship• Worship is response

• Worship is relational

• Worship is Trinitarian

• Worship is a way of living

Practical Implications• Thematic Worship

• Richness of diversity

• Higher value of testimony

• Higher value of prayer

• Central on the Word

• Connect hearts to Christ

A Christ Centered Theology of WorshipAs a follower of Christ we are living temples in which the Holy Spirit is working through the person and work of Jesus Christ our High Priest who is ever interceding for us to the Father.

We worship not on any mountain, but in, through, and because of the person and work of Jesus Christ our Creator, Savior, High Priest, and Lord.

A Christ Centered Theology of Worship

Not This Mountain

Resources• worshipartspastor.wordress.com (download this ppt)

• Ross, Allen P. “Recalling the Hope of Glory” (Kregel, 2006)

• Whaley, Vernon M. “Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Repsonse to God’s Call” (Nelson, 2009)

• *Beale, G. K. “Eden, The Temple, and the Church’s Mission in the New Creation” JETS 48/1 (March 2005) 5–31

• Carson, D. A. “The Gospel According to John” (Eerdmans, 1991)

@mdeeringiii