This coming Sunday we are starting a new series, its a Bible overview on the theme of worship. I've preached one before on the theme of kingdom, and looked for myself at the theme of covenant, but I've never preached a Bible Overview using the theme of worship.
In part the series is based on something I did three years ago for a small group on Tuesday mornings, except this is much longer and is to be preached to a Sunday morning congregation. Here's how the series looks
1. Genesis 1-2 - Worship and Creation
2. Genesis 3-11 - The Battle for Worship Begins
3. Genesis 12-50 - Worship and the Promise
4. Exodus-Deuteronomy - A Nation of Worshippers?
5. Joshua-Ruth - The Battle for Worship in the Land
6. 1 Samuel-2 Chronicles - Worship with a King
7. Isaiah-Malachi - The Watchdogs of Worship
8. Matthew-John - Perfect Worship
9. Acts-Jude - Worship in God's New Community
10. Revelation - The Past, Present and Future of Worship
Why do a Bible overview? Because we consistently teach expositionally through Bible books and the danger is that we get the micro picture but miss the big sweep of Bible narrative. A Bible overview is a chance to stand back and be amazed at what God has done in history. Its also a great way to familiarize young Christians with the whole Bible.
Its a series which provides many challenges for those preaching in terms of preparation. Firstly their is the sheer amount to be covered in each session, finding a text or a couple of texts to hang things on which represent the story of the whole, there is also the challenge of picking the big themes, selection, editing, and finally application to the people God has given us to teach. And then preaching it rather than lecturing it.
But it is phenomenally exciting; just in beginning preparation on Genesis 1-2 I am reminded what a great God we worship, so great that he has been worshipped from eternity past, that the whole of creation sings his praises and that amazingly he creates man and places him in the midst of this worshipping creation to worship him. Then there is the mode of worship for man - it is in obeying the word of God and fulfilling the mandate God gives him (what a great antidote to the 'worship(singing/music) wars' and 'worship' pastors we see in churches today!!!). And then there is the place of marriage in worship, if Adam and Eve are made to worship God by their ruling over the earth as God's regents and Eve is given to Adam to help in that task - then marriage is about worshipping God - how phenomenally liberating and counter cultural even in our churches!!!
Now the challenge is to teach those things that God has graciously reminded and amazed me with on Sunday.
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