August 25, 2026 • 25 mins
If you’ve ever wondered why your spiritual life feels scattered, the answer might be simpler than you think: you’re missing the basics. We’re kicking off a new “basic training” series with Dr. Timothy Mann, and we start where Jesus starts under temptation in Matthew 4:8–10. When Satan offers glory in exchange for worship, Jesus responds with a line that exposes every competing loyalty: worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only. That single moment gives us two core competencies that shape real Christian maturity.
We talk about what worship actually is, not as a Sunday vibe, but as an inner response of awe, reverence, gratitude, and love that comes from seeing who God is and what He has done through the cross and resurrection. We also tackle a hard but freeing reframe for corporate worship: the congregation isn’t an audience grading musicians and preaching. We are the ones offering worship, God is the audience, and everything we do together is meant for His pleasure and glory.
From there, we get practical. How often does skipping church become “neglect”? What habits during the week either feed worship or starve it? Dr. Mann gives concrete steps for a more meaningful Sunday gathering, including consistent Bible reading and prayer, removing media and patterns that compete for your devotion, preparing your heart ahead of time, and cutting distractions that keep you from engaging with God. If you care about Christian discipleship, church faithfulness, and spiritual growth grounded in Scripture, this is a clear starting point.
Subscribe for more biblical teaching, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one thing that most competes for your worship right now?
How can we pray for you? Text us and tell us how the episode helped you, as well.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:21):
Today on Foundation Success, we begin a new series,
basic training.
In this series, Dr.
Timmy Man will identify corecompetencies that are biblical
for every Christian.
Direct principles from the Wordof God that should shape our
vision for the church and forour understanding of what it
means to become spirituallymature and committed followers
(00:41):
of Jesus.
Today we begin with a powerfulmessage from Matthew chapter 4,
verses 8 through 10.
Here now with today's message isDr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
Matthew chapter 4.
Matthew chapter 4, verses 8through 10.
The Bible says, Again, the deviltook him up on an exceedingly
high mountain, him meaningJesus, and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and theirglory.
And he, meaning the devil, saidto him, All these things I will
(01:16):
give you if you will fall downand worship me.
And then Jesus said to him, Awaywith you, Satan, for it is
written, You shall worship theLord your God, and him only you
shall serve.
And we'll stop here.
This is God's word.
In nineteen eighty-seven, Icompleted basic training in the
(01:39):
United States Army.
You didn't know I was that old,did you?
Yeah.
Well, to graduate and officiallybe a soldier, you had to
demonstrate proficiency in whatwas called core competencies.
You could not move on to youradvanced training until you had
down the core competencies ofbasic training.
(02:02):
If you didn't pass, you had togo through it again.
And then even after we completedadvanced training and became a
permanent soldier, we still weretested a few times a year on
core competencies.
Those foundational elements hadto remain proficient in your
skills in order for you to be aneffective soldier and fulfill
(02:24):
the mission.
I believe that there are somecore competencies for all of us
as Christians and as members ofthis church.
They are biblical.
They are not something that Ijust arbitrarily made up, but
instead they are directprinciples from God's Word.
And they really must be part ofour DNA as a church.
(02:49):
They should be our vision, ourstrategy for becoming mature and
committed followers of Jesusourselves and helping others to
do so.
Well, think of it this way (03:01):
many basic training.
Many basic training, these corecompetencies.
Now, our stated mission as achurch, it's in our literature,
it's on our website, it's inthings we do.
I'm not trendy, so I don'tnecessarily go around saying we
need to have our missionstatement plastered everywhere.
Uh but and we didn't get to voteon our mission.
(03:22):
Jesus laid down our mission.
It's called the GreatCommission, and it's found in
all four of the gospels and inthe book of Acts, stated one way
or the other.
And the way we chose to state itwas this.
This is our stated mission, andI quote it.
Our stated mission as a churchis to, quote, be used by God to
(03:42):
help other people becomecommitted and mature followers
of Jesus.
Now you can take out thosewords, committed and mature, and
you really have the heart of theGreat Commission that we as a
church would be used by Godbecause we can't do it
ourselves.
We have to be used by God tohelp other people become
followers of Jesus.
(04:04):
But not just followers of Jesus,committed followers of Jesus,
mature followers of Jesus.
That's discipleship.
The question then is how are weto do that?
What does that even look like inthe simplest terms?
In basic terms?
What does that look like?
As you reflect on that just fora moment, I would have you ask
(04:25):
yourself, and I've been askingmyself this question all week.
Am I personally, I'm talkingabout me, am I personally a
mature and committed follower ofJesus?
Am I a follower of Jesus?
Am I a mature and committedfollower of Jesus?
What are some basic aspects ofmy life that should actually
(04:46):
point to that?
If indeed I am a follower ofJesus, if I am seeking to become
a mature and committed followerof Jesus, what are some basic
aspects that should point tothat as evidence?
Well, that's what we're going totalk about more today.
So let's look again at Matthew4, verses 8 through 10.
(05:08):
Let's read it one more time.
Again, the devil took him up onan exceedingly high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms ofthe world and their glory.
And he said to him, All thesethings I will give you if you
fall down and worship me.
And then Jesus said, and here'swhere I want us to put our
focus.
Then Jesus said to him, Awaywith you, Satan, for it is
written, and he's talking aboutthe scriptures, he's pointing to
(05:31):
the authority of God's wordhere.
You ever wondered, did Jesusbelieve the Bible?
Well, yeah.
Away with you, Satan.
I mean, after all, he did writeit.
For it is written, You shallworship the Lord your God, and
him only shall you serve.
(05:51):
Now the context of these verses,if you're a Bible student, you
know the context, but just incase maybe you're wondering, the
context of these verses is thatJesus is in the desert
experiencing the temptations ofSatan.
He's been fasting from food for40 days.
Again, verse 8 and 9, you seeone of the moves that Satan is
(06:12):
trying to put on him.
When the Spirit of God led Jesusinto the desert to be tempted by
Satan, the act was a testdesigned to show that Jesus
really was God's Son and that hewould follow the path that God
had laid out for him.
But for our purposes today, Iwant us to focus specifically on
(06:32):
what Jesus said in verse 10.
For this single verse containsthe first two core competencies
that must be present andproficient in our lives as
Christians.
(06:57):
Two core competencies.
Worship God, serve God.
Worship God, serve God.
And Jesus said, Only, only.
Worship him only, serve himonly.
SPEAKER_01 (07:14):
Thank you for joining us today for Foundations
of Truth, the biblical teachingministry of Dr.
Timothy Mann.
The message you're hearing todayis possible because listeners
like you believe in theimportance of faithful,
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At Foundations of Truth, ourdesire is to help people know
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(07:36):
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(07:57):
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And thank you for your prayers,your encouragement, and your
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Now let's return to today'smessage with Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_00 (08:08):
Let's dig in.
Worshiping God.
The worship of God is theultimate priority.
It's the ultimate priority.
And no one will ever become amature and committed follower of
Christ if this is not the firstorder of their lives.
Well, of course, it begs thequestion what is worship?
(08:29):
What exactly is worship?
Well, the English word, and thisis kind of an interesting thing
to me, the English word worship,our modern English word worship,
is actually derived from the oldEnglish word worthhip.
Worth ship.
Interesting.
Worship.
So when we worship God, whatwe're doing is we're actually
(08:49):
proclaiming or giving back tohim his worth to us.
Think about that.
When we worship, we're actuallygiving back to him and
proclaiming to him how much he'sworth to us.
What his worth is to us.
My definition is this.
I was trying to think itthrough, and uh let me give you
(09:10):
a definition of worship.
Worship is an inner attitude andfeeling of awe, reverence,
gratitude, and love toward Godresulting from a realization of
who he is and who I am, and it'sactually displayed then in
(09:30):
tangible ways, in real ways.
So I want to ask you, do youtruly understand who he is?
And if so, how much is he worthto you?
Are you showing that?
Are you displaying how much he'sworth to you?
I believe that worship is inpart emotional or felt.
(09:51):
Now that's not to say that weshould work to pump up our
emotions with music or work topump up our emotions by crowd
fervor.
Genuine emotions from for Godactually stem from focusing our
minds on the truth of who He isand what He's done for us on the
(10:11):
cross and His resurrection fromthe dead.
If your worship, though, nevertouches your emotion,
something's wrong.
There's a disconnect.
It's kind of like my love for mywife.
My relationship with her is notbuilt on my feelings, but rather
on my commitment to her.
(10:32):
My relationship is built on mycommitment to her.
How many of you in here thismorning know that love is a
choice?
It's not a feeling, it's achoice.
It's a commitment.
And the foundation of myrelationship with her is built
on my commitment to her.
But when I begin to think aboutall she actually means to me,
(10:52):
then I feel love for her.
And when I feel love for her,then I surely ought to express
that love in some outward mannerthat actually shows her that I
love her.
Men, are you listening here justfor a second?
I just pay attention, all right.
Little marriage counselingthrown in here in the middle of
that.
(11:13):
So when we think, when weactually think of worshiping
God, a basic aspect, or we couldsay a core competency of this
worship is something tangible.
It ought to be that we think,when we think of worshiping God,
it ought to be that we think ofgathering weekly with other
(11:35):
believers in a corporate settingto worship the Lord.
It ought to be that we think ofthat.
This is so fundamental.
It is, and I'll use this wordover and over, it is basic.
It's basic.
I mean, the example from the NewTestament, the example from the
New Testament, and really theexpectation from the New
Testament at a basic level isthat you will gather with the
(12:00):
church weekly.
And I would go on to say, unlessyou're sick, I don't want you to
run around here if you're sick,unless you're out of town,
homebound.
We have some folks that arelegitimately homebound, or
you're employed on Sunday.
But when we think of worshipingGod, it ought to be that you
would gather here in thecorporate worship service with
(12:20):
other believers.
It's basic.
Hebrews 10 25 clearly states, donot neglect to meet together as
is the habit of some.
Do not neglect.
The old King James says,forsake.
Gather it together, assemblingtogether.
(12:40):
Don't neglect to meet together,as is the habit of some.
So I want to ask you a question.
When do you actually move intothat category of neglecting to
gather for corporate worship?
What's the line?
Where do you move into that?
Well, now neglecting.
Is it only after you have notgathered for corporate worship
(13:02):
for three weeks?
Or four weeks, or six weeks?
Now you're neglecting?
Let's go back to our spouse orour children.
Are you neglecting your spouseor your children only you've
only after you've really not hadmuch to do with them for several
weeks?
Or can you neglect them on oneoccasion?
Can you neglect them today?
(13:25):
When are you forsaking them?
Can you forsake them on oneoccasion?
So scripture clearly commandsthat we're not to forsake or
neglect gathering together.
And being consistent and beingfaithful is the starting place.
It is, once again, basic.
But this is at a minimum.
(13:45):
This is at a minimum.
Personal worship is notrestricted to 60 to 75 minutes
on Sunday morning.
It's not.
For example, I was thinkingabout this.
In the context of 1 Corinthianschapter 10, verse 31, where the
apostle Paul mentions, and Iquote him, glorifying God
through eating and drinking.
(14:07):
He's actually in that context of1 Corinthians chapter 10, where
he talks about glorifying God,whether you're eating or
drinking, he's talking aboutrelationships and actions that
do not cause offense to others,whether to unbelievers or to
believers.
So how we treat others by whatwe do or don't do is a matter of
(14:28):
worship.
It's a matter of worship.
It's a matter of ascribing God'sworth to me, glorifying Him, and
how I respond to people.
And what I even what I drink,what I eat.
It's a matter of worship.
Witnessing about the gospel.
Andor evangelistic andmissionary efforts are a matter
(14:50):
of worship.
Romans 15, 16.
Giving money to and time tosupport the gospel work of the
local church.
Or to help fellow believers is amatter of worship.
Philippians 4.18, Hebrews 13,16.
Godly behavior is a matter ofworship.
We talked about that inEphesians 5.
(15:10):
Philippians 1.11.
An attitude of praise.
An attitude of praise andthanksgiving is a matter of
worship.
Hebrews 13 15.
Hey, the point is you can't livea self-centered, worldly life
all week long and then gatherwith the church on Sunday and
worship.
Can't be done.
(15:31):
It just can't be done.
So let me ask you.
Why do you gather with thechurch?
Why do you gather with thechurch?
If your main focus is only toget something out of the church
service for yourself, you've gotit wrong.
You've got it wrong.
Your primary focus should be togive praise and honor and thanks
(15:52):
with all the saints to the trueand living God who gave his son
for you.
That should be your primaryfocus.
Often a congregation, and it'srampant today because sadly
we've created this, we meaningbig evangelical culture.
A congregation often today viewsitself as an audience.
(16:12):
Watching the musicians and thesingers and the preacher give
their performance or theirpresentation.
But the truth is this the truthis that the congregation is
actually the cast of actors,with the worship leaders and the
pastor acting as prompters,giving cues from the wings, and
(16:33):
the real audience is God, andthe entire presentation is
offered to him for his pleasureand his glory.
Not for us.
It's for him.
So the issue when you and I cometo church, gather with the
church, is not, did I getanything out of it?
(16:54):
The issue is, did I give to Godheartfelt praise and thanks and
glory that he deserves?
That's the issue.
That must be your aim as aworshiper, and that should be
our aim as a church.
This is basic.
(17:14):
It's basic.
Let me give us six practicalsuggestions on how we can have a
more meaningful worshipgathering.
And I think we do okay, but itcan be more meaningful for you,
for me, for all of us.
How we can have more meaningfulworship gatherings.
(17:37):
And I'm gonna probably get whereyou live just a little bit.
One is this out the gate.
Make sure that you truly repentand believe in Jesus Christ as
your Savior and Lord and thatyou're his follower.
That's first.
Because you don't worship togain eternal life, you worship
because God has given youeternal life.
(17:57):
Worship is your response afteryou've repented and trusted in
God's grace through Christ'sdeath on your behalf.
See, when you know that you wereonce lost, but now you're found
by Jesus, when you know that youwere once condemned in your
sins, but now you stand forgivenand have the mercy of God on
(18:19):
your soul, when you know thatyou were once on the road to
hell, but you have repented andbelieved on Jesus, and God in
his grace transferred you andputs you on the road to heaven
and on the road to the presenceof the Father.
When you know that you oncestood in desperate need of
rescue and redemption, and youknow that Christ in his love
(18:40):
died your death on the cross androse again to give you eternal
life, and you know that the HolySpirit opened your eyes and your
heart, and you know that inGod's gracious mercy and in his
good grace you were saved.
You can't help but worship him.
When you know those things, youcan't help but worship him.
(19:02):
So, worship changes for you ifyou're truly saved.
For you, worship is just basic.
It's what you do.
That's who you are.
Make sure you're truly saved.
Secondly, here's anothersuggestion that's gonna make for
(19:25):
a more meaningful worshipgathering.
Establish a time with God in theword and prayer during the week.
I can't over-emphasize this.
Because worship is your responseto the truth that God has
revealed in his word.
Prayer is the response to thetruth of the word.
(19:47):
And without spending consistenttime with the Lord, your soul,
can I get a witness to this?
Without spending consistent timewith the Lord, your soul will
shrivel up.
You won't worship, you justwon't.
So have that consistent timewith the Lord and the Word and
(20:07):
prayer through the week.
We're talking about how to havea more meaningful worship
gathering on the Lord's Day.
Here's another one.
Eliminate anything from theworld that hinders your growth
in worshiping God.
Eliminate it.
The world is constantlycompeting for our worship.
(20:27):
Did you know that?
Constantly competing for ourworship.
It bombards us daily through themedia.
So, if a TV show or a moviedefiles you or crowds out your
daily time with the Lord, cut itout.
If the computer gobbles up allyour time, maybe you need to
restrict it.
(20:48):
And listen, men and women, ifyou're yielding to the
temptation to view porn on yourcomputer, you're in serious
spiritual trouble.
You cannot glorify God with yourbody unless you flee from
immorality.
You've got to disciplineyourself for the purpose of
godliness.
(21:09):
Because true worship isinseparable from godliness.
It's inseparable from it.
So during the week, eliminatewhatever hinders your worship.
It'll make for a much moremeaningful worship gathering on
Sunday.
Let's go on.
Prepare your heart Saturdaynight for corporate worship on
(21:34):
Sunday morning.
Now, look, I have an advantageon you in that to survive in the
pulpit on Sundays, I have toprepare my heart Saturday
evening.
I couldn't do it otherwise.
And the truth is, I just don'tgo to many social events on
Saturday evenings.
I'm not suggesting that you doas I do in that regard, but I am
suggesting that you should gethome early enough, you should
(21:56):
get in bed early enough, makingsure that your heart is right
with him.
And praying that he wouldactually be honored the next
morning by your worship and byour worship as we gather on
Sunday.
Put away distractions on Sundaymorning.
(22:16):
And don't be a distraction toother worshipers.
So don't read your social mediafeed.
Shop on Amazon.
Or play video games during thesinging of the sermon.
You should probably remember togo to the restroom immediately
prior to the beginning of theworship service.
(22:37):
And we have children encouragingthem to do so.
If you're thirsty, bring in abottle of water.
But please owe me a bottle ofwater.
Coffee juices soda spills on thefloor and the sheet create
significant difficulties withthe carpet and the fabric.
Kevin, can I get it?
(22:57):
Or you can wait until theservice is over to go get a
drink.
If you have a family issuehappening, maybe you need to
slip out into the lobby.
Try not to carry on sadconversations with those around
you.
Instead, debrief at lunch duringthe round home.
And as we repeat week after weekafter week on the video, put
(23:21):
your cell phone on silence.
I'm sure that you don't like tobe distracted during the
service.
Try not to be a distraction toothers.
However, let me say this.
This will help.
Ignore others around you.
Can you do that?
Ignore others around you andremember that God is the
(23:42):
audience.
SPEAKER_01 (23:43):
Thanks for spending part of your day with us on
Foundations of Truth, thebiblical teaching ministry of
Dr.
Timothy Mann.
If you'd like to hear thismessage again or give a
financial gift or get morebiblical resources, you can do
so online.
Foundationsoftruth.net.
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
And thank you so much.
Join us again tomorrow foranother opportunity to study the
(24:05):
scriptures and discover theunchanging truth of God's Word.
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(24:26):
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SPEAKER_00 (24:58):
Before we close today, I want to tell you about
a resource that I believe willbe a genuine help to you.
I've recently published my firstbook, Saved, Understanding God's
Work in Us.
In over 30 years of pastoralministry, one of the questions
I've encountered more thanalmost any other is this: How
can I know that I am trulysaved?
It is a question that deserves acareful, biblical answer.
(25:19):
And that is exactly what thisbook is designed to give.
Saved, understanding God's Workin Us, walks through what the
Scripture teaches aboutsalvation, what God has done for
us, what he is doing in us, andthe assurance that every
believer can have because of hiswork.
If you want to understandsalvation more deeply, stand on
firmer ground in your faith, orbe better equipped to share the
(25:40):
gospel with someone you love,then this book was written for
you.
You can find it on Amazon,Barnes Noble, and Books a
Million, and pretty muchanywhere you buy books.
Just search Saved, UnderstandingGod's Work in Us by Dr.
Timothy Mann.
I pray it strengthens yourfaith.
Thanks for being with us today.
God bless you.
Today on Foundation Success, we begin a new series,
basic training.
In this series, Dr.
Timmy Man will identify corecompetencies that are biblical
for every Christian.
Direct principles from the Wordof God that should shape our
vision for the church and forour understanding of what it
means to become spirituallymature and committed followers
(00:41):
of Jesus.
Today we begin with a powerfulmessage from Matthew chapter 4,
verses 8 through 10.
Here now with today's message isDr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
Matthew chapter 4.
Matthew chapter 4, verses 8through 10.
The Bible says, Again, the deviltook him up on an exceedingly
high mountain, him meaningJesus, and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and theirglory.
And he, meaning the devil, saidto him, All these things I will
(01:16):
give you if you will fall downand worship me.
And then Jesus said to him, Awaywith you, Satan, for it is
written, You shall worship theLord your God, and him only you
shall serve.
And we'll stop here.
This is God's word.
In nineteen eighty-seven, Icompleted basic training in the
(01:39):
United States Army.
You didn't know I was that old,did you?
Yeah.
Well, to graduate and officiallybe a soldier, you had to
demonstrate proficiency in whatwas called core competencies.
You could not move on to youradvanced training until you had
down the core competencies ofbasic training.
(02:02):
If you didn't pass, you had togo through it again.
And then even after we completedadvanced training and became a
permanent soldier, we still weretested a few times a year on
core competencies.
Those foundational elements hadto remain proficient in your
skills in order for you to be aneffective soldier and fulfill
(02:24):
the mission.
I believe that there are somecore competencies for all of us
as Christians and as members ofthis church.
They are biblical.
They are not something that Ijust arbitrarily made up, but
instead they are directprinciples from God's Word.
And they really must be part ofour DNA as a church.
(02:49):
They should be our vision, ourstrategy for becoming mature and
committed followers of Jesusourselves and helping others to
do so.
Well, think of it this way (03:01):
many basic training.
Many basic training, these corecompetencies.
Now, our stated mission as achurch, it's in our literature,
it's on our website, it's inthings we do.
I'm not trendy, so I don'tnecessarily go around saying we
need to have our missionstatement plastered everywhere.
Uh but and we didn't get to voteon our mission.
(03:22):
Jesus laid down our mission.
It's called the GreatCommission, and it's found in
all four of the gospels and inthe book of Acts, stated one way
or the other.
And the way we chose to state itwas this.
This is our stated mission, andI quote it.
Our stated mission as a churchis to, quote, be used by God to
(03:42):
help other people becomecommitted and mature followers
of Jesus.
Now you can take out thosewords, committed and mature, and
you really have the heart of theGreat Commission that we as a
church would be used by Godbecause we can't do it
ourselves.
We have to be used by God tohelp other people become
followers of Jesus.
(04:04):
But not just followers of Jesus,committed followers of Jesus,
mature followers of Jesus.
That's discipleship.
The question then is how are weto do that?
What does that even look like inthe simplest terms?
In basic terms?
What does that look like?
As you reflect on that just fora moment, I would have you ask
(04:25):
yourself, and I've been askingmyself this question all week.
Am I personally, I'm talkingabout me, am I personally a
mature and committed follower ofJesus?
Am I a follower of Jesus?
Am I a mature and committedfollower of Jesus?
What are some basic aspects ofmy life that should actually
(04:46):
point to that?
If indeed I am a follower ofJesus, if I am seeking to become
a mature and committed followerof Jesus, what are some basic
aspects that should point tothat as evidence?
Well, that's what we're going totalk about more today.
So let's look again at Matthew4, verses 8 through 10.
(05:08):
Let's read it one more time.
Again, the devil took him up onan exceedingly high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms ofthe world and their glory.
And he said to him, All thesethings I will give you if you
fall down and worship me.
And then Jesus said, and here'swhere I want us to put our
focus.
Then Jesus said to him, Awaywith you, Satan, for it is
written, and he's talking aboutthe scriptures, he's pointing to
(05:31):
the authority of God's wordhere.
You ever wondered, did Jesusbelieve the Bible?
Well, yeah.
Away with you, Satan.
I mean, after all, he did writeit.
For it is written, You shallworship the Lord your God, and
him only shall you serve.
(05:51):
Now the context of these verses,if you're a Bible student, you
know the context, but just incase maybe you're wondering, the
context of these verses is thatJesus is in the desert
experiencing the temptations ofSatan.
He's been fasting from food for40 days.
Again, verse 8 and 9, you seeone of the moves that Satan is
(06:12):
trying to put on him.
When the Spirit of God led Jesusinto the desert to be tempted by
Satan, the act was a testdesigned to show that Jesus
really was God's Son and that hewould follow the path that God
had laid out for him.
But for our purposes today, Iwant us to focus specifically on
(06:32):
what Jesus said in verse 10.
For this single verse containsthe first two core competencies
that must be present andproficient in our lives as
Christians.
(06:57):
Two core competencies.
Worship God, serve God.
Worship God, serve God.
And Jesus said, Only, only.
Worship him only, serve himonly.
SPEAKER_01 (07:14):
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(07:57):
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Now let's return to today'smessage with Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_00 (08:08):
Let's dig in.
Worshiping God.
The worship of God is theultimate priority.
It's the ultimate priority.
And no one will ever become amature and committed follower of
Christ if this is not the firstorder of their lives.
Well, of course, it begs thequestion what is worship?
(08:29):
What exactly is worship?
Well, the English word, and thisis kind of an interesting thing
to me, the English word worship,our modern English word worship,
is actually derived from the oldEnglish word worthhip.
Worth ship.
Interesting.
Worship.
So when we worship God, whatwe're doing is we're actually
(08:49):
proclaiming or giving back tohim his worth to us.
Think about that.
When we worship, we're actuallygiving back to him and
proclaiming to him how much he'sworth to us.
What his worth is to us.
My definition is this.
I was trying to think itthrough, and uh let me give you
(09:10):
a definition of worship.
Worship is an inner attitude andfeeling of awe, reverence,
gratitude, and love toward Godresulting from a realization of
who he is and who I am, and it'sactually displayed then in
(09:30):
tangible ways, in real ways.
So I want to ask you, do youtruly understand who he is?
And if so, how much is he worthto you?
Are you showing that?
Are you displaying how much he'sworth to you?
I believe that worship is inpart emotional or felt.
(09:51):
Now that's not to say that weshould work to pump up our
emotions with music or work topump up our emotions by crowd
fervor.
Genuine emotions from for Godactually stem from focusing our
minds on the truth of who He isand what He's done for us on the
(10:11):
cross and His resurrection fromthe dead.
If your worship, though, nevertouches your emotion,
something's wrong.
There's a disconnect.
It's kind of like my love for mywife.
My relationship with her is notbuilt on my feelings, but rather
on my commitment to her.
(10:32):
My relationship is built on mycommitment to her.
How many of you in here thismorning know that love is a
choice?
It's not a feeling, it's achoice.
It's a commitment.
And the foundation of myrelationship with her is built
on my commitment to her.
But when I begin to think aboutall she actually means to me,
(10:52):
then I feel love for her.
And when I feel love for her,then I surely ought to express
that love in some outward mannerthat actually shows her that I
love her.
Men, are you listening here justfor a second?
I just pay attention, all right.
Little marriage counselingthrown in here in the middle of
that.
(11:13):
So when we think, when weactually think of worshiping
God, a basic aspect, or we couldsay a core competency of this
worship is something tangible.
It ought to be that we think,when we think of worshiping God,
it ought to be that we think ofgathering weekly with other
(11:35):
believers in a corporate settingto worship the Lord.
It ought to be that we think ofthat.
This is so fundamental.
It is, and I'll use this wordover and over, it is basic.
It's basic.
I mean, the example from the NewTestament, the example from the
New Testament, and really theexpectation from the New
Testament at a basic level isthat you will gather with the
(12:00):
church weekly.
And I would go on to say, unlessyou're sick, I don't want you to
run around here if you're sick,unless you're out of town,
homebound.
We have some folks that arelegitimately homebound, or
you're employed on Sunday.
But when we think of worshipingGod, it ought to be that you
would gather here in thecorporate worship service with
(12:20):
other believers.
It's basic.
Hebrews 10 25 clearly states, donot neglect to meet together as
is the habit of some.
Do not neglect.
The old King James says,forsake.
Gather it together, assemblingtogether.
(12:40):
Don't neglect to meet together,as is the habit of some.
So I want to ask you a question.
When do you actually move intothat category of neglecting to
gather for corporate worship?
What's the line?
Where do you move into that?
Well, now neglecting.
Is it only after you have notgathered for corporate worship
(13:02):
for three weeks?
Or four weeks, or six weeks?
Now you're neglecting?
Let's go back to our spouse orour children.
Are you neglecting your spouseor your children only you've
only after you've really not hadmuch to do with them for several
weeks?
Or can you neglect them on oneoccasion?
Can you neglect them today?
(13:25):
When are you forsaking them?
Can you forsake them on oneoccasion?
So scripture clearly commandsthat we're not to forsake or
neglect gathering together.
And being consistent and beingfaithful is the starting place.
It is, once again, basic.
But this is at a minimum.
(13:45):
This is at a minimum.
Personal worship is notrestricted to 60 to 75 minutes
on Sunday morning.
It's not.
For example, I was thinkingabout this.
In the context of 1 Corinthianschapter 10, verse 31, where the
apostle Paul mentions, and Iquote him, glorifying God
through eating and drinking.
(14:07):
He's actually in that context of1 Corinthians chapter 10, where
he talks about glorifying God,whether you're eating or
drinking, he's talking aboutrelationships and actions that
do not cause offense to others,whether to unbelievers or to
believers.
So how we treat others by whatwe do or don't do is a matter of
(14:28):
worship.
It's a matter of worship.
It's a matter of ascribing God'sworth to me, glorifying Him, and
how I respond to people.
And what I even what I drink,what I eat.
It's a matter of worship.
Witnessing about the gospel.
Andor evangelistic andmissionary efforts are a matter
(14:50):
of worship.
Romans 15, 16.
Giving money to and time tosupport the gospel work of the
local church.
Or to help fellow believers is amatter of worship.
Philippians 4.18, Hebrews 13,16.
Godly behavior is a matter ofworship.
We talked about that inEphesians 5.
(15:10):
Philippians 1.11.
An attitude of praise.
An attitude of praise andthanksgiving is a matter of
worship.
Hebrews 13 15.
Hey, the point is you can't livea self-centered, worldly life
all week long and then gatherwith the church on Sunday and
worship.
Can't be done.
(15:31):
It just can't be done.
So let me ask you.
Why do you gather with thechurch?
Why do you gather with thechurch?
If your main focus is only toget something out of the church
service for yourself, you've gotit wrong.
You've got it wrong.
Your primary focus should be togive praise and honor and thanks
(15:52):
with all the saints to the trueand living God who gave his son
for you.
That should be your primaryfocus.
Often a congregation, and it'srampant today because sadly
we've created this, we meaningbig evangelical culture.
A congregation often today viewsitself as an audience.
(16:12):
Watching the musicians and thesingers and the preacher give
their performance or theirpresentation.
But the truth is this the truthis that the congregation is
actually the cast of actors,with the worship leaders and the
pastor acting as prompters,giving cues from the wings, and
(16:33):
the real audience is God, andthe entire presentation is
offered to him for his pleasureand his glory.
Not for us.
It's for him.
So the issue when you and I cometo church, gather with the
church, is not, did I getanything out of it?
(16:54):
The issue is, did I give to Godheartfelt praise and thanks and
glory that he deserves?
That's the issue.
That must be your aim as aworshiper, and that should be
our aim as a church.
This is basic.
(17:14):
It's basic.
Let me give us six practicalsuggestions on how we can have a
more meaningful worshipgathering.
And I think we do okay, but itcan be more meaningful for you,
for me, for all of us.
How we can have more meaningfulworship gatherings.
(17:37):
And I'm gonna probably get whereyou live just a little bit.
One is this out the gate.
Make sure that you truly repentand believe in Jesus Christ as
your Savior and Lord and thatyou're his follower.
That's first.
Because you don't worship togain eternal life, you worship
because God has given youeternal life.
(17:57):
Worship is your response afteryou've repented and trusted in
God's grace through Christ'sdeath on your behalf.
See, when you know that you wereonce lost, but now you're found
by Jesus, when you know that youwere once condemned in your
sins, but now you stand forgivenand have the mercy of God on
(18:19):
your soul, when you know thatyou were once on the road to
hell, but you have repented andbelieved on Jesus, and God in
his grace transferred you andputs you on the road to heaven
and on the road to the presenceof the Father.
When you know that you oncestood in desperate need of
rescue and redemption, and youknow that Christ in his love
(18:40):
died your death on the cross androse again to give you eternal
life, and you know that the HolySpirit opened your eyes and your
heart, and you know that inGod's gracious mercy and in his
good grace you were saved.
You can't help but worship him.
When you know those things, youcan't help but worship him.
(19:02):
So, worship changes for you ifyou're truly saved.
For you, worship is just basic.
It's what you do.
That's who you are.
Make sure you're truly saved.
Secondly, here's anothersuggestion that's gonna make for
(19:25):
a more meaningful worshipgathering.
Establish a time with God in theword and prayer during the week.
I can't over-emphasize this.
Because worship is your responseto the truth that God has
revealed in his word.
Prayer is the response to thetruth of the word.
(19:47):
And without spending consistenttime with the Lord, your soul,
can I get a witness to this?
Without spending consistent timewith the Lord, your soul will
shrivel up.
You won't worship, you justwon't.
So have that consistent timewith the Lord and the Word and
(20:07):
prayer through the week.
We're talking about how to havea more meaningful worship
gathering on the Lord's Day.
Here's another one.
Eliminate anything from theworld that hinders your growth
in worshiping God.
Eliminate it.
The world is constantlycompeting for our worship.
(20:27):
Did you know that?
Constantly competing for ourworship.
It bombards us daily through themedia.
So, if a TV show or a moviedefiles you or crowds out your
daily time with the Lord, cut itout.
If the computer gobbles up allyour time, maybe you need to
restrict it.
(20:48):
And listen, men and women, ifyou're yielding to the
temptation to view porn on yourcomputer, you're in serious
spiritual trouble.
You cannot glorify God with yourbody unless you flee from
immorality.
You've got to disciplineyourself for the purpose of
godliness.
(21:09):
Because true worship isinseparable from godliness.
It's inseparable from it.
So during the week, eliminatewhatever hinders your worship.
It'll make for a much moremeaningful worship gathering on
Sunday.
Let's go on.
Prepare your heart Saturdaynight for corporate worship on
(21:34):
Sunday morning.
Now, look, I have an advantageon you in that to survive in the
pulpit on Sundays, I have toprepare my heart Saturday
evening.
I couldn't do it otherwise.
And the truth is, I just don'tgo to many social events on
Saturday evenings.
I'm not suggesting that you doas I do in that regard, but I am
suggesting that you should gethome early enough, you should
(21:56):
get in bed early enough, makingsure that your heart is right
with him.
And praying that he wouldactually be honored the next
morning by your worship and byour worship as we gather on
Sunday.
Put away distractions on Sundaymorning.
(22:16):
And don't be a distraction toother worshipers.
So don't read your social mediafeed.
Shop on Amazon.
Or play video games during thesinging of the sermon.
You should probably remember togo to the restroom immediately
prior to the beginning of theworship service.
(22:37):
And we have children encouragingthem to do so.
If you're thirsty, bring in abottle of water.
But please owe me a bottle ofwater.
Coffee juices soda spills on thefloor and the sheet create
significant difficulties withthe carpet and the fabric.
Kevin, can I get it?
(22:57):
Or you can wait until theservice is over to go get a
drink.
If you have a family issuehappening, maybe you need to
slip out into the lobby.
Try not to carry on sadconversations with those around
you.
Instead, debrief at lunch duringthe round home.
And as we repeat week after weekafter week on the video, put
(23:21):
your cell phone on silence.
I'm sure that you don't like tobe distracted during the
service.
Try not to be a distraction toothers.
However, let me say this.
This will help.
Ignore others around you.
Can you do that?
Ignore others around you andremember that God is the
(23:42):
audience.
SPEAKER_01 (23:43):
Thanks for spending part of your day with us on
Foundations of Truth, thebiblical teaching ministry of
Dr.
Timothy Mann.
If you'd like to hear thismessage again or give a
financial gift or get morebiblical resources, you can do
so online.
Foundationsoftruth.net.
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
And thank you so much.
Join us again tomorrow foranother opportunity to study the
(24:05):
scriptures and discover theunchanging truth of God's Word.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
Timothy Mann is supported inpart by Luther Rice College and
Seminary, equipping men andwomen for ministry through
biblically faithful theologicaleducation.
As a leader in online learning,we are grateful for their
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
(24:26):
We're thankful for AMN Plumbing,a local ministry partner serving
the Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach,Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach,
and surrounding areas withdependable plumbing service.
Their support helps makeFoundations of Truth available
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Foundations of Truth with Dr.
Timothy Mann is supported inpart by Cat Care Clinic, located
(24:48):
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We're grateful for theirpartnership in helping carry
biblical truth farther.
SPEAKER_00 (24:58):
Before we close today, I want to tell you about
a resource that I believe willbe a genuine help to you.
I've recently published my firstbook, Saved, Understanding God's
Work in Us.
In over 30 years of pastoralministry, one of the questions
I've encountered more thanalmost any other is this: How
can I know that I am trulysaved?
It is a question that deserves acareful, biblical answer.
(25:19):
And that is exactly what thisbook is designed to give.
Saved, understanding God's Workin Us, walks through what the
Scripture teaches aboutsalvation, what God has done for
us, what he is doing in us, andthe assurance that every
believer can have because of hiswork.
If you want to understandsalvation more deeply, stand on
firmer ground in your faith, orbe better equipped to share the
(25:40):
gospel with someone you love,then this book was written for
you.
You can find it on Amazon,Barnes Noble, and Books a
Million, and pretty muchanywhere you buy books.
Just search Saved, UnderstandingGod's Work in Us by Dr.
Timothy Mann.
I pray it strengthens yourfaith.
Thanks for being with us today.
God bless you.
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