Sermons on the Church | Not Neglecting the Assembly

Not neglecting the assembly

Not Neglecting the Assembly

“Oh, worship the King, all glorious above,
And gratefully sing his wonderful love;
Our shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.”

Worship is an honor. The psalmist said he “was glad when they said to [him], ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD” (Ps 122:1). Psalm 122 is a “Psalm of Ascent.” These were the psalms which were sung on the way to Jerusalem for feasts.

We need to worship God. We need not do such just once a week. We need to worship God all that we can. Let’s examine some reasons why this is so:

God Commanded It

We have been instructed by inspiration not to forsake the assembly (Heb 10:25).

Obedience God is a Christian virtue. Jesus calls us friends if we do what he asks (Jn 15:13-14). We can only call Jesus “Lord” if we do the things he asks (Lk 6:46).

This should be enough reason for us to attend worship.

God Deserves It

God deserves our worship. David encouraged the people to give God “the glory due his name” (1 Chr 16:29). We should worship God because he is holy (Rev 15:4). There is none like God who deserves our worship. God has done so much for us, and we should want to honor him.

God deserves to be first in our lives. Jesus said that loving God with our all is the first and great commandment (Mt 22:37-38). If we are not willing to worship god regularly, how can we say that we love him?

God’s Leaders Expect It

Christians are to submit to the elders in the local congregation (Heb 13:17; 1 Pet 5:5).

We need to do what the elders believe is in our best interest, including attending worship.

God’s People Can Learn

We need to hear Scripture. The words of Jesus will judge us in the last day (Jn 12:48). Scripture makes us wise for salvation (2 Tim 3:15). When Jesus was tempted, he replied, “It is written” (Mt 4:1-11).

If we are not hearing the Word of God regularly, how can we be wise for salvation?

God’s People Need Fellowship

The Scriptures affirm that God’s people need fellowship. The early church fellowshipped with one another (Acts 2:42). The psalmist declared that it is good for brethren to dwell in unity (Ps 133). We are to encourage each other, and our worship together does that (Heb 10:24-25).

But, if we don’t worship together, how can we be unified?

God’s People Anticipate Heaven

Those who did not worship the best served God night and day in his temple (Rev 7:15).

Our worship here is an anticipation of the day when we will worship God night and day.


This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Owingsville church of Christ in Owingsville, Kentucky.

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