Seeking God through Worship

Introduction: Seeking God through Worship

Good Morning,

Today we start a multi week study into how we can seek God.

During this study, our Goal is to look at multiple ways that we can seek after God, and learn to use each of these ways in our personal life. We truly want to see each and every life consistently turned towards seeking God.

Many Christians know that it is important to seek after God, but are struggling to see how to do it in their own lives.

Others believe that because they made Christ their master, then they no longer need to seek him.

Others still may not see the importance of a life dedicated to seeking after God.

There is a good chance that all of us fall in one of those categories or somewhere in between.

If not, this series will still be beneficial to you as it will show you ways that you didn't previously think of when it comes to always seeking after God.

Before we get into how we can seek God through worship, let’s take a few moments to establish, the who, what, when, where, why and how of seeking God.

Often when the word seek or seeking is used in scripture it often correlates to an action. Physically going after something to find it. The literal meaning of the word Seek can be interchangeably used as find in the Hebrew and greek. The context of the word often means that you will search for something until it is found. No giving up, no going back until whatever you are seeking for is found. Think of this definition when we read from Deuteronomy 4:29

Deuteronomy 4:29 KJV 1900

But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Seeking God involves both your heart and your soul. This reminds us that seeking God should take everything we have.

1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV 1900

Seek the Lord and his strength, Seek his face continually.

1 chronicles reminds us that we should seek God continually.

So here in just these two verses we are to seek God with everything we have, and we should seek him in a continual manner.

1. We should Seek God with everything we have, and seek him continually.

These two verses will be the foundation of our study into how we should seek God. This wont be the only section of verses we look at, but they will be reminders to us of why we are spending so many weeks on this subject.

As long as we claim to be Christians, if we are serious about that title, and serious about our Lord, then we should be seeking after him until we are able to see him face to face in eternity, then continue to seek him even in his presence.

We should yearn to know him more each day. The more we know him, the more amazing we realize that he is. The more blessed we are, not necessarily through money, or physical blessings, but blessed just by his presence and who he is.

Can you imagine, knowing your creator and provider in ways that you’ve never been able to before. This is what we are going to focus on during this study. Knowing God more and more each day allows us to experience God in new and exciting ways.

God wants us to know him more and to seek after him in everything that we do.

Today’s study will focus on the act of worship. We think we know what worship means, but honestly it is much more then singing songs. That can be a part of it, but worship can look much different then the picture we have in our heads. Worship is something we hear a lot about today in the context of Christianity especially when it comes to music.

There is a whole genre of music considered worship music. Again this can be an element of worship, but worship should not only be confined to singing or music.

In fact, many times that worship is mentioned in scripture is often in a context other then music.

2. To seek God through worship, we have to humble ourselves.

In Genesis 24, we have the act of worship mentioned three different times.

Turn with me please to Genesis 24: 26

Genesis 24:26 KJV 1900

And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.

In this chapter, we have Abraham’s servant going to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac.

Genesis 24:48 KJV 1900

And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.

and Genesis 24:52

Genesis 24:52 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.

This is one of the first times the word worship is mentioned in our Bibles. This section gives us a good example of worship not mentioning music.

Here we see mentioned three separate times that worship was done by bowing down. the first two times we see the servant bowing his head and worshiping God. Now it doesn't give us a great description of how he worship, like exactly what he did, did he pray, did he sing, we don’t know that, but we do know that he did it with a bowed head. The third example we see, it says he bowed himself to the earth. He laid down and bowed.

Worship here is more about the posture then the product. What I mean by that is in all of these examples the man put either his head or his body down as a way to posture himself below the Lord.

When we worship God we need to realize our place before God, we are not equal to him, we are not above him, we are below him in every possible standard. Bowing your head or even bowing your body to the ground puts you in a position of humility before God.

Humbling yourself before the Almighty is the first step in true worship.

You can do this psychically if you want, you can bow your head, or your body before God if you want during worship, but the biggest thing is bowing your heart before God. Recognizing your position to God and having a totally humble heart.

The single most important thing to understand about worship is that the only worship that is acceptable to God is worship that proceeds from a heart that is trusting in God, and in God alone.

R. C. Sproul

What does non humble worship look like? Well honestly it looks like your worshiping yourself before God. It looks like those people who are more worried about how they look in front of others more then they look before God. It looks like people who refuse to humble themselves before God and only pursue things that bring themselves glory.

Worship is not about who you are, it is about God. It is not about what you can do, but about a Holy and righteous God who has done so much for you that it spills over in humbling yourself before him and bringing your heart to honor and glorify him.

The first step to seeking God in worship is to humble yourself before God.

Our second step to Seeking God in worship is found in Exodus 34:14

Exodus 34:14 KJV 1900

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

This section of the Bible is when Moses is receiving the second set of hewn tablets containing the ten commandants. Do you recall why Moses had to get a second set of tablets for the ten commandments?

That’s right, he broke them out of anger when he saw Arron leading worship centered around the golden calf they had made.

3.Worship Must Be God Centered

God is telling Moses here to only worship the one true God, The Lord. Our second step to seeking God through worship is to focus only on God.

This sounds simple and basic, and maybe it is, but so many people make an error here. Too many christian songs today center around you and me more then they do God. If you read the lyrics of many Christian songs today, you will see much more yous and I’s then you will God’s name.

Folks if music is part of worship, then you need to be careful about what music you choose. Just as you know there are certain pastors to avoid because you know they do not preach bible based messages, you should be just as careful in choosing what music you decide to use for worship.

Just because someone claims to be singing worship music, doesn't mean they are concerned about worshiping the same God that you do.

Look at the lives of some of the people who write and sing some of your favorite worship songs. Take the words you hear, and match them up to scripture. Just like you wouldn’t spend time reading faulty theology, you should not spend time listening to it.

. I’’m not here criticizing contemporary music because there are some songs in our hymnal when passed through the scripture test that just aren’t up to snuff.

When you are on a diet you cut out all the junk, not just candy, but you cut out, pop, you cut out carbs, you cut out unhealthy oils. When you are wanting to make your spiritual life lean, and you decide to cut out the junk, don’t just stop at one thing, cut it all out, including the pretend worship music that only edify the singer or the listener and not the One true God.

Again worship doesn't have to be musical, but however you worship, it must be God centered.

Our next point is found in Job 1:13-22

Job 1:13–22 KJV 1900

And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

This of course is right as Job is finding out that he was loosing his children, and his wealth. Job just went through something terrible but the first thing he did was turn and worship God. Our third point of seeking after God through worship is you have to worship God whenever he moves you to it.

4. You Must worship whenever you feel God leading you to it.

Worship isn’t about “Alright God, I got what I prayed for this week so this Sunday is for you, I hope your listening. “ A lot of people treat worship this way. They let all there blessings pile up, then Sunday comes and this is it, this is God’s day to hear all about how much I love him for what he’s done for me.

This is not God centered worship, this is very much a you and I centered worship when we treat God this way.

Folks sometimes God leads us to worship him when we least expect it. No one but God expected Job to react this way about loosing everything that he lost. His relationship with God was so good that he knew even during a tremendously bad time, the only thing to do was not curse God, but to praise him and spend time worshiping him.

Look at this, this clearly shows us all of our points about worship. Job humbled himself before God, recognizing his position. He kept his worship God centered not man centered, and then he worshiped as God called him. He held nothing back, he was not ashamed at all about his Love for his Lord.

Folks whenever God is calling you to worship him stop and worship him.

How do we know when God is calling us to worship. First look at your circumstances, do you see something God has done in your circumstances something God was in control of? Then worship him for controlling that circumstance. Second, are you feeling a strong reverence and respect for God, then stop what you are doing and give reverence and respect to God through worship. Next are you broken down and feel lost? Stop and praise God for getting you this far and worship him for taking you to the next step. If you see where I am going with this, I am saying in all things we should worship God. When anything is done, it is done because God controls it, or God Allowed it, just as Job said here, blessed be the name of the Lord. God is calling you to worship in all circumstances. If Job could worship God through what he experienced, then we too can boldly worship God for all he’s led us through.

Folks, worship doesn't have to be singing, it can be anything that intentionally brings honor and glory to God. Worship is not about you, it’s not about being perfect, it’s not about being great at it. It’s all about taking what God has done, and thanking, praising, and building him up over it.

Worship is not about us, it’s one hundred percent about God. You can draw closer to God though worship. You can experience God through worship. You can bring praise, honor, and glory to God through worship.