How do we Worship?

What have we been talking about these last few weeks?

What is worship?

Why do we worship?

And so, now we’re going to finish out our series by asking the question,

How do we worship?

What are the ways in which you worship?

First, we need to dispel a big myth about worship.

Worship is not whatever you want it to be.

We can start to believe that anything we do is worship, but that just isn’t true.

If worship is pouring out lots of love and adoration to something, then we have to be pouring out that love to God if we’re going to say something is worship.

For instance, I like rock climbing. However, just because I like to do it doesn’t make it worship.

Even if I was to justify it and say, “I’m worshipping because I’m with God in nature,” that doesn’t make it worship.

I have to actually be glorifying God in what I’m doing, not just do something I like and say it’s God.

There are wrong ways to worship.

Deuteronomy 12:29–31 (ESV)

“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’

You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.

Now, you probably aren’t going to kill a baby and call it worship, but we do stuff that we could call worship but just isn’t.

God says to not worship like other religions worship.

So, just because a different religion does it doesn’t mean that you have to worship in that way.

Worship requires intention and proper respect for God.

Worship can be anything, but that doesn’t mean anything is worship.

Now, we know some of what worship isn’t, let’s talk about what worship is.

Forms of Worship.

If worship is giving love and adoration to something, then that means that it can be done in a variety of ways.

You can worship sports or video games by constantly playing them, reading about them, and making your life about them.

It’s not like one thing is worship, and then if you don’t do that than it’s not worship.

However, one of the best ways to worship that we see in the Bible is through art or music.

Art/Music

Art or music is, I think, one of the best ways to worship.

We see that in our own culture!

We are a musically saturated culture.

Pretty much everyone has a favorite band or song, and most of music is some form of worship.

We sing about girls or guys or love or trucks or blue suede shoes because we love those things, so we make music for them.

We also see that in the Bible.

Psalm 5:11 (ESV)

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.

David dancing in 2 Sam. 6.

Paul in prison in Acts 16.

Music is an excellent way to worship!

Can you think of any other ways to worship?

Music itself is not worship, it’s a tool for worship.

Worship is not just playing some chords on a guitar and singing, worship requires something of ourself.

We worship with everything we are.

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

In whatever way we worship, whether it be in song or anything else, we worship with everything we have.

We’re told here that we are t give our whole bodies, your very self, to God, which is our worship.

That means that you allow God to be in control of your life!

He is the one that defines you!

He is where you find your worth!

He is who you look to when you need help!

And that is worship!

We worship God with everything we have because He gave everything for us.

Jesus sacrificed Himself on a cross as an act of worship to God that He might save you!

He gave His life to save you, and so we worship Him with our music and actions and our very lives.

He loves you so much, and so we worship Him.

Questions.

What is one weird instrument you want to be the best at?

What is your favorite way to worship? Why?

What can you do when you don’t want to worship or aren’t “feeling it?”

What do you think it means to, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice?”