Worship Expressed is the Very Best

John 4:24

*Start the class with Tim Hawkins Video on Worship*

In today’s lesson we are going to learn what worship is and how each of us can express worship to God on a daily basis.

Lets review the definition of worship that I have given over the last several weeks: “any action or attitude that expresses praise, love, and appreciation for God”

Worship is more than just a thought or a feeling and, for certain, it is more than a song. Worship is an outward expression of what is going on inside of us in response to God

When it comes to worship, dont hide, express what is inside!

I. Worship Begins in Our Spirit (John 4:24)

Each person is made up of 3 parts: Spirit, Soul, and Body. Your body is the physical body that you can see and touch. Your soul is your personality, it is where we think, reason, consider, remember, and wonder. It is also where your emotions take place. The spirit however is the deepest part of man, it is the part of us that perceives and interacts with the spiritual world.

According to our passage in John, true worship must take place in our spirit. But here is the issue, because of our sin, we are spiritually dead! (Romans 5:12) But thank God we dont have to stay dead!

Ephesians 2:4-5 tells us some great news! This means that our spirits, which were once dead in our sin, have now been made alive through the salvation of Jesus Christ. If you have been saved, your spirit has been made alive!

Because we have been made spiritually alive, our spirits can know the God of the Universe, Who is Spirit!

So when we see God for Who He is, the natural response of our spirits is to lift Him up in worship because we have been made alive to worship God!

II. Worship is Expressed with our Body

So we know that worship begins in our spirit, but the question is: how do we express it? It is expressed with our physical bodies. That is why when it comes to worship, dont hide, express what is inside!

We all probably have different ideas about how we can worship God, but lets take a look at the different ways the Bible says we can worship

A. With Our Mouths

Psalm 96:3 KJV 1900

3 Declare his glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.

We worship God by using our mouths to declare Him to all nations and all people. We tell others about the Lord and His mighty acts

Psalm 150:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness.

We also worship God by praising Him for Who He is and what He has done!

By declaring the truth about God and praising Him with our words, we are expressing worship to God with our bodies, specifically our mouths

B. With Our Music

Psalm 98:1 KJV 1900

1 O sing unto the Lord a new song; For he hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Singing is a way we can express our worship to the Lord. This is why we do so much of it during the services, because it not only sounds nice, and it not only is preparing our hearts for the preaching, but the singing in and of itself is an act of worship

Psalm 150:3–5 KJV 1900

3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: Praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: Praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Worship can also be done by the playing of instruments. Anytime we make music that expresses our praise, our love, and appreciation for God, we are worshipping God with our music!

C. With Our Noise

When i say “noise” I dont mean that any noise qualifies as worship. But there are certain noises that can be worship

Psalm 47:1 KJV 1900

1 O clap your hands, all ye people; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

We can worship God by the clapping of our hands.

Psalm 66:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 2 Sing forth the honour of his name: Make his praise glorious.

The Hebrew Word for “Joyful noise” is also translated as “Shout”. But it is not just a loud yell, it is a shout filled with praise, love, and adoration for our Great God

Both clapping and shouting are very natural ways of expressing praise or approval for something or someone. People clap and shout for their favorite singers and sports teams, why wouldnt we do it for our God?

D. With Our Hands

Psalm 141:2 KJV 1900

2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

The physical posture of lifting of our hands towards God expresses that we are offering something - our worship and our own selves - to God.

E. With Our Posture

Psalm 95:6 KJV 1900

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

The physical posture of bowing down expresses reverence, submission, and humility. Bowing down to God is an outward expression of an inward heart posture that says “you are God, and I am not”. Bowing was arguably the most common form of worship in the Old Testament

F. With Our Praying

Matthew 6:9 KJV 1900

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Psalm 118:1 KJV 1900

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: Because his mercy endureth for ever.

In our conversations with God, we can and should always include elements of praise to God. We can thank God directly!

G. With Our Giving

Proverbs 3:9 KJV 1900

9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, And with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

Honoring the Lord with what you have and with the first fruits of all you get is an expression of worship. This can also be done by giving to others in their time of need. When we selflessly give of ourselves to others and God, we are worshipping God

H. With Our Obedience

John 14:15 KJV 1900

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

There is no greater act of worship to the Lord than our obedience to Him, for it shows that we truly trust Him and truly love Him.

Keep in mind that all of these things in and of themselves are not worship, remember worship must begin in the spirit! So if you do any of the above things and it is not “in spirit and in truth” as Jesus said, then it is just meaningless action and NOT worship

III. Worship Must Have Truth (John 4:24)

Weve already talked about the first part, how worship must be “in spirit”. But the 2nd part is equally important… worship must also be “in truth”. So what does that look like?

A. True Worship is for God, Not for People

2 Samuel 6:21–22 KJV 1900

21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord. 22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

Worship isnt about getting other people to look at you, saying all the right things, making long elaborate prayers, singing the right songs, or looking more spiritual than someone else. True worship is about bringing our authentic selves to God and expressing our praise, love, and appreciation for God with honesty and boldness however the Spirit leads.

On the flip side, we also cannot allow other people’s opinions to keep us from worshipping God. He deserves our praise, no matter what anyone else thinks!

In the passage, David was worshipping the Lord by dancing in the streets, and his wife Michal was ashamed of him because of it. She rebuked King David and accused him of making a fool of himself in front of everyone, but David responded by saying v.21-22

Worship is for God, not for others or yourself

B. True Worship is More than Just a Sunday Activity

Hebrews 10:25 KJV 1900

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

True worship is not just contained to Sundays, but all throughout the week. While it is certainly important, and even commanded, for us to assemble together in church to worship together, it should not be the ONLY time we are worshipping.

It is always appropriate to express our worship to God whether we are at church, at home, alone, or with others

Conclusion

So how does this all connect to you and I? Back up 1 verse in John 4 and read verse 23. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” God is actively seeking those who will worship Him in this way! And you and I get to be those people!

The more you get to know God, the more you will find He is worthy of worship and the more you will be drawn to worshipping Him.

Remember, worship is an outward expression of an inward reality, so dont hide it, express it! He is Worthy!