What Is Worship?
Notes
Transcript
How would you define worship?
An act or practice expressing devotion, reverence, and adoration towards God. It often involves rituals, ceremonies, prayers, or other religious or spiritual practices.
Worship is the reverential response of creation to the all-encompassing magnificence of God.
Bowing before and “lifting up” or “exalting” God with praise..
The word “hallelujah” is derived from the Hebrew phrase הַלְלוּ־יָהּ (halĕlû-yāh), meaning “praise Yahweh.”
Interestingly, the words used for worship are verbs - meaning they require action! 1 Corinthians 14:26 tells us when we come together (to worship) “each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” So Sunday School, Choir, Singing, Small Groups, Testimony, Teaching, and Preaching all fall into the realm of worship. But, I think it is important examine how we worship. Do we worship in the same way we are instructed to worship in the Bible?
Donald Whitney, in his book “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” makes this comment: One of the saddest experiences of my childhood happened on my tenth birthday. Invitations to the celebration were mailed days in advance to eight friends. It would be my best birthday ever. They all came to my house right after school. We played football and basketball outside until dark. My dad grilled hot dogs and hamburgers while my mother put the finishing touches on the birthday cake. After we had eaten all the icing and ice cream and most of the cake, it was time for the presents. Honestly, I can’t recall even one of the gifts today, but I do remember the great time I was having with the guys who gave them. Since I had no brothers, the best part of the whole event was just hanging out with the other boys.
The climax of this grand celebration was a gift from me to them. Nothing was too good for my friends. Cost was immaterial. I was going to pay their way to the most exciting event in our small town—the high school basketball game. I can still see us spilling out of my parents’ station wagon with laughter on that cool evening p 102 and running up to the gymnasium. Standing at the window, paying for nine 25-cent tickets and surrounded by my friends—it was one of those simple but golden moments in life. The picture in my mind was the perfect ending to a ten-year-old boy’s perfect birthday. With four friends on one side and four on the other, I would sit in the middle while we munched popcorn, playfully punched each other, and cheered our high school heroes. As we went inside, I remember feeling happier than Jimmy Stewart in the closing scene of It’s a Wonderful Life.
Then the golden moment was shattered. Once in the gym, all my friends scattered and I never saw them again the rest of the night. There was no “Thanks” for the fun, the food, or the tickets. Not even a “Happy birthday, but I’m going to sit with someone else.” Without a word of gratitude or good-bye, they all left and didn’t look back. So I spent the rest of my tenth birthday in the bleachers by myself, growing old alone. As I recall, it was a miserable ball game.”
Do we treat God at church the same way his friends treated him once they got to the ball game? Do we look at worship as being in the presence of the Guest of Honor, or do we instead come in with ulterior motives (duty, guilt, routine, etc), skipping Sunday School (because its too early, I don’t get anything out of it, I was out late), sing a few songs (that are boring aka “traditional/hymns”, or don’t sing at all because they are contemporary aka “not traditional/hymns, repeating lyrics, or new so I don’t know the lyrics”, listen to a message (wondering when the preacher will end, what we will eat for lunch, how we are going to plan the week, I don’t have time to be here but...) and then rush out the back doors, head to our vehicles, and we don’t have to worry about it for another week. In other words, give God a few minutes and neglect/ignore Him the rest of the week. Like the friends mentioned in Whitney’s story, “we may leave without any twinge of conscience, without any awareness of our insensitivity, convinced we have fulfilled an obligation well”.
Jesus gave a reminder of the Old Testament command to Satan after the temptations (and to us for our understanding)
10 ... ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
I think, more importantly, Jesus also gave us an example of how we are to worship in His life in this way - It is the duty (and privilege) of ALL people to worship their Creator.
Psalm 95:6 sets the tone for expectation of worship:
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
God clearly expects us to worship Him, Jesus set the example of how we are to worship Him, and it is up to us to follow His lead. This includes all the forms of worship in 1 Cor 14:26 of Sunday School, Choir, Singing, Small Groups, Testimony, Teaching, and Preaching notice the preceding words though “WHEN YOU COME TOGETHER”. It is expected of us to come together for corporate WORSHIP.
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
So, when we come together, let us not worship in vain, but instead worship Him well, because He is worthy of worship.
Do Not Worship in Vain
Do Not Worship in Vain
8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
When Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and scribes condemning the disciples from breaking “traditions” by not washing their hands when they eat, He points out this “tradition” was given by man, not by God. He goes on to further point out that by breaking God’s law “your tradition (of not honoring your father or mother) have made void the word of God” and calls them hypocrites. Following this, He uses Isaiah 29:13 as a way to use the Old Testament to back His accusation.
13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
There were HUGE inconsistencies in what was spoken by those men of God, and what was being done. Now, I parallel that with today’s church going Christians - many put on the cloak of spirituality without having the heart of true worship.
Not only that, but how much church attendance and “Christian” activity preoccupy believers today with things they assume please God yet without ever really ministering materially or spiritually to the desperately needy people of our world? How much of our money is tied up in church buildings or spent only on programs and activities to make ourselves happy rather than caring for the hurting in our own communities and across the globe? Many today worship in vain, speaking of all they do, but not doing what we are called to! It takes intentional and deliberate action to worship Him well!
Worship Him Well
Worship Him Well
1 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.
We are encouraged in Romans 12:1 to examine ourselves and to make changes that align with the spiritual worship God expects of us.
How do we make ourselves holy and acceptable to God? Listen closely to this - this is a metaphor setting the tone to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, we are to figuratively step forward and offer our offerings on the altar. It is in our action! Holiness rarely progresses if we are not intentionally and deliberately carrying out the acts that God desire.
To worship God well, we must be dedicated to the act of worship! Why so much emphasis on worship? Well, why should we NOT emphasize worship? Remember WHO we are worshiping? A God who loved His creation so much He sent His ONLY begotten Son into this world to be a living example of a perfect life, to die on a cross, paying the penalty of our sins, and redeeming our worth to God, making us acceptable and sanctified (set free from sin) and given the keys to glory so we can live ETERNALLY in the presence of God. Why would we NOT want to worship Him well???
This is the glorious message of how much God loves us and of what God has done for us and in light of this He expects us to dedicate, devote, and commit ourselves to Him! You see, He is WORTHY of our worship!
He Is Worthy of Worship
He Is Worthy of Worship
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
The picture here indicates everything within the presence of God worships Him because He is WORTHY of worship! Starting with the four living creatures around the throne of God - notice their worship form comes from the announcing of Holiness of God, the Power of God, and the everlasting Nature of God.
There are 15 attributes scripture uses of God. Something that we must point out God is not described BY these things, God is the DEFINITION of these things He is infinite, immutable, self-sufficient, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, wise, faithful, good, just, merciful, gracious, loving, glorious, and HOLY. Holy can be defined as being set apart, reverend, sacred, and worthy of veneration. Veneration, by definition is closely related to worship and includes the idea of honor, great respect, reverence, and awe for those that inspire us. He is WORTHY of WORSHIP, regardless of how we describe all the “things” we use to define the attributes of God!
When the creatures begin their worship, the 24 elders then fall to the ground worshiping God! Worship should be contagious! It should be spontaneous! When true worship exists, it spreads! From the least to the highest, Worship points to who it is WORTHY of Worship!
WORTHY are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created!
These four creatures were created for the very purpose of worship! They glorify and honor God day and night. The elders were surrounding the throne and had a spirit of worship. All of creation owes God, their Creator, WORSHIP!
Closing
Closing
What a lesson for us, to learn how great God is, to learn of His WORTH of WORSHIP. He (the one who was and is and is to come) IS ETERNAL, and He is our only HOPE of life eternal. And, oh how He is WORTHY of OUR WORSHIP. We should be shouting from the rooftops, we should be overcome with the uncontrollable desire to WORSHIP God.
Psalm 95:6 “6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
You know, in Revelation 5, we see the bigger picture… We see every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them crying out in worship also!
But worship requires effort on our part, through our engagement in Sunday School, teaching, preaching, singing, because the more we focus on God, the more we understand His infinite worth and the true reason why we worship Him. It’s hard to encounter how worthy God is without the response of worship.
Since worship is focusing on and responding to God, regardless of what else we are doing we are not worshiping if we are not thinking about God. You may be listening to a biblically sound sermon, but if you aren’t mindful of what it says about God or from God to you, you aren’t worshiping. You may be singing “Holy, holy, holy,” but if you aren’t thinking about God while singing it, you are not worshiping. You may be listening to someone pray, but if you aren’t praying with him or her and thinking of God, you aren’t worshiping.
John Piper summed it up best when he said “Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead”.
So, where is our heart for worship? Where is our passion for worship? Where is our focus for worship?
Do we worship in vain? Or do we worship well, acknowledging the one who is worthy of worship?
