Its Not Rocket Science - Worship

Psalm 95:1–7 NIV

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,

This Psalm describes what worship was like and why it was important for Israel. It shows what worshipo looks like.

Worship has changed over the years. The 1500 years from the days of Abraham to the time of Ezra (1900-450 BC) saw many great changes in the form of worship in Israel. Abraham built altars and offered sacrifice wherever God appeared to him.

In Moses’ time the tabernacle served as a portable sanctuary for the tribes of Israel.

Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem lasted more than three centuries until its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

When the Jews returned they build a new temple which, though less spendid than it predecessor, at least until Herod the Great renovated it, has served as the center of Jewish worship to this day. Though the temple buildings were destroyed the foundations still exist and the Jews still pray at the western wall or the (wailing) wall.

The form of worship changed with times and situations, its heart and center did not. God revealed himself to Abraham, promising that his children would inherit the land of Canaan.

Abraham demonstrated his faith thorough prayers and sacrifice. Throughout the bible period listening to God’s Word, prayer, and sacrifice constituted the essence of worship. The promises of Abraham were constantly recalled as the basis of Israel’s existence as a nation and its right to the land of Canaan.

Modern people tend to restrict worship to what happens in teh church on Sunday. Ancient Israel had a much broader concept of worship, offering worship in the home as well as in the temple several times a day, not merely on the sabbath and at great festivals. Worship involved both the individual and family and the whole nation.

There are other examples of worship in scripture.

Matthew 28:8–9 NIV

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

This is a very intimate form of worship.

John 4:21–24 NIV

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

God does not need a temple to meet with us and we don’t need a temple to worship Him. We have access to Him and can worship Him in spirit and in truth now, where we are.

Romans 12:1 NIV

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

We must sacrifice ourselves - our pride - humble ourselves - GET OVER YOURSELF

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 NIV

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

We worship God, honor Him, we we operate in the gift of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:26 NIV

26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

When what we do honors God and builds up the church that is worship. Whether it is in song, teaching, prophecy, words of knowledge, speaking in tongues, or interpretation of tongues.

Worship is anything that surrenders our flesh and lives in the freedom that God has created us for.

There is not a prescribed way to worship in scripture.

This statement is true, but there are some qualifiers.

Worship Is…

Surrender

Freedom

How do we determined what to surrender? Simply this, what freedom granted by God are you holding back?

While there isn’t a “right way” to worship it is about the state of your heart.

How you worship is a choice between you and God - Do you honor God with your worship? Do you honor Him with your actions and reactions?

Worship is a life changing experiance - if your worship isn’t life changing you need to pray. Communicate with God and see how He wants to be worshiped by you.

As long as it flows from the gifts of the spirit and reflects the fruit of the spirit there is not any law against it, nor would any church worth its salt stop you from worshiping God.

[closing comments]

[prayer]