THE DISCIPLESHIP OF WORSHIP: Week One

I. Introduction.

a. Worship is to experience reality, to touch life. It is to know to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community. It is a breaking into the Chicago glory of God, or better yet being invaded by the Shekinah glory of God.

I. Introduction.

*”Shekinah” means the glory or radiance of God dwelling in the midst of his people. It denotes the immediate presence of God as opposed to a God use abstract or aloof.

a. Worship is to experience reality, to touch life. It is to know to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community. It is a breaking into the Shekinah glory of God, or better yet being invaded by the Chicago glory of God.

b. *” Shekinah” means the glory or radiance of God dwelling in the midst of his people. It denotes the immediate presence of God as opposed to a God use abstract or aloof.

b. “The true worshiper worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him” (,)

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

(NKJV) 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

c. worship is the human response to the divine initiative.

c. “The true worshiper worships the Father in Spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him” (,)

d. worship is the human response to the divine initiative.

d. In Genesis God walked in the garden, seeking out Adam and Eve.

e. In Genesis God walked in the garden, seeking out Adam and Eve.

e. In the crucifixion Jesus drew men and women to himself ()

(NKJV) 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

f. in the crucifixion Jesus drew men and women to himself ().

f. Scripture is replete with examples of God’s effort to initiate, restore, and maintain fellowship with his children.

g. Scripture is replete with examples of God’s effort to initiate, restore, and maintain fellowship with his children.

g. God is like the Father of the prodigal upon seeing his son a long way off, rushed to welcome him home.

h. God is like the Father of the prodigal upon seeing his son a long way off, rushed to welcome him home.

h. Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. It said reality is found “in spirit and in truth” is kindled within us when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit.

i. Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. It said reality is found “in spirit and in truth” is kindled within us when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit.

i. And rituals to worship, nor does this use of atoms and ritual. We can use all the right techniques and methods, we can have the best possible liturgy, but we have not worship the Lord until spirit touches.

j. We encouraged in this prescription we realize that nowhere does the New Testament prescribe a particular form of worship. In fact, what we find is a freedom that is incredible for people with such deep roots in the synagogue surgical system.

j. And rituals to worship, nor does this use of atoms and ritual. We can use all the right techniques and methods, we can have the best possible liturgy, but we have not worship the Lord until spirit touches.

k. They have the reality. When spirit touches spirit the usual form is wholly secondary.

k. We encouraged in this prescription we realize that nowhere does the New Testament prescribe a particular form of worship. In fact, what we find is a freedom that is incredible for people with such deep roots in the synagogue surgical system.

l. They have the reality. When spirit touches spirit the usual form is wholly secondary.

l. To say that forms are secondary is not to say that they are irrelevant. As long as we are finite human beings we must have forms.

m. We must have “wineskins” that will embody our experience of worship.

m. To say that forms are secondary is not to say that they are irrelevant. As long as we are finite human beings we must have forms.

n. We must have “wineskins” that will embody our experience of worship.

n. But the forms of worship are not worship; they only read us into worship. We are freeing Christ to use whatever form will enhance our worship-the form hinders us from experiencing the living Christ-too bad for the form.

II. the object of our worship.

o. But the forms of worship are not worship; they only read us into worship. We are freeing Christ to use whatever form will enhance our worship-the form hinders us from experiencing the living Christ-too bad for the form.

a. Jesus answered the question for all time of who we are to worship. “You shall worship the Lord your God in Him only shall you serve” ().

II. the object of our worship.

a. Jesus answered the question for all time of who we are to worship. “You shall worship the Lord your God in Him only shall you serve” ().

b. Issue God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God Jesus Christ revealed. The Decalogue “you shall have no other gods before me” ()

b. Issue God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God Jesus Christ revealed. The Decalogue “you shall have no other gods before me” ()

c. A. W. Tozer says, “the essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are worthy of Him.”

d. To think wrongly about God, is in an important sense to have everything wrong.

c. A. W. Tozer says, “the essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are worthy of Him.”

e. We desperately need to see God is: to read about his self-disclosure to his ancient people Israel, to meditate on his attributes, to gaze upon the revelation of his nature in Jesus Christ.

d. To think wrongly about God, is in an important sense to have everything wrong.

e. We desperately need to see God is: to read about his self-disclosure to his ancient people Israel, to meditate on his attributes, to gaze upon the revelation of his nature in Jesus Christ.

We see the Lord of host “I am lifted up,” ponder his infinite wisdom and knowledge, wonder and is unfathomable mercy. And love, we cannot help move into this doxology.

f. We see the Lord of host “I am lifted up,” ponder his infinite wisdom and knowledge, wonder and is unfathomable mercy. And love, we cannot help moving into this doxology.

Glad thine attributes confess,

Glad thine attributes confess,

Glorious all and numberless,[1]

Glorious all and numberless,[1]

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[1] bid P. 21.

g. To see who the Lord is brings us to confession. When Isaiah caught sight of the glory of God he cried “woe to me! For I am lost; primal man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes and seeing the King, the Lord of hosts!” ().

h. Our fickleness becomes apparent once we see God’s faithfulness. To understand his grace is to understand our guilt.

i. We worship the Lord not only because of who he is, but also because of what he is done.

j. Above all, the God of the Bible is the God who acts. His goodness, faithfulness, justice, mercy all can be seen in his dealings with people. His gracious actions are not only etched into ancient history but are engraved into our personal histories. As the apostle Paul says, the only reasonable response is worship () we praise God for who He is and thank him for what he has done.

III. The priority of worship.

a. If the Lord is to be Lord, worship must have its priority in our lives.

b. The first commandment of Jesus is, “love the Lord your God with all your hard, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” ().

c. The divine priority is worship first, service second. Our lives are to be punctuated with praise, Thanksgiving, and adoration.

d. Service flows out of worship. Service as a substitute for worship is idolatry. Activity is the enemy of adoration.

e. Today God is calling his church back to worship. This can be seen in high church circles where there is a renewed interest in intimacy with God. It can be seen in low church circles where there is renewed interest in liturgy.

[1] bid P. 21.