What is Worship? Psalm 103:1-2

Introduction

Many of us have spent a lot of time going to church during our lives. What do we think we are doing when we go? We usually attend something called a worship service. People expect certain things to happen: singing, offering, praying, preaching. Each of these are important in worship, but what is most important is what is happening within our hearts during that time. Look at what is written for us in Psalm 103.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

3 Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

4 Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

5 Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

These words are written by David. But they don’t just refer to what happens in a church building on a Sunday morning. Worship is an action that should be happening in our lives throughout the week. This week we will just look at the first two verses of this Psalm to evaluate our own worship, whether it be publicly or privately. Ask yourself this question: What kind of worship would God want to hear from us? In answering the question, we will give some negative responses; we will see what kind of worship God does NOT want.

God does not want FRIVOLOUS Worship

The Psalm begins and ends with the call to “Bless the Lord, O My Soul”. The word to bless has the idea of praising the one you are blessing. It suggests that you have bent down before the Lord with great respect.

Don’t be frivolous in your worship, but respect the One you worship because of Who s.

God does not want FAKE Worship

The second part of the first verse calls for this worship to come from “all that is within me”. That means we are serious about what we are doing, thinking, and saying when we worship God.

Don’t be fake in your worship, but show genuine love and devotion to the One who loves us so much that He gave us His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life ().

God does not want FORGETFUL Worship

We all tend to be forgetful about certain things. It’s especially true when it comes to spiritual things. We forget what great things God has done. David tells us to “forget none of His benefits”. We may remember some blessings He has provided for us, but here told to forget none of them.

Don’t be forgetful in your worship, but remember what God has done for you. Next time, we are going to be looking at the next three verses of this Psalm to see what He has done and perhaps we’ll also see what we have forgotten.

Conclusion

A missionary in Brazil spoke to a new Christian from that country and asked him what he liked to do. In his native language, the man answered, “Being occupied with God”. The missionary thought he would say something about hunting or fishing, so he asked the same question and got the same answer. In our worship, we need to be occupied with God. Are you?

It begins by having a personal relationship with Him. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (). Those who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are those who will show genuine, respectful worship.