The Meaning of Worship

We are coming into the heart of our worship series. This is crucial for us as a church to understand. It is my belief, that the American Church in many ways lost its identity, especially when it comes to issues of worship. We are in trouble, theologically and spiritually when it comes to worship. So, I want to see us as a church arrive at a place where we are intentionally pursuing a healthy, biblical culture of worship.

I heard someone recently say, "I think that all music—not just Christian music but all music—is worship music, because every song is amplifying the value of something. There is a trail in our lives that leads to what we really worship. A trail of our time, our affections, our allegiance, our devotion, and our money. That trail ends up before a throne, and whatever is on that throne is what we worship.

We are all wired by God to be worshipers. The problem is that a most of have really bad gods. We’re all worshipping something. We are great at it. The question is do we love [worship] the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength? Does your life reflect a life of worshipping Christ?

The purpose of this series is to transform our lives to a life of worship, especially when we gather together here on Sundays. The questions we are seeking to answer today is, “What is worship?” and “Do you understand the meaning and purpose of worship in your life?”

English Standard Version Psalm 95

95 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the LORD is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

1. The Definition of Worship

If we are going to understand why we worship, I must first define my terms of what I mean when I am talking about worship. William Temple defined worship as

“…the submission of all our nature to God; the quickening of conscience by His holiness; nourishment of mind by His truth; purifying of imagination by His beauty; opening of the heart by His love; and submission of the will to His purpose. All these gathered up in adoration is the greatest expression of which we are capable.”

The basis of our worship, and the only basis of our worship, is to be the very person, nature, and character of God through His son, Jesus Christ. Look back at the psalmist’s declaration:

English Standard Version Psalm 95

95 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the LORD is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

I want you to notice a few things about the characteristics of these few verses. is an invitation to others to join David in worshipping God. David then thematically attributes this worship God because of his character, God’s creations, his presence, his sovereignty, and salvation. There are elements of thanksgiving, joy music, prayer and thankfulness all wrapped together in these 11 verses. In fact, of the 150 Psalms recorded in the Bible, 85 have elements or calls to worship.

We worship God because He created us to worship him, not because of what may receive from it or because it makes us feel good. God created us to worship Him. In fact, that will be our eternal job in heaven.

Our Approach to Worship

In John, Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman at a well and strikes up a conversation with her. The conversation turns to the idea of worship. Listen to what Jesus says to her:

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

This is an amazing conversation that we’ll be coming back to over the next several weeks. Jesus insists with this woman that she worships what she do not know. How many are doing the same today? The Samaritans held to a view of God that makes him utterly unknowable, still less that they worship what they do not know. “They stand outside the stream of God’s revelation, so that what they worship cannot possibly be characterized by truth and knowledge” (D.A. Carson).

But that’s not how it’s supposed to be. When we reduce worship to a place or a method, we are limiting God. We are reducing Him down do our own limitation. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

This is what I meant when I said that just being at a worship service does not mean that you are worshipping. Worship, according to Jesus must include two expressions simultaneously together in order for it to be worship: you must worship in Spirit and you must worship in Truth.

The primary purpose of the Holy Spirit is to give glory and lead us to give glory to Christ, the Lamb of God. That is something that cannot be manufactured through lights, or music, or whatever. Worship must be Spirit-led and Spirit driven.

“Perhaps our greatest problem today is that we come to church worshiping ourselves—wanting mainly to get something out of it for ourselves—instead of worshiping God” (Philipps)

The other expression is truth, which is not to be separated from the essence of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be separated. Truth is the full and faithful exposition and fulfillment of God and His Word. Worship in truth requires the right conception of who we are worshipping, anything else is idolatry.

The Vocabulary of Worship

There are two terms I want define in our study this morning of worship. In the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament, we find the words liturgia and proscunine as translated into our English for worship

1. Proskuneó literally means, to lean forward and kiss the ground in reverence, fear, and homage. It is where we get our word “prostrate”

And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.

2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

English Standard Version Chapter 2

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

English Standard Version Chapter 28

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

It is interesting to note that nearly all of the uses of Proskuneó after the ascension of Jesus are used in the negative connotation ( Cornelius with Peter; John with the Angel in heaven).

2. Latrea – It is often translated “service” and mean to perform religious rites as a part of worship

Jesus used this and proscuneo together during his temptation, citing ,

, “As for me and my house, we will serve [worship] the Lord.

2. Litergia – refers to the ceremonial act in worship such as Zechariah in the temple. (Child dedication, marriage, burial, foot washing, Lord’s supper)

3. Homolea – to profess, and say together in unity, back to one another.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’

tells us that Anna served God with fasting and prayer in the Temple day and night.

, “As for me and my house, we will serve [worship] the Lord.

3. Litergia – refers to the ceremonial act in worship such as Zechariah in the temple. (Child dedication, marriage, burial, foot washing, Lord’s supper)

4. Homolea – to profess, and say together in unity, back to one another.

We cannot have worship if we do not have unity

Foundations for Worship

The worship service on Sunday morning is the point to which all of your life converges and the fountain from which your life emerges. If your life is not consistent with Sunday morning, then you are not worshipping, even if you are here at church. The worship service starts in the parking lot with directing your heart toward God, not when the music starts.

On the other hand, if the worship service is not providing the multi-sensory meaning sufficient to challenge our life, then we haven’t worshipped either. Worship continues when we leave this place. A person does not worship God because they are attending the worship service. Rather, a person comes to the worship service because they are a worshipper and desire to give something to God.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

12 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. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

What I want you to grasp, and to change in your heart today is that coming here is not about you. It’s not about what you are going to get. It is coming to give something to God. The priority of this begins because of what God did for you on the Cross.

Take it to the Cross

Pray

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