D201 Lesson 5: Worship

Worship

Key Verse: “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.” John 4:23

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help the disciple develop the heart of a true worshiper and to learn biblical ways to express worship unto God.

True Worship

Eternal life is knowing the TRUE GOD and His Son JESUS CHRIST.

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”Jeremiah 24:7 “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”

The Scriptures tell us WHO the true God is, WHAT He is like, and HOW He wants to be worshiped.

A solid understanding of Scripture provides the foundation for TRUE worship and protects us against false systems of worship such as:

IDOL-DRIVEN worship, i.e. the worship of false gods which are demons.

MAN-DRIVEN worship, i.e. the conforming to life-less legalistic religious requirements that originate with man and not God.

SELF-DRIVEN worship, i.e. the popular religion of self-love, self-esteem, self-fulfillment, and self-glory. This has no eternal God-centered perspective. Its motto is “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die.”

EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN worship, i.e. the mystical religion of the wild, the weird, and the whacky. This is ecstatic worship that has more in common with the ecstatic experiences of the mystical pagan religions that were demonically induced through idolatrous sacrifices, frenzied hypnotic chants, drunkenness, hallucinogenic drugs, incantations, and sexual orgies. Experience-driven worship seeks more and greater experiences that compels them to embrace even more bizarre behavior.

Those who do not know the true God and His Son Jesus Christ will go ASTRAY in worship.

Christians, churches, and church leaders go astray when they do not know the LORD.

1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD.” Because Eli’s sons did not know the Lord, they abused their privilege in worship, abused the worshipers, and caused the offering of the Lord to be abhorred

Isaiah 1:2–3 “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: ‘I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”

Jeremiah 2:8 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ and those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers also transgressed against Me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.”

Throughout the Old Testament God raised up prophets in order to CONFRONT false worship and RESTORE true worship when God’s people went astray.

1 Kings 18:30 “Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come near to me.’ So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.”

Jesus said that the Father is seeking TRUE WORSHIPERS.

John 4:23 “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.”

Misconceptions about Worship

True worship is NOT determined by the PLACE we choose to worship.

John 4:21 “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.”

Acts 17:24-25 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

True worship is NOT determined by manmade TRADITIONS, DOCTRINES, or COMMANDMENTS.

Matthew 15:6 “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”

Matthew 15:9 “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

True worship is NOT limited to times of worship. In reality, true worship is a daily OFFERING of our lives as a spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

We worship God through the daily sacrifice of our own desires, plans, and pursuits in order to do His will.

Other factors that do not determine true worship include:

SINCERITY. It is possible to be sincerely wrong.

PASSION. It is possible to be passionate about the wrong thing.

EXTERNAL FORMS or DISPLAYS. Traditional formalism, contemporary non-formalism, or charismatic displays are not the essentials of true worship.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. Biblical worship existed long before musical instruments were involved. Early Christians distanced themselves from the use of musical instruments because of their connection with pagan worship. Music can be either an enhancement or a distraction to true worship.

GIFTEDNESS. While talent is helpful, beautiful heartfelt worship often occurs among the most ungifted. The Giver rather than the gift is be the object of our worship.

TECHNIQUES. Worship is not a matter of manipulating the right setting and atmosphere (light, smoke, visualizations, guided spiritual tours, etc.) Manipulative techniques can distract or even distort worship into a psychological and emotional experience.

Three Kinds of Worship

There are three basic kinds of worship.

The first is IGNORANT worship.

John 4:22 “You worship what you do not know…”

The Samaritans worshiped God in ignorance because their knowledge of God was incomplete. They limited the Scriptures to the first five books of Moses. Because they did not receive the writings of the Hebrew prophets, their understanding of proper worship was flawed through ignorance.

Acts 17:22–23 “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.”

The second kind of worship is INFORMED worship.

John 4:22 “…we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”

The Jews were informed worshipers because they understood that God not only spoke to Moses but also to the other prophets and to David. It was David who transitioned the ark to Jerusalem and set up a new order of worship in the house of God. However, a person can worship in an informed way but still offer unto God unacceptable worship. Informed worship does not mean “true worship.”

The third kind of worship is TRUE worship.

John 4:23 “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.”

True worship is acceptable worship in the sight of God.[1]

True worship involves more than singing.[2]

True worship is the worship of the true God in the right way with the right attitude.[3]

True worship is “unleavened” worship, i.e. not contaminated by the world, the flesh, or the devil.[4]

True worship is Gospel-centered worship.[5]

True Worship and True Worshipers

True worshipers are SCRIPTURAL worshipers. They worship God in TRUTH.

John 4:22 “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”

The Word of God is the foundation of true worship. Acceptable worship is Scriptural worship.

True worshipers do not worship God in UNSCRIPTURAL ways.

Deuteronomy 12:2-4 “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.”

Deuteronomy 12:30-31 “Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.”

True worshipers worship God from their HEART.

Matthew 15:7-8 “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.’”

True worshipers worship God in SPIRIT

John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

True worshipers do not worship God through dead religious form and tradition. Their worship is alive because it is birthed out of true communion with the Father.

Because God is Spirit, true worship must originate out of the spirit of man.

True worshipers come to the Father through JESUS CHRIST.

John 4:25-26 “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

True worshipers know that access to the Father in worship comes only through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins on the Cross.

True worshipers are SPIRIT-FILLED worshipers.

Ephesians 5:18-20 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

True worshipers are inspired by the WORD OF CHRIST dwelling in their hearts.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

A New Order of Worship in Christ

The atoning work of Jesus Christ brought the inauguration of a new ORDER of worship.

John 4:21–24 “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 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. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’”

The Old Testament foretold of a time when God would rebuild the TABERNACLE OF DAVID.

Acts 15:16-17“After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.”

The Tabernacle of David

God gave Moses the pattern for a tabernacle in which His presence and glory might dwell among men. This was called the Tabernacle of Moses. Ministers in the Tabernacle were called priests and Levites. They were composed entirely of men from the tribe of Levi. In the days of Eli the High Priest, the priesthood became corrupt and the Ark of the Covenant (which represented the presence and glory of God among them) was taken in battle (1 Samuel 1-6). The Ark was returned to Israel but never returned to the Tabernacle. When David became king of Israel, he built a tabernacle in Jerusalem for the Ark of the Covenant. This became known as the Tabernacle of David. In this tabernacle the presence of God was accessible to common worshipers. David instituted a different kind of sacrifices unto the Lord, the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. He developed an impressive system of praise and worship unto the Lord that God honored and was later incorporated into the Temple of Solomon. In the New Testament the “rebuilding” of the Tabernacle of David represents the ability of man to seek the Lord apart from the Levitical priestly order of the Law. Like David, who was from the tribe of Judah (meaning “praise”) and not from Levi, we have entered a new order of priesthood in which we can seek the Lord without barriers and minister to Him through sacrifices of praise.

In the New Testament we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices of PRAISE.

Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Corporate Worship and the Glory of God

Corporate worship can be a powerful experience. When certain protocols are met, it ushers in the manifest presence and glory of God. This is made clear when Solomon was dedicating the temple as found in 2 Chronicles 5:11-14. As we understand the principles of divine protocol in corporate worship, the presence and glory of God can also come into our midst. These divine protocols for corporate worship are revealed as follows:

1. Holiness: “for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves”

2. Unity in the body of Christ: “without keeping to their divisions”

3. Righteousness: “clothed in white linen”

4. Honoring the Blood: “stood at the east end of the altar”

5. Unity in worship: “when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord”

6. Intensity in worship: “when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music”

7. Declaring His glory: “for He is good, for His mercy endures forever”

When God’s requirements for true worship are met, God comes in GLORY to His house.

Exodus 40:33-35 “And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 “Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever,’ that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”

God is ENTHRONED in the praises of His people.

Psalm 22:3 “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.”

Praise can be a WEAPON. Through it we can obtain DELIVERANCE and VICTORY over the enemy.

Psalm 149:5-9 “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment—this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!”

2 Chronicles 20:21-22 “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’ Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”

Acts 16:25-26 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”

Seven Hebrew Words for “Praise”

Halal: This word appears about 121 times in the Old Testament and means “to be clear or brilliant” with the idea “to shine, to give light.” This is regarded by many to be the highest form of all praise. It usually describes a joyful celebration, a tremendous explosion of enthusiasm in the act of praise that may seem to border on the eccentric (Psalm 150). The word “hallelujah” is a compound word using “halal” and “Yah” (the name of God) meaning, “Praise the Name of Yahweh.”

Tehillah: This word appears almost 60 times in the Old Testament. It is derived from the word halal. This form of praise describes the singing of our halals. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits this kind of praise. It is more than simple singing. It describes extravagant praise with singing. It also includes a special singing of unprepared and unrehearsed songs: “Oh, sing (tehillah) to the Lord a new song!” (Psalm 98:1). It was this type of praise that brought victory to Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 20).

Yadah: This word is used more than 90 times in the Old Testament. This is a verbal profession of the greatness of God accompanied by the lifting of the hands. The root verb meaning is “to extend the hand” or “to throw out the hand.” It can be used to confuse the enemy by the expression of great confidence in God. This is another type of praise that Jehoshaphat used to gain victory over the enemy in 2 Chronicles 20:21: “Praise (yadah) the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”

Towdah: This word is used 32 times in the Old Testament and is derived from the word yadah. This type of praise describes the singing of our yadahs. It is a singing confession of thanks and praise unto God. Psalm 50:23 uses the word to describe a sacrifice of praise to glorify God: “Whoever offers praise (towdah) glorifies Me.” Psalm 95:2 exhorts God’s people with “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving (towdah).”

Barak: This word appears over 300 times in the Old Testament, with 75 times used to describe praise to God. The root meaning of this word is “to kneel.” This is a form of praise intended to bless the Lord. It signifies humility while simultaneously blessing God by an act of adoration. It is translated “bless” in several translations. David uses this form of praise in Psalm 103:1 when he says, “Bless (barak) the Lord, O my soul.”

Shabach: This word occurs 11 times in the Old Testament with 5 of these being translated as “praise.” The root word means to address in a loud tone. It can mean “to sooth or pacify” with words, as any aggrieved person offered words of honor can testify. This form of praise is intended to laud, commend, glorify, or boast in the Lord. The idea is to speak well of God in a high and befitting way in the presence of others. “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud (shabach) Him, all you people!” (Psalm 117:1). “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise (shabach) You.” (Psalm 63:3) “One generation shall praise (shabach) Your works to another.” (Psalm 145:4)

Zamar: This word appears more than 40 times in the Old Testament. It is one of the key praise words and a musical term. This word designates the form of praise offered to God through playing music, whether with singing or instrumental. The word actually means “to touch the strings.” “Praise (zamar) the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.” (Psalm 33:2) “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises (zamar) to Your name O Most High.” (Psalm 92:1)

Biblical Forms of Worship and Praise

Using the voice (Psalm 35:18, 27; 40:16; 70:4; Ephesians 5:19; Revelation 19:1)

Lifting a shout (Psalm 5:11; 32:11; 35:27; 47:1; 71:23; 81:1; 95:1-2; 98:6; 132:9; 132:16)

Loud noise (Psalm 98:4)

Lifting the hands (Leviticus 9:22; I Kings 8:22, 38, 54; Psalm 28:2; 63:4; 119:48; 134:2; 143:6; )

Clapping (Psalm 47:1; 98:8; Isaiah 55:12)

Dancing (Exodus 15:20; 2 Samuel 6:14; Psalm 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Ecclesiastes 3:4; Jeremiah 31:4,13)

Processions (Psalm 68:24-27)

Twirling and leaping (2 Samuel 6:16; Acts 3:8)

Standing (1 Chronicles 23:30; 2 Chronicles 20:19; 29:26; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalm 28:7; 134:1; 135:2, 3)

Bowing and kneeling (Psalm 5:7; 45:11; 95:6; Ephesians 3:14; Philippians 2:10; Revelation 4:10; 5:8, 14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4)

Singing (2 Chronicles 23:18; Psalm 47:6; 96:1-2; 98:4; Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13)

Psalms (The Written Word) (1 Chronicles 16:7, 9; Psalms 95:2; 105:2; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13)

Hymns (Sound theological tradition and composition in song) (Matthew 26:30; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

Spiritual Songs (Spontaneous songs of the spirit to the Lord whether in a person’s language or in other “tongues”) (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:15)

Singing with other tongues (Spiritual songs in the spirit) (1 Corinthians 14:15)

New Songs (new, inspired, timely compositions in song) (Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Revelation 5:9)

Song of the Lord (Prophetic song of the Lord to His people) (2 Chronicles 29:27; Zephaniah 3:17; Hebrews 2:12)

Playing musical instruments (1 Chronicles 23:5; Psalm 150:3-5; Revelation 5:8, 14:2; 15:2)

Blowing trumpets or “shofars” (Psalm 98:6; 150:3)

Banners (Psalm 20:5-9; 60:4-5; Song of Solomon 6:4, 10; Isaiah 31:8-9; 59:19; Zechariah 9:9-16; John 12:32)

Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) (Only associated with awe of God’s imminent judgment)

[1] Philippians 4:18

[2] Proverbs 21:3; Romans 2:1, 2; 14:18; 15:16; Philippians 4:18; Revelation 5:8; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; 5:4; Ephesians 5:8-10

[3] Hebrews 12:28-29; Psalm 19:14; 24:3-6

[4] 1 Corinthians 5:8

[5] Philippians 3:3