Worship Series - Part 1

“Worship—What is it?”

(Message #1 in Worship Series) 

INTRODUCTION:

This is the first of four studies in a teaching series on “Worship.” Some of you might have read Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose-Driven Life, in which he elaborates on the 5 basic purposes that God has for every believer, the same elements that should be present and abounding in every healthy church. These five words describe why the church exists. Namely, they are…

·         Evangelism – To WIN lost people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

·         Discipleship – To BUILD up believers in Bible knowledge, faith, and obedience.

·         Fellowship – To SHAPE one another through mutual ministry as iron sharpens iron. (cf. Proverbs 27:17)

·         Service – To MOBILIZE godly, equipped, motivated workers for the harvest field.

·         Worship – To ADORE the Master and give Him praise and glory that is His due.

TRANSITION:

We should point out that these five purposes do not fall in any certain order, because they all must be carried on simultaneously. Every church needs to be about all five of these things, all the time. There is never a vacation from seeking to win lost people to Christ. There is never a time when we can put on hold the need to help Christians grow toward spiritual maturity. Fellowship is an everyday, all-day need for every Christian as we encourage and help one another. Service is part and parcel of following the One who came to “serve rather than to be served.” And finally, worship is like spiritual breathing—we take blessings in from God, and we exhale praises and thanksgiving and adoration out to Him on a continuous basis.

Many years ago, while they were both teaching at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, Professor Gordon Borror and Dr. Ronald Allen co-authored an excellent book entitled, Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel. In the preface they wrote these words:

“Worship is the missing jewel of the evangelical Church.” The situation seems not to have changed appreciably since these words were first stated by A. W. Tozer. Yet there is a significant change. The jewel is still missing, but at least now many of us know it, and miss it, and want to find it. Evangelicals are now more and more aware of what we lack in worship when we gather together. The irony is even clearer. Evangelicals ought to excel in the worship of God. How can we who know God, not worship Him?

Indeed, yet the fact is that many of us have fallen prey to many wrong ideas about what worship is and is not. In many cases we have dumbed-down worship to where it has little meaning for us anymore. For example, many Evangelicals have reduced worship down to music, thinking that when we are singing, we are worshipping. While that may sometimes be true, at other times the music keeps us from being able to worship. Music can get in the way of worship and can limit our worship.

For others, the word worship conjures up the image of a church service, where the preaching turns out to be the main element. For many, that is worship. But again, that misses the mark, giving an incorrect impression, that preaching trumps and eclipses everything else.

In this first topic of this teaching series, we are going to set about to rediscover the missing jewel of worship. But first, we need to define our terms. Exactly what is worship?

MAIN BODY:
Simply put, worship means to attribute worth to someone or something. We are all worshipers, Christians, and non-Christians alike. Each of us was created with an inner drive to worship, and whatever we value most is what we worship. Whether it is money, career, sports, self, or God, there is something or someone that each person worships.

Since the beginning of time there has never been a shortage of objects of worship, and people are going to worship something or someone their entire lives. It is just that people who do not know the Lord spend their lives worshiping things that are less than worthy and that is a problem.

As Christians it is our calling to point nonbelievers to the One who is truly worthy of worship. God is the only One who is worthy of all praise and glory from all people everywhere.

The heart of Christian worship is simply to recognize God’s presence and acknowledge Him as Lord. Worship is about God, and how we respond to Him. It is the spirit and truth interaction between God and His people. “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:24). True worship is our whole-hearted response to God’s self-revelation in ways that please Him. 

And worship needs to be more than just one hour of one day out of the week. Worship that speaks to God’s majesty and transforming power is a lifestyle, not merely a one-hour event on Sunday morning. We are talking about a 24/7 kind of worship. And face it… we cannot expect non-Christians to understand the concept of a “new life in Christ” if they see Christians in church on Sunday morning worshiping a holy God, and then worshiping the almighty dollar and living a lifestyle during the week that is no different from a non-Christian lifestyle. Our worship of God, if it is authentic, will carry over into every aspect of our lives.

The apostle Paul put it like this: “…And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). That is what we mean by a lifestyle of worship.

Paul also teaches us that worship is an offering. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). So, here is the deal… God does not want just a piece of your life, a token part. He wants all of you. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. God is not interested in your half-hearted commitment, partial obedience, or the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion, not just little bits, and pieces of your life.

A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that these external issues are irrelevant. Where or how you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship. 

The Bible makes it clear that there is a right and a wrong way to worship. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29, NIV). The kind of worship that God accepts and that pleases Him has four characteristics:

Four characteristics of God-pleasing worship:

#1 God is pleased when our worship is ACCURATE
People often say, “I like to think of God as...” and then they share their idea of the kind of God they would like to worship. But we cannot just create our own comfortable or politically correct image of God and then worship it. That is idolatry. (cf. J.B. Philip’s book, Your God Is Too Small)

Worship must not be based on our opinions about God, but on the revealed truth of Scripture. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks” (John 4:23, NIV). To “worship in truth” means to worship God as He is truly revealed in the Bible.

#2 God is pleased when our worship is AUTHENTIC
When Jesus said you must “worship in spirit” he was not referring to the Holy Spirit, but to your spirit! Made in God’s image, you are a spirit that resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with Him. Worship is our spirit responding to God’s Spirit.

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart and soul” He meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt. It is not just a matter of saying the right words; you must mean what you say. Heartless praise is not praise at all! It is an insult to God.

When we worship, God looks past our words right into our hearts. The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b, NIV).

Since worship involves delighting in God it engages your emotions. God gave you emotions so you might worship Him with deep feeling, but those emotions must be genuine, not faked. God hates hypocrisy. He does not want showmanship or pretence or phoniness in worship. He wants your honest, real love. N.B. We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship him insincerely.

Of course, sincerity alone is not enough either. A person can be sincerely wrong. That is why both spirit and truth are required. Worship must be both accurate and authentic. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads simultaneously.

Today many equate being emotionally moved by music as being moved by the Spirit, but these two things are not the same. Real worship happens when your spirit responds to God Himself, not to some combination of melody, rhythm, harmony, and lyrics. In fact, some sentimental, introspective songs hinder worship because they take the spotlight off God and focus on our feelings. You have probably already discovered that the biggest distraction in both private and corporate worship is yourself—your own interests and issues, and your worries over what others might think about you.

Christians often differ on the most appropriate or authentic way to express praise and worship to God, but these arguments are usually just personality and background differences. Many forms of praise are mentioned in the Bible, among them: confessing, singing, shouting, standing in honour, kneeling, dancing, making a joyful noise, testifying, playing musical instruments, and raising hands. These can all be employed both in personal as well as in corporate worship.

The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God, based on the background and personality God gave you.

#3 God is pleased when our worship is THOUGHTFUL
Jesus’ command to “love God with all your mind” is repeated four (4) times in the New Testament. God is not pleased with thoughtless singing of hymns, perfunctory praying of clichés, or careless exclamations of “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” uttered because we cannot think of anything else to say at that moment. If worship is mindless, is it meaningless. You must engage your mind. In Matthew 6:7 Jesus said this about thoughtless worship: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” The KJV here uses the phrase, “vain repetitions.”

Even biblical terms can become tired clichés from overuse, and we stop thinking about the meaning.  It is so much easier to offer platitudes in worship instead of making the effort to honour God with fresh words and ways. For this reason, it can be helpful to read the Scripture in different translations and paraphrases. It will expand your expressions of worship.

Here is a practical challenge: try praising God without using the words “praise,” “hallelujah,” “thanks,” or “amen.” Instead of saying, “We just want to praise you,” make a list of synonyms and use fresh words like admire, adore, respect, value, revere, honour, and appreciate.

Also, be specific. If someone approached you and repeated, “I praise you!” ten times, you would probably think, “For what?” You would rather receive two specific compliments than twenty vague generalities. So would God.

#4 God is pleased when our worship is PRACTICAL
The Bible says, “... offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1, NIV). 

Why does God want your body? Why does He not say, “Offer your spirit”?

Because… without your body you cannot do anything on this planet. In eternity, you are going to receive a brand-new, improved, upgraded body, but while you are here on earth the Lord says, “Give Me what you have!” He is just being practical about worship.

You have heard people say, “I cannot make it to the meeting tonight, but I will be with you in spirit.” What does that mean? Absolutely nothing! Zip, zilch, nil, nada! It is worthless! While you are on earth your spirit can only be where your body is! If your body is not there, neither are you! 

In worship we are to offer our bodies as “living sacrifices.” We usually associate the concept of “sacrifice” with something dead, but God wants you to be a living sacrifice. He wants you to live for Him! However, the problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl down off the altar, and we often do that. We sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” on Sunday, and then go AWOL on Monday.

In the Old Testament, God took pleasure in the many sacrifices of worship because they foretold of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. Now God is pleased with different sacrifices of worship: thanksgiving, praise, humility, repentance, offerings of money, prayer, serving others, and graciously sharing with those in need.

But real worship always costs us something. David knew this and said, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24, NIV). Worship is a sacrifice, a giving to God of something that is valuable. Through Malachi, the Lord rebuked the Israelites for showing contempt for His name. “How have we shown contempt?” they asked. One way was by placing defiled food on the altar, and bringing blind, lame, and sick animals for sacrifice (Malachi 1:6-8).

G. Campbell Morgan suggests that although the word “sacrilege” is generally interpreted as taking something that belongs to God and using it profanely, according to this text, sacrilege is also me taking something and giving it to God, when it means nothing to me.

Matthew Henry, another great biblical commentator, continues this thought: “If we worship God ignorantly, and without understanding, we bring the blind for sacrifice. If we do it carelessly, and without consideration, if we are cold, and dull, and dead in it, we bring the sick. If we do not make heart-work of it, if we suffer vain thoughts and distractions to lodge within us, we bring the torn.”

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength,” He was pointing out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will -- a willing sacrifice.

One thing worship always costs us is our self-centeredness. You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time. You do not worship to be seen by others. You must deliberately shift the focus off yourself and onto the Lord.

CONCLUSION:

These are strong words, but a good reminder of the reverence that is due unto God. Have you ever caught yourself singing thoughtlessly and offering prayers that were mere repetitious banalities, approaching God with coldness of heart? Day after day, we must ask the Lord to magnify Himself in our sight. We need to see His matchless beauty again, so that our offerings are a fitting response to His great worth.

You may have also noticed that I have not addressed where worship takes place. Worship can happen in public settings with large groups of people, in or out of the church building, but it can likewise happen with a congregation of one, just you alone with God. But the principles are the same. We need to learn to be genuine worshippers, whether we are alone with the Lord, or singing and praising Him with other people. In the next three studies we will talk more about corporate worship and private worship, and the specific role of music in worship, but we need to grasp the BIG CONCEPT: worship is all about Him, not us. Worship is about the substance of praise, not about the delivery vehicle that transports our praise to Him (i.e., music, worship band, worship leader, etc.). May we learn to worship Him “in spirit and in truth,” offering up to Him the praise and adoration that He deserves.  

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, would You awaken our hearts to the glory and splendour of Your grace? Make us alive to Your Spirit and fully aware of the infinite perfections of Your nature. Then, Lord, conquer and overpower our hearts with Your goodness and love, so that our praise will rise to You in flames of deep affection. Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.