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This is a sermon that attempts to define what worship is and how it applies to us and our relationship with God.
Psalm 99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
Introduction:
What
is worship?
I
suppose that if we would ask this question to a number of different people we
might receive a variety of answers. We
all probably think that we have a pretty good understanding of worship, we
might change our opinion once we start really studying into the subject.
Today
I’d like to speak to you about the subject of divine worship with the
understanding that we won’t have time to thoroughly examine the topic in just
one sermon, so we may return to it again in order to gain a more thorough grasp
of it.
With
the Lord’s help I would like to start off by reviewing some of the words that
are used for “worship” in Scripture and then talk about the kinds of things
that constitute worship.
I. Some Terms
Used for Worship
(ISBE)
The principal Old Testament word is שָׁחָה, ṣhāḥāh,
"depress," "bow down," "prostrate" (Hithpael), as
in Exodus 4:31 (KJV)
And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had
visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction,
then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
The context determines more or
less clearly whether the physical act or the volitional and emotional idea is
intended.
[Some
other terms in OT are translated “fall down,” “serve,” etc.]
The
Old Testament idea is therefore the reverential attitude of mind or body or
both, combined with the more generic notions of religions adoration, obedience,
and service. Whatever
its origin, worship as developed in the Old Testament is the expression of the
religious instinct in penitence, prostration, adoration, and the uplift of holy
joy before the Creator.
The
principal New Testament word (59 times) is προσκυνέω, proskunéō,
"kiss (the hand or the ground) toward," hence, often in the oriental
fashion bowing prostrate upon the ground; accordingly, Septuagint uses it [as]
"prostrate oneself." It is to render homage to men, angels, demons, the
Devil, the "beast," idols, or to God.... The root idea of bodily
prostration is much less prominent than in the Old Testament. It is always
translated "worship."
[Other
words commonly used in the NT carry the idea of reverence/fear/awe; and service.]
[See Rom. 12:1 – “… reasonable service;” or “reasonable act of worship.”]
The
New Testament idea of worship is a combination of the reverential attitude of
mind and body, the general ceremonial and religious service of God, the feeling
of awe, veneration, [and] adoration….
With
all of the things worship includes we might summarize it all by saying that it
is a recognition of the worth/worthiness of the one being worshiped, and the acknowledgment
of the worshiper’s unworthiness. It
is using culturally accepted means to express subordination of self along with
reverence and honor to the object of worship.
Tim
Keller — Worship is seeing what God is
worth and giving him what he's worth. (Today's Best Illustrations)
(Ed
Young) When we see God as He truly is, we
see ourselves as we truly are. That is where real worship begins. (Forward in book, Where
Real Worship Begins, by James Draper)
II.
What
Worship Is
A.
Worship is an attitude.
There are probably a number of attitudes that we
could associate with the whole idea of worship. The list would obviously
include these:
1.
Attitude of humility
All of the references we made earlier to the
concepts of bowing down, prostrating one’s self, etc. indicate the outward
display of an inward attitude of humility and unworthiness to approach the King
of kings, the Lord of lords, and the sovereign power figure / authority figure
of the whole universe.
Romans
14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God.
Philippians
2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
When any person comes into the presence of the Holy
One it will be immediate recognition of our unworthiness to be in His presence.
Every thought of self-importance and every idea of
self-assertion will absolutely melt away in the presence of Divine Majesty.
Paul
Stromberg Rees – If you can leave your
church on Sunday morning with no feeling of discomfort, of conviction, of
brokenness, of challenge, then for you the hour of worship has not been as
dangerous as it should have been. The ease with which we go on being Christian
sentimentalists is one of our worst faults. (Draper's Book of Quotations)
Richard
J. Foster – If worship does not change
us, it has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One
of eternity is to change. Worship begins in holy
expectancy; it ends in holy obedience. (Draper's Book of
Quotations)
This thought leads us to mention two other attitudes
that always accompany worship.
2.
Attitude of surrender
3.
Attitude of service
Any acknowledgement of God that does not lead one to
surrender and service is a mere pretense. It cannot be a true understanding.
B.
Worship is a lifestyle.
Some people have reduced the idea of worship to the
designated time for singing songs that usually occurs at the beginning of a
church meeting. This concept is such a narrow view of true worship.
1
Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or
drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
When we come together for corporate worship, we
sing to worship and ascribe worth and glory to God. We pray to acknowledge His supremacy and our dependency. We
pray for His will to be accomplished in our lives and in our world so He will
be exalted. We don’t pray just so we can have an easier life. We do it as a way
of engaging in spiritual warfare so that God’s will is done and God’s name is
honored and exalted among the righteous and among the heathen. We give our tithes and offerings generously and cheerfully,
not out of obligation or to be noticed, but out of a sincere desire to honor
Him; a sincere desire to promote what God is doing locally and globally. We hear the Word because it’s His Word. We need and want to
hear what God has to say to us. It’s a way of worshiping Him and acknowledging
the worth and value of His message.
Whatever we do – we should be doing it all to exalt
and glorify and honor the Lord!
Abraham
J. Heschel – Worship is a way of living,
a way of seeing the world in the light of God... to rise to a higher level of
existence, to see the world from the point of view of God. (Draper's Book of
Quotations)
We can say the same thing about our work, our
recreation, our relationships, etc. etc. Do we conduct all of these areas of our lives as if
we are doing it for God? Do we conduct all of these tasks in a way that
causes people around us to honor and exalt God?
Conclusion:
John
Henry Jowett — We leave our places of worship, and no deep and inexpressible wonder sits upon our
faces. We can sing these lilting melodies, and when we go out into the streets
our faces are one with the faces of those who have left the theaters and the music
halls. There is nothing about us to suggest that we have been looking at
anything stupendous and overwhelming... And what is the explanation of the
loss? Preeminently our impoverished conception of God. (Today's Best Illustrations)
What
Jowett is saying is this: it’s not a necessary part of my job as your pastor to
make you feel comfortable and jubilant when you leave here every Sunday. There
are times, when we’ve truly acquired a glimpse of God’s majesty and glory, that
we will feel uneasy about the status quo of our devotion and service to Him.
This
assessment not only applies to our meetings for corporate worship, but it also
applies to our personal, private worship. Far
too often we start off our day and end our day without a genuine encounter with
the Holy One of eternity.
For
some professing Christians, it has been weeks or months, perhaps even years
since they have had an encounter with God that profoundly changed their
perception of God as well as their perception of time and eternity.
May
God help us to recapture the true concept and act of worship in our lives and
in our churches!
Our
closing song today is: I Give All to You
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