What is Worship?
Why do we worship?
When do we worship?
How do we worship?
Pagan worship
• Muslims worship alla by bowing to Mecca.
• An American Indian might worship god by
building a totem pole.
• Human sacrifice has been considered to
be worship by some ancient cultures.
Misguided Worship
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Cain’s sacrifice was rejected by God because it was false worship Genesis 4:5
Catholicism – repetitive prayers, chants, counting beads.
Protestants – going to church meetings, reading the Bible, praying,
witnessing - all in order to appease God.
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen
(Romans 1:25). Men worship nature, animals, other people, knowledge,
science, and ultimately themselves.
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It is within our base nature as men to worship anyone and anything but the
Lord Jesus Christ.
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Worship has often been mistaken for performing certain activities in order
to pay for our own guilty feelings, trying to measure up to some
requirement, or make our conscience feel better by trying to earn a good
standing with God.
All misguided worship is self serving
Worship Defined
• First use is in Gen 22:5 “Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here
with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will
worship and return to you." .”
• shachah
• Pronounced shä·khä'
• homage rendered to God
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1) to bow down
1) to bow down, prostrate oneself
a) before superior in homage
b) before God in worship
Old Testament
• Psalm 66:4 “All the earth shall worship
thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall
sing to thy name. Selah.”
• Psalm 95:6 “Oh come, let us worship and
bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD
our Maker.”
• Psalm 96:9 “Oh, worship the LORD in the
beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all
the earth.”
Worship in the New Testament
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. Jn 4:23
God [is] Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Jn
4:24
Greek word “proskyneō”
1) to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
2) in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage, whether in order to
express respect or to make supplication
a) used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
We should understand what worship is
and how to do it.
Why?
Worship is an appropriate response
• We are the created and He is our Creator
“Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and
they were created” Ps 148:5
“I have made the earth, And created man on it. I--My hands-stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have
commanded.” Isa 45:12
• He is great and we are small
“Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high”, Ps 113:5
• We will all stand before Him in the great and
terrible day of judgement.
“…because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in
righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having
furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts
17:31
• He has been merciful to us to forgive us our sin.
“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in
lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” Ps 86:5
Because we will worship for eternity
• In eternity, there will be no offering of sacrifices, but rather constant
expressions of praise to God.
• Worship will be conducted in the presence of God before the throne.
Revelation 4:2-11; read together.
Rev. 5:8-14; 7:11-12; 11:16; 19:4.
Worship in Eternity (continued)
•There are no specific times of worship, but rather
one continual time of praise and adoration
(Revelation 4:8; 7:15).
•There is a temple described during this period
(Revelation 3:12; 7:15; 11:19, etc.).
"For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they
serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the
throne will spread His tabernacle over them.” Rev 7:15
Worship places us in our proper
roles
“O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the
earth.” Ps 96:9
-Throughout our day and because of trials, we
often leave our proper role with the Lord.
- As we worship the Lord, we become small and under Him.
-We see Him as above us and over us.
-Being small and under is our proper role with God.
-Worship allows us to practice this healthy place.
“Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.” Ps 2:11
Because God is in our midst as we
worship Him.
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“But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” Ps 22:3
"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in
their midst." Matt 18:20
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Gather together = greek word “synagō”
to bring together, assemble, collect
to join together, join in one
When we worship, we are all intent on one purpose – to love Jesus together. We are joined
together in purpose to do this..
As we connect with Jesus individually, we automatically connect and join with one another
because we are all abiding in the same vine.
“In My name”
•Gathering together is not enough. We must join “in His name”. Just because we get
together doesn’t mean that we are all submitted to Him and loving Him in that moment.
Corporate worship not only joins us all together but it joins us together “in His name.”
The result of all this is Matt 18:20 (although we are not seeking the result or any
effects).
Because as we worship we are healed
and restored.
Worship is more than just singing. It is expressing to God an attitude of the
heart. We can worship in song, in prayer, in words, or in actions. As we
worship, we see, we hear, we understand and we turn. Therefore we are
restored and healed in our lives.
• “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are
hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they
should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they
should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should
heal them.” Matt 13:15
• Worship is a great activity to exercise our hearts in fearing the Lord
and turning away from evil.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from
evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.” Ps
3:7,8
We can minister to and bless the Lord
through worship.
• “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,
"Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them." Acts 13:2
• “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.” Ps 34:1
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“Lift up your hands to the sanctuary And bless the LORD.” Ps 134:2
Worship is an exchange
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"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way
off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and
embraced him and kissed him.” Lk 15:20
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As we move toward God in worship, we receive Him and He receives us.
Worship connects us with God.
• Worship requires faith and faith pleases
God.
• STOP HERE – FINISH NEXT WEEK.
Worship increases our experience and
taste of the Lord.
Worship deepens our capacity to know
and experience God.
Worship is the most intimate
experience we can have with the Lord.
Worship is an activity that causes us to
fix our eyes on Jesus.
• The activity of worship requires us to do
this.
Worship helps us to see Him with the
eyes of our heart.
• Scripture quote.
• Bleeds over into everyday life.
Worship is loving God in a very pure
expression.
• “We love, because He first loved us”
(1 John 4:19). – worship is our
response to Him
• Prayer. Prayer is often thought to be
synonymous with worship. Although prayer
can be worship, it most often falls short of
it. Are our prayers marked by adoration
and praise? Do they focus upon Who God
is and what He has done? Or do they turn
into grocery lists of petitions for our
needs? In other words, do our prayers
focus upon God’s goodness or our needs
and desires?
• that Israel sang many of their praises to
God. The praises of the people were set to
music and sung. Music can be used to
quiet our hearts and minds and focus them
upon God and His goodness. Music can
also be an instrument through which our
praise and adoration can be expressed to
God.
Worship is more than sing songs
about the Lord or even to the Lord
How do we worship?
• Let’s practice!