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- After reading the following portions of Scripture (Ps. 95 & 96), we can begin to tear down what we assume about worship and replace it with God's truth. There are numerous worship substitutes.
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Many of us assume that worship is like a program and many pastors, worship
leaders, and church people often assume that the sermon is the meat and
potatoes of the worship service program.
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Many church people assume that they haven't worshiped God unless they've heard
a good sermon or taken good sermon notes.
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But the truth is something different. The Scriptures contain more than 800
references to worship and not one of them equates preaching with worship.
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Another popular substitute for biblical worship is entertainment.
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We come to Sunday services and are entertained by the music, Scripture,
message, prayers, perhaps, drama, puppets, video and multimedia presentations, and
experience an emotional high from being in that situation...(or perhaps we're bored).
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But what with everything that goes on through the Sunday morning program, is there any room for worship like the
psalmist describes, or is there any room for worship that is centered on Jesus
Christ?
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That brings me to this morning's question: what
do the Scriptures teach that worship is?
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As we heard a few minutes ago from the Scriptures, worship has to do with our
actions and our attitudes.
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Let's read again a few verses from Psalms 95&96.
1 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!
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!" Psalm 95:1, 2
& 6 (ESV)
1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord,
bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all
the peoples!
9 Worship the Lord in
the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord
reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge
the peoples with equity.” Psalm 96:1-3, 9-10 (ESV)
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What about Jesus? When asked about
which Commandment in the Law of Moses was the greatest, 29 Jesus
answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one
Lord and God. 30 You must love him with all your heart, soul,
mind, and strength.’ 31 The second most important commandment
says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more
important than these.” (Mark 12:29-31, CEV)
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You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love others
as much as you love yourself.
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After his resurrection, the New Testament shows us that the followers of Jesus
worship him.
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Matthew describes Jesus greeting the women near the tomb and the women returned
the greeting with a posture of worship.
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Just as Matthew wrote in Mat 28:9, "And they (i.e. the women) came up and
took hold of his feet and worshiped him."
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When Thomas finally got to see and touch Jesus and know for himself that the
resurrection of Jesus was real, his immediate response was a spontaneous and
astonished declaration of worship: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)
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The newly born church devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers and they were daily in
the temple praising God, and breaking bread in each other's homes.
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And we can be absolutely certain that the breaking of bread involves sharing a
meal that was focused on remembering the broken body and shed blood of Jesus.
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Worship has to do with our actions and
our attitudes.
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What is worship?
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Worship lives our expressions of love
for God, celebrating God's saving act in Jesus Christ.
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I said last week, it is important that our worship witnesses and one of the
ways that our worship witnesses is through singing a new song. As David said in Psalm 40:3,
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"And you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you.
Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the Lord God." (CEV)
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It's because of God's saving acts in David's life that David sang a new song.
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The point is not the new song. The point is why David is singing and for whom
David is singing.
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David's singing is spontaneous praise to God, but his singing is also
intentional praise to God for the many who don't know this wonderful God about
whom David is singing.
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He sings for God, and he wants "the
many" who don't know God to hear his song and trust and honour God too.
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David desired that his life would be like a hymn of praise to God, like a new
song that captures people's hearts everywhere for God.
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What about us? Is it our desire that our
lives would be like a hymn of praise to God, like a new song that captures the
hearts of those around us for Jesus Christ?
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It's only because of God's saving act in Jesus Christ for our lives that we can
sing a new song.
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As I said last week, we worship like David worshiped when our worship
witnesses.
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What is worship?
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Worship lives our expressions of love
for God, celebrating God's saving act in Jesus Christ.
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I believe that we need to rethink our approach to worship and open our hearts
and minds to new possibilities and new expressions of worship.
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I am convinced that our traditional assumptions of what worship is have us
stuck in a rut.
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Although there may be preaching because people need to hear from God's Word, worship
is not what we do to get ready for the sermon.
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Although we may be entertained because expressing our love for God brings joy
and enjoyment, worship is not merely for our entertainment.
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However we express our love for God, expressions of worship please God most
when they point others to Jesus.
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What does a life that points others to
Jesus through worship look like?
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A life that points others to Jesus through worship is a life that literally
looks like what the Scriptures picture.
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It's a life of singing, making a joyful
noise. It's a life of thanksgiving
and praise to God.
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It's a life that physically displays
worship of God, whether it's kneeling, bowing, lying face-down, dancing,
hands lifted up, hands lifted out, head bowed and eyes closed or eyes lifted up
gazing toward heaven.
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It's a life willing to learn new things
for God. It's a life that blesses God
not just on Sunday morning, but tells
others about his salvation day after day.
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It's a life that declares God's glory
out in the world describing to others the wonderful things God has done in
Jesus Christ.
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It's a life that willingly shares the
message that God is King even in a world where there is so much injustice because
Jesus will judge fairly when he
comes again.
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It's a life whose love for God overflows and learns to love others as much as the
self and shows it through acts of kindness,
mercy, justice, and humility; doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly
with God (Micah 6:8).
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It's a life that learns to recognize
that everything we do can be done out of worship and obedience to God.
- Col. 3:17 (ESV) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through him.
- Col. 3:23-24 (ESV) Whatever you
do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing
that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are
serving the Lord Christ.
- 1 Thess 5:16-18 (ESV) Rejoice always, pray
without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
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What is worship?
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Worship lives our expressions of love
for God, celebrating God's saving act in Jesus Christ.
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