Chapter 17
Worship
A. BLESSING OF GOD
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name”
Psalms 103:1. It is awesome to consider that we have the ability to bless our Creator, but time after time in the Scripture we are exhorted to do just that. We bless Him through our praise and worship of Him. See Psalm 34:1-3.
B. PRAISE
Praise is an expression of admiration and appreciation. When we praise someone, we tell them how wonderful we think they are, or how great their accomplishments are. It is the same with the Lord. Praise has to do with acknowledging God’s character and power.
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands” Psalms 63:3-4.
1. Why Do We Praise God?
a. Because Of Who He Is. “Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise”. Psalms 47:6-7.
b. Because Of What he Does.
“Praise the Lord, o my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord O
my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion. He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s” Psalms 103:1-5.
2. Who Is To Praise God?
a. Those Who Seek God. “… they who seek the Lord will praise him… ” Psalms 22:26.
b. Everything That Has Breath. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise
the Lord” Psalms 150:6.
3. When Do We Praise God?
a. At All Times “I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips”
Psalms 34:1.
b. In Every Circumstance “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1Thessalonians 5:16-18.
4. Where Are We To Praise God?
a. Surrounded By God’s People “He [Jesus] says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises’” Hebrews 2:12.
b. Among The Nations “I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you
among the peoples” Psalms 57:9.
c. On Our Beds “I will praise you as long as I live… with singing lips my mouth will
praise you; I think of you through the watches of the night” Psalms 63:4-6.
C. WORSHIP
Whereas praise is an expression of admiration and appreciation, worship is an expression of love or adoration. It is possible to admire someone and appreciate what they do without being in love with them. In the same way, worship has to do with our love of the Lord. It can be expressed only with the giving of our whole heart and life to Him.
“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” Mark 12:33.
The religious rituals and ceremonies of Israel in the Old Testament became detestable to the Lord because their heart was far from Him. Isaiah 1:10-15; 29:13. Today, also, God is only interested in the genuine and sincere worship that comes from the heart.
“Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is a spirit, and his worshippers MUST worship in SPIRIT and TRUTH” John 4:22-23.
Read also verses 4-26.
1. In Spirit
Our spirit is called the “inner man”. Ephesians 3:16. True worship takes place when the inner man, in response to the prompti ngs of God’s Spirit, expresses love and adoration to God. This can take the form of spoken words, a love song to the Lord, or silent adoration.
True worship requires the action of the Holy Spirit on our spirit. So only those who have been “born again of the Spirit” through faith in Jesus Christ can truly worship God. John 3:5-8.
The lifestyle of a true worshipper of God is one of OBEDIENCE. Our obedience is an active, practical expression of our love for God. Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments”. See also verses 21,23-24.
2. In Truth
To worship God in truth is to worship Him as the Bible says we should. Nadab and Abihu (the sons of the high priest) offered strange fire before the Lord and died.
Numbers 3:4; 26:61. This sober warning illustrates the need to study God’s plan (the Tabernacle of Moses) for priestly ministry.
There was a sacrifice, cleansing, anointing and clothing before worship. Exodus 30:17-38.
You will note in Revelation 1:5-6 that we are “… washed from our sins in his own blood” before being made “… priests unto God.”
An apostle/teacher in the United States was training lots of leaders how to heal the sick and perform miracles.
A prophetess said to him: “The Lord says to you, ‘How dare you teach those who are unclean to do my works! Stop it!’”
There was much preparation of the priests before they could go into the Holy Place to worship the Lord. To ignore the pattern was perilous. We must worship in truth -
in the Bible way.
D. EXPRESSIONS OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP IN SCRIPTURE
1. With The Mouth
b. Praising. Psalms 103:1
c. Shouting. Psalms 47:1
2. With The Hands
a. Lifting. Psalms 63:4
b. Clapping. Psalms 47:1
c. Musical instruments. Psalms 150
3. With The Body
a. Standing. Psalms 134:1
b. Kneeling, bowing. Psalms 95:6
c. Dancing and leaping for joy. Psalms 30:11
“Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? … Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted… ”
Exodus 15:11, 21.
“Among the gods there is none like you, O lord … For you are great and do marvellous deeds; you alone are God … I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever” Psalms 86:8, 10 12.
MY COMMITMENT
The greatest thing I will ever do in this life or in eternity is to worship God. I determine today to be a true worshipper and to make this my supreme goal in life. I will teach others this vital way of life by my example.