Worship

I. Introduction

A. It is a common phrase among some to say “I am going to worship”

1. May consider as an act to be performed at a particular time on a certain day

2. Although you and I may understand what the individual means, it will be good for use to consider some things about our worship to God.

B. During our time together let’s think about what worship is and what all it involves.

II. We will start by asking, what is worship? How is it defined?

A. American Heritage Dictionary:

1. Reverent love or respect

2. Love of or devotion to a person or thing

B. Thayer:

1. To kiss the hand to (towards) one in token of reverence – by kneeling or prostration

2. To do homage or make obeisance

3. To fully understand this definition, I want to remind you of the meaning of the words used

a) Reverence: awed respect, a gesture of respect

b) Homage: ceremony by which a man acknowledges himself as a vassal of a lord

c) Obeisance: movement of the body made in token of respect or submission

4. An example of such in found in Acts 10:25,26 with Peter and Cornelius

C. Others suggest worship consists primarily in a creaturely awareness of God by means of religious exercise and moral obedience.

D. So, worship by definition is not only the “five acts”

1. Not only the “five acts”

a) Singing

b) Teaching

c) Praying

d) Giving

e) Partaking of the LS

2. But would also encompass our entire life.

E. Read Rom 12: 1,2

1. Living sacrifice – Moral obedience

2. Five acts – Religious exercise

III. First, let’s consider what the Bible tell us in regards to worship thru Moral Obedience.

A. Taking a closer look at Rom 12 we see various ways that our life is one of worship thru obedience to God’s will.

B. We worship God by being different from the world – v.2

1. Not fashioned after the ways of the world

2. By not loving the ways of the world. 1 John 2:15-17

3. Those who love the world, James would call enemies of God James 4:4

C. Be humble and know your abilities – v. 3-8

1. A life of worship realizing that all Christians are a part of God’s family, we put others before us.

2. May have different abilities, but each one are nonetheless important.

D. Have a real love for mankind – v.9-10

1. In Matt 22:37-39 Jesus explains the importance of Love in the greatest commandments

2. Have closer feelings for fellow Christians because of our kindred spirit

3. This love is shown by

a) Doing good – Gal 6:10

b) Which pleases God – Heb 13.16

E. Industrious (energetic) – v.11

1. Not slow and sluggish

2. Some apply this to a persons economic occupation

a) Self included

b) The term translated business stands for his whole attitude toward and manner of Life.

3. In life we are to

a) Be working heartily as unto the Lord – Col 3:23

b) Like Paul pressing toward the mark – Phil 3:14

F. Happy and Steadfast – v.12

1. Rejoice – our life of worship should be characterized by Joy, because of the hope we have. Phil 4:4

2. Be steadfast – always trust in God despite what may come our way.

a) Song 94 – Each step I take

b) Last line “I trust in God…”

G. Benevolent and Hospitable, Compassionate – v.13-15

1. Not only love one another as seen earlier, but assisting each other with physical needs

a) James 1:27

2. Idea behind the word “given” is pursuing hospitality

a) Not just accepting if it turns our way or if no one else will

b) Example: List to feed preacher during meeting

c) Illustrate opportunity to talk visitors vs members

3. Learning to consider others feelings

a) Col 3:12 – bowels of mercy

b) Or heart of compassion

H. Rendering Good for evil – v.14, 17, 20, 21

1. Turning the other cheek

2. Praying for them that persecute you

I. Taking note of the lowly – v.16

1. Treat each one the same as the next and everyone above yourself.

2. Remember Jesus condemned those who gave the chief seats to those of high rank.

3. Illustrate: James 2:1-4

J. Be honest – v.17

1. Not only just honest

2. But do everything in such a way not to even appear otherwise.

K. Be at Peace – v.18

1. Living in peace with ourselves

2. But peace cannot be had a the sacrifice of truth and right

3. Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers

L. Remember these are traits that deal with our worship to God. Both in and out of the assembly, as part of the command to be a living sacrifice.

IV. Also, by definition worship includes physical actions

A. The acts themselves are not worship in the strict sense of the word.

1. Eating unleavened bread and drinking grape juice is not worship in and of itself – only when done remembering Christ

2. Singing songs not worship of itself, but can be

3. Giving to support some cause is not worship, but can.

B. All overt and observable worship has some form

1. The feeling of awe, reverence, or praise is expressed in some way.

2. The form or the manner of expression will necessarily take some pattern – orderly or haphazard 1 Cor 14:40

C. The order of our worship in the assembly has very little, if anything to do with whether it is in truth or not.

1. No order, fixed or varied will make spiritual worship, it may prevent habitual action, but also may create and air of uncertainty

2. Form can not be substituted for true worship –
Amos 5:21-25

V. Two other ideas to consider with the subject of Worship

A. Various kinds of false worship (opposite of True worship)

1. Vain worship: ignore God’s instructions – Mark 7:1-7

a) By not using proper form while in true spirit

b) By using proper form but not in spirit John 4:24

c) Must include both proper form and spirit

2. Will worship:

a) A self imposed humility shown by that which man believes to be pious and pleasing to God

b) An artificial outward show such as in practiced by some denominations and is has been used by some who claim to be the Lord’s church

c) Col. 2:18-23

3. Ignorant worship: not knowing what forms or worship are acceptable to God – Acts 17:23 (Mars Hill)

4. Mock worship: making a show of reverence all the while holding the object of the worship in contempt. As seen in Mark 15:19-20

B. Ways to improve our worship (efforts)

1. These efforts go beyond regulating the form of the acts, the heart and life must be improved

2. Many try to improve worship by proposing bizarre emotion stirring props

a) Special lighting

b) Mood music

c) Songs that force participation

d) Required response

3. The “hypocrisy of traditional services” is not helped by providing a mask of an emotional screen

4. Fault for “habit” type service is not necessarily in the order and NEVER altogether in the order.

a) Some worship scriptural always using the same order

b) Others could vary the order weekly, and never worship in spirit and truth

VI. Conclusion

A. After determining that the acts engaged in during the public assembly are according to truth, each individual must examine themselves to see if they are worshipping God acceptably

B. It is my goal to take a closer look at each of the acts of worship in the up coming weeks.

C. True worship to God is

1. Our faithful lives as Christians

2. And the physical actions performed as instructed by God