Christian Worship

1. ChristianWorship - 4th
December 2015
“…Jesusreplied,“believeme,atime iscomingwhenyouwill worshipthe Fatherneitheronthis
mountainnorinJerusalem”(John4:21).
The meaningof the Greekword mostoftentranslated“worship”(proskuneo) is“to fall downbefore”or
“bowdownbefore.”Worshipisa state or an attitude of spirit.Since it’saninternal,individual action,it
shouldbe done mostof the time (orall the time) inour lives,regardlessof place orsituation.Christians
worshipissomethingwe needtodoall the time,sevendaysaweek.WhenChristiansformallygather
togetherinworship,still the emphasisshouldbe onindividuallyworshipingthe Lord.Evenina
congregation,participantsneedtobe aware that theyare worshipingGodfullyonanindividualbasis.
The nature of Christianworshipisfromthe inside outandhastwo equallyimportantparts.Ourworship
mustbe “inspiritand intruth” whichwe can learnfromJohn4:23-24,”Yet a time iscomingand hasnow
come whenthe true worshiperswill worshipthe Fatherinthe Spiritandintruth,for theyare the kindof
worshipersthe Fatherseeks.24 God isspirit,andhisworshipersmustworshipinthe Spiritandin
truth.”.Worshipinginthe spirithasnothingtodo withour physical posture.Ithasto do withour
innermostbeingandrequiresseveral things.First,we mustbe bornagain.Withoutthe HolySpirit
residingwithinus,we cannotfullyrespondtoGodinworshipbecause we donotknow Him.“Forwho
knowsa person’sthoughts excepttheirownspiritwithinthem?Inthe same waynoone knowsthe
thoughtsof God exceptthe Spiritof God”(1 Corinthians2:11).The Holy Spiritwithinusisthe one who
energizesworshipbecauseHe isinessence glorifyingHimself,andall true worshipglorifiesGod.
WorshipinginspiritrequiresamindcenteredonGodand constantlyrenewedbyTruth.Paul exhortsus
to “presentyourbodiesasa livingsacrifice,holyandacceptable toGod,Whenour heartsare clearof
evil andsinfulness,itisthenthatourspiritual worshipbecomesmeaningful.“Therefore,Iurge you,
brothersandsisters,inviewof God’smercy,to offeryourbodiesasa livingsacrifice,holyandpleasing
to God—thisisyourtrue and properworship.2 Do notconform tothe patternof thisworld,butbe
transformedbythe renewingof yourmind.Thenyouwill be able totestandapprove whatGod’s will
is—hisgood,pleasingandperfectwill”(Romans12:1-2).If our thoughtsare disturbedwithsinful
thought,ourprayersand worshipbecome meaningless!Onlywhenourmindsare changedfrombeing
centeredonworldlythingstobeingcenteredonGodcan we evenbegintoworshipinspirit.Distractions
of manykindscan floodourmindsthroughthe evil one,aswe try to praise andglorifyGod,hindering
our true worship.
Therefore asChristianswe cantrulyworshipGodinspiritwhenwe have a pure heart,openand
repentant.WhenKingDavid’sheartwasfilledwithguiltoverhissinwithBathsheba(2Samuel 11),he
founditimpossibletoworship.He feltthatGodwas far fromhim, and he “groanedall day long”feeling
God’shand heavyuponhimas we learninPsalm32:3-4,“When I keptsilent,myboneswastedaway
throughmy groaningall daylong.4 For dayand nightyour handwas heavyonme;my strengthwas
sappedas inthe heat of summer”.Butwhenhe confessed,fellowshipwithGodwasrestoredand
worshipandpraise pouredforthfromhim.Therefore we canunderstandfurtherthatpraise and

2. worshiptowardGod cannotcome from heartsfilledwith un-confessedsin…because itisnotworshipas
God requiresfromus!
True worshipisourworship“intruth.”All our worshiphasto be a response intruth,as requiredinthe
Word of God. Therefore whenwe worshipGodourconscience hastobe clear notwithotherinner
demonsandthoughtstakingprecedence.Ourthoughtshave tobe “in truth” because whenwe worship
we are communicatingwiththe HolyGod.We cant fool Him.Due to Hisknowledge pf oursinfulnessand
thoughts,we can learnwhenJesussaidtoHisFather,“Sanctifythembythe truth; your wordis
truth”(John17:17). To truly worshipGod,we mustknow that He is the HolyGod,whoHe isand whatHe
has done.The onlyplace He has fullyrevealedHimselfisinthe Bible throughwhichwe canlearnand
developapersonal relationshipwithHim.Worshipisanexpressionof praise fromthe depthsof our
heartstowarda God whoisunderstoodthroughHisWord inthe bible.Thereforeif we donothave the
truth of the Bible,we donot knowGod andtherefore it isnottrue worship.
Since external actionsare unimportantinChristianworship,there isnorule regardingwhetherwe
shouldsit,stand,fall down,be quiet,orsingpraisesloudlywhile incorporate worship.These things
shouldbe decidedbythe individualbasedonthe nature of the congregation.The mostimportantthing
isthat we worshipGod “inspirit“- inour heartsand “intruth” in ourhearts.Christianworshipis
showingreverence andgratitude bybowingdownbefore the mightypowerof God.
As a congregationinchurchwe take greatdelightinthe worshipsongsthathave become amainstay in
our churchestoday.People singingsongstoGod,headsback,eyesclosed,andhandsraisedastheysing.
Christianworshipcanalsohappenswhenwe singto God,whetherinchurch or alone - inour cars or in
the shower.If our desire istoplease Godthroughworship,nomatterwhere the locationorhow many
are involved.Musicandworshipsingingaffectsouremotionsandthe lyricscanswell ourhearts,causi ng
us to become happyinthe experience.Christianpraiseandworshipmusicisagreat tool forhelpingus
feel closertoGod.It's not uncommonforyoungerpeople toevenpickachurch because of the style of
itsworshipmusic.Oftenpeoplewill emerge fromaservice saying,"The worshipsingingwaswonderful
today,"or "The sermonwas great,but I wasreallymovedbythe worship."
The Bible saysthat one day,everyknee will bow andeverytongue will confessthatJesusChristisLord
whichwe can learnfromPhilippians2:9-11,“Therefore Godexaltedhimtothe highestplace andgave
himthe name that is above everyname,10 that at the name of Jesuseveryknee shouldbow,inheaven
and on earthand underthe earth,11andeverytongue acknowledge thatJesus ChristisLord,tothe glory
of God the Father”We worshipHimbecause He alone isworthyandpraise.One day,boththose who
choose to worshipHimandthose whohave refusedHisfree giftof salvationwillacknowledge thatJesus
ChristisLord. Whenthat day comes,onlythose whohave chosenHimwill goonto live withHimin
eternity.AccordingtoScripture,those whohave deniedHimwill spendeternitywithSatanandthe
fallenangelswhoare condemnedalready.InPsalm29we can learn:"Ascribetothe LORD the glorydue
hisname;worshipthe LORD inthe splendorof hisholiness"(Psalm29:2).
“…Jesus replied, “believeme, a timeis coming when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (John 4:21).

3. Christian Worship - Showing reverence and gratitude to God
Another picture of as in this passage from Nehemiah:
"Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded,
'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground"
(Nehemiah 8:6).
Both singing and bowing down are acts of worship, but they are only part of the picture.
Christian worship is so much more than that!
Christian Worship - It's all about the position of our hearts
Christian worship begins with discovering and admitting what we have been worshipping in our
lives. All of us worship something, whether we know it or not. We may not physically bow down
to it, or offer it songs of praise and adoration, but whatever we devote most of our time and
attention to is often what we worship. Consider this Merriam-webster definition of worship:
"Reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such
reverence; a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual; extravagant respect or admiration
for or devotion to an object of esteem."
Seen in that light, it's easy to see that we can worship God, we can worship money, or power, or
a rock star, or we can even worship a lifestyle. Worship is more than an act of reverence. It is an
attitude of the heart.
Christian worship is clearly of interest to God. He knows we have an inner need to worship, so
He asks us to worship Him. He, being God, can handle the weight of being worshiped; humans
cannot. People who are worshiped by others can often be influenced to think more highly of
themselves than they ought. The Bible makes it plain that there is only one God worthy of our
worship:

4. "Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other
gods, the gods of the peoples around you for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous
God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land"
(Deuteronomy 6:13-15)
Do you love God? Are you thankful for what He has done for you through His Son Jesus Christ?
You can follow the admonition of Psalm 29:2 by turning away from what you formerly
worshiped and acknowledging the lordship of Jesus. Let the life you live be an act of worship to
Him. Whether you are called to be a preacher, a singer, a writer, a software engineer, a
salesperson, or a truck driver, you can do everything for the glory of God. When you do, you are
engaging in Christian worship.
Do you know Jesus as your Lord? Why wait? Discover, while you still can, that the Jesus Christ
who gave his live for you is worthy of being your CEO, your life director, your all-in-all. All you
have to do is believe that Jesus died and rose three days later. Then ask Him to forgive your sins
and save you. Millions have already made that choice - you'll never regret it!