WORSHIP

We do not think of ourselves as a worshiping culture, let alone an idolatrous culture, but our behavior suggests otherwise. Consider our weekly gatherings of up to 100,000 frenzied fans observing a ceremony of men dressed in strange garb acting out a violent drama of conquest. Others stay at home and join in by way of a small glowing shrine set up in the family room. Fans of professional football are probably not even aware that their behavior could be described as worship. Or consider the way thousands of young people scream and throw themselves at the stage where their rock-star idols are performing. Human beings were created to worship. To worship is to ascribe ultimate value to an object, person, or God-and then to revere, adore, pay homage to, and obey by ordering the priorities of our lives around that which we worship. The Bible teaches that God alone is worthy of our worship.

HOW IS WORSHIP INTEGRAL TO MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
1 Chronicles 16:29 . . . Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Psalm 145:3 . . . Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery! Worship is the recognition of who God is, and of who we are in relation to him.
Exodus 29:43 . . . I will meet the people of Israel there, and the Tabernacle will be sanctified by my glorious presence. God meets with his people in a powerful way when they worship him together.
Deuteronomy 31:11 . . . You must read this law to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses.
Micah 4:2 . . . Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him. Public, corporate worship gives God’s people an important opportunity to hear his word proclaimed and learn about God and his ways.
Psalm 5:7 . . . Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; with deepest awe I will worship at your Temple.
Isaiah 6:3 . . . In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Worship is a fitting response to God’s holiness, power, and grace.
Revelation 4:9-11 . . . Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Our worship of God is a foretaste of heaven.

WHAT DOES WORSHIPING GOD INVOLVE? WHAT SHOULD IT INCLUDE?
Psalm 96:4 . . . Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be revered above all the gods. We worship God alone because he alone is worthy of our utmost devotion.
1 Chronicles 13:3 . . . [David said,] “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” Do you worship out of a genuine love for God or out of a vague sense of guilt? God wants a heartfelt response from us, like David’s-not a distant acknowledgment like Saul’s.
Genesis 35:2-3 . . . Jacob told everyone in his household, “Destroy your idols, wash yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has stayed with me wherever I have gone.”
Deuteronomy 11:16 . . . Do not let your heart turn away from the Lord to worship other gods. We must worship only God!
Exodus 3:5 . . . “Do not come any closer,” God told him. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” When we enter God’s presence in worship, we should recognize that we are standing on holy ground.
Psalm 35:18 . . . Then I will thank you in front of the entire congregation. I will praise you before all the people. Our worship should include praise and giving thanks to God for what he has done.
1 Chronicles 13:6-8 . . . David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing and playing all kinds of musical instruments-lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. Worship can take the form of a joyous celebration with instruments of music.
Psalm 95:6 . . . Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. Kneeling and bowing are appropriate postures for worship.
Hebrews 12:28 . . . Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. Holy fear and awe should accompany thanksgiving as our attitude in worship.
Amos 5:21-24 . . . I hate all your show and pretense-the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. Public worship is worse than useless is done without sincerity and the fruit of righteous living.

IS WORSHIP IMPORTANT?
Exodus 34:8 . . . Moses immediately fell to the ground and worshiped.
2 Kings 17:36 . . . Worship only the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with such mighty miracles and power. You must worship him and bow before him; offer sacrifices to him alone.
1 Chronicles 16:29 . . . Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Psalm 145:3 . . . Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery!
Isaiah 66:1-2 . . . This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you ever build me a temple as good as that? Could you build a dwelling place for me? My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.” Worship is the recognition of who God is, and of who we are in relation to him.
Genesis 35:1 . . . God said to Jacob, “Now move on to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to worship me-the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” In the Old Testament, worship was accompanied by sacrifice, which was the means by which people formed and maintained their relationship with God.
Exodus 29:43 . . . I will meet the people of Israel there, and the Tabernacle will be sanctified by my glorious presence.
1 Kings 8:10-11 . . . As the priests came out of the inner sanctuary, a cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their work because the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.
2 Chronicles 7:1 . . . When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. God meets with his people in a powerful way when they worship him together.
Deuteronomy 31:11 . . . You must read this law to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses.
Micah 4:2 . . . “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him.” Public, corporate worship gives God’s people an important opportunity to hear his word proclaimed and learn about God and his ways.
Psalm 5:7 . . . Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; with deepest awe I will worship at your Temple.
Psalm 47:7 . . . God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm!
Psalm 95:1 . . . Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us give a joyous shout to the rock of our salvation!
Psalm 100:1-4 . . . Shout with joy to the Lord, O earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Isaiah 6:3 . . . In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Worship is a fitting response to God’s holiness, power, and grace.
Matthew 14:33 . . . Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. Christ is worthy of our worship.
Revelation 4:9-11 . . . Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”
Revelation 5:11-12 . . . Then I looked again, and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: “The Lamb is worthy-the Lamb who was killed. He is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” Our worship of God is a foretaste of heaven.

HOW SHOULD I WORSHIP GOD?
Genesis 35:2-3 . . . Jacob told everyone in his household, “Destroy your idols, wash yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has stayed with me wherever I have gone.”
Exodus 20:2-4 . . . “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship any other gods besides me. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish.”
Deuteronomy 11:16 . . . Do not let your heart turn away from the Lord to worship other gods.
Revelation 22:9 . . . Again he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!” We must worship only God!
Exodus 3:5 . . . “Do not come any closer,” God told him. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” When we enter God’s presence in worship, we should recognize that we are standing on holy ground.
Psalm 9:11 . . . Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
Psalm 35:18 . . . Then I will thank you in front of the entire congregation. I will praise you before all the people.
Hebrews 13:15 . . . With Jesus’ help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name. Our worship should include praise and giving thanks to God for what he has done.
Psalm 30:4 . . . Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.
Psalm 147:1 . . . Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how right!
Ephesians 5:19 . . . Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. Singing is an important part of our worship to God.
Psalm 33:2 . . . Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Psalm 71:22 . . . Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O God. I will sing for you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 150:3-5 . . . Praise him with a blast of the trumpet; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Musical instruments have an important role to play in our worship.
Deuteronomy 31:12-13 . . . Call them all together-men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns-so they may listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of this law. Do this so that your children who have not known these laws will hear them and will learn to fear the Lord your God. Do this as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
2 Chronicles 20:13 . . . As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children. It is good for everyone in the family to be present together for corporate worship.
1 Chronicles 13:6-8 . . . David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing and playing all kinds of musical instruments-lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. Worship can take the form of a joyous celebration with instruments of music.
1 Chronicles 15:16 . . . David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. A choir can aid in worship.
1 Chronicles 16:4-6 . . . David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the Lord by asking for his blessings and giving thanks and praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. Worship leaders can help guide God’s people in worship.
Psalm 95:6 . . . Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. Kneeling and bowing are appropriate postures for worship.
Hebrews 12:28 . . . Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. Holy fear and awe should accompany thanksgiving as our attitude in worship.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 . . . Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!”
1 Timothy 2:8 . . . Wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. Public prayer is an important part of corporate worship.
Amos 5:21-24 . . . I hate all your show and pretense-the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry. Public worship is worse than useless is done without sincerity and the fruit of righteous living.
Matthew 2:11 . . . They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Worship should be accompanied by giving God our all.
Acts 2:46 . . . They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.
John 4:23-24 . . . God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. Worship must be in spirit and in truth.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 . . . This is what the Lord himself said, and I pass it on to you just as I received it. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. The Lord’s supper is both an act of worship to God and an act of fellowship among believers.
1 Corinthians 14:26 . . . Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize what I am saying. When you meet, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord. Everyone has something valuable to contribute to public worship, but all things must be done in good order.

IS THERE A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY TO WORSHIP? SHOULD OUR WORSHIP BE SOMBER AND SERIOUS OR JOYOUS AND CELEBRATORY?
Leviticus 10:1-3 . . . In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him a different kind of fire than he had commanded. Worship is a response to the holiness of God and therefore should be respectful and reverent.
Psalm 95:1-7 . . . Come, let us sing to the Lord! . . . Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Matthew 2:11 . . . They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts. True worship involves both kneeling in humble adoration and rejoicing in celebration.
1 Chronicles 6:31-32 . . . David assigned the following men to lead the music at the house of the Lord. From ancient times, music has always played a central role in worship.
Exodus 20:3 . . . Do not worship any other gods besides me.
Daniel 3:8-20 . . . Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue. No matter how great the pressure, we must never give our worship to other gods.
Acts 2:42-47 . . . They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity. Worship in the early church included fellowship and regular sharing of Communion.
1 Corinthians 14:26-33 . . . Everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord . . . For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. Our worship is to be orderly and not chaotic.

PROMISES FROM GOD:
Psalm 66:4 . . . Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.
Isaiah 35:10 . . . Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.
Philippians 2:9-11 . . . God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Revelation 15:4 . . . Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.