Presented, January 25, 2004 am

 THE SERIOUSNESS OF WORSHIP

 In times past we have discussed in great detail the various acts of worship to God and why we do them as we do.  In John 4:24 we find Jesus teaching that to worship God properly, it MUST be in Spirit and in Truth.  This passage points to the importance of worshipping God according to His pattern.  Such has ALWAYS been the case from Genesis 4, where He accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s, to the exactness of His details for both the tabernacle and the temple.  Similarly, in the New Testament we are given clear instructions as to what God wants and expects.  We are commanded to sing congregationally (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) , pray (1 Corinthians 14:15), study and preach [and listen] (2 Timothy 4:2), partake of the Lord’s Supper on Sundays (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 20:7) and give as we have prospered (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).  I am firmly convinced that as members of this congregation we understand these things.  But what I want to address this morning is the seriousness of worship.  I am afraid that when it comes to a proper attitude, many trivialize the worship service so today we want to talk about the seriousness of worship.

 

I.  Who Are We Worshipping?

  A. What is worship?

  1. The primary word for “worship” in the New Testament is from a compound Greek word that means, “to kiss the hand to (toward) one in a token of reverence.” (Thayer)
    Louw & Nida says of the word, “to prostrate oneself before someone as an act of reverence, fear or supplication.”
    In its proper use, it almost always has reference to God (there are a few references to worshipping Satan, idols and one bowing down before a man – his master – Matt. 18:26)

  2. It implies the idea of showing proper and due respect.  Thus a proper attitude is called for.  But it also involves respectful actions as we will see in this lesson.

  3. Another idea that I see involved in worship is intent.  True worship is a deliberate response based upon ones understanding of the person or object his homage is directed toward.  In other words, thought goes into that which one is doing in worship.  NOTE: One’s understanding may be wrong (as in idol worshipping or worshipping the wrong way) or one’s attitude may be wrong in which case it is NOT true worship, but a hypocritical act.

  4. We should be striving for TRUE WORSHIP toward God in which we have both a proper attitude and we are following His pattern.  John 4:24 instructs us to do this, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

  B.  We are worshipping God

  1. When we come together do we really take into account why we are here?  Do we really consider WHO we are worshipping?  Do we know WHY we are worshipping as we do?

  2. We must never forget that we are worshipping God.  We are not just worshipping A god among many, but THE God of the universe.
    Hebrews 11:6 – Without faith we cannot please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is… 
    Joel 2:27, “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”
    Note the response of the scribe in Mark 12:32, “You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.”
    He is our creator and the One who sustains our life.  He is the one will save us and promises us a home in heaven when this life is over.

  3. He demands our reverence

    1. What is reverence?
      L & N defines the word as, “to show respect to a person on the basis of his high status.” 
      “Profound respect and esteem mingled with fear and affection, as for a holy being or place…” (Webster Revised Unabridged, 1913)
      We understand the idea of reverence – an occasion or person that is not treated flippantly.  Examples would include our respect for the office of the president, or standing when a judge enters the courtroom, or when the national anthem is played.  Understand that while one might not respect the person in an office, the office itself calls for reverence, i.e. – the presidency or the law.
      If we show reverence in such situations (and we ought to), what about when we are in the presence of God?

    2. What is fear? 
      Actually there are two types of fear.  There is being afraid and there is a reverential fear – or respect.
      L & N – a figurative extension of the word for fear, meaning ‘to have profound reverence and respect for deity, with the implication of awe bordering on fear.”
      Luke 1:50, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him, From generation to generation.”
      Acts 13:16, “Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:”
      Perhaps a good example of this would be a healthy “respect” for a police officer.  When you meet one, they may seem intimidating, but you respect them because of who they are and what they represent.  And you know you have nothing to be afraid of if you are doing what you ought to do.

    3. Passages that address reverence – fear, reverence, devotion

                                                               i.      Psalm 89:7 – “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to held in reverence by all those around Him.”

                                                              ii.      Psalm 111:9 – “He has sent redemption to His people, He has commanded His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.”  NOTE: the KJV uses the word “reverend” here.  While the original word is found in other texts, this one rightly addresses the greatness of God.

                                                            iii.      Matthew 10:28 – We ought to fear God rather than man who can only destroy the body

                                                            iv.      Hebrews 12:28 – We are to serve God with reverence and godly fear.

                                                             v.      Revelation 5:9-14 – read this.  Notice the respect of those who stood before the throne of God.  Note vs. 14, they fell down and worshipped Him.

  1. Respect for God in the Bible

    1. Genesis 17:3 – realizing he was in the presence of God, Abraham fell on his face (probably before the Angel of the Lord).  NOTE: Quite often we find when someone realized they were in the presence of God (or His representative) IMMEDIATELY they responded with reverence.

    2. Exodus 3:5-6, Moses was commanded to take off his shoes at the burning bush because it was holy ground

    3. Leviticus 10:3 – After Nadab & Abihu were burned to death for using unauthorized fire.  “And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me  I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.'"

    4. No one could look upon the face of God and live – Exodus 33:20.  Judges 6:22-23 – when Gideon saw “the Angel of the Lord face to face” he feared.

    5. In the New Testament we see that reverence as many bowed down and worshipped Jesus.  And He accepted that worship as God.

    6. Also consider that twice, Jesus cast the money changers out of the temple saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.’  But you have made it a den of thieves.”  Jesus understood the importance that place as the place where God was as the Jews worshipped Him.

    7. Acts 5:11 – great fear came upon the church after the deaths of Ananias and Saphira.

  2. He is in our midst and we ought to take that into account at ALL times.

  C.  Showing proper respect in times past

  1. When we come together to worship God, we need to consider these words and ideas.  Worship is not a time to play or be entertained.  It is not a time to socialize.  It is a serious occasion when we honor our God and Savior.

  2. Consider some of the positions we read about in scripture.  Notice that there are many different positions which does not mean we have to take a certain posture, but ALL of them show reverence.

    1. Looking down – Luke 18:13 – the tax collector vs. the Pharisee praying at the temple

    2. Nehemiah 8:4-6, As Ezra opened the book of the Law to read, the people stood

    3. Abraham fell on his face – Genesis 17:3

    4. 1 Timothy 2:8 – lifting up holy hands

    5. At least twice we read of Jesus, “looking up to heaven” (Luke 9:16, Mark 7:34)

  3. What is the significance of this?  It is an acknowledgement of the superiority of the one before whom you bow or show reverence AND a realization of your lowliness and submission in his presence.  Consider this with standing for a judge – How often today do we see total disrespect in court?  It is a sign of arrogance and a challenge to the judge that you are not subject to the law that he/she represents.

 

Considering WHO we are worshipping and WHAT we are doing when we come together it ought to affect our attitude toward the occasion.

 

II.  Are We As Serious As We Ought to Be?

A.  It is a problem today – many churches have trivialized the worship service turning it into nothing more than another form of entertainment and appeasing the desires of their audience.  We find churches trying to imitate the world with their style of music.  They have turned the service into a casual occasion where you can come and relax and just enjoy the experience.  We have weightlifters for Jesus, rap bands, rock bands, movies, pageants, etc.  All these things do is trivialize the solemness of the occasion.  There are even “drive-in” churches so that you don’t even have to get out of your car.  Many churches provide several services so that you can pick your times and days.  Attendance is considered optional but recommended.  Is it any wonder many know very little if any Bible or what God is really about?

We have to guard against this mentality and should strive to maintain the solemness of this occasion.

  B.  Casualness

1.        I am afraid that we have made our worship services more casual than they ought to be.  It is seen in the attitudes, actions and appearance of too many.  Consider some examples

2.        Coming in late.  I realize there are times when things come up that cause us to be late.  Sometimes it may be a simple oversight (such as forgetting your Bible and lesson book so you go home and get them), but you do your best to get there as quickly as possible.  There are some whose coming in a few moments late show their dedication (i.e. – one whose job requires them to work up to the last minute – but they don’t let that keep them from  worshipping God while others would use it as a crutch). 
My greatest concern is with those who habitually come in late.  Their problem has to do with time management.  Coming in late disrupts the service or class and I believe it shows a lack of respect for God and your brethren who are putting forth effort to worship God properly.  Usually, if we will start just a few moments earlier we can eliminate the problem.

3.        Our appearance – While I am not trying to impose a dress code because the Bible doesn’t have one, I do believe that appearance is often an indicator of attitude.  Whether we want to admit it or not, there is such a thing as an appropriate standard of dress which is dictated by the occasion.  The workplace has a dress code.  Special occasions have a dress code (weddings & funerals).  If we were invited to be in the presence of some dignitary, we would dress up appropriately. What is the dress code for worshipping God? (I will let YOU answer that for yourself)
When as we come together, are we giving God our best and the respect He deserves?  Do we treat it as a special occasion where we are going to appear before our creator and worship Him?  Or do we just hop in the car taking no thought as to where we are going and what we look like?  Are your clothes clean and neat?  Are YOU clean and neat?  My concern is that there are some who “dress down” to worship God and they dare you to say anything.  They want to be as relaxed as possible.  And whether you like it or not, it is a product of our casual society where the dress code and attitude has become more casual.  Many companies have adopted casual Fridays at work where you can “dress down”.  Have we adapted this attitude to our worship? Have we allowed the church to adapt to the casualness of society?
What about those who lead the congregation in our worship?  You are setting the tone for the seriousness of the occasion.  Is yours a casual attitude?  A “pet peeve” of mine (and I admit this is MY opinion) is the wearing of t-shirts with sports logos and cartoon characters and sometimes worse.  Is that appropriate for the occasion?
I mention these things to provoke you to think about it.  Are you giving God your best? For what it is worth, under the Old Law, the leaders had a “dress code” for service.

4.        Distractions – mentioned a few weeks ago, this is also an area of concern.  Distractions are Satan’s way of diverting our attention from the seriousness of our worship.  Noisy children, excessive movement, cell phones, sleeping, slipping nails, passing notes, whispering, looking around distract.  While you are doing these things you cannot be giving God your full attention and often it diverts the attention of others who are working on serving God.
I understand that there are times when things will happen that will distract, but often such things are nothing more than being inconsiderate of others.  We can prevent many distractions with a little forethought.

5.        What message are we sending to our children?
Do our children see the worship service as a serious time?  Are they learning to sit still and respect others, or is the worship service just another play time for them?  When our children act up, do we reward them by taking them to the nursery so they can continue to play without being a distraction to others?  The “nursery” – I was told that perhaps a better term should be the “training room”.  It ought to be a place where we take our children to train them how to properly respect God and then we bring them back into the service.  They HAVE TO learn the seriousness of this occasion – and the earlier we start, the easier the lesson will be.

  C.  Attendance

1.        When it comes to attendance, is God really first in your life?  How often do you miss?  Do you take God into consideration when you go on vacation or other activities come up?

2.        There are some who cannot be here because of other responsibilities or concerns.  I do not intend to pass judgment on that because I can’t.  That is between you and God.

3.        But others look for reasons to get out of attending.  They will use the slightest ailment to excuse them from worship services (a headache, a cold, etc.), but they won’t let that keep them from visiting friends, go to places of leisure, etc. 
Notice I didn’t mention work – because I realize that employers are not as understanding as God is.  You may have to go to work on your deathbed or lose your job.  But I do not think it unreasonable to expect one to attend worship services with the same standard we use to determine if we will engage in leisure activities.  In other words, if you will not allow something to keep you from visiting with friends or family on a holiday or going to the movies or your favorite organizations, then you should not use the excuse to get out of worshipping God.

4.        Quite often it boils down to our priorities and how serious we take our time to worship God.

 

It is my hope that in this lesson we have seen the seriousness of worshipping God.  It is not just another block of time in our daily schedules, but a time where we come together to honor and reverence our Creator according to the pattern He has prescribed for us.  We have also noted so practical observations to consider as we strive to make this time as solemn as God intends for it to be.  You may dismiss some of what I say as being my opinions, and if that is true then so be it.  You have to do what you believe to be right.  But I urge each of us to honestly ask ourselves if we are taking this occasion to worship God as seriously and with as much reverence as we ought to.  Are we truly giving God your best? Think about it.

 

 

Presented, February 1, 2004

 THE PROPER ATTITUDE OF WORSHIP

 

Last week we studied the seriousness of worship.  Today I want to continue examining this by noticing what God’s word says about our attitude in worship.  We will also notice some more points about just how serious this is.

 

I.  We Are Worshipping God

  A. What is worship?

  1. The primary word for “worship” in the New Testament is from a compound Greek word that means, “to kiss the hand to (toward) one in a token of reverence.” (Thayer)
    Louw & Nida says of the word, “to prostrate oneself before someone as an act of reverence, fear or supplication.”

  2. It implies the idea of showing proper and due respect.  Thus a proper attitude is called for.  But it also involves respectful actions as we will see in this lesson.

  B.  We are worshipping God

  1. We must never forget that we are worshipping God.  We are not just worshipping A god among many, but THE God of the universe. Hebrews 11:6;  Joel 2:27, “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”

  2. He demands our reverence -

    1. Psalm 89:7 – “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to held in reverence by all those around Him.”

    2. Psalm 111:9 – “He has sent redemption to His people, He has commanded His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.”  NOTE: the KJV uses the word “reverend” here.  While the original word is found in other texts, this one rightly addresses the greatness of God.

    3. Hebrews 12:28 – We are to serve God with reverence and godly fear.

    4. Revelation 5:9-14 – read this.  Notice the respect of those who stood before the throne of God.  Note vs. 14, they fell down and worshipped Him.

  3. We find the importance of respect for God in the Bible by notice the reaction of many to Him

    1. Genesis 17:3 – realizing he was in the presence of God, Abraham fell on his face (probably before the Angel of the Lord).  NOTE: Quite often we find when someone realized they were in the presence of God (or His representative) IMMEDIATELY they responded with reverence.

    2. Exodus 3:5-6, Moses was commanded to take off his shoes at the burning bush because it was holy ground

    3. Leviticus 10:3 – After Nadab & Abihu were burned to death for using unauthorized fire.  “And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me  I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.'"

    4. No one could look upon the face of God and live – Exodus 33:20.  Judges 6:22-23 – when Gideon saw “the Angel of the Lord face to face” he feared.

    5. Twice, Jesus cast the money changers out of the temple saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.’  But you have made it a den of thieves.”  Jesus understood the importance that place as the place where God was as the Jews worshipped Him.

    6. Acts 5:11 – great fear came upon the church after the deaths of Ananias and Saphira.

  4. Consider some of the positions we read about in scripture.  Notice that there are many different positions which does not mean we have to take a certain posture, but ALL of them show reverence.

    1. Looking down – Luke 18:13 – the tax collector vs. the Pharisee praying at the temple

    2. Nehemiah 8:4-6, As Ezra opened the book of the Law to read, the people stood

    3. Abraham fell on his face – Genesis 17:3, Ezra 10:1

    4. As Hezekiah restores true worship, they bowed their heads and worshipped - 2 Chronicles 29:29-30

    5. 1 Timothy 2:8 – lifting up holy hands

    6. At least twice we read of Jesus, “looking up to heaven” (Luke 9:16, Mark 7:34)

  C.  Making Application

  1. When we come together to worship God, we need to consider these words and ideas. 
    Worship is not a time to play or be entertained.  It is not a time to socialize.  It is a serious occasion when we honor and reverence our God and Savior.

    1. We need to guard against becoming too casual as mentioned last week – this is not a social occasion.  While we have opportunity before and after to socialize, that should NOT be the reason for coming here.  And we ought to GUARD AGAINST our socialization before the service becoming a distraction to our true purpose.

    2. It is a time of reverence as we have shown.  It is truly tragic how irreverent our society has become.  The name of God is taken in vain and thrown around loosely. 
      The Jews showed such reverence for the name of Jehovah (YHWH) that in later Old Testament Judaism, they replaced the use of His Name with the expression, “MY Lord” (Nelson)
      When we come together, do we show proper reverence in our actions and thoughts?  I find it difficult to call what many denominations are doing in the name of worship reverence.  “Christian music” is a big business now and to help attract the crowds (especially the young), churches will invite these bands to be a part of their worship services – there are rock bands, rappers, athletic demonstrations and many other things.  Religions have taken the entertainment of the world and tried to bring God down to our level with it.  I am reminded of the Israelites as they demanded of Samuel a king.  They said they want to be like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8:19-20).

    3. It is a time that requires preparation – Ezra 7:10 – Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Lord.  Consider the preparation a teenager makes before going on a date.  The preparation one makes going to a job interview.  A student going to class to take a final exam.  You don’t just hop in the car with no thought about your appearance and your readiness.  A sign of a proper attitude toward worship is seen in the preparation that we make for the occasion.

  2. What is the significance of this?  It is an acknowledgement of the superiority of the one before whom you bow or show reverence AND a realization of your lowliness and submission in his presence.  Consider this with standing for a judge – How often today do we see total disrespect in court?  It is a sign of arrogance and a challenge to the judge that you are not subject to the law that he/she represents.
     

 

Considering WHO we are worshipping and WHAT we are doing when we come together it ought to affect our attitude toward the occasion.

 

II.  The Importance of Attitude

  A.  The heart HAS to be behind our worship or it is vain.

1.        Proper attitude is where worship begins.  You can go through the motions and still not be pleasing to God.  John 4:24

2.        Jesus mentioned vain worship in Matthew 15:8-9 – their worship was vain because their heart was far from God which led to their corrupting God’s instructions.

3.        Malachi 1:12-13 – “Oh what a weariness.”

  B.  We must realize that when we come together, we ARE in the presence of God.

1.        What made the temple and tabernacle so special?  It was the presence of God – His glory entered at their coronation, cf. 2 Chronicles 7:1; Exodus 40:34-35

2.        Matthew 18:19-20 – Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

  C.  He demands our best

1.        God demands that He be first in all we do – Matthew 6:33

2.        Malachi 1:6-8 – Israel was condemned for giving God leftovers.

  D.  Every act of worship involves the heart

1.        Singing – Ephesians 5:19 – we are to make melody in the heart to the Lord.  Colossians 3:16 – singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

2.        Prayer – 1 Corinthians 14:15 – I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding.
Our prayers and singing are the fruit of our lips – Hebrews 13:15

3.        Study – do we listen with the attitude to learn and apply it to our lives?  2 Timothy 4:2-4 – note the rejection of the truth – an attitude of the heart.

4.        The Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, We proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.  The unworthy manner has reference to 1)The way it was being done and 2)The attitude of the partaker

5.        Giving – 2 Corinthians 9:7 – God loves a cheerful giver who gives as he purposes in his heart

 

It is because of these things that we need to consider our attitude, appearance and habits where worshipping God is concerned.  It is my hope that in this lesson we have seen the seriousness of worshipping God.  It is not just another block of time in our daily schedules, but a time where we come together to honor and reverence our Creator according to the pattern He has prescribed for us.  Are we strive to make this time as solemn as God intends for it to be?  You may dismiss some of what I say as being my opinions, and if that is true then so be it.  You have to do what you believe to be right.  But I urge each of us to honestly ask ourselves if we are taking this occasion to worship God as seriously and with as much reverence as we ought to.  Are we truly giving God your best? Think about it.