Every Knee Shall Bow

D. We worship in unity (verse 14). The four living creatures said, “Amen”. “So be it” or “Yes, it’s true.” The angels know the truth. They know God’s plan of redemption for mankind. They know the promise that the future holds for those who are redeemed and they are happy about it.

E. We worship in reverence. The twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him. They acknowledge who the Lamb is.

Worship isn’t about a style of music. It is more than singing songs. It transcends actions and words. Worship comes from confession of who God is and the attitudes of our hearts concerning Him. It is about the excitement of knowing the promises of God’s word and the end of the story, which is just a beginning. Worship is about forgetting yourself and getting lost in who Jesus is. Imagine with me if you would the picture we get from Revelation 19. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Imagine that we are the Bride of Christ, the one for whom He died, to clean us up for the wedding feast. Imagine the angels who have been in His presence since their creation and still cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy as they fly around the throne. Picture in your mind the awesome sight of the multitudes that stretch out so far in every direction that you can’t even see the end of them, yet they fall down in unison, and sing new songs in perfect harmony, and worship in unity. Is that the promise of things yet to come? Yes, but it is a pattern for us to follow now. Te elders around the throne aren’t concerned with what others think of their worship. Their concern is to worship. But Pastor Mike, they are in the visible presence of the living God. They should be excited about their worship. I have news for you. You are in the visible presence of Almighty God. Jesus said that if two or more of you come together in my name, I’ll be there with you. Look around. Are there two or more here today? Then Jesus is here too. His manifest presence is among us in the one standing right next to you.

Earlier I told you that lively worship services attract and keep people. I am not speaking of making lots of noise so visitors think there is something going on here. I’m talking about real heart-felt worship. The kind that doesn’t care what the person next to you thinks. The kind of worship where as far as you are concerned, the only people involved are you and God. It is the type of worship that looks back on God’s mercies and forward to his promises. It is the kind of worship we see taking place in heaven.

If you are watching others, you aren’t worshiping. If you are concerned about others watching you, put that aside and just worship the Lord.

In the summer of 1996 there was a new couple in a church in eastern Missouri. They had been involved with some home groups where they played and sang songs of worship. Being new to the church they never had much opportunity to lead worship, but that summer the elderly man who was the worship leader needed to spend much time with his ailing mother so the new couple were asked to lead worship on Wednesday nights. Being new to the church they were not caught up in what style of music the people wanted to hear. They just knew that they were called to lead worship and that is what they were going to do. He played his guitar and together they sang songs to the Lord, not just about Him, and they worship without care about what others thought. One particular night the Holy Spirit began to move across the small group gathered there and as the leaders sang their songs of worship to the risen Lord a strange occurrence took place. As I led the singing that night, and Charlotte sang back up, we could hear each other’s voices in the monitors. But somewhere between “I Exalt Thee” and “Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place” a third voice entered into the worship from somewhere behind us – not coming out of the monitors, and in perfect harmony. That night I’m sure that an angel was worshiping with us. That is the kind of worship I expect every time we come together.