As we have looked to verse 22 to learn about the priority of worship, we have made note that true worshipers “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” One who truly worships God gathers with God’s people believing that God meets with, speaks to, and works among His people when they come together for worship.
Last time, we considered the fact that true worshipers “draw near to God . . . Having (their) hearts sprinkled to cleanse (them) from a guilty conscience.” One who truly worships God seeks to walk in the forgiveness of God, and thus, appreciates the seriousness of sin and
appropriates the cleansing of the cross. They express their love for God through worship, because of the love God has expressed toward us through the cross.
Where True Worship Sends (READ VERSE 22)
“having our bodies washed with pure water”
Just as the Old Testament priests and Levites would first bathe before he served the Lord in the temple courts, true worship makes us fit for the Lord’s service (Exodus 29:4; Numbers 8:5-11). An experience of true worship will send us forth to serve the Lord in at least three ways:
1. True worship sends us forth to walk with God.
As a wise person once said, “The true test of worship is not how high you jump, but how straight you walk when your feet hit the ground.”
If we draw near to God “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,” then we will be learning . . . A. How to recognize the presence of God, because God meets with His people; B. How to hear to voice of God, because God speaks to His people; C. How to respond to the call of God, because God works among his people.
If we draw near to God, “having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience,” then we will be learning . . . D. How to appreciate the seriousness of sin in our lives; and E. How to appropriate the cleansing of the cross to our lives.
If your experience of worship doesn’t make a difference in your daily walk, then you are not truly drawing near to God! We cannot spend time in the presence of God and not become more like Him.
“Worship is a Spiritual Discipline insofar as it is both an end and a means. The worship of God is an end in itself because worship, as we’ve defined it, is to focus on and respond to God. There is no higher goal than focusing on and responding to God. But worship is also a means in the sense that it is a means to Godliness. The more truly we worship God, the more we become like Him.”- Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
2. True worship sends us forth to work for God.
In Revelation chapter seven, we have described the activities of the inhabitants of heaven. As we read about their activities, two stand out. We are told of their worship and we are told of their service! Now, if worship and service go hand in hand in heaven, how much more do you think they should go hand in hand down here? If your experience in worship doesn’t make a difference that leads you to serve others, then you are not truly drawing near to God!
In the tribe of Levi, the descendants of Aaron served as priests, while the rest of the tribe of Levi, assisted the priests in the ministry of the temple. The Levites were a “serving family.”
That is what God wants our church to be also, a “serving family.”
3. True worship sends us forth to witness for God.
A. True worship brings an attraction to our lives.
Which do you find more appealing? Fresh bread or day old bread?
Obviously, we would all prefer fresh bread over day old bread any day! Likewise, truly drawing near to God in worship will enhance our witness for Christ, because it will bring a freshness to our lives!
The young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, “I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” The manager replied, “Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty.” So it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel.
True worship is that which refreshes us and causes us to live with such a love for Christ and others as to make others thirsty for the Savior!
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” - 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)
B. True worship brings a passion to our lives.
Drawing near to God through worship will effect us the same way that spending time with Jesus did the two men on the Emmaus road, who said of their time spent with the risen Christ, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened up the Scriptures to us?” - Luke 24:32 (NIV).
“Missions exists because worship doesn’t. God’s passion is to be known and honored and worshipped among all the peoples. To worship him is to share that passion for his supremacy among the nations.” - John Piper
If your experience of worship doesn’t make a difference in the way you share Christ with others, then you are not truly drawing near to God!
Conclusion: In an article entitled, “What is Worship?” Dr. Lee Campbell says that if it were not for the traditional use of the word “worship” among Christians, substantial arguments could be raised against its continued use. “Worship” comes from an Old English word meaning “worthiness” and thus refers to giving God the recognition He deserves. But the Greek & Hebrew terms do not mean precisely the same thing. The Greek word “latreia,” for
example, conveys the idea that Christians should offer their own bodies (i.e. their “life”) to God as a sacrifice.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.” - Romans 12:1 (NLT)
As long as we are culturally bound to the unfortunate English word, “worship,” we need to keep our understanding biblical rather than anchored in church traditions. A worshipper must be a humble person who is willing to:
Express gratitude and praise toward God;
Subordinate their goals to God’s goals by prioritizing service toward the Kingdom of God; and
Tell others about God, His truths and the love they have enjoyed as His child.
The bottom line is that one cannot truly participate in worshiping God and remain the same. If we are truly worshiping God, it will make a positive difference in our walk with God, our work for God and our witness for God.
