Introduction:
A. I enjoying listening to children talk and explain things. Sometimes their insights are very perceptive, other times they are just so funny.
1. Here are some children’s responses when asked to quote the Lord’s Prayer:
a. Our Father, who are in heaven. Hello! What be Thy name?
b. Our Father, who are in heaven. Hollywood be Thy name.
c. Our Father, who are in heaven. Harold be Thy name.
d. Give us this day our jelly bread.
e. Give us this day our daily breath.
f. Lead us not into creation.
g. Deliver us from weevils.
2. One preacher asked the children to tell him what the “Amen” means at the end of a prayer. One little boy said, “It means ‘Tha-tha-tha that’s all, folks!”
3. Obviously, children are not the only ones who have misconceptions and misunderstandings about God and worship, we adults have our challenges as well, don’t we?
B. Today I would like us to ask several very basic questions about worship, and I hope we can arrive at some helpful, biblical understandings.
I. WHAT IS WORSHIP?
A. Most basic of all questions is “what is worship?” How can one define it?
1. In reality, it is hard to give a simple definition, because the Bible does not give one.
2. The term “worship,” like many other great words, such as “grace,” defies adequate definition.
a. The meaning of these words, like the perfume of a rose, or the taste of honey, is more easily experienced than described.
3. Yet, we can look at scripture and examine the many words translated “worship” in our English versions, and begin to define worship.
4. So, let me briefly review a few of the most prominent Hebrew and Greek words which come into our English translations as “worship.”
B. The first is Histahawah (his-tah-a-wah).
1. It occurs 170 times in the Hebrew Bible, and is the most common word in the OT for worship.
2. It means “to bow down in reverence and humility” whether before man or God.
3. Bowing down, or prostrating oneself, was the common way to expressing one’s unworthiness before another.
4. In Genesis 18:2, Abraham “bowed low” before the three strangers who had come his way.
5. In Exodus 12:27-28, the people “bowed down” and worshiped.
C. The Greek equivalent to histahawah is proskuneo (pros-kun-e-o).
1. It has the same overtones of submissive lowliness and deep respect.
2. It literally means “to kiss toward,” but also means to prostrate oneself, to reverence, and to show humility.
3. It is found 59 times in the NT, and is the primary verb used for worship.
4. It is used in the passage in John 4, where Jesus discussed worship with the Samaritan woman
5. It is found in Revelation 4:10-11, where the 24 elders fell down and worshiped God.
D. The second most frequently used Hebrew word in the OT to describe worship is abad.
1. It means “to serve,” and that is the way it is often translated into English.
2. It is from the same root as the term “slave” or “servant,” but it is important to understand that the Hebrews could think of no higher privilege than to be called a servant of God.
a. Unlike the Greek concept of slavery as servile abasement, the Israelite thought of the word “servant” in terms of a relationship with a kindly master.
3. This word is found in Exodus 3:12, which says, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
4. Another sampling of its use is in Deut. 10:12-13, “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”
E. The Greek word that most closely corresponds to abad is latria or latreuo.
1. It also means “to serve” and it is one of the most common words in the NT.
2. It is usually translated “serve” or “service”, but it is often translated “worship.”
3. That is how it is translated in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.”
F. There are many other Greek and Hebrew terms, but these are sufficient to draw some conclusions about the meaning of worship. There are two clear impressions that come through.
1. The first is that worship is a yielding of the human will to God.
a. No one can worship God acceptably who comes before Him with a prideful heart and a stubborn, unyielding will.
b. We must come in genuine reverence and humility, with our hearts bowed low and our spirits laid prostrate before Him.
c. This can be demonstrated both in attitude and action, and can be exhibited in public and private.
2. The second impression is that worship is a verb. It is more than something we feel, it must be something that we do. It is an act of serve. Or better yet, a life of service.
G. There is a present controversy brewing between two views of worship.
1. We might call one point of view “the assembly view” and the other point of view “the daily view.”
a. The differences between the two are substantial and potentially divisive.
2. On the one hand, those who emphasize the assembly view of worship are concerned that we not minimize the central place of the Christian assembly in the life of the church.
a. We can all agree that the current trend of decreasing church attendance is alarming.
3. On the other hand, there are those who advocate that worship is something that occurs primarily in our daily living.
a. Though the Christian assembly is certainly one setting in which we express our worship, the daily view claims that to think our worship occurs chiefly in the Christian assembly can lead to our devaluing how we live for Christ in our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces.
4. To be fair, neither side is totally one or the other.
a. The daily view believes worship occurs in the assembly, and the assembly view affirms our daily living as a form of worship.
b. The difference is a matter of degree and primary emphasis.
H. Ross Cochran, a Bible teacher at Harding University, in his chapter on this subject in his book Questions You Wish You Could ask at Church, says: “There are at least three significant consequences as stake in this discussion.
1. “First is a perspective of the Christian life. Does our faith integrate every hour of every day equally, or is there a sense in which Sunday morning takes on a heightened importance to God and therefore to us?
2. “A second consequence is the criteria by which we identify the people of God. Is righteous living the hallmark of Christianity or must Christians conduct their assemblies in particular ways in order to be counted among the faithful?
3. “A third potential consequence is linked to the importance placed on the Christian assembly. What if the church never met together? Could it continue to be the church?” (Pg. 164)
4. Ultimately, I hope we understand that it is not an either/or between these two views, but a both/and.
5. We need to strive to worship God in a way that embraces the truth contained in both views.
II. WHY DO WE WORSHIP?
A. First, and primarily, we worship to magnify and obey God.
1. God must be the primary focus of our worship.
2. And as you know, our God is worthy of our worship. He is wonderful. He deserves our attention and allegiance. There is no doubt about that!
3. Unfortunately, sometimes we forget that God is to be the center of our worship.
4. Suppose you take a friend to the big SU basketball game against Duke.
a. The stadium is packed with screaming fans, and the game is unbelievably exciting.
b. However, all your friend wants to do is talk about the crowd, the uniforms, and the size of the stadium.
c. He could care less about what’s going on down on the court.
d. He’s just enjoying the chit-chat with you and the other fans, not to mention the refreshments.
e. You can see the obvious parallels, can’t you?
5. As we come together to worship our primary attention must be on God.
6. The important matter is what God has done and is doing for His people.
7. We must not be so distracted by everything else to the point that we forget that it is God whom we have come to praise.
8. The chief aim of our worship is to please, and to express our adoration to God.
B. Having said that as emphatically as I can, I must also point out that a second important reason for us to come together to worship, is to edify one another.
1. So, even though our attention and praise is directed vertically, the corporate worship assembly is also for the purpose of horizontal encouragement.
2. An herein lies one of the mysteries of God’s spiritual design.
3. God wants us to worship Him, not because He is narcissistic, but because He knows we need to worship so that we will be like Him.
4. God will still be God even if we never worship Him, but if we do not worship Him, we are the ones who lose.
5. A proper focus on God will lead to a genuine concern for others, especially fellow believers.
6. In the NT accounts, the disciples didn’t assemble only to worship God, then run to their homes not to be seen or heard from until next Sunday.
7. From the very birth of the church, the believers assembled not only to praise God but also to study, to fellowship, to break bread, to pray, to share, and to eat together (Acts 2:42-47).
8. The assembly is designed and commanded for Christians to build each other up.
9. I will say more about this in a moment.
C. Therefore, the “why” for worship is to magnify God and to edify one another.
III. WHERE AND WHEN DO WE WORSHIP?
A. First, As I have been saying, we are ultimately to worship God with all of our lives.
1. In truth, worship encompasses all of life.
2. Paul wrote, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Col 3:17)
3. If we take that seriously, then we cannot restrict worship to only that which is overtly sacred.
4. Everything we do is to be dedicated to the glory of God.
5. As Christians, we are God’s priests, and our bodies are His temple. As such, our entire lives - not merely certain days and hours in the week - are offered in glory to God.
6. So, our whole lives should be offered up as worship or service to God, living sacrifices.
7. Ross Cochran says, “The worship that God prescribes breathes God’s kingdom into every minute of our days and sanctifies every action of our busy lives.” (pg. 180)
B. Second, We worship God in our private devotions.
1. As we go about our days we should regularly think about God, pray to God, and listen to God in prayer and in the Word.
2. We can praise the Lord at any time and place, both in our thoughts alone, and also expressing those thoughts with our voices and bodies.
3. I would encourage and exhort us all to regularly sing, pray, read, think, and fast. In other words, walk with God daily.
C. Third, We worship God in our public assemblies.
1. While it is true that worship involves all of life, and that we can worship God privately as we walk with Him daily, it is also true that something unique happens when God’s people assemble to worship Him together.
2. Kevin Youngblood, another professor at Harding puts it this way: “Worship is recognizing that (and behaving as if) God is the center of the universe.”
a. Cochran says, “And so, we gather each Sunday with others who affirm that God is the center of the universe. This recognition intensifies when we are gathered with others who also recognize it, and perhaps that is why our assemblies can feel more like worship than other times of our week.” (pg. 180)
3. In the assembly we can see the face and presence of God in each other.
4. The church gatherings are vital to our existence as Christians.
5. Although there is immense value in personal, individual worship, the church is not an unconnected collection of individuals.
6. The church is the body, one body, and Christ is the head.
7. The idea of Christians living isolated from other Christians was an unknown idea in NT times.
8. Even though God dwells in each one of us, Jesus promised, “For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.” (Mt. 18:20) There is a special presence of God in corporate worship.
9. Ultimately, we need each other. Because of God’s work in our lives, we receive strength, encouragement, comfort and courage to live for Jesus from each other.
10. Satan uses the world to try to pull Christians away from the Lord and each other, but we must not give up meeting together, but must spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (He 10:24-25)
D. Fourth and finally, where and when do we worship? We will worship God in heaven.
1. The closest picture we have of what heaven will be like is in the book of Revelation.
2. On practically every page there are scenes of saints and angels offering up their praises to the Father and the Lamb.
3. John’s record of what he witnessed and experienced sends chills of joyful anticipation up and down my spine.
4. I cannot mediate on these words without longing to join that throng which surrounds the glorified throne:
a. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is and is to come.” (Re 4:8)
b. “You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Re 4:9-11)
c. “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Re 5:13)
5. Did you see those last four words - “for ever and ever.”
a. Worship is not something we do until Jesus comes.
b. When Christ comes, He will take us to heaven where we will continue to worship throughout eternity, forever and ever! Don’t you want to go to that land?
Conclusion:
A. I’ve given us a lot to think about today.
1. I’ve challenged us to understand the meaning of worship. Worship is reverently and humbly bowing before and yielding to God, it is serving him with our whole lives.
2. I’ve challenged us to understand that the reason for our worship is to focus on God and to edify Christians.
3. I’ve challenged us to be involved in worship with our whole lives, in private devotions, in public assemblies, and in anticipation of heaven.
B. So, how should we respond? We should examine our hearts and lives. We should ask ourselves:
1. Am I really yielding to God and serving Him?
2. Am I really seeking to magnify God and build others up?
3. Am I really faithful in worshiping God with all of my life, and with my private devotions, and in the public assemblies?
C. Let’s be a more healthy church by growing stronger through worship!
D. This sermon brings to a conclusion our series about becoming a healthy church.
1. So far we have learned that healthy churches grow deeper through discipleship.
a. We learned that discipleship requires the commitment and devotion of our hearts and lives.
b. We must put God first in all things, and we must strive to obey God in every way.
2. We also learned that healthy churches grow warmer through fellowship.
a. We learned that fellowship is more than eating together or socializing with each other, rather it is the expression of genuine Christianity among the members of God’s family.
b. We learned that we are all in the Christian race and that we need each other if we are going to make it to the end.
3. We also learned that healthy churches grow broader through ministry.
a. We learned that becoming a servant is the very best thing we can become in this world.
b. It is what we are made for. It is what will make the church body the strongest. And it is what will bring us fulfillment.
4. We also learned that healthy churches grow larger through outreach.
a. We learned about the great commission that God has given us and the need for the lost to be saved.
b. We learned about the many different ways to reach out to others and we need to find the approaches that fit our gifting and personalities.
c. We also learned some ways to describe what the gospel is and how to overcome some barriers to belief.
E. I pray that we can continue to be a healthy church, because healthy churches are growing churches.
