People of Jesus-Exalting Worship
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool — He is holy. ~ Psalm 99:5
Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God. ~Eugene Peterson
THE 'HEART' OF THE MATTER OF WORSHIP
1. Worship is, essentially – to prostrate, to bow down as an act of submission and reverence.
2. Worship is not just physical, it involves heart/life attitudes… It involves spirit, soul and body.
• It is the attitude of a subject bowing before the King… (spirit, will, emotions, physical)
• the attitude of a child yielding all its love to its Father…
• the attitude of the sheep that follows the leading of the Shepherd, and is content in all the pasture which He appoints…
• the attitude of saying ‘Yes’ to everything that God says.
• Worship is ‘The quiet expression of a heart resting in the perfection of God.’
3. God is the focal point of our worship – not ‘worship’ itself.
4. Worship flows from our heart and mind as we meditate on God – His love, His power, His wisdom, His holiness, changelessness, mercy and glory!
5. Caution: We can say & do all the ‘right’ things, but our heart must be God’s, or we may just be going thru the motions.
• The caution …these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me… ~ Isaiah 29:13
• My son, give me your heart… ~ Proverbs 23:26
WORSHIP EXPRESSIONS IN THE BIBLE– Physical Expressions (which affect the spiritual)
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ~ Romans 12:1 (NASB)
1. Singing- 85 places in the Old and New Testaments we are told to sing praise to God. (66 times in Psalms, Exodus 15:1-2, 1Cor 14:15, Hebrews 2:12, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16)
2. Singing and playing instruments – Eighteen times in Psalms, including 33:2, 33:3, 98:5, & 150:3-5
3. Verbal praise – (declare/speak/tell/shout) ~ Psalm 9:1, 63:3, 71:16, 96:2, 108:3, 132:16
4. Clapping - Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! ~ Psalm 47:1
5. Dancing - You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. ~ Psalm 30:1 (Psm 149:3, 150:4)
6. Lifting hands - Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. ~ Psalm 134:2
(Psalm 28:2, 63:4, 77:2, 88:9, 141:2, 143:6)
7. Lifting head - You O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. ~ Psalm 3:3 (Psalm 24:7, 110:7)
8. Kneeling/ bowing down - Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. ~ Psalm 95:6 (Isaiah 45:23, Deuteronomy 9:18, 1Kings 18:39, Revelation 1:17, 5:8, 19:4)
9. Standing - Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of the Lord ~ Psalm 135:2 (Psalm 122:1-2, 134:1)
10. Bringing offering/sacrifice - Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. ~ Psalm 96:8 (Psalm 116:17)
The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. ~ CS Lewis…
