Worship In Biblical Perspective Series

Worship in Biblical Perspective

The Revelation and Redemption are the basis of acceptable worship in Biblical Perspective

Text: John 4:4-42

Worship is the oldest practice in the history of mankind. There is no culture in the history which has not practiced some form of worship. We were created to worship and the essence of worship can be found in the first of the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) This actually teaches us three vital truths about worship.

First we worship God because he is God. — Against atheism. The first commandment is first because God’s revelation and man’s response are foundational to everything else.

Second, God alone is worthy to receive worship — which forbids idolatry. So it requires that all services and acts of worship, which we tender unto the true God, with utmost sincerity, reverence and devotion. Worship means “to give honor, homage, reverence, respect, adoration, praise, or glory to a superior being.” Worship is not entertainment, it is not enhanced by bolster or artistic or the rock band. We do not approach God based on spectacles and sounds... but a deep reverence and revelation in our SPIRIT of the ONE WHO is being "WORSHIPPED."

Third there is only one God, Maker of heaven and earth. Anything or anyone else claiming the title god is a disgrace. When we give our highest attention or allegiance to anything or anyone other than God, we are worshiping what is false. Since God is the object of our worship, He and He alone have the right to determine how we are to worship Him. We read in Jeremiah 10:23, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." We are not granted the option of directing our own ways. God is the One who we look to for guidance and direction.

God expects us to worship Him as an expression of love and gratitude to Him. God does not have a self-esteem problem. He does not need praise and worship to boost His self-image. Bible says, "God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life, breath, and all things." (Acts 17:24-25) These imply God’s desire for the attention of His creation is rooted in love. He commands praise and worship in order to benefit the worshipper. When God is truly the only one we worship, every other part of life can take its rightful place.

Jesus said “they worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” (Mark 7:7) This is a alarming Scripture, because most people in the world today adhere to manmade rules . The Bible warns about following the traditions of men instead of the word of God. Jesus continued, in Mark 7:9, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions." “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." (Mark 7:13) It is tragic that so many people have label of worship without spirit of worship. They have religion without truth. Why should we need to study worship? Because it is a matter of great importance to God and false worship leads to dire consequences. Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own security and strength.

This is why the first reason we need to study worship because there is so much confusion and so little understanding and practice of worship. The Second reason we should search the Scriptures on the subject of worship, because of the consequences of true and false worship. The third reason, and by far the primary one for considering the subject of worship worthy of our consideration is because worship is of great importance to God.

In John 4:4-42 we read about Jesus’ conversation with a lone Samaritan woman who had come to get water from a well located about a half mile from the city of Sychar in Samaria.. She was a Samaritan, a race of people that the Jews utterly despised as having no claim on their God, and she was an outcast and looked down upon by her own people. This is evidenced by the fact that she came alone to draw water from the community well when, during biblical times, drawing water and chatting at the well was the social highpoint of a woman’s day. However, this woman was ostracized and marked as immoral, an unmarried woman living openly with the sixth in a series of men. This woman was bound by sin and blinded by Satan. She had been confused, misused her life and was broken by sorrow. This story of Samaritan woman, recorded only in the Gospel of John, is a revealing one, full of many truths and powerful lessons for us today. It helps us deal with many modern theological issues.