“Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24 ESV)
Definition: The word ‘WORSHIP’ is used as both a noun and a verb in the New Testament. The Worship of God is not defined anywhere in Scripture. It has been said the praise is thanking God for what He has done and worship is thanking Him for who He is.
1. As a Verb, it means "to make sincere respect, homage, worship, adoration, reverence, awe, devotion, humbly serve, honor, submission."
2. As a Noun, it denotes "an object of devotion worship" "to will-worship" (Vine's)
3. In the Old Testament when the word is used towards God it means "to worship, prostrate oneself, bow down."
I. Jesus is the Proper Object of Our Worship.
A. When Jesus accepted worship He was admitting and declaring Himself to be the Creator of all things; He is totally worthy of all worship. (Matt 2:11,14:33, 28:9-10,16-17; Luke 24:51; John 9:37-38; Heb 1:6; Rev 22:3)
B. Even the angels are instructed to worship Jesus (see Heb 1:6). In Heaven the Elders and the living creatures worship Jesus (see Rev 4:9 11).
C. The Bible declares that everyone shall worship Him (see Rev 15:4 and Phil 2:10 22).
II. Expressions of Worship
Most of our expressions of worship are either directed to Jesus or in His name.
A. Worship is the "key" to God's presence and the "secret" to true joy and happiness. (Luke 4:8; John 4:23)
B. Worship is the single most important thing a Christian can learn to do. (Psalm 100:4-5)
C. Worship is expressing our love to God for who He is, what He’s said, and what He’s doing. (Rom 12:1-2)
D. Worship is our response to the revelation of God’s love for us. (John 4:24)
E. We can only worship the Lord to the degree that we love and are surrendered to Him. (Heb 12:28)
F. True worship comes out from walking daily in humility. (Matt 6:34; 1 Peter 5:7; Phil 2:4, 4:6)
G. The goal of worship is the enjoyment of God. (Gen 9:13)
III. Divine Invitation
A call to worship is an invitation, a summons, for the church to turn their attention toward God.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)
“Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!” (Psalm 3:8)
A. We Can Draw Near in Confident Boldness Before the Throne of God
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:14–16)
The blood of Jesus bought the right to “come boldly to the throne of grace” so that Christians “may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The word “come” means to approach and draw near in an attitude of worship. The word “boldly” means to be out-spoken, frank, and blunt, with confidence and assurance. Christians are now welcome to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” and enter into the intimacy of His inner chamber “through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Heb 10:19-22 NKJV).
B. We Must Come Before God in Humility
“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.” (Psalm 5:7–8)
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6)
C. We Must Come with a Heart full of Thanksgiving
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1–2)
“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11)
B. We Are to Have a Heart full of Joy!
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” (Psalm 66:1–4)
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100)
**Praise and worship is a powerful part of our walk with God, and is appropriate for every day and every hour! (1 Ch 23:30; Psalm 59:16, 92:2)
IV. The Attitudes of Worship
Worship is always a NOW act flowing from a genuine and vital relationship with Jesus. It is our expression of extravagant love towards Love Himself.
God must be worshipped in the beauty of holiness because He is Holy. (1 Ex 15:11; Chron 16:29; 1 Sam 2:2; Psalm 29:2,96:9; 1 Thess 4:3,7-8)
A. True Worship is both Expressed and Released
“…and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:38 ESV)
1. Brokenness (Psalm 51:17; Jer 23:29; Mark 12:30)
2. Humility (Isa 57:15; 1 Peter 5:5)
3. Love (Deut 6:5, 10:12; Matt 22:37; 1 John 4:16)
4. Giving (Ex 23:15, 34:20)
B. True Worship will Flow out of Proper Attitudes.
The key to maintaining the attitude of worship is: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
V. Ten Benefits of Praise and Worship
1. It Invites the Presence of God (2 Chron 5:11-14; Psalm 139:7)
2. It Draws People To God (John 12:32)
3. It Helps Us Find Rest and Satisfaction for Our Soul (Psalm 63:1-5; Matt 11:28–29)
4. It Helps Lift Us above Our Problems (2 Chron 20:15-20; Psalm 27:4)
5. It Brings Us Deliverance from Our Enemies and Drives Away Depression (Psalm 18:3, Isa 61:3)
6. It Helps Us to Receive the Promises Of God (Isa 11:10, 49:6)
7. It Brings Liberty (Acts 16:25-26)
8. It Brings Joy (Psalm 16:11, 100:4)
9. It Helps to Strengthen Our Faith (Rom 4:20)
10. It Helps to Bring Us Closer to God (James 4:8)
VI. Begin the Journey!
Extravagant worship is the first step that will begin the journey to having an intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe! We are going to spend eternity worshipping God - just as the Angels!
“And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell face down before the throne and worshipped God. They said, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!" (Rev 7:9-12 NLT)
God is a relentless pursuer and lover who desires to ravish His people with His love. We must become relentless in our pursuit of His passion and presence. He is looking for radical worshippers. A person can only worship in the degree of their revelation. Worship takes us deeper into the revelation of who God is. The deeper we move into worship, the greater degree of the revelation of His glory and the more we will enjoy Him. As a result, we will become a greater reflection of His beauty in a world that is lost in a darkness that is only getting darker.
Worship truly is a way of life. Not just worshipping but being a worshiper by living a life that is pleasing to Him, no matter where we are or what we are doing. The secret to greater intimacy with Jesus is learning to focus on Him - breath by breath - and what He has done for each of us - not on what we can do for Him!
Every Christian can become lost in the ecstasy of intimate embrace! They can press into Jesus and let Him hold them so close that He takes their breath away. Every individual Christian takes His breath away every moment of every day. The Cross proves He loves so much it hurts. God isn’t mad anymore. He is madly in love!
It is time to come to that place in worship where we begin to enjoy Him (because He enjoys them!) and are totally overwhelmed with His presence - His beauty - His majestic splendor – His infinite love. He desires to love us so intimately that the waves of passion from His flaming heart will make a casual observer blush.
A. Become Dry Wood
Our churches must become places of extravagant worship and teaching - places of training and mentoring in order to empower and send out a bunch of revolutionaries to take every city for the Kingdom. Shepherds must teach what it means to be truly loved by God, not just as His servant but as His Bride. Christians need to ask God to make them dry wood so that His fire may burn brightly and consume them and every life they touch.
It is time to cry out for God to move with each breath, not just when He speaks! We must break the chains that hold us back from knowing Him more so that we can be released into the anointing that breaks every yoke! If we are ready and willing, then we must pray the Gethsemane prayer; “.. not MY will but YOURS be done” (Luke 22:42 NIV).
If we want to be just like Jesus and flow freely in the anointing and power of the Resurrection to proclaim His liberty to the lost, heal the sick, and mend the broken hearted (See Luke 4:18-19) – then we must also be willing to share in the fellowship of His suffering. (See Phil 3:10) Dying to self is no easy task, and it will take a lifetime!
VII. The Best is Yet to Come
Never, ever, forget the beautiful God wants only the best for you! He has already laid out His plan:
“For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest.” (Jer 29:11-13 LB)
“When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen” (Eph 3:14-21 NLT).
No matter what has - or will - happen in your life - no matter what you have done or anything you will ever do - can stop Him from being head over heels and madly in love with you for He takes great “delight in you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride” (Isa 62:4-5). The inheritance of God - the dowry of the Bridegroom King - has been guaranteed (See Eph 1:11-14).
Jesus longs for you to go deep into the Inner Chamber so that He can consume you with His love. Experiencing a deeper relationship with the Creator of the Universe is possible! If you are ready for more - and desire to journey deep into the Beauty Realm and loving arms of the Savior - then it is time to make Him your ENTIRE life - not just a “part” of it. It is time to fall more madly in love with the beautiful God. The Bridal Chamber of deep intimacy – the secret place of God - is hidden within the wilderness. Coming to the end of self is when it is found.
It is no longer the time to weep tears of sorrow. You have been forgiven! His shed blood has paid the price for your redemption! It is time to weep tears of joy! It is time for dancing in the streets! It is time to jump and shout in celebration for the Bridegroom is coming! Blow the trumpets in Zion! Sound the alarm! Make way for the beautiful God because the day of His appearing is near! Amen!
