Sermon Central
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What Is Worship
Contributed by David Long on Aug 1, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: As we sing, pray, and give, it must be done according to God’s instructions. So, what does that look like? What is the proper way to worship God?
According to the dictionary, Worship is:
NOUN: The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
VERB: Show reverence and adoration for (particularly a deity); honor with religious rites.
There is a lot of confusion in the religious world today concerning worship. There are more than 600 different religious denominational churches, each with different doctrines and beliefs, who are attempting to worship God in ways contrary to what He says in the Bible. As we sing, pray, and give, it must be done according to God’s instructions. So, what does that look like? What is the proper way to worship God? Let’s look:
1. Sing
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands (Psalm 100: 1 KJV).”
When we sing during the beginning of our service, we’re not singing to impress the pastor. We’re not singing to impress our brethren. We’re not even singing to impress God! We sing to Praise and Worship God because we’re thankful. God has saved us from an eternity in Hell! God has provided you that job you hate. You know: the one that pays the bills? God has brought Mr./Mrs. Right into our life, or kept Mr./Mrs. Right Now away from us! Singing may not be your “thing,” but the new person who comes to visit your church today may need it!
2. Pray
Again, reverence to God. Prayer is supposed to be you talking to God, and God talking to you. It doesn’t matter what your friends think. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a poet, a theologian, or a Shakespearean actor. We don’t have to be eloquent, fancy, or even educated! We just have to be humble. We approach the Throne of Grace boldly, but with reverence and humility.
3. Give
Malachi 3: 6-12
Churches have needs: bills to pay, obligations to help the needy, etc. Where is the money for those things supposed to come from? Us! All the way back in Genesis, Cain and Abel gave offerings to God; Abel gave God the best, while Cain just fulfilled an obligation. That’s the difference between worshipping God, and tipping Him!
But we have something more valuable than money. Does anyone know what it is? Time. God has given us incredible gifts to use for the furtherance of His Kingdom. Are we using them? But you say, “I just don’t have the time to do anything else; my plate is full.” Consider this:
You get a phone call at noon on Monday. A rich relative you didn’t know about in England has died and left you $500,000! All you have to do is get on a plane by Friday, go to England, and collect your money. What are you going to say? “I can’t go! American Idol is on!” “I got softball tomorrow, and it’s the playoffs!” We make time for what we feel is important.
4. Acts of Worship
• On your face before God
- A position of total submission before Almighty God
• Raise your Hands
- Exodus 17: 8-16 Jehovah Nissi: The Lord is my Banner
- A position of total surrender to God.
• Head bowed, eyes closed.
- So many examples.
- Shows reverence to God while you’re praying with someone.
- Makes it personal.
Whatever you do, as long as you’re honoring God, as long as you’re giving Him the Honor and Glory He deserves, it doesn’t matter what you look like to the world; you’re not worshiping the world, you’re worshiping God.
