Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth! —Psalm 96:9
Do We Worship?
20 There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. —1 Chronicles 17:20
Six Commandments of Self-Worship
• Your mind is the source and standard of truth, so no matter what, trust yourself.
• Your emotions are authoritative, so never question (or let anyone else question) your feelings.
• You are sovereign, so flex your omnipotence and bend the universe around your dreams and desires.
• You are supreme, so always act according to your chief end, to glorify and enjoy yourself forever.
• You are the summum bonum—the standard of goodness—so don’t let anyone oppress you with the antiquated notion of being a sinner who needs grace.
• You are the Creator, so use that limitless creative power to craft your identity and purpose.
TGC.org Article, “Self-Worship is the World’s Fastest-Growing Religion”
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. —Deuteronomy 6:4
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. —2 Corinthians 13:14
Is Worship?
48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord… —Genesis 24:48
31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. —Exodus 4:31
14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped… —Joshua 5:14
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! —Psalm 95:6
Definitions:
To worship God means to ascribe the proper worth to God, to magnify His worthiness of praise, or better, to approach and address God as He is worthy. —- Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
To worship God is to humble everything about ourselves and exalt everything about him. It’s to acknowledge that he alone is exalted over all peoples, all gods, and all the heavens. —Bob Kauflin, True Worshipers
True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things. —John Piper, Ask Pastor John “What is Worship?”
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth! —Psalm 96:7-916 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. —Psalm 51:16-177 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” —Matthew 15:7-9
Do We Worship?
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31
“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places. —Leviticus 23:3
And we assemble together on Sunday, because it is the first day, on which God transformed darkness and matter, and made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on that day; for they crucified him the day before Saturday, and the day after Saturday, which is Sunday, he appeared to his apostles and disciples, and taught them these things which we have presented to you also for your consideration. —Justin Martyr, First Apology
Do We Worship?
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me. —Psalm 139:7-1019 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. —John 4:19-21
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. —Ephesians 2:19-22
Do We Worship?
God is Worthy of Worship
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. —Psalm 29:1-29 “For my name’s sake I defer my anger;
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another. —Isaiah 48:9-118 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name. —Psalm 86:8-9
We Were Created to Worship
“What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” —Westminster Confession
Our Response to Salvation
Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day. —Psalm 96:1-2We should consider it the great end of our existence to be found numbered among the worshipers of God. —John Calvin
Do We Worship?
We Worship God Individually
Public worship will not excuse us from secret worship. —Matthew Henry
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. —Romans 12:1
We Worship God Corporately
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. —Hebrews 10:24-25
We Worship God in Spirit and Truth
23 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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” —John 4:23-24
We worship God the Father, but we do so through the Son, Jesus Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit makes this possible. Authentic Christian worship, worship in spirit and in truth, is filled with Christ who, in turn, fulfills the purposes of the Father. When Christ is exalted, God is glorified. —Constance M. Cherry, The Worship Architect
Application:
Who are you worshiping? Are you worshiping the God of the Bible? What gods or idols have we created in our life that we worship?
What are ways that you can cultivate a heart of worship during the week? When can you make time to read his Word and pray?
How important is gathering for worship with the church to you? Is it a top priority for you? Practically:
- It’s making Sunday morning worship the immovable calendar item.
- It’s coming to church expectantly.
- It’s coming to church prepared to participate.