By Rev. Ernest V. George
Psalm 95:6 – “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
Dearly beloved in Christ,
Man was created for worship! What is worship? As I was preparing this sermon, I believe God gave me this definition. Worship is our intelligent response in worth-ship of God, even to the point of sacrifice. It is an understanding of the worthiness of God and thereby causing us to give HIM our adoration and appreciation. Worship includes our trust in Him, praise, thanksgiving, joy, music, dance, singing, clapping of hands, crying, raising up of hands, shouting, reading of His Word, confession of our sins, proclaiming that He is LORD. Worship is an attitude of the heart and it draws the favor of God. There are certain characteristics that are seen in a true worshiper. I would like to highlight five of them here in this message, so as to give you an understanding of what God is looking for as you stand before Him in worship.
1. Sincere - John 4:23-24 – “23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The first aspect of a true worshiper is seen in the sincerity of his heart. Worship begins with a broken heart that is sincere and contrite before Him who knows all and sees all! [Psalm 51:17] If worship is done from a sincere heart, it will be affective and pleasing to God. Half-hearted worship is an abomination to God, so give Him your best in truth and transparency.
2. Steadfast - Psalm 34:1 - "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." The heart of a worshiper is steadfast. He will worship God at all times…not just when things look good, but always! This Psalm [34] was David’s psalm of worship when he pretended to be mad to avoid being captured by King Abimelech. Another example was Job, who having received the news that he had lost his property and his children responded by worshiping God! Job 1:20
3. Sacrificial - Hebrews 13:15 - "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name. [NIV] Sacrifice and worship are two sides of the same coin. Worship is costly. In Genesis 22, God commanded Abraham to offer his son, Isaac as a sacrifice. On reaching the mountain, Abraham asked his servants to wait for him, while he and his son went up to worship. In the Old Testament, worship had to do with the sacrifice of bulls and goats, but today, God wants us to offer our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. [Romans 12:1] David, a man after God’s own heart knew the importance of sacrifice. He wanted to build an altar on the piece of ground owned by Araunah on which he saw the angel of God standing. However, he chose to buy the land rather than take it for free as offered by Araunah. [2 Samuel 24:24] Do not give to God what costs you nothing.
4. Spirit-led - John 4:23-24 – “23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”The fourth aspect of worshiper is that he will be filled and led by the Spirit of God. The three wise men from the East were led by the Spirit of God through the appearance of the STAR in the sky and they came to worship baby Jesus. [Matthew 2:2] God is looking for men and women who will worship Him by the power and enabling of His Spirit. In 2 Chronicles 20, we see how the presence of the Holy Spirit during worship changed the battle strategy for King Jehoshaphat! Spirit-led walk always leads to victory!
5. Service-oriented - 2 Corinthians 9:12 – “For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God…”Finally, a true worshiper is ready to serve – God and fellow believers. In the above Scripture, the Greek word leitourgia is used by Paul to describe worship which means “service”. When asking for financial support – he uses the word which means worship. A servant-heart is a heart that worships God in humility and generosity. Worship doesn’t stop when we leave the church doors. We serve God through our actions throughout the week. What we do for others, we do for Him. Service to God is worship.
Worship is the only lifter of your soul. Develop a heart of worship with these attitudes and let God be glorified!
Man was created for worship! What is worship? As I was preparing this sermon, I believe God gave me this definition. Worship is our intelligent response in worth-ship of God, even to the point of sacrifice. It is an understanding of the worthiness of God and thereby causing us to give HIM our adoration and appreciation. Worship includes our trust in Him, praise, thanksgiving, joy, music, dance, singing, clapping of hands, crying, raising up of hands, shouting, reading of His Word, confession of our sins, proclaiming that He is LORD. Worship is an attitude of the heart and it draws the favor of God. There are certain characteristics that are seen in a true worshiper. I would like to highlight five of them here in this message, so as to give you an understanding of what God is looking for as you stand before Him in worship.
1. Sincere - John 4:23-24 – “23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The first aspect of a true worshiper is seen in the sincerity of his heart. Worship begins with a broken heart that is sincere and contrite before Him who knows all and sees all! [Psalm 51:17] If worship is done from a sincere heart, it will be affective and pleasing to God. Half-hearted worship is an abomination to God, so give Him your best in truth and transparency.
2. Steadfast - Psalm 34:1 - "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." The heart of a worshiper is steadfast. He will worship God at all times…not just when things look good, but always! This Psalm [34] was David’s psalm of worship when he pretended to be mad to avoid being captured by King Abimelech. Another example was Job, who having received the news that he had lost his property and his children responded by worshiping God! Job 1:20
3. Sacrificial - Hebrews 13:15 - "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name. [NIV] Sacrifice and worship are two sides of the same coin. Worship is costly. In Genesis 22, God commanded Abraham to offer his son, Isaac as a sacrifice. On reaching the mountain, Abraham asked his servants to wait for him, while he and his son went up to worship. In the Old Testament, worship had to do with the sacrifice of bulls and goats, but today, God wants us to offer our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. [Romans 12:1] David, a man after God’s own heart knew the importance of sacrifice. He wanted to build an altar on the piece of ground owned by Araunah on which he saw the angel of God standing. However, he chose to buy the land rather than take it for free as offered by Araunah. [2 Samuel 24:24] Do not give to God what costs you nothing.
4. Spirit-led - John 4:23-24 – “23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”The fourth aspect of worshiper is that he will be filled and led by the Spirit of God. The three wise men from the East were led by the Spirit of God through the appearance of the STAR in the sky and they came to worship baby Jesus. [Matthew 2:2] God is looking for men and women who will worship Him by the power and enabling of His Spirit. In 2 Chronicles 20, we see how the presence of the Holy Spirit during worship changed the battle strategy for King Jehoshaphat! Spirit-led walk always leads to victory!
5. Service-oriented - 2 Corinthians 9:12 – “For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God…”Finally, a true worshiper is ready to serve – God and fellow believers. In the above Scripture, the Greek word leitourgia is used by Paul to describe worship which means “service”. When asking for financial support – he uses the word which means worship. A servant-heart is a heart that worships God in humility and generosity. Worship doesn’t stop when we leave the church doors. We serve God through our actions throughout the week. What we do for others, we do for Him. Service to God is worship.
Worship is the only lifter of your soul. Develop a heart of worship with these attitudes and let God be glorified!
Website: www.gardencityag.org
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