Why we worship:
- We serve a God who is worthy of our worship and praise
Psalm 145:3 “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” We serve a God who is our creator, redeemer, and King! He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, and power.
- We serve a personal God, who became flesh for our behalf and wants to have a deep, personal relationship with us.
Worshiping the Lord is literally the reason why we were created!
Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
- God doesn’t force us to worship Him, but He deeply wants us to
What is proper worship?
Proper worship is responding to who God is with both our hearts and our bodies, regardless of our circumstances. It is responding to WHO God IS regardless of our feelings.
Psalm 29:1-2 “1 Ascribe to the Lord, you 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 his holiness.”
Barriers to proper worship
- Pride?
- Nervousness or uneasiness?
- Caring too much about what other people think.
- There is a balance here though in also not worshiping to be seen by others.
Things that steal away our worship (all of these things take the focus off of God and back to ourselves):
- Money
- People
- Careers
- Hobbies
- Passions
- Possessions
What does our worship need to look like? What is “proper worship”?
Psalm 95:1-7 - “1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”
1) Worship is joyful because God saves (verse 1)
2) Worship is humble because God reigns (verse 2-3)
3) Worship is physical because God is the Creator (verse 4-6)
4) Worship is communal (throughout we see “Let us…let us…let us…)
- This could look different in different seasons for different people.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.”
- Literally the way that we live our lives IS how we worship God.
- Worship on Sunday mornings is great and is an excellent opportunity for you to meet with the Lord, but how are you worshiping throughout the week?
