Worship

July 31, 2010

WHAT IS WORSHIP? - PART 2

Scripture Reading--Psalm 105:1-5

     Psalm 105:1-5 teaches wonderful truths about worship.  We have seen that our worship must be God centered: anything else is false worship.  Worship is our heart's response to God as God.  Therefore, important elements should be part of our worship experience.  The psalmist defines some of them for us. 

     1.  Giving thanks to God ( v. 1 )

          A true heart of worship continually over flows with praise and thanksgiving for all God has done. We             must never get tired of telling God, "Thank you!" God's heart rejoices when His people are generous  

          with their thanksgiving.

     2.  Praying ( v. 1 )

          Worshiping properly is impossible without communion with God in prayer.  Prayer may be in private, 

          as a family or in public; but prayer always characterizes true worship.  

     3.  Testifying to others ( v. 1 )

          Telling others what God has done for you is giving glory to God for His blessings in your life.  Our 

          testimony should be the public expression of our appreciation for God's goodness.

     4.  Singing unto the Lord ( v. 2 )

          A worshiping heart is a singing heart.  When God saved you, He put a new song in your    

          mouth ( Psalm 40: 3 ).  Often when folks sing in church, they never think of the words they're singing.   

         You can sing all the hymns and never worship, but you can't worship without singing from your heart.    

     5.  Witnessing for the Lord ( v. 2 )

          Our witness is telling others about Jesus Christ and His saving grace.  The most wonderful thing God  

          ever did for you was your salvation.  Let others know He can do the same for them.  

ACTION POINT:  Check up on your worship by using these five expressions of true worship.

--Jack Palmer--   

Worship

July 30, 2010

WHAT IS WORSHIP? - PART 1

Scripture Reading--Psalm 105:3-4

"Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the 

Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore"

( emphasis added ).

     We can't bake a delicious cake unless we find the proper ingredients, measure properly, mix properly, and bake at the proper temperature for the proper length of time.  If we try to create a cake another way, we'll probably produce a "flop".   

     So it is with worship.  Proper worship has many dimensions.  Most essential is the fact that genuine worship must be God-centered.  

     What many churches consider to be "worship" is disturbing.  In many cased, this worship is shallow and meaningless or a dull, boring routine.  It's going through the motions with no purpose or results.  In other situations, "worship" means laughter, jokes, foolishness, and fun.  "No one's going to accuse our church of being dull and boring," some say.  "We're here to have a good time!"

     Others consider a good worship experience to be filled with emotional manipulation that stirs good feelings.  "You have to make people feel good," they say, "or they won't come back!"  The loud and exciting atmosphere works people up and draws big crowds.  There's no substance or depth, but that's okay.  "You have to give people what they want."

     A heart that truly seeks God is at the core of worship that pleases Him and rewards His people.  This kind of worship begins in the heart, is carried on in the home, and culminates in the church where God's people meet.

     Do you have a heart that seeks God?  If so, you are a true God-worshiper.  As a family, is seeking God the goal of your family worship?  When you go to church are you seeking God and what He has for your family?  If so, you won't be disappointed.  God says, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart"  ( Jer. 29:13, emphasis added ).  Genuine worship is seeking God.

ACTION POINT:  Evaluate your family's worship experience.  Is God central to all you consider worship?

--Jack Palmer--     

July 29, 2010

WORSHIPING GOD

Scripture Reading - Revelation 22:1-9

      It's alarming to observe how easily people worship the wrong things.  No, most Christians would never dream of worshiping an idol, a tree, or an building.  They worship their loving, caring pastor or someone special to them.  Some even worship a Christian organization.  They allow someone--or something--to take God's place in their worship.  The simple truth is that anything that takes God's place is an idol!

     When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, He said, " I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  Thou shalt have no other gods before me" ( Ex. 20:2-3, emphasis added )

     In today's Scripture reading, we read about the apostle John who wrote the Book of Revelation.  In the reading, we find a valuable, interesting principle about worship.  The Angel of God revealed to John the great things he should write.  John was so overwhelmed with the experience that he fell at the angel's feet to worship him ( v. 8 ).  The angel said John must not worship him but "worship God" ( v. 9, emphasis added ) and only God.  Though the angel was a heaven-sent being from God, he was not an object of worship.  So important is this truth that it's God's last statement in the Bible about worship.

     Is God our focus in worship?  Any worship without God at the center is false worship.  It may stir our emotions and make us feel good.  It may make us want to do better and try harder.  It may even draw us closer to others.  But if God isn't the object of our worship, that "worship" contributes nothing of eternal value to your lives.  It's nothing more than "wood, hay, [ and ] stubble" ( 1 Cor. 3:12 ).

ACTION POINT:  Is your family allowing anything to take God's place as the object of your worship?  If so, confess your worship of that object, REMOVE IT, and make God the center of your worship experience.

--Jack Palmer--   

     

July 27, 2010

WHY DO WE WORSHIP?

  

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 95:6

" O come, let us worship and bow down:

let us kneel before the Lord our maker"

( emphasis added ).

There's nothing as frustrating as doing something and not knowing why we're doing it, but a lot of things in life are like that.  Many folks go through life knowing they need to worship but not having a clue why.  Is it any wonder worship is frustrating to so many?

God has placed the need to worship in every human heart, and that's why man is different from every other part of God's creation.  God created man to worship Him.  How tragic that sin destroyed our ability to worship God apart from God's saving grace!

Even with a defiled human nature, man desires to worship.  He just doesn't always know who, how,or why.  That's why many unsaved people worship animals, birds, trees,mountains, spirits, and idols.

Why do we Bible-believing Christians worship God?  The best answer is because worship is God's command!  Psalm 95:6 and other verses make that truth clear.  According to Psalm 95, we worship God for the following reasons:

     1.  Because He is our Savior ( v. 1 )

     2.  Because He is so great ( v. 3 )

     3.  Because He is above all gods ( v. 3 )

     4.  Because He is all-powerful ( v. 4 )

     5.  Because He is our Creator ( v. 6 )

     6.  Because He is our God ( v. 7 )

As Christians, it's essential that we develop a heart for worship in our families.  We need not only to teach them that they must worship God but also to help them understand why.  Only as we recognize the value of true worship will it become a vital part of family life.

ACTION POINT:  What are some reasons worshiping God is essential for your family?

- Jack Palmer -