WORSHIP IS....part 2

Sermon Notes, February 24, 2019

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

Pastor Garry’s sermon this week was the continuation of last week’s “Worship Is. . . “  We took a quick look back at the history of worship and how it has changed through the centuries.  We came to the discovery that despite all the changes that have happened, the foundation of worship remains.  This week we will look a little bit deeper look at what Worship is.  If you ask various Christians to define “worship,” you’re going to get a lot of different responses.  Some might talk about the Old Testament model of temple sacrifice, and others might talk about singing songs in a church.  The truth is that we use the term “worship” to cover a wide spectrum of topics and ideas.

Worship is VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL.  Psalm 40:9-10 talks about the vertical nature of worship.  Individually, we lift God up because He deserves our praise for His goodness, mercy, and might.  And in praising God, we also strengthen ourselves.  But corporate worship is important because if fortifies the church.  When we’re exposed to the praise of others, our spirits are stimulated and our own faith is strengthened.  David tells us that he hasn’t “concealed” God’s love and faithfulness from the assembly, or congregation.  The only way that he could do that would be to remain silent.  As we share our experiences of God’s faithfulness with each other, the entire church is edified.

Worship isn’t always DIGNIFIED.  David gave us a great example of worship in 2 Samuel 6:12-16, 20-22.  The Ark, which represented God’s presence, was being brought back into Jerusalem.  If there was ever a time of rejoicing, this was it.  Here we see that Israel’s King David had taken off his royal robes and was dancing before his people in priestly garments, leading the procession, worshiping God with everything he had. 

And David’s wife, the daughter of Saul, was having none of it.  In her eyes, David was making a fool of himself.  The gravity of the moment was completely lost on her.  And, much like most people, she was only concerned about how things appeared.  When David returns, her greeting is steeped in the most obnoxious sarcasm.  She attempts to shame him.  But check out David’s response.  He’s saying “Oh, you think that’s bad?  I can keep going if you like….Because when it comes to praising God, worshiping Him, I really don’t care what I look like doing it.”  The behavior of people who have a real, sincere relationship with God doesn’t always make much sense to others.  We can choose to maintain our social respectability, or we can choose to serve God with exuberant enthusiasm.  But we often can’t do both.

Worship is a CONSTANT reality.  The truth is that worship has no time limits.  Check out what John has to say in Revelation 4:5-11.  He paints an incredible picture of God’s throne room that we would never have otherwise considered.  Around His throne we witness majestic living creatures who praise God with the words, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Even more beautiful than John’s portrayal of the Throne Room of God is John’s statement that this worship never ends.  Day or night, they are bowing before the throne worshiping Him.  Since God doesn’t coerce His creation into worship, these beings praise God of their own volition.  They’ve experienced God face-to-face, and they can’t stop choosing to worship Him.  Know this to be true: when we enter into worship, we’re taking part in a constant heavenly reality.

Worship is about HUMILITY and OBEDIENCE.  Romans 12:1 says “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.”

We’ve made the unfortunate mistake of calling the time we spend singing in church “worship.”  Anyone can sing in church.  However, we’re truly “worshiping” when we are being obedient.  Every sacrifice we make to glorify and edify God is an act of worship that truly pleases Him. 

In order to truly be obedient to God, we must also be humble.  (Romans 12:3)  We can’t come into God’s presence with arrogance.  We have seen God; we’ve come face-to-face with Him.  We serve the God above all gods.  He created the universe, and He’s still creating.  Let’s go forth and worship Him by helping those around us.