Why do are we told to worship, anyway? Isn’t that kind of arrogant for God to say, “Hey! Worship me!” Does He need my worship?
Not at all. Friends, the God who created the universe out of nothing doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t need our worship in even the smallest way. Instead we are told to worship for two reasons. First of all, it’s because WE it. Worship establishes and strengthens the relationship that He so longs to have with us. And secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, it’s because God alone DESERVES our worship! He’s the Alpha and the Omega. He is our holy, righteous, just, loving Savior.
It is Easter. Good Friday is past, and though those in the Americas still await the celebration of Easter Morning, Easter Sunday has already dawned on much of the world, bringing with it the glorious proclamation that CHRIST OUR LORD IS RISEN TODAY!
Isn’t that good enough reason to worship Him?
In this series, we have looked at what kind of worship does NOT bring us closer to God. We saw that selfish worship and worshiping out of fear drive us even farther from the one thing God wanted most to accomplish on that Easter weekend so many years ago: He wanted the personal relationship with us to be re-established, and our fear and our selfishness make it impossible.
So just how does God want us to worship Him?
The Bible tells us to “fear God”. This definition of the word refers to a respect or awe. When the Bible says to “fear God”, it is telling us to respect Him, to view Him with awe!
But how do we worship God in this way?
Jesus tells us exactly how to worship in respect and in awe in his famous address to a Samaritan harlot beside Jacob’s well: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23 NKJV)
Notice, it doesn’t say we are to worship in fear or for our own personal gain. It says the exact opposite: “in spirit and truth”.
But what IS worshiping in Spirit? The answer is two-fold, friends:
1. Worshiping in Spirit is an inner worship: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Ps 103:1 NKJV).
2. Worshiping in Spirit is also an attitude. It’s the WAY we approach God.
3. And finally, worshiping God in Spirit is consuming: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” (Eph 5:18-21 NKJV)
You see, when we spend time in the presence of God, our spirits flow over in worship. This is what Jesus meant when He said to worship in spirit.
And what about worshiping in Truth?
This means we worship God according to the Truth He has given us in His Word. Here are a few examples:
1. True worship is Simple: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3-4 NKJV)
2. True worship is Sincere: “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!'” (Matt 15:25 NKJV)
3. True worship is Worshiping the Savior: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11 NKJV)
4. True worship is Serious: “Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.” (Ps 2:11 NKJV)
5. True worship requires Humility: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic 6:8 NKJV)
6. True worship is Tested: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1-2 NKJV)
7. And finally, true worship is Thankful: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Ps 100:4 NKJV)
Friends, take some time today to contemplate the enormity of the sacrifice that Jesus gave each of us. Especially consider the enormous sense of love that it would take to drive the Son of God from His heavenly realm, to come to this earth and be “. . . Despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isa 53:3 NKJV). Let the extravagance of His love wash over you, drawing you to Him in Spirit and in Truth, that your worship may be glorious in His sight and will serve to draw you closer to His heart of love!
Friends, Christ our Lord is risen today! May your worship be in Spirit and in Truth, today and for forever!
Happy Easter!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.
(To access the entire “What Kind of a Worshiper are You?” mini-series, click here.)