16th September 2007 AM

COME, LET US BOW DOWN IN WORSHIP! Pastor Linton Smith

I can imagine a conversation like this. “Did you go to church today?” “No. I met together with other believers to worship God.” “What do you mean by worship?”

Take 100 people and ask them this question and I suggest you could well get 100 different answers.

One might say, ‘Worship is sitting quietly and reflecting and praying.’ Another might say, ‘Worship is getting into it emotionally and getting as excited as the crowd does at a football match.’

This week the 40 Days of Community workbook offered a description of worship [p153]..

“In corporate worship, we worship in ways we are unable to by ourselves. As we sing and celebrate together, pray and confess together, share and meditate together, give offerings and commit together, our faith is reaffirmed, our hope is reinforced, and our love is renewed.”

That description is fine, but it is about things we do rather than what is in our hearts as we do them. And it is what is in our hearts that matters most!

Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain..” [Matthew 15:8,9.]

Jesus went even further than that. One day by a well in Samaria, a Samaritan woman said to him, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

She was asking Him which was the correct place to worship. Jesus answered that the place is unimportant. What is important is that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” [John 4:24].

With these words He infused new life into worship as it had been practiced for centuries in the Temple in Israel.

This morning we will look at both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ and remind ourselves of what we do when we worship God. The Book of Psalms could be described as the worship book of Israel.. and has much to teach us about worship. We will look at some of these Psalms and identify some key principles of worship and apply them to ourselves today. Then we will come back to these words of Jesus.. that we are to worship in spirit and in truth.

From these Psalms we learn that.. When we worship God:

WE APPROACH HIM BY HIS GREAT MERCY.

David wrote.. Psalm 5:4-7.. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.

David knew there was no other way to approach God. He knew he was a sinner.. and was not worthy to approach God.. But he also knew that God is a merciful God.. and approached Him by His mercy.

Jesus told a story about two men.

One thought he could approach God because he was good enough. He stood and prayed.. Luke 18:11,12.. God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

The other man was a tax collector.

Jesus says.. Luke 18:13.. The tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

Kenneth E. Bailey throws new light on this story. He says that when Middle Easteners read this story they assume it is about public worship. The Tax collector stands afar off.. apart from the Pharisee and the rest of the worshippers in the Temple. They were worshipping at the time of the sacrifice of lambs to make atonement for the sins of the people. Bailey writes.. “One can almost smell the pungent incense, hear the loud clash of cymbals, and see the great cloud of dense smoke rising from the burnt offering.. The tax collector is there. He stands afar off.. longs to be part of it.. In deep remorse he strikes his chest and cries out in repentance and hope, O God! Let it be for me! Make an atonement for me, a sinner!” [Through Peasant Eyes p 154].

Today we come to God like that but not with temple sacrifices in mind. We come with Jesus in mind.. Jesus crucified on the cross for our sin.. the Perfect Sacrifice. We come saying something like this, God, I am not worthy to come to you.. I am a sinner.. but Jesus died in my place. I come through Him. I come by Your mercy.

When we worship God.. we approach Him by His mercy.. and..

WE HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE HIM.

In Psalm 95 the Psalmist reminds us that God is great and the only way to come to Him is with humility. He writes..

Psalm 95:3,6.. The LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods… Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker..

God is great beyond our wildest dreams and the only way to come is with humility.

The Apostle Peter reminds us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble and goes on to say..

1 Peter 5:6.. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

When we worship God we humble ourselves before Him.

The word, ‘worship’ in Hebrew.. means.. to bow down.. to fall down before God. In Psalm 95 the Psalmist says.. Let us worship.. that is, let us bow down before God.. and then for emphasis adds, Let us bow down.. Let us kneel. The effect is very powerful! He is calling us to humble ourselves before God.

In the Revelation we have some great examples of this..

In Revelation 4 John sees a vision of God seated on a throne in heaven.. Around the throne were 24 elders.. seated on 24 thrones.. John writes..

Revelation 4:10.. The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne..

Then in Revelation 7 he sees thousands upon thousands of angels around the throne.. and writes..

Revelation 7:11.. All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God..

So great is God.. that millions of angels fall on their faces and worship!

We may not fall down on our faces, but what is in our heart? Do we do the mental and emotional equivalent of that?

When we worship we approach God by His mercy, we humble ourselves before Him and..

WE ASCRIBE TO HIM THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME.

In Psalm 29:2 David says.. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Psalm 96 expands on this..

In Psalm 96:3,8 we read.. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name..

Our English word, ‘worship’, is related to the word, worth.. is an abbreviation of ‘worthship’. When we worship we acknowledge His worth.. we declare His worth.

This is what we find in the Revelation..

We have already thought about the way the 24 Elders bow down before God..

Now let’s read on..

Revelation 4:10,11.. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “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.”

You are worthy, our Lord and God! We worship when we say that.. and say it from our very heart!

In Revelation 7 we thought about the millions of angels bowing down to God.. let’s read on..

Revelation 7:11,12.. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God. When we say that or words like that from our heart.. we worship!

When we worship God we ascribe to Him the glory due to Him.. and do so from our heart. Is that how we worship God?

When we worship.. we approach God by His mercy.. we humble ourselves before Him.. we ascribe to Him the glory due His name.. and..

WE LISTEN TO HIM AND DO AS HE SAYS.

In Psalm 95 the Psalmist calls us to bow down in worship and later says..

Psalm 95:7,8.. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..

He has a previous generation in mind.. people who refused to listen to God.. who hardened their hearts toward Him.. and ignored what He said.. and he warns us not to be like them.. but to listen to God and do as He says.

Jeremiah had some very strong things to say about worship to the people of his time..

In Jeremiah 7:9-13 he asked them.. Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name… and then said.. While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.

Jesus also had strong words for the people of His day..

In Matthew 15:8,9 He says.. These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.

What do these people do? They say the right words.. but their hearts are somewhere else.. and instead of doing what God says.. they write their own book of rules!

When we worship God the way He wants us to worship Him.. we listen to Him.. and then do as He says. We do as the Apostle Paul urges us to do..

In Romans 12:1,2 he writes.. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Offer your bodies as living sacrifices.. lay your lives at His feet.. offer your lives to Him!

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.. Listen to God.. think the way He thinks.. do as He says.. do what is good and pleasing and perfect in His sight!

That is worship!

Jesus told the Samaritan woman.. God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

He may have been saying simply.. worshippers must worship Him in their human spirit.. from their heart.. with complete sincerity and complete reality.

But He may have been saying more.. He may have been speaking of the Holy Spirit. He may have been speaking of Himself as the Truth.

He has revealed what God the Father is like. In Him we see God. He laid down His life.. so that we could be forgiven.. and enjoy peace with God.. He rose from the dead.. returned to heaven.. and sent the Holy Spirit.

And as a result.. we are now inspired by Jesus and what He did.. and moved by the Holy Spirit.

When we ponder Jesus.. and what He did on the cross.. and are moved by what we see.. and are moved by the Holy Spirit.. and come to Him by His mercy.. humble ourselves before Him.. ascribe to Him the glory due His name.. and listen to Him and do as He says.. then.. we worship!

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