WORSHIP GOD

 

Worship

“The Father seeks such to worship him.”

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24

To worship God is to seek his face, that is, to see the Lord in his beauty by meditating on Him and extolling (proclaiming) his worth. Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and was forever changed (Is. 6:1-8). Jesus said that the Father is seeking worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth. God desires for us to seek after him in steadfast worship beholding his beauty.

• The fear (reverence and awe) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:  and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10
• And the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. – Daniel 11:32
• Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  – Psalm 37:4
• One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. – Psalm 27:4
• But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: – 1 Peter 2:9
• But you are holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel. – Psalms 22:3

Behold His Beauty

The worship part of intercession is to behold the beauty of the Lord.   That means to take time to muse, meditate, and focus on who God is in all His splendor and glory, until the truth of His greatness fills us with awe, adoration, love. True worship is to quietly, deliberately look into the kaleidoscope of God's character, and then stand in awe of His matchless beauty. Remember that Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and was never the same. This was not a worship service in the Temple or Synagogue. It was private worship, “on-your-face-before-a-living-God” worship. It stirred the heart and cleansed the soul. David said his one overriding supreme desire was this. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. – Psalms 27:4

In Spirit and In Truth

Jesus authenticated private worship experience when he clarified for the woman at the well in Samaria that worship had nothing to do with temples made with hands. (John 4:23-24)  Solomon too revealed that when at the dedication of the Great Temple in Jerusalem he confessed… “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” (I Kings 8:27 and Stephen quotes him in  Acts 7:48  “Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet.”)

Confined Worship

Too often we Christians make the mistake of confining our worship to the house of God. Worship is personal adoration expressed directly to God himself. It has little to do with formal services, and music. It has everything to do with loving God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, strength and expressing that love emotionally and verbally. Jesus said, “The Father seeks such to worship him.” “Worship in spirit” is not referring to the Holy Spirit, but to the spirit of man – his emotions, his soul, his innermost being. Each day of our lives we as believers, the blood-bought redeemed ones, should seek to fervently worship God in our spirit.

Who Is He?

Would to God that we would learn the secret of His presence in learning to worship the Lord for who he is, not just for all the things He has done. I am afraid for all of us too often our praise is not real worship or adoration but fumbling attempts to “do praise” so that we can get on with the real business interest of our prayer – the asking.  True worship has nothing to do with getting. True worship is worship in truth, that is,worshipping God for who he truly is. Who is God? What is He like? God has revealed himself in His word. Worship is reviewing who he is according to that revelation. To know the Lord is to hold him is highest “awe,” and to stand amazed in his presence. True worship melts the heart before the heat of God’s personal revelation. “No man can look on him and live."

Worship is Action – Exalt the Lord!

Worship is not a quiet thing. It demands expression both verbally and physically. Angels and cherubim do it constantly before the throne. Worship is our invitation to join them. Read the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ and you will find physical and verbal declarations of the worth and holiness of God. People fell down and worshiped. You cannot truly worship and be quiet or still. To exalt the Lord requires your personal investment. It involves all of you. Peter expresses the physical and dynamic declaration of God’s worth when he says, “But you are achosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9  We are to SHOW FORTH his praises, not just say praises. The word “show forth” is one word in Greek, “exaggello”  which literally is “to message forth” or to make known by praising, proclaiming, or celebration. “Aggelos” is angel or “messenger of God” who heralds God’s glory. The Hebrew “Shofar,” or trumpet, introduced worship with a loud, long blast, so too, we are to trumpet God’s praises loudly, just as angels do before the throne. Psalm 66 verses 1-3 is worth our full attention as David instructs us in the art of worship. “Shout to God, Sing to God, Make his praise glorious, Say to God.” Psalm 68:4 continues the instruction, “Sing to God, Sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds, rejoice before Him.”

To Know the Lord

Paul declared his goal in life was to “know the Lord in the power of his resurrection.” Daniel similarly praises those who truly know the Lord as ones who will do exploits. (Daniel 11:32) He who knows God by showing forth his praises will do valiantly. He will be victorious.

Worship Verbs

1. Praise - (yadah) - to throw,  shoot arrows,  cast laud,  praise

2. Give Glory - (yahab) - make shine, to give glory, to bring splendor, to ascribe worth,

3. Magnify - (gadal) - to cause to grow, to make great,  powerful, to magnify

4. Worship - (shachah) - to bow down,  prostrate oneself, to crouch before superior in homage

5. Exalt / Extol - (ruwm) - to raise, to heave high,  to lift up lofty,  to be exalted above

6. Sing - (zamar) - to make music,  to sing with voice, to play a musical instrument

7. Ascribe - (nathan) - to give,  bestow,  grant,  permit,  ascribe,  employ,  devote

8. Bless - (barak)  - to kneel, to salute, to congratulate

9. Declare - tell of - (caphar) - to count,  recount,  relate, to number,  take account of,  reckon

10. Shout - (ranan) - to cry out,  a loud shout of joy, a ringing cry (in joy,  exultation,  praise)

11. Delight in - (anag) - to be happy about,  take exquisite pleasure in, to make merry over

12. Honor - (tiph'arah) - to glory,  of rank,  renown, as attribute of God, make beautiful

13. Behold - (chazah) - (means to wash off one’s face) to see, to perceive,  to look at

14. Love - (racham) - have tender affection, deep love

15. Clap - (taqa) - to give a blast,  give a blow, to strike or applaud

16. Lift up hands - (nasa') - to raise,  raise up high, to bear, hold high

17. Bow down - (kara) - curve over,  sink down to one's knees

Worship With Scripture

Use the Scriptures to prime the pump of praise by reminding yourself of God’s greatness. Psalm 111, 112, 113, 117, 134, 144, 145, 147, 148, 149, 150

Exalt His Holy Name(s)

(There are over 600 descriptive names of God and Christ)

1. Jehovah-tsidkenu =  The Lord our Righteousness

2. Jehovah-shalom = The Lord our Peace

3. Jehovah-shammah = The Lord our Who is There Ever Present

4. Jehovah-m’kaddesh = The Lord our Sanctifier

5. Jehovah-jireh = The Lord our Provider

6. Jehovah-rohi = The Lord our Shepherd

7. Jehovah-nissi = The Lord our Banner

8. Jehovah-rophe = The Lord our Healer

9. Jehovah-saboath = Lord of Hosts

Practical Worship Strategies

1. Read Scripture that exalts Who He is. (Prime the pump with Scripture)

2. Sing songs to the Lord. (Sing out loud!)

3. Exalt His Names. (Magnify his names)

4. Remember His mighty works. (Think on, Meditate on)

5. Tell of His excellent greatness. (Rehearse it to Him)

6. Acknowledge His Sovereignty, Power, Wisdom, Control. (Lord you are…”)

7. Physically express your worship and adoration. (Lift hands, lay prostrate, kneel)

Alpha and Omega Praise

Praise His name through the alphabet.  Lift up and exalt God’s names beginning with A and end with Z. (Alpha and Omega - 26 Praises) Do it together in the congregation. Attempt to give 3-5 on each letter. It is a wonderful experience, especially when people read their praise of Him from the Word. There are more than 600 names of God and the Lord Jesus Christ in Scripture. To review and rejoice in his name is to truly know him and make his splendor known. Believe me, you won’t run out of praises.

A =  Ark, Alpha, Altogether lovely, Almighty God, Advocate, Author, Ancient of Days, Anchor

B = Bread, Balm of Gilead, Bright Morning Star, Breath, Beauty, Beginning, Best gift, Branch, Bride

C = Creator, Captain, Comforter, Counselor

D = Door, Defender, Deliverer, Daystar

E = Everlasting Father, Everything to me, Earnest of our inheritance

F =  Faithful High Priest, Father, Friend of Sinners, Firstborn, Fairest of 10,000, First and Last

G = God of All Comfort, Great God, Good Shepherd, Giver, Gift, Guide, Glory and Lifter of my head

H = Healer, Helper, Health, Holy One, Heir of all, High Priest, Hope of the ages

I = Immanuel, Invisible, Immortal, I Am

J = Judge, Jehovah-*, Jesus,

K  = King of Kings, King - *,  Keeper

L  = Lover of my soul, Lord strong and mighty, Lord *, Lamb, Light Life, Lilly of Valley

M  = Maker, Master, Marvelous One, Mighty God, Mediator

N  = Never-failing God, Name above all names, Nest, New and living way

O  = Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent

P  = Protector, Provider, Physician, Prince of Peace, my Peace, Passover, Priest forever, Promise

Q  = Quickening One, Quickening Spirit, Quietness and my confidence

R  = Resurrection, Redeemer, Rock, Refuge, Righteous One, My Righteousness

S = Savior, Sanctifier, Sun, Shield, Shade, Shepherd, Sure, Shelter, Source

T  = Teacher, Tower, Transformer, Truth

U  = Unmovable, Unspeakable Gift, Upholder of all things,

V  = Victor, Vine, Vision

W  = Water, Wonderful, Way, Wisdom, Worthy, Wing under which I trust

X = Xcellent, Xaminer or my heart, Xray of truth

Y = Yeshua, Yesterday, Today, Forever,

Z = Zeal of Lord,

Keeper, Shade Upon Right Hand, Shield, Defender, Refuge, Fortress, High Tower, Ancient of Days, Creator, Friend, Glory and Lifter of my head, King of Glory, Lord Strong and Mighty, Lord of Hosts, Very Present Help in Trouble, Well of Salvation, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Altogether Lovely, Balm of Gilead, Branch, Lilly of the Valley, Chiefest Among Ten Thousand, Defense, Deliverer, Desire of all Nations, Despised by the People, Diadem of Beauty, Fountain of Life, Friend that Sticketh Closer than a Brother, Refiner, Guide Even Unto Death, Helper of the Fatherless, Hiding Place, One Who Inhabits Eternity, Refiner's Fire, Refuge, Refuge in Times of Trouble, Refuge for the Oppressed, Refuge from the Storm, Reproach of Men, Resting Place, Reward for the Righteous, Righteous Branch, River of Water in a Dry Place, Rock that is Higher than I, Rock of My Refuge, Rod, Rose of Sharon, Scepter of Israel, Star out of Jacob, My Stay, Stone which the Builders Refused, Strength of My Life, Strong Tower from the Enemy, Sun of Righteousness, and many more.

Answer Three Questions Out Loud As You Worship:

• Who Is He?
• How Great Is He?
• What Is His Wonderful Name?