TEN TRAITS OF A VITAL CHRISTIAN
Trait # 2 Engages in God-Exalting Worship
As
a young Christian in the 1980s, I was fascinated with Worship. Nothing gave me
more joy and satisfaction than Worshipping Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind,
and strength. Worshipping God made me forget about my singleness, troubles, and
challenges, and it brought much Joy and Peace, transcending me to heavenly
realms where I would commune with God.
I
delightfully loved Jesus with songs like “To Keep Your Lovely Face, Ever before
my eyes. This is my prayer. Make it my strong desire, That in my secret heart,
No other love competes, No rival throne survives, And I serve only you.” This
was all before marrying Wilma.
Jesus
is still the lover of my soul. But I must admit my love for Him is not as
intense as it used to be. Paul was right when he said, “An unmarried man can
spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married
man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.
His interests are divided.” I Cor 7:32-33.
I
must intentionally delight and express my love for God through Praise &
Worship. “In his book Christian Hedonism, John Piper encourages believers to “Be
happy in the God who is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
If you are unsatisfied with God, I don’t know what else you will be satisfied
with. When we delight in someone, we love that person, and when we love that
person, we can serve that person. That’s how it works with God. He calls us to
delight in Him (Ps 37:4). It is not that we delight in Him. He takes great
delight in us and, in his love, rejoices over us with singing. (Zeph 3:17). Our
natural response to such a loving God is to Love the Lord our God with all our
heart, soul, and mind and Love our neighbor as ourselves.
Two
weeks ago, we began a new series, Vital Christian Living, by exploring
one of the ten traits of a Vital Christian: They experience God’s Empowering
Presence. Today, we will look at another trait of a Vital Christian: They
Engage in God-Exalting Worship.” John 4:13-26.
Every
Sunday morning, we gather at Hope Church to Worship the Lord. We sing a few
songs, read and study scriptures, pray, bring tithes and offerings, listen to a
sermon, and fellowship with others. Is that all there is in Worshipping God? We
will examine What true Worship is, why we must engage in God-Exalting Worship,
and how Worship impacts us.
I. Worship of God is a continual theme in the
Scriptures.
Some form of Worship of God was already taking place in
Genesis 4:3-4 when Cain and Able brought their offerings. Cain’s Worship was rejected,
but Abels was accepted. In Vs. 6, we read that with Enosh’s birth, a regular,
solemn, public worship of God may have been instituted. Men were beginning to
address God formally in prayer and thanksgiving.
What
has been the scope and the continuation of Worship? All creation Worships God.
Consider these scriptures: Psalm 19:1-2, “The heavens declare the Glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth
speech; night after night, they reveal knowledge.” Nehemiah 9:6, “You alone are
the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry
host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You
give life to Everything, and the multitudes of Heaven worship you.” In Psalm
150, the Psalmist explains where, for what, and with what one must worship God.
He concludes by saying, “Everything that has breath Praise the Lord.”
Romans
1:20-23, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities his
eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew
God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their
thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they
claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the Glory of the immortal
God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and
reptiles.”
What
a tragedy when the whole creation worships God; not all, but many people
worship the creation instead. Worship of God, which began in Genesis, didn’t
stop there; it has been sustained and continued until eternity in Heaven.
Interestingly, we see the magnificent setting of heavenly Worship in Revelation
4:8-11. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with
eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night, they never stop saying: Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
Whenever
the living creatures give Glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the
throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before
him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. 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.” What are the implications of these
scriptures for us today? We are to engage in God-exalted Worship.
II. A Vital Christian Engages in God-Exalting
Worship.
In John 4:13-26, Jesus
exposes false perceptions of the Samaritans concerning Worshipping the true God
and how and where to worship Him. The Samaritans embraced a religious mixture
of Judaism and idolatry. 2 Kings 17:26-28. While worshipping the LORD, they
served their idols. They insisted that Jesus designated “Mount Gerizim” as a
place of Worship.
Jesus
debunks those false narratives of Worship and says to the Samaritan woman, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in the
Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
Vs. 24, “God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth.
What does worship in the Spirit and in Truth look like? It is spirit-led. It is
not merely singing a few songs but proclaiming God’s character based on the
truth in God’s Word. It expresses our deep love for Him and gives thanks for
all He has done for us. (Ex. Deaf DTS).
III. The Impact of Engaging in God-Exalted
Worship.
In
God-exalting Worship, we are attributing worth to God for who He is and what He
has done for us. Entering into Worship (either individually or
congregationally) “requires that we come expectantly so that the
spontaneous presence of God is invited and experienced from the depth of our
being. As we give ourselves to God, we do so with heart, soul, mind, and
strength.”[1]
Imagine
you are facing a most overwhelming situation. How could Worship help in your
situation? Let’s see how the Worship of God helped David by moving him from
Lament to Prayer and Praise. In Psalm 69: 1-12, it looks like David is facing
an overwhelming situation. He laments that the waters have come up to his neck.
He feels like he is drowning in his sorrow, worn out, faces scorn for God’s
sake, and becomes a stranger in his own family. Does any of these sound
familiar to you? David didn’t get stuck in lamenting. He began to Pray to God.
In Vs.
13-29, David prays, “But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your
favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Answer
me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do
not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come
near and rescue me.” We don’t know how quickly he got the help he sought, but
his perspective changed, and he began to praise God.
In Vs. 29-36, David Praises God. “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or bull. The poor will see and be glad you who seek God. May your hearts live! In worshipping and praising, may we find life. God-exalted Worship replaces our sorrow and depression with joy, peace, and healing. It emboldens us to face the challenges of life. It enables us to love God and others. Our Heavenly Father seeks true Worshippers who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. Will you be one of them?
