Engage ourselves with, dwell upon, express the greatness, beauty, goodness of God through thoughts, words, rituals, symbols - alone as well as in union with God’s people. To see God as worthy, ascribe great worth to him.
The good we adore enters our minds and hearts. Worship is opened by study of God’s word. It is most profitable when centered upon Jesus Christ
- Practice defining worship in your own words, everybody gets a chance
Psalm 29:10 The Lord had his seat as king when the waters came on the earth; the Lord is seated as king for ever.
Psalm 103:19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.
Jeremiah 10:10 But the LORD is the only God. He is the living God and eternal king. The earth trembles when he is angry. The nations can't endure his fury.
Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
- Use above references to explain why God is to be worshiped
Jesus taught us the “disciples’ prayer” (Matthew 6:9): Dear Father always near us, may your name be treasured and loved, may your rule be completed in us - may your will be done here on earth in just the way it is done in heaven…
Luke 10:22 All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him
Jesus teaches us that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.“ (John 4:24)
Revelation 5:13 “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
- Explain how Jesus is the essential leader into worship
- What does it mean to worship God in the right spirit? (reverence, attentiveness, …)
What need does worship address?
Need to grow stronger, to be more as God is. Need to more perceive and experience God. Need some immediate and dramatic change in my life (Isaiah 6:1-3)
Worship raises “holy expectancy”: We open ourselves be invaded by the "Shekinah" of God (radiance of God dwelling in the midst of his people)
Direct divine encounter is not essential to true worship: worship is our part.
- By heeding the command of worship, what need do I address in my own life? What area in my life needs dramatic change? Explain in your own words. Give a concrete example.
Old Testament Examples of Worship as God’s Command
Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”
Deuteronomy 12:5-7: Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored. 6 There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks. 7 There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.
Daniel 6:10-11 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.
- Review with the references above how worship is a command of God, even if it might seem dangerous to follow
- Are there ways that others can determine that you are a Worshiper of the Living God?
- What obstacles do you encounter to living in worship to God? What could be an adequate response to the obstacles on your part?
- What “altars” did God call you to build? For example, He may call you to recognize: his love for you in the midst of trial and rejection ... his power to deal with your physical needs ... his light that revealed when others treated you unfairly ... that God has made you a member of the Body of Christ …
Living through the week as heir of the kingdom: Learn to live with perpetual openness to Jesus as my present teacher, listening to God speaking through his word (Jesus Prayer, Lectio Divina)
Expectancy: Come 10min early to Sunday worship to “prepare”: especially pray for anyone attending this morning, anyone who is leading
Expectancy: Arrange Saturday night in preparation for Sunday morning worship (choice of “entertainment”, go to bed early)
- How would you describe your expectancy level that God might intervene here and now in powerful, miraculous, wonderful, … ways
- Where do you feel your conduct is not conducive to a high expectancy of God’s actions?
- Which practical steps do you feel compelled to undertake to raise your expectancy that God would make a difference here and now?
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