In the Old Testament the Israelites worshiped by burning sacrifices on an altar. The substitutional sacrifice took the place of the person, therefore paying the penalty of their sin…a means of making them clean.
In the New Testament Paul said “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him…Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon ALL men unto justification of life…that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8-9, 18, 21
Jesus took our place as the final sacrifice for sin. Does that mean that sacrifice is not necessary any more? No! God still requires a sacrifice of us in order to have close communion with Him. Only now, that sacrifice is painful because it involves us personally.
Romans 12:1 spells out our sacrifice very clearly, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” Bodies means “as a sound whole; the complete man” and figuratively speaking bodies us used here to present our whole self (body, soul and spirit) as a sacrifice. Sacrifice means to kill or to slay. So, this passage is in essence saying that what God wants from us, as our sacrifice, is OUR VERY LIFE!
Worship is a life-style and if it is not a part of your life throughout the week, then do not be deceived in thinking you can make up the difference Sunday morning.
Worship should happen in set aside times:
To worship the Lord during your quiet time is not the end…it is only the beginning!! We must walk in fellowship with the Lord throughout the day. C. H. Spurgeon said that he was never out of vital contact with God for more than 10 minutes.
We were created to worship the Lord. We were created for Him, in His image, to become something to Him. As we become something to Him, He finds pleasure in us. This demands that we CHOOSE to be disciplined. This demands that we take out of our lives everything which doesn’t contribute to the one great objective…to love Him.
In the story of Mary and Martha, we discover that Mary chose the better part…to worship Him. In her getting to know Jesus so intimately, she knew some secrets…When Mary poured the oil upon His feet and was reprimanded, He said,
“…Let her alone, It was [intended] that she should keep it for the time of My preparation for burial. [She has kept it that she might have it for the time of My embalming.]” John 12:7
The person who makes the right choice as Mary did, gets to share the innermost secrets of the Heart of the Lord. None of the others knew about His burial, but she did. Her reward was great, the unspeakable honor of sharing the deep feelings of His heart.
The Lord loved us with His life sacrifice, He wants us to love Him with all our heart, and we will miss the sweetness of His love for us if we don’t learn how to love Him. We get intimate with the person who we know loves us, the person who is committed to us…who better should that be than Jesus?
In Matthew 22:37-39 “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.”
God is a jealous God. He desires that we put Him first…Matt.6:33 He desires our worship. It is in this process of worshipping God that He communicates His presence to you and me.
The discipline to make and keep an appointment will most likely always be a struggle. The enemy will always distract and tempt to delay and finally to kill the time entirely. Without a quiet time with the Lord every day, we do not have our
manna for the day. Manna saved for another day grows old, sour, and rancid, wormy and stank.
“But He replied, It has been written Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4 Amp. Stephen Olford says that this is the word that God speaks to your soul in the quiet place of prayer and meditation. It is the thing that maintains life—the living word of God which is spoken to your soul every day.
To express worship:
bow, make a gift of self, yield “…to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship,crown Him,consent to His work in you “I am His workmanship”,adore, admire, appreciate, express gratefulness for His works and His blessings. You can do all of this by speaking, singing, and silent reverence.
Worship is critical because: God desires our worship Deut 26:10: I Chr. 16:29; Psa. 95:6; 96:9; Matthew 4:10; John 4:24; Rev. 14:7; 22:9
Christ was worshipped Matt.2:11; 14:33; 28:9; Luke 24:52; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:8
Our attitude in worship: “God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).” John 4:24
Hindrances to worship: Unsurrendered Heart…”let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily”. Unconfessed sin. Wrong attitude (especially when it is directed toward some other brother or sister in the Body of Christ – Matt. 5:22-23.) Enemy opposition. Physical tiredness and emotional fatigue.Unbelief – faith is foremost.
Revelation 4: 10-11 “The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the Throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out, Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.”
The falling down indicates the submission to the One worshipped…the first essential condition for true worship. The second essential is that Christ alone should be glorified, which the casting down of their crowns indicate.
“…You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.” Matthew 4:10 shows us the priority of worship. Worship comes first, then serve.
We must have a true vision of the Lamb, a true concept of God…to know Him is to worship Him!
How to Worship:
A WHOLE heart for true worship
Must have clean hands—no unconfessed sin…deal with sin immediately
Obedience
Dependence on the Holy Spirit. True worship takes place when the spirit of woman is controlled by the Spirit of God.
Concentration…kneel with eyes closed in order to concentrate all of your attention and affection on the Lamb of God. Forget all else in order not to forget Him!! You will find that when you concentrate all your attention on the slain Lamb, you may experience a lot of turmoil. Many common and strange, confusing thoughts may come along with many “to do” things that need your attention. You must lean completely on the precious Spirit to enable you to concentrate. Don’t give up. It is certainly an appropriate time to commit yourself to the Lord and rebuke the enemy.
Express all your statements of His worth audibly. Pray outloud.
Use Scriptures. Rev. 5:9,12;Psa.8:1; 19:1; 36:5-9;29:1-2
Choose passages of Scripture which occupy you with Him. Example: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.” Psa. 8:1
Memorization proves its value over and over as we recite back to Him with exaltation of Him personally!
The Word of God is His general love letters to all born agains. The quiet spoken words which He gives to us personally during our quiet times with Him are His special love notes! To discover and hear His personal love notes, we must be in the Word. Bible Study should be a time of worship.
Sing unto the Lord: I Come to the Garden Alone
Fairest Lord Jesus
Abandon yourself to worship – be lost in worship! During those set aside times.
But what about ALL the day?
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