The Purpose of Worship

— Revelation 5:9-14

 

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Worship

  1. The Purpose of Worship
  2. Worship involves coming into the Presence of God
  3. Worship is prayer
  4. Worship involves effort
  5. Problems with Worship

Psalm 149:1-5

  1. Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and his praise in the assembly of saints.
  2. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
  3. Let them praise his name with the dance; let them sing praises to him with the timbrel and harp.
  4. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he will beautify the humble with salvation.
  5. Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds.

Worship

  1. The Purpose of Worship
  2. Worship involves coming into the Presence of God
  3. Worship is prayer
  4. Worship involves effort
  5. Problems with Worship

Revelation 5:9-14

  1. They were singing a new song:
    “You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals
    because you were killed,
    and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God
    persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
  2. You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests
    to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
  3. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand—thousands times thousands—

Revelation 5:9-14 cont’d

  1. all of whom were singing in a loud voice:
    “Worthy is the lamb who was killed
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
    and honour and glory and praise!”
  2. Then I heard every creature—in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them—singing:
    “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise, honour, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!”
  3. And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped.

2. Engagement with God, in his presence

Worship

  1. The Purpose of Worship
  2. Worship involves coming into the Presence of God
  3. Worship is prayer
  4. Worship involves effort
  5. Problems with Worship

3. What IS worship?

Revelation 15:3,5

  1. …They sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:
    “Great and astounding are your deeds,
    Lord God, the All-Powerful!
    Just and true are your ways,
    King over the nations!
  2. Who will not fear you, O Lord,
    and glorify your name, because you alone are holy?
    All nations will come and worship before you
    for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Worship

  1. The Purpose of Worship
  2. Worship involves coming into the Presence of God
  3. Worship is prayer
  4. Worship involves effort
  5. Problems with Worship

4. Worship involves effort

Jeremiah 33:11

  1. ‘the voice of joy and the voice of gladness,
    the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride,
    the voice of those who will say: “Praise the Lord of hosts,
    for the Lord is good, for his mercy endures forever”—
    and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord.

Matthew 15:8-9

  1. ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

2 Samuel 6:14-23

  1. Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
  2. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
  3. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
  4. So they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

2 Samuel 6:14-23 cont’d

  1. And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
  2. Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

2 Samuel 6:14-23 cont’d

  1. Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
  2. So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord.

2 Samuel 6:14-23 cont’d

  1. “And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honour.”
  2. Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

5. Problems with Worship

5. Some Solutions

  1. understand what worship is for (from God’s persective)
  2. fight to engage. This is almost always a battle
    • Set God in your mind’s eye.
    • Picture him, as he really is, right here!
  3. Be conscious that you are addressing him in all the words you use
  4. Come to a decision in your mind about whether you are going to put effort into your worship to please God, or whether you are going to worry about what people think
  5. Don’t be critical: Don’t stand apart from the group who is worshipping, but mentally “join” them as a group, singing your praises.
    There is an element of “submission”