I’d like to unpack one more definition of worship today, keeping in mind that we’ll never exhaust the meaning and wonder of worshipping our Creator and Redeemer, even in eternity.
Biblical worship is God’s covenant people recognizing, reveling in, and responding rightly to the glory of God in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Biblical worship…to separate what we do as Christians from all other types of worship. This also implies that God is the One who determines how we should worship Him. ( Jn. 4:23-24John 4:23-24
[23]But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship
him. [24]God is spirit, and those who worship him must
worship in spirit and truth." (ESV)
)
Is God’s covenant people…God’s plan from the beginning of creation has been to redeem a people for his own possession who would give him glory endlessly. The basis of our relationship with Him is His unchanging character, His unfailing love, and His unrepeatable sacrifice for our sins. ( Ex. 19:5-6Exodus 19:5-6
[5]Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and
keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession
among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; [6]and you
shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the people of
Israel." (ESV)
; 1 Pet. 2:9-101 Peter 2:9-10
[9]But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light. [10]Once you were not a
people, but now you are God's people; once you had not
received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (ESV)
; Rev. 5:9-10Revelation 5:9-10
[9]And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people
for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
[10]and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our
God,
and they shall reign on the earth."
)
Recognizing…This implies mental awareness and perception, as opposed to a highly individualized emotional encounter. ( Ex. 34:6-7Exodus 34:6-7
[6]The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD,
the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, [7]keeping
steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children and the children's children, to the third and the
fourth generation." (ESV)
, Jer. 9:23-24Jeremiah 9:23-24
[23]Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in
his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let
not the rich man boast in his riches, [24]but let him who
boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice,
and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I
delight, declares the LORD." (ESV)
)
Reveling in…One of the definitions for “revel” is “to get great pleasure from.” It is in that sense that we “revel” in God’s glory in Christ. When we find our highest joy, pleasure, satisfaction, and good in knowing God, we are worshipping Him. Although worshipping God involves more than our emotions, it doesn’t involve less. ( Ps. 32:11, 37Psalm 32:11
[11]Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
:4; 1 Pet. 1:8-91 Peter 1:8-9
[8]Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though
you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with
joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
[9]obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of
your souls. (ESV)
)
And responding rightly…There are countless wrong ways to respond to God, including ungratefulness, anger, and idolatry. Our right responses include both adoration and action, both what we do in specific meetings as well as in all of life. ( Rom. 12:1-2Romans 12:1-2
[12:1]I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. [2]Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by
testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)
; Heb. 10:24-25Hebrews 10:24-25
[24]And let us consider how to stir up one another to
love and good works, [25]not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and
all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (ESV)
; Heb. 13:15-16Hebrews 13:15-16
[15]Through him then let us continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that
acknowledge his name. [16]Do not neglect to do good and to
share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to
God. (ESV)
)
To God’s glory in Christ…We have been saved to see that God’s glory has been most clearly revealed in the person and work of His Son. ( 2 Cor. 4:62 Corinthians 4:6
[6]For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"
has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
) This is a precious truth that we must proclaim and protect. ( Heb. 1:1-3Hebrews 1:1-3
[1:1]Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke
to our fathers by the prophets, [2]but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir
of all things, through whom also he created the world.
[3]He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact
imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the
word of his power. After making purification for sins, he
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (ESV)
)
In the power of the Holy Spirit…While they may disagree on the application, Charismatics and cessationists can both affirm that the worship of God is impossible apart from the power of God’s Spirit. ( John 4:23-24John 4:23-24
[23]But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship
him. [24]God is spirit, and those who worship him must
worship in spirit and truth." (ESV)
; Eph. 2:18Ephesians 2:18
[18]For through him we both have access in one Spirit to
the Father. (ESV)
)
More tomorrow. Please feel free to e-mail me with comments or thoughts on how I could serve you with this blog.
Read Why Define Worship - the final post in this series.
For more on this topic, download the following free message from the Sovereign Grace site:
Reconsidering Worship by Bob Kauflin
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