PSALM 100:3,5
WHY WORSHIP?
Worship Series #1
Please turn to Psalm 29:2.
A. W. Tozer – “God wants worshipers before workers; indeed the only acceptable workers are those who have learned the lost art of worship. . . . The very stones would praise him if the need arose and a thousand legions of angels would leap to do his will.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca - He who knows God reverences him. -Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entries 12099-12100.
Nels F. S. Ferré – “In worship we meet the power of God and stand in its strengthening.”
Erwin W. Lutzer – “If we haven't learned to be worshipers, it doesn't really matter how well we do anything else.”
Richard J. Foster – “If worship does not change us, it has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change. Worship begins in holy expectancy; it ends in holy obedience.”
Paul Stromberg Rees – “If you can leave your church on Sunday morning with no feeling of discomfort, of conviction, of brokenness, of challenge, then for you the hour of worship has not been as dangerous as it should have been. The ease with which we go on being Christian sentimentalists is one of our worst faults.” -Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entries 12103-12106.
I come to Sunday School, but have I worshipped?
I come to church, but have I worshipped?
I come to Prayer Meeting, but have I worshipped?
My mind is easily distracted.
There are so many things that I can think about as I sit in a pew, or stand before you.
My tongue can easily mouth words of hymns that I give little or no thought to. So often when I worship, “the light’s on, but nobody’s home”.
Psalm 29:2 - Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Why is it that we get more excited talking about our grandchildren then we do worshipping God?
Why is it that we get more excited about buck season than giving praise to our God?
Why is it that we get more excited about the Steelers, Pirates, or Penguins than we do worshipping our King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Psalm 29:2 - Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
We get little out of church because we put little into it.
We haven’t really learned to give the Lord “the glory due unto His name” because we haven’t truly learned to worship Him in the beauty of holiness.
So what is worship?
In the Old Testament, the primary word translated “worship” means to “bow down”. When we bow down before something or someone, we are submitting ourselves.
In the New Testament, according to Warren Wiersbe, the key Greek word for worship means to ‘to kiss toward’. “It conveys the idea of showing reverence or doing obeisance to God, humans, or even Satan. Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship
Playground, Battleground, or Holy Ground? Second edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2000) p.20
Warren Wiersbe also says, “When we consider all the words used for worship in both the Old and New Testaments, and when we put their meanings together, we find that worship involves both attitudes (awe, reverence, respect) and actions (bowing, praising, serving). It is both a subjective experience and an objective activity.” Wiersbe, p. 20-21
My friend, I suggest to you that everyone worships something or someone. Everyone bows to and reverences something or someone. We as Christians are to bow to and worship God; but why?
Please turn to Psalm 100, a classic psalm that tells us about worship. It is here that we will find why we should worship God. We will find that:
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE IS LIKE
Psalm 100:1 - Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
To make a joyful noise is to “shout joyfully”.
There should be joy in our hearts and on our lips when we worship God.
Church should not resemble a morgue!
There should be joy in church!
There should be no lack of reverence for God, but there should also be no lack happiness.
There are times to be solemn, to be sorrowful, to mourn over sin, to be serious in prayer.
But when we worship privately or publicly there should be great joy!
J. Vernon McGee – “You worship God when you praise Him. He wants you to be happy.” J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, Volume 2, (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982), p.822
Charles Haddon Spurgeon – “Our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people;” Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Volume IV (New York, Marshall Brothers Ltd. ND) p. 233
If we are going to “shout joyfully” that certainly means that our praises can and should be loud at times. If our hearts are shouting for joy our lips should too!
Psalm 100:2 - Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Whatever we do, we should do as an act of worship to our God. We’ll say more about that in coming weeks.
We should see worship as a service to our God, and we should be glad to serve our God. If we are glad to serve our God, we will be glad to worship our God.
You don’t like it when someone begrudgingly pays you a compliment. You would rather have someone gladly compliment you.
We should not grudgingly serve our God in worship, we should gladly worship Him.
We are also to come before his presence with singing.
Whether we worship privately our publicly, music is to be a great part of the worship of our God.
Psalm 30:4 - Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psalm 150:3-6 - Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. [4] Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. [5] Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. [6] Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Ephesians 5:18-19 - And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; [19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
So, you see, it is very fitting that we begin our worship services with music!
Why should we go through all this “trouble” to worship God?
Psalm 100 gives us reasons for worshipping our God.
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
Psalm 100:3 - Know ye that the Lord he is God:
Spurgeon – “Our worship must be intelligent. We ought to know whom we worship and why.” Spurgeon p. 234
The word “LORD” here refers to the word Jehovah, the self existent one, the great “I AM”.
Revelation 1:8 - I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
When I truly “know” something, I have a heart-felt conviction that I know it. If I know that the Lord is God, I am thoroughly convinced in my heart, and wouldn’t dare worship anyone or anything but Him.
When I truly know that the Lord is God:
· I will accept the fact that His ways are best.
· I will accept the fact that He knows more than I know and isn’t obligated to explain to me what He knows.
· I will want to give Him my adoration.
Do you know within your heart that the Lord is God?
I didn’t say “head”, I said “heart”.
If, deep down in your heart, you know that the Lord is God, you will look for opportunities to worship Him publicly and privately, not just for an hour and fifteen minutes on Sunday Morning.
Other things will be less important than praising Him!
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
You wouldn’t be here if God hadn’t created you.
Nothing would be here if God hadn’t created it.
Psalm 135:6 - Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
If we had no other reason to worship God, and there are many other reasons, we are obligated to worship Him, because we are creatures, we are creations, but HE IS CREATOR!
Revelation 4:11 - Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
And have you ever thought of just how wonderful the human body is? It is absolutely amazing.
It is not wonder that David said in Psalm 139:14,
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Your body is the most sophisticated creature in the world.
· Your body, unless sick, maintains a consistent temperature of around 98.6 degrees.
· Your blood flows through your body without you thinking about it.
· Your heart keeps pumping, you continue to breathe whether you think about it or not.
· Your digestive system processes your food.
· And your brain is more advanced than any computer.
If you look at the things around you, the beauty of nature, and the complexity of creation in the plants and animals, you should be ready to bow your knee to the one who created it all!
Romans 1:20 - For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Not everyone can worship God for these reasons.
Everyone one can worship God as creator.
Not everyone can worship God because they are His people and sheep.
When this psalm was written the Children of Israel were the people of God. Today it is those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who are the people of God .
God’s people are those people who God will receive into Heaven. Jesus tells us that God’s people must be born again!
John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Those who are “born again” have experienced a second birth, a birth that is spiritual and not physical.
John 3:6-7 - That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
To be born again one must first realize that he is a sinner and can’t save himself, that he is not good enough to enter Heaven as he is.
To be born again one must realize that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who died for their sins, so that they might be forgiven and enter Heaven.
To be born again is to at a specific moment in time, receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
John 1:12-13 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
If you have truly trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have been born again into the Family of God. You are a citizen of Heaven, even though you are not there yet. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD!
You and I, who have failed God, who have often blasphemed Him, dishonored Him, and caused Him much sorrow and grief, have been made His children.
If that isn’t reason to worship God, I don’t know what is!
And to add to that, God has placed His Holy Spirit inside of us, telling us, witnessing to us, that we indeed are the children of God!
Romans 8:15-17 - For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
As a child of God, I have great standing in Heaven.
As a child of God, I have great help on earth.
When someone hassles me, he is hassling God’s kid.
When I need protection or have problems, I need not fear because I am God’s kid.
When I pray to God I come before Him as God’s kid.
And just as I, as an earthly parent tried to meet the needs of my children, God takes care of the needs of His children!
And as if this weren’t enough, that we can worship God because we are His children, God reminds us here that not only are we his people, but we are His sheep!
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
Jesus tells us in John 10:27-30, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. [30] I and my Father are one.
The Lord Jesus is taking personal responsibility for you as one of His sheep, if you know Jesus as your Savior.
Please listen to these familiar words with a new appreciation for what it means to be one of His sheep.
Psalm 23:1-6 - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. [2] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. [3] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. [4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. [5] Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. [6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
If you honestly reflect on the 23rd Psalm, you will have to admit that we have every reason to worship!
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE IS LIKE
Psalm 100:5 - For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
You have life because the Lord is good.
You have eternal life, if you know Jesus as Savior, because the Lord is good.
Your every day needs are met because the Lord is good.
You have answers to prayer because the Lord is good.
You have the beauty of creation because the Lord is good.
There is truth and righteousness because the Lord is good.
his mercy is everlasting;
This word “mercy” means “love”.
God’s love is eternal.
It began before the foundation of the world.
It will continue throughout all eternity.
His love is best summed up in that old familiar favorite,
John 3:16 - quote
truth endureth to all generations.
God’s truth endures, because God’s word endures.
God’s truth endures, because God’s Son endures.
John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
We can worship God because of what he is like, and these are just three examples.
There are more reasons to worship God because of what He is like. You will find them as you read His Word.
Tonight, I invite you back to worship God again. Who says once a week is enough? And as you go through this week I challenge you to worship God every day, throughout the day.
And come next Sunday to worship God!
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE
WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT HE IS LIKE