Worship Devotional CV

Jan 15

Originally posted to the Facebook group on 1/15/2022.

In Spirit And Truth — Defining Worship

Worship Devotional for 1/16/22

Worship is about acknowledging worthiness. The word can be broken down to "wor" meaning "worth," and "-ship" meaning the quality or state of something. So "worship" as a noun refers to the quality of worthiness held by a subject. "Worship" as a verb then is to express worth — to show what the subject is worth or how worthy the subject is. So to worship God is to express His worth. We know that God's worth is infinite, and we as mere mortals could never fully express such greatness. But still, because He is worthy, we must offer what little we do have — all that we have and all that we are — in worship to Him. This is what all of us are called to as followers of Christ, as children of the true and living God.

In John 4:23-24, Jesus said to the woman at the well:

"But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

So our worship must be true and must be spiritual. If we have truth without spirit, then we may be correct in our words or in our theology, but there is no power to change or do anything with it. If we have spirit without truth, then we have a false image or feeling that may seem good or powerful for a time, but will fall apart at some point as all lies do, leaving nothing good or real in its wake. To worship God in spirit and truth, we must be led by the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth and reveals God's word to our hearts.

We need the Holy Spirit within us to worship God in spirit, and we need the word of God to worship Him in truth. As Jesus said in John 17:17:

"Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth."

And Psalm 119:160:

"The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever."

In order to worship God in truth, our worship must be rooted in His word. The songs we sing, the prayers we pray, the thoughts we think, the words we speak, the sermons we preach and heed, the ways we work, the ways we relate with one other, the ways we spend our time and money and energy — everything we think and say and do must be offered in accordance with what God has spoken to us in order to truly be worship unto the Lord. And it is not just that we hear God's word or know what the Bible says or speak or sing accordingly, though these things are certainly good and necessary. We know from James 1:22-25:

"But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does."

So we know that feelings in worship are not sufficient by themselves — we must also act according to the truth as God has revealed it to us. This acting on truth, this obedience to God's commands, is not something that we can conjure up or create by our own strength or will. It comes rather from the Spirit of God working in and through us, with the faith that only He gives. It is a matter of the heart. True obedience and good works are an overflow from within. True worship flows from the heart, and is not defined by mere outward appearances. We know that the Lord weighs the heart from what He said through the prophet in Jeremiah 17:10:

"I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve."

And to the prophet in 1 Samuel 16:7:

"Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart."

And to the church in Revelation 2:23:

"Then all the churches will know that I am the One who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works."

One foundational act of worship, which can only come from the Spirit's work in our hearts, is repentance. This is where true worship begins and also how we maintain it throughout the days of our lives. We can lift up songs of praise and speak words of truth, or hear the word and feel conviction deep within, or participate together in our religious activities and put on a convincing outward appearance of faith, but repentance happens in the deepest part of our hearts, where only God can see. And when we truly repent and turn from our sins and abandon the things that displease Him, running instead toward the light of His goodness and truth, we truly glorify God. May our hearts agree with David in Psalm 51, when he said in verses 6-13:

"Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit. Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You."

Now no one is able to truly worship God with a prideful heart. Humility is essential to true worship. We know from Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5:

"God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."

And James 4:7-10 says:

"Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you."

When He called me to lead worship, the Lord spoke to me and told me, "The call to be a worship leader is a call to humility." We don't have anything that we haven't been given. We are nothing apart from Christ. There is no reason for us to boast in ourselves or in anything other than the cross of Christ, where we died with Him so that we might be raised with Him into a new and true and eternal life. This hope that we have, this faith that we live by, this love that God has for us, is a gift of grace which none of us could ever earn or deserve. We must therefore humble ourselves before Him in worship and offer Him all of our hearts and minds and souls and strength, because we owe everything to Him who is worthy of all the praise of all the things that exist, which He created and spoke into existence.

So we know from the Scriptures that worshipping God (that is, expressing His great worth and giving Him the praise and glory which He alone is worthy to receive) must be done in spirit and truth. We know that God's word is truth and that His Spirit reveals truth to us, and that worship requires action in obedience to the truth rather than just hearing or feeling it. We know that God looks at the heart rather than the outward appearance, that repentance is a necessary act of true worship, and that worship comes from a humble heart toward God.

What else does the Bible say about worship and how we are to do it? We are told in the psalms how we should view God when we come before Him to worship Him. Psalm 29:1-2 says this:

"Ascribe to Yahweh, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due His name; worship Yahweh in the splendor of His holiness."

And again in Psalm 96:9:

"Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth."

Psalm 95:6 shows us a posture of worship before the Lord:

"Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."

Ephesians 5:15-21 instructs us on how to live our lives, gather together as believers, and sing and make music in a way that glorifies God:

"Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."

And also in Colossians 3:12-17:

"Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Perhaps the most direct instruction in the epistles on how we are to worship God can be found in Romans 12:1-2:

"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

So true, biblical, spiritual worship has a heart posture of humility and is an offering of one's whole self in response to God's holiness, with expressions of singing and making music, teaching and preaching the truth of the gospel, and giving thanks to God for everything. True worship consumes every aspect of our lives so that everything may done to the glory of God.

As we gather together for a time of corporate worship each week, may we remember and heed the warning and call in Amos 5:23-24, when God said to the house of Israel:

"Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream."

As we sing songs of praise and make music to the Lord, let it be done in spirit and truth, from hearts that long to know the Lord and give Him the glory and praise He is worthy of. May we be ready to hear and to receive what God is saying to each of us, both individually and as a congregation, that we might obey His word and proclaim His praises to all the world around us, so that people from every tribe and tongue and nation on earth may come to know and to love and to worship the true and living God. This is why we are here. This is what worship is all about.

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