Celebrating God through Worship
Celebrating God through Worship
Worship is a loving act of faithful devotion focused on God, which involves reverence and adoration.
The Purpose of Worship
The primary purpose of worship is to honor and glorify God.
It is a response to the recognition of God's greatness and love.
Worship is intended to shape the believer's life, encouraging a lifestyle that reflects devotion and gratitude.
Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
What do you really know about the God whom you think you worship?
Have you ever wondered just how many names God has revealed to us in the Bible?
Each Biblical name of God holds a powerful truth about who He is and how He works in our lives.
God names reflect His manifold glory and His personal involvement with those who seek Him.
They help us know who God is today.
· God is personal, not distant
· God is faithful in every season
· God’s character never changes
Every name tells a story.
Yahweh Jireh—The Lord Will Provide—He was not only providing a sacrifice for Abraham.
He was revealing Himself as the God who sees the need and provides at the right time.
El Roi—The God Who Sees Me—we are reminded that God is not distant from human pain.
He sees, He knows, and He cares.
If you feel alone and your circumstances are overwhelming
Elohim is the name of God, meaning Creator
Elohim means, The Creator God. He created you.
You bear His image! Genesis 1:26-27.
Yahweh is the name for God, meaning I Am
Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God meaning I Am, The Self-Existent One. I Am. He was. He is. He always has been and always will be. He is the Self-Existent One with no beginning and no end. Exodus 3:14-15.
El Shaddai is the name for God, meaning The All-Sufficient One, God Almighty.
This is the name that God revealed to Abram when He established an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants. Genesis 17:1-2.
El Olam is the name of God, meaning He has no beginning or end.
He is the Everlasting God or the Eternal God. Genesis 21:32-33.
Yahweh-Yireh is the name for God, meaning the Lord will provide.
Adonai is the name for God, meaning Lord and Master.
It is first seen in scripture when Abram, longing for an heir, cries out to God. Psalm 16:2.
Yahweh Rapha is the name of God, meaning the Lord who heals.
God is our Healer, in both body and soul! Exodus 15:26.
Yahweh Nissi is the name for God, meaning the Lord is my banner.
A name given by Moses in Exodus 17:15 to signify God's protection and support during battles.
IT REPRESENTS GOD AS A SOURCE OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND HOPE FOR BELIEVERS.
El Kanna is the name for God, meaning consuming fire, jealous God.
God is jealous for you and me. We are greatly loved and treasured! Exodus 34:14.
Yahweh Shalom is the name of God, meaning the Lord is peace.
Yahweh Tsuri is the name for God, meaning the Lord is my rock.
It truly represents His nature and character. God is faithful, and His love endures forever! Psalm 18:2.
Yahweh Roi is the name of God, meaning the Lord is my Shepherd.
This wonderful name and assurance of God from Psalm 23:1 appear only once in the Old Testament.
El Elyon is the name for God, meaning God Most High.
He alone is sovereign, most powerful, and most merciful, as Psalm 7:17 states.
Magen is the name for God, meaning the Lord is my shield, my protector.
God is your shield. You might not be able to see everything God protects you from, but He does. Psalm 3:3.
Migdal-Oz is the name for God, meaning my strong tower or stronghold.
Yahweh Hessed is the name of God, meaning God of forgiveness.
Yahweh Tsidqenu is the name of God, meaning the Lord our righteousness.
Righteousness means that you and I are in right standing with God. Our sinful natures are measured against God's holy nature. Jeremiah 23:6.
Immanuel is the name of God, which means "God with us."
It is one of the most comforting and encouraging names or titles of God. Matthew 1:22-23.
How to Worship
The Second Commandment
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
The first two of the Ten Commandments seem at first to say the same thing. But what they show is that there are many ways to commit idolatry.
One command has to do with the manner of worship while the other specifically mentions any object of worship.
One thing they both acknowledge is that mankind has a natural need to worship something.
Some take the extreme view that the second commandment forbids the taking of pictures, and they won’t allow their portrait to be made (this would include the Amish, although they’re not the only ones).
They also say that animals should not be photographed, drawn, or made into sculpture. The same would apply to any Heavenly creatures.
But God actually encouraged the representation of such creatures in places like Solomon’s Temple. And don’t forget the man-made serpent in Exodus, which was a part of the healing process of the Israelite’s in the wilderness.
In the days of Moses there were prescribed images made of oxen and cherubim. The prohibition was not against art, but against creating idols for the purpose of worshiping them.
WE MUST NEVER WORSHIP THINGS WE CAN SEE, TOUCH, HEAR, OR CONTROL. THAT KIND OF ADORATION BELONGS ONLY TO GOD.
The first commandment orders us to acknowledge that only one God exists.
This is what theologians call monotheism.
Needless to say, we are monotheists.
The second commandment can include prohibiting the worship of the true God, but in a false way. In other words, we are not to try to contain God in idols, statues, or other physical objects.
It was during the time the Ten Commandments were given that the Israelite’s were still under the influence of Egyptian religion.
When they created a golden calf and worshiped it, they weren’t just inventing a new idol. That calf was an Egyptian bull god named Apis.
THE ISRAELITE’S WERE FORSAKING THE INVISIBLE TRUE GOD OF ISRAEL TO WORSHIP SOMETHING THEY COULD CREATE AND SEE - IRONICALLY, SOMETHING RELATED TO THEIR SINFUL PAST.
The second commandment is also relevant to the command by Christ not to store up temporal treasures on earth, which can be stolen or corrupted.
We say we don't actually worship our material goods. But we do if we're making any of them more important to us than God.
God is a Spirit and He must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. It isn’t possible to properly represent Him by any earthly thing we can create.
We were created to worship God; it is life’s greatest privilege and supreme duty to worship Him.
It is the act of worship, and coming together as a worshiping Church that transforms our lives from monotonous to momentous.
First, we must understand the meaning of true worship. John 4:23-24 says, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
In this passage, Jesus explained to a Samaritan woman what worship is, and how it differs from the religion she was accustomed to.
WORSHIP IS A RESPONSE OF GRATITUDE TO ALL THAT GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO BE, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
Second, we must understand the motive of true worship, and why God is seeking worshippers.
We become like what we worship.
This is why it’s important to know exactly who we are worshiping, because if we do not worship Almighty God, we will be susceptible to worship anything else.
Not only does God seek worshipers for what it does for us, but also for what it does for Him. Our praise gives Him pleasure as our Father; He yearns for our devotion and our honor.
Finally, we must understand the method of true worship: both in spirit and truth. When Jesus says to worship God in spirit, He is referring to our innermost being. If our spirit is dead or warped, we can’t truly worship.
Our praise must come from an honest place. But we must also remember to worship in truth; our emotions cannot dictate our praise
“Your worship will never rise higher than your knowledge of God.”
Spirit and truth go together; we honor God by actively praising with our spirit and seeking truth in His Word
WORSHIP, ESSENCE OF
To adore God is to be lifted outside our selves.
I. WORSHIP IS BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
II. WORSHIP IS CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
III. WORSHIP IS STEPPING UP IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
IV. WORSHIP IS THE CELEBRATION OF GOD!
"IF WORSHIP DOES NOT CHANGE US, IT HAS NOT BEEN WORSHIP."
Consider briefly the significance of worship:
· “Job” faced grief by the ability to worship
· It assists in achieving spiritual growth.
· It is a way of showing my thanksgiving to God for all He has done for me.
Ps 100:2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. NIV
· It shows the world where my priorities are.
· It is a period of communion with God with the world shut out entirely.
· It is an experience that should make the heart of every Christian glad!
Life Application The ultimate privilege is to love God and worship Him in spirit and truth.
Today, love Him passionately with all your heart, selflessly with all of your soul, and thoughtfully with your mind
