Lessons In Worship - Part One
SCRIPTUREJohn 4:21-26
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 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. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
LESSON
Many Christians know little about true worship. Oh, I know the newspapers announce that "morning worship" will be held in certain places at certain times every Sunday. But very frequently, morning worship is "morning service" or "morning liturgy" or "morning pass-an-hour-and-a-half at religious exercises." How much of that is real worship? Just as God seeks the lost to be saved, so He seeks believers to worship Him. John 4:23 says, "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."
How would you define worship? Undoubtedly many people in the world think of worship in terms of attending service or watching a priest going through the formularies of the Mass. To others, worship is simply thanking God for His goodness to them. There can be worship in all of these, but none of them in and of itself is true worship. Mere thanksgiving is not worship. When we thank God for something we have experienced, we are displaying an element of selfishness. Our thanksgiving can rise out of gratitude that something happened to us. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not worship.
Someone has defined worship as "the adoring contemplation of God revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ." "Adoring contemplation" is acknowledging God and just being happy and glad about who He is. We have all seen a mother watching her child. The look in her eyes tells you she loves that child. You can see written all over her face that she is just as proud as can be to have that child. Well, that same emotion, when turned upward, is worship. Love that stoops down is grace. Love that reaches. out on our level from one person to another is affection. Love that rises up to God is worship.
There are many examples of worship in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 4:8-11 says: "The four (living creatures) had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those (living creatures) give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Now that is worship!
STUDY QUESTIONS
- How much does the culture around you influence your ideas of worship? Are they good or bad?
- Would you be able to worship in a church that didn't have all the "necessities" of worship? Why or Why not?
- What is the most important component of worship?
- What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth?
