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Holding the mouse over the verse references in blue will automatically bring up that verse in a particular translation. The translation  that appears was deliberately chosen (NKJV) not to be the one that is most often used in the verses quoted in this meditation--NIV. To see those verses in other translations after holding the mouse on verse references in blue in the box that appears click on the word 'more' in the lower left corner and then choose a different translation.  Occasionally links on my page are to another file of mine.  



APR.2010

WITHOUT GRATITUDE AND AWE -- IS WORSHIP WORSHIP?       

 

       INTRODUCTION

 

What we see in the picture above is beautiful and inspiring. But it doesn't show everything. It doesn't show the 'life of the jungle'. It doesn't show the death that permeates this earth. What is visible is passing away. God the Creator created it. But it is not eternal. God is so much more. Eternity is so much more. All we can do is stand in awe of our Creator God and be so grateful that he has chosen not to treat us according to our iniquities. We are coming before a 'being' who is eternal, who was not created like we were or our parents were.  We are coming before a 'being' who created everything that is or ever will be.

Does our worship measure up to what we are daring to worship; is our worship everything that God says it should be?

We need to remember who/what it is that we are daring to worship--our Creator God--that which is more than we can comprehend and which exists 'from eternity past to eternity future'.  

"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." (Psalm 95.6-7)

"Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3)

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

How this meditation is structured. The verse quotes are collected under 6 headings and the 'concluding remarks'.
     1--It makes a vast difference who/what we choose to worship
     2--How great is our God who/what we dare to worship
     3--A non-verbal way the attitude of worship in a worshipper is set forth--by body positions
     4--It was God who made us into a community to worship him
     5--How God's word describes the worshippers of God
     6--What worship is not

     Concluding Remarks



 

1-- IT MAKES A VAST DIFFERENCE WHO/WHAT WE CHOOSE TO WORSHIP

It matters who/what you worship. God is not indifferent about who/what we worship.

The ultimate example: Satan versus Jesus. This is vividly described in the Gospel According to Matthew. "Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' " (Matthew 4.9,10)

What is God's first commandment? "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3) Dwight L. Moody commented on this commandment (of the 'ten commandments'), saying, 'If people were true to the first commandment, obedience to the remaining nine would follow naturally. It is because they are unsound in this that they break the others'.

Nothing in all creation is anything like God. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:24-25)

Worshipping any being or any thing other than the Creator God of the Bible is the worst of sins; it is idolatry. More than that, it is the denial of God.

Everybody knows what the word 'idolatry' means. It means worshipping an idol. The term itself is a combination of the Greek word for 'idol' and the Greek word for 'service'. The Bible frequently points out that idolatry is the service of things that human beings (rather than God) have created--often with their own hands.

While the word 'idolatry' does not occur in the Bible (NIV) a tremendous number of times, God declares the idea of worshipping anything other than God as being something not to do--ever. God makes the assertion about not worshipping anything other than God over and over again. To observe a few of God's many declarations of this truth look at section 'C2'  (below) - A NON-VERBAL WAY THE ATTITUDE OF WORSHIP IN A WORSHIPPER IS SET FORTH--BY BODY POSITION. How many times God repeated his commands about what believers should do and must never do!




2--HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD WHOM WE DARE TO WORSHIP

 

 

 

Let us immerse ourselves in the descriptions of the God we worship. So as not to get a mammoth list of quoted verses I have limited answers to those verses that contain particular words that appear repeatedly in the descriptions and portraits of the Creator God we worship. A few if these often used expressions are listed below.

1. One of those frequently occurring words ....... 'splendor'

a. "ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (1 Chronicles 16:29)

b. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom;      you are exalted     as head over all." (1 Chronicles 29:11)

c. "Would not his splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall on you?" (Job 13:11)

d. "For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things." (Job 31:23)

e. "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (Psalm 29:2)

f.  "My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long." (Psalm 71:8)

g. "Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary." (Psalm 96:6)

h. "Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth." (Psalm 96:9)

i. "Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty." (Psalm 104:1)

j. "They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works." (Psalm 145:5)

k. "so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom." (Psalm 145:12)

l. "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens." (Psalm 148:13)

m. "Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty!" (Isaiah 2:10)

n. "They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth." (Isaiah 2:21)

o. "Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor." (Isaiah 60:21)

p. "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:3)

q. "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." (Isaiah 62:3)

r. To his disciples, Jesus said, " And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was    dressed like one of these." (Matthew 6:28-29)

s. "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

t. "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor." (Matthew 4:8)

u. "And he (Satan) said to him (Jesus), "I will give you all their authority and splendor (the authority and splendor of all the kingdoms of the world) , for it has been given to me, and I can give it     to anyone I want to." (Luke 4:6)

v. How often in church do you hear the words 'splendor'? Does not the term 'splendor' describe an awesome quality of the God who created us and everything that surrounds us in time and in    eternity?

w. Put together with all the words of worship and they paint a picture of the 'greatness' of the God we worship. What else could we do? God instructed Moses, saying, "Take off your sandals, for     the place where you are standing is holy ground...At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God." Is this how we feel when we enter the Church--God's building?

2. Another of those frequently occurring words is ..'exalted '

a. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."" (Psalm 46:10)

b. "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!" (2 Samuel 22:47)

c. "He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever." (Job 36:7)

d. "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!" (Psalm 18:46)

e. "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together." (Psalm 34:3)

f. "Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it." (Psalm 37:34)

g. "But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The Lord be exalted!"" (Psalm 40:16)

h. "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth." (Psalm 57:5)

i. "For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods." (Psalm 97:9)

j. "Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy." (Psalm 99:5)

k. "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth." (Psalm 108:5)

l.  "O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1)

m. "With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?" (Micah 6:6)

n. "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:14)

o. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as     head over all." (1 Chronicles 29:11)

p. The apostle Paul's statement about his faith and mission--"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be     exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." (Philippians 1:20)

q. "Therefore God exalted him (Christ) to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name," (Philippians 2:9)

r. "Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." (Hebrews 7:26)

s. "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him." (Exodus 15:2)

t. "But you, O Lord, are exalted forever." (Psalm 92:8)

u. "A psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever." (Psalm 145:1)

v. "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens." (Psalm 148:13)

w. "But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness." (Isaiah 5:16)

x.  "In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted." (Isaiah 12:4)

y. "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1)

z.  Each of these descriptions adds another dimension to the picture of the God we are coming before in worship. Splendor! Exalted! When we put them together they paint a picture of the
     'greatness' of the being, the Creator God, that we worship.

3. Another of those frequently occurring words is ..'worthy'

a. "For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods." (1 Chronicles 16:25)

b. "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross     and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37-38)

c. "John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and     with fire." (Luke 3:16)

d. "The ('prodigal') son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’" (Luke 15:21)

e. "But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage," (Luke 20:35)

f. "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." (Acts 5:41)

g. "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in     one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel" (Philippians 1:27)

h. "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God," (Colossians 1:10)

i. "encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." (1 Thessalonians 2:12)

j. "All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering." (2 Thessalonians 1:5)

k. "With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by       your faith." (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

l. "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself." (Hebrews 3:3)

m. "Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy." (Revelation 3:4)

n. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:11)

o. "And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and     people and nation." (Revelation 5:9)

p. "In a loud voice they sang: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' " (Revelation 5:12)

q. Each of these terms adds another dimension to the picture of the God we are coming before in worship. Splendor! Exalted! Worthy! When we put them together they paint a picture of the

    'greatness' of the God we worship.

4. Another of those frequently occurring words is ..'glory'

a. "ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (1 Chronicles 16:29)

b. "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11)

c. "The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." (Exodus 14:18)

d. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as
     head over all." (1 Chronicles 29:11)

e. "For the director of music. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1)

f. "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (Psalm 29:2)

g. "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth." (Psalm 57:5)

h. "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." (Psalm 96:3)

i. "The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory." (Psalm 102:15)

j. "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth." (Psalm 108:5)

k. "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." (Isaiah 42:8)

l. "From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along."
    (Isaiah 59:19)

m. "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." (Isaiah 60:19)

n. "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
    glory." (Matthew 24:30)

o. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory." (Matthew 25:31)

p. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

q. "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." (John 2:11)

r. In Jesus' final prayer to God, he said, "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." (John 17:5)

s. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (John 17:24)

t. And since the beginning of time what have the unbelievers of the world done? they have "exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and
    animals and reptiles." (Romans 1:23)

u. What does the apostle Paul say to believers? "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

v. What does the apostle Paul say to believers? "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17)

w. "What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—" (Romans 9:23)

x. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

y. "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

z. "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right
    hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:3)

aa. The  apostle Peter tells believers this:  "And when the Chief Shepherd (Jesus) appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4)

ab. "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:10)

ac. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:11)

ad. "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." (Revelation 21:23)

ae.  Each of these terms adds another dimension to the picture of the God we are coming before in worship. Splendor! Exalted! Worthy! Glory! When these expressions are put together they paint a
        picture of the 'awesomeness', of the 'greatness', of the God we worship.

5. Another of those frequently occurring words is ..'revere' 

a. "If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God—61The LORD will also bring on    you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed." (Deuteronomy 28:58, 61) 63 "Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and       increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you." (Deuteronomy 28:63) How important it is to obey--to offer the sacrifice of obedience.

b. "I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." (Ecclesiastes 3:14)

c. "But the earlier governors (rulers of Israel) —those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants
     also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that." (Nehemiah 5:15)

d. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him." (Psalm 33:8)

e. "From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along."
    (Isaiah 59:19)

f.  The apostle Paul tells believers how to behave, saying, "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness
     out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

g. "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)

h. "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord." (Colossians 3:22)

i. "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent
    submission." (Hebrews 5:7)

j. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe," (Hebrews 12:28)

k. "Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17),

l. "Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me
   as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." (Deuteronomy 4:10)

m. "The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory." (Psalm 102:15)

n. "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple." (Psalm 5:7)

o. "You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!" (Psalm 22:23)

p. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him." (Psalm 33:8)

q. "The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory." (Psalm 102:15)

r. "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple." (Psalm 5:7)

s. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him." (Psalm 33:8)

t. "Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you." (Jeremiah10:7)

u. "It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees"
    (Deuteronomy 17:19)

v. Splendor! Exalted! Worthy! Glory! Revere! Each of these terms adds another dimension to the picture of the God we are coming before in worship. When put together they
    paint a picture that reveals how awesome is the God we worship.

6.   Another of those frequently occurring words is ..'worship'

a. "Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me." (Exodus 8:1)

b. "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you," (Exodus 23:25)

c. "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." (Exodus 34:14)

d. "If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed."
    (Deuteronomy 8:19)

e. "People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and
    serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ "(1 Kings 9:9)

f. "Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations;
   make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison." (Deuteronomy 29:18; cf. Hebrews 3:12-14)

g. "But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them," (Deuteronomy 30:17)

h. "They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down
    to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal." (2 Kings 17:16)

i. "When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them." (2 Kings 17:35)

j. "But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices." (2 Kings 17:36)

k. "ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (1 Chronicles 16:29)

l. "When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped." (2 Chronicles 29:29)

m. "Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground."
     (Nehemiah 8:6)

n. "You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in
    them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." (Nehemiah 9:6)

o. "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (Psalm 29:2)

p. "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;" (Psalm 95:6)

q. "Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth." (Psalm 96:9)

r. "From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." (Isaiah 44:17)

s. "I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their
    hands have made." (Jeremiah 1:16)

t. "These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely
    useless!" (Jeremiah 13:10)

u. "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom,
     and all rulers will worship and obey him.’" (Daniel 7:27)

v. Splendor! Exalted! Worthy! Glory! Revere! Worship! Yet another dimension has been added to the picture of the God we are coming before in worship. When all these words
    are put together they paint a picture that reveals how awesome is the God we worship.

7. Another of those frequently occurring words is ..'majesty'

a. "In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble." (Exodus 15:7)

b. "And you said, "The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him."
     (Deuteronomy 5:24)

c. "Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;" (Deuteronomy 11:2)

d. "Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place." (1 Chronicles 16:27)

e. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is
    the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." (1 Chronicles 29:11)

f. "Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my
    people—this is my request." (Esther 7:3)

g. "Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty." (Job 37:22)

h. "Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty." (Job 40:10)

i. "The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved." (Psalm 93:1)

j. "Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary." (Psalm 96:6)

k. "Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty." (Psalm 104:1)

l. "Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty!" (Isaiah 2:10)

m. "Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth." (Isaiah 2:19)

n. "Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the
    Lord." (Isaiah 26:10)

o. "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that
we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2)

p. "He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his
greatness will reach to the ends of the earth." (Micah 5:4)

q. "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

r. "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided
    purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:3)

Splendor! Exalted! Worthy! Glory! Revere! Worship! Majesty! Yet another dimension has been added to the picture of the God we are coming before in worship. When all these
words (which are only some of the most common descriptive words) are put together they paint a picture that reveals how awesome is the God we worship.

Put these expressions together and what kind of a picture of God do we see emerging? What is splendid? What is full of splendor? What is exalted? What is worthy of all our
worship? What is majestic, abounding in glory, in splendor, in majesty? What deserves all our praise, honor and reverence?

While each of these adjectives or verbs appear many times in the word of the eternal Creator God how many times in worship have you heard any of these terms? Do these awesome concepts and expressions permeate--saturate--pervade every aspect of the service of worship of our awesome God so that even if you did not enter the worship service in awe you came out filled with an awe of the 'splendid', exalted, majestic, awesome God in whose world and eternity you live?

"But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath." (Jeremiah 10:10)

"And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of
 men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him
 and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said,
 ‘We are his offspring.’" (Acts 17:25-28)

"Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3)

"For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods." (Psalm 96:4)

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4)

"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 25)

Job was a righteous man from the beginning but after going through many trials and experiences he said to God, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5,6)



3--A NON-VERBAL WAY THE ATTITUDE OF WORSHIP IN A WORSHIPPER IS SET FORTH--BY BODY POSITION.



        WHAT TO DO--The significance of the body position of bowing down is clearly set forth in verses which speak of what to do.

1) "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;" (Psalm 95:6)

2) "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple." (Psalm 5:7)

3) "Then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down
    the Egyptians.’ " Then the people bowed down and worshiped." (Exodus 12:27)

4) "But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer
     sacrifices." (2 Kings 17:36)

5) "Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the Lord your God." So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the
     Lord and the king." (1 Chronicles 29:20)

6)  Even days of widespread idolatry in Israel when Elijah complained to the Lord saying, "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one
     left, and they are trying to kill me" that he felt he was the only faithful person left in Israel the Lord was in control. The Lord replied saying, "Yet I reserve seven thousand
     in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." (1 Kings 19:18) In the post 'Christ's death and resurrection portion
     of God's word the apostle Paul referred to this very incident, saying, "And what was God’s answer to him (Elijah)? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have
    not bowed the knee to Baal." (Romans 11:4)

7) "From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the Lord." (Isaiah 66:23)

8) The ultimate example: In the 'temptations of Jesus described in Matthew this is what Satan said to Jesus after Satan had shown Jesus 'all the kingdoms of the world' --"All
     this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4:9)

9) "By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will
     swear." (Isaiah 45:23)

10) According to the Bible it is the act of bowing down before the Lord that will characterize the ultimate conclusion of history: "All the ends of the earth will remember and
      turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him," (Psalm 22:27) And again, "It is written: " ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee
      will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ " (Romans 14:11) In the book of Philippians this truth is expressed this way--"that at the name of Jesus every
     knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," (Philippians 2:10)

       WHAT NOT TO DO -- The significance of the body position of bowing down is set forth equally clearly in those verses which speak of what not to do.

1) "You shall not  bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
     generation of those who hate me," (Deuteronomy 5:9)

2) " ‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the
     Lord your God." (Leviticus 26:1)

3) "And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and
worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven." (Deuteronomy 4:19)

4) "If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed."
     (Deuteronomy 8:19)

5) "But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will
     certainly be destroyed." (Deuteronomy 30:17)

6) "Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them." (Deuteronomy 11:16)

7) "If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you,
     and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you." (Joshua 23:16)

8) "When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the
     Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices."
     (2 Kings 17:35-36)

9) "Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made." (Isaiah 2:8)

10) "I will destroy your carved images and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands." (Micah 5:13)

11) "It is man’s fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he
      makes an idol and bows down to it." (Isaiah 44:15)

12) "From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." (Isaiah 44:17)

13) "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple." (Psalm 5:7)

14) "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him," (Psalm 22:27)

15) "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;" (Psalm 95:6)

16) "By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear." (Isaiah
       45:23)

While many references referring to 'bowing down' come from the Old Testament, bowing down is not an activity that is 'pre-Christian'. In the apostle Paul's description of
Jesus the Christ as our example who became obedient to death the apostle goes on to say "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,"
(Philippians 2:9-11)

"It is written: " ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ " (Romans 14:11)

When we enter the worship room is either our body or our heart bowed down?

4--IT WAS GOD WHO MADE US INTO A COMMUNITY TO WORSHIP HIM

To believers God says, "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, ...offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)

To believers God says,  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
 wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9) Who chose you? God did.

It is God who created us; we did not create ourselves or choose to be chosen of God; unless God had delivered us from the power of sin (Gal. 3:22) we would still under the control of sin and would hate (=deny the existence of) God. It was God who delivered us and 'called' us out of darkness and made us his people, his adopted children. Nobody and nothing else could have done this. How easy it is to forget to be thankful if our heart is not overflowing with thankfulness ?

5-- HOW GOD'S WORD DESCRIBES THE WORSHIPPERS OF GOD 

God's word not only describes God, the 'object' of our worship, it also describes 'us'--those qualities or attitudes which must be present in us, the 'worshippers' if there is any genuine
worship taking place. "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be
quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2) These qualities
or attitudes include thankfulness, acknowledgement, reverence.

a. Thankfulness

1) "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4)

2) "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing
with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:6-7)

3) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as
you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:15-16)

4) "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (Colossians 4:2)

5) "One thing I ask of the LORD, that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."
(Psalm 27.4)

b. Acknowledgment

1) Belief in the truth comes first. Without such belief, without the acknowledgement of the reality of God by the worshipper there can be no worship. Can anybody
worship what he does not believe exists? "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

2) "Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy" (Leviticus 22:32)

3) "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other." (Deuteronomy 4:39)

4) "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6)

5) "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every
    heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." (1 Chronicles 28:9)

6) "Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;" (Psalm 79:6)

7) "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." (Psalm 91:14)

8) "in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:6)

9) "O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against you." (Jeremiah 14:20)

10) "But I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me." (Hosea 13:4)

11) "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32)

12) "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man (Jesus designation of himself) will also acknowledge him before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8)

13) "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Romans 13:14)

14) "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God," (1 John 4:2)

15) "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23)

16) "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God." (1 John 4:15)

17) Jesus speaking--"He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before
my Father and his angels." (Revelation 3:5)

18) "but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the
world." (1 John 4:3)

19) "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." (2 John 7)

c. reverence

1) "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
(2 Corinthians 7:1)

2) "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple." (Psalm 5:7)

3) "My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name."
(Malachi 2:5)

4) "Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to
revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." (Deuteronomy 4:10)

5) "If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God—"
(Deuteronomy 28:58)  

6) "From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of
the Lord drives along." (Isaiah 59:19)

7) Not everybody--even the leaders in Israel were not always genuine worshippers. "But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the
people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I
(Nehemiah) did not act like that." (Nehemiah 5:15)

8) "Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you."
(Jeremiah 10:7)

9) "To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your fathers." (Jeremiah
44:10)

10) "You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!" (Psalm 22:23)

11) "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him." (Psalm 33:8)

12) "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
(2 Corinthians 7:1)

13) The Bible sets forth the holy standards which were to characterize the ways of the king which the Israelites were considering setting over them. Speaking of the
book of the law, the Bible says, "It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully
all the words of this law and these decrees" (Deuteronomy 17:19)

14) "My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name."
(Malachi 2:5)

15) What does God say to believers? "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting
holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

16) "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the
Lord." (Colossians 3:22)

17) "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)

Do these descriptions describe my every thought and behavior?

6-- WHAT WORSHIP IS NOT

The bottom line is this: If your 'heart' is not worshipping 'you' are not worshipping.

"A story is told in which a man went to church with an angel as his guide. Every seat in the church was filled, but there was something strange about it all.
The organist moved his fingers over the keys, but no music came forth from the pipes. The choir arose to sing, and their lips moved, but not a sound was
to be heard. The pastor stepped to the pulpit to read the Scriptures, but not a sound was heard. The congregation joined in repeating the prayer, but not
a sound was heard.

The pastor again stepped to the pulpit, and went through all the motions of preaching, but the man with the angel heard nothing. So he turned to the
angel and said, 'What does this mean? I see that a service is being held, but I hear nothing.' The angel replied, 'You hear nothing because there is nothing
to be heard. You see this service just as God sees it. These are not putting their hearts into it, so God hears nothing. He hears only that which comes from
the heart, and not that which comes from the lips only.'

As the angel was speaking, back in the last pew they heard a child saying, 'Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name' etc. The angel said,
'You are hearing the only part of this service that God hears. He hears this little child's prayer because she means what she says, and puts her heart and
soul in it.' " (This story was found in Knight's Treasury of Illustrations)

There are many ways of expressing what 'non-worship' is. For example --Going through motions by rote; mechanical motions; perfunctory motions; activities in which the worshipper has no personal concern, 'stake', or involvement. An extreme example of this is to think of a spy being present and going through motions to disguise his real purpose which is to subvert (defeat, undermine) the purposes of the people the spy is trying to look like.

'Lip service' substituting for genuine worship from the heart has been around at long as sin has been around. Worship that is not genuine is not a new phenomenon. Jesus responded to it
in his day by quoting the words of the prophet Isaiah who lived in Old Testament times, saying, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.They worship me
in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' " (Matthew 15:8-9)

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6)

"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."
(1 Samuel 15:22)

In the portion of God's revelations (the New Testament) which was written down after the sacrificial death of Jesus, the Son of God, and his resurrection, we read, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." .(Romans 12:1)

While each worshipper must be ever vigilant to see that his or her worship is not mere 'lip service' or going through the expected motions a far greater danger to every worshipper in the church service is the way the focus of a 'worship service' can be changed without the worshippers even being aware of it. False worship may creep in or be occurring in a
'worship service' when the object of worship is subtly changed. False worship may creep in or be occurring in a 'worship service' when the focus of worshippers is subtly changed--to any object or any issue--whether that object or issue is worthy of consideration or not--if the new focus of attention causes believers ('us') to forget that this is God's world and 'our life' on this planet is only a part of God's plan, part of God's 'drama' which includes not just this life on earth but 'life' throughout eternity. 

In church services of worship how many times is God addressed directly? How many times is God referred to? Because of the preceding context how many times do the pronouns refer to the Creator God?

It is so easy to be distracted from worship--from the worship of God. It is so easy to have our minds directed elsewhere --to some other 'worthy' topic but still a change from the glory of God. An example of such a change in focus might be changing the focus of the worshippers from thinking about the glory of God to thinking about other worthy matters such as kinds of behavior, that is, how the people at the church service can produce the kinds of behavior that God wants to see in his people.

Perhaps this subtle change of focus to something other than how glorious and exalted God is can be illustrated by contrasting it with a funeral service. When we go to a funeral the
deceased person is and never ceases to be the primary focus. There is seldom a confusion or doubt about the 'object' of the ceremony--the focus of every activity is on the person
who died.
--The hymns are often selected because they were favorites of the deceased person.
--The eulogies (the equivalent of the 'sermon'?) deliberately focus on the deceased person's qualities or characteristics.
--The persons who are invited to the funeral are usually relatives of the deceased, friends of the deceased or people who have been associated with the deceased person.


CONCLUDING REMARKS



Am I as grateful to God--to Christ as I should be? Am I as grateful to God--to Christ for what he has done for me as I would be to a fellow sinner who I believed had saved me from
drowning, --an act which involves only the death of the body?

Do we leave the worship event feeling more at peace because we have been reminded of the fact that this is God's creation over which he has complete control? Do we leave the worship event
feeling more gratitude to God because we have been reminded of how much we have to be grateful for? Do we leave the worship event thinking about how much God 'deserves' more
gratitude than we can possibly give? Do the truths of 1 Peter 2:9 make us gasp in astonishment at God's goodness? "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." The next verse says what we were and what we are: "Once you were not a people,
but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:10) Who is it that we came to worship? The Lord who "does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12) "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." (Romans 4:7-8) Does being in church, in a gathering of believers in the worship service bring thoughts about the greatness of our God and the incredible salvation he bestowed upon us? Does being in church reveal to us how shallow and skimpy our verbal and behavioral expressions of gratitude have been? "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5,6) "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heavenand you are on earth, so let your words be few." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2) "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ...12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves," (Colossians 1:10, 12-13) I have so much to be thankful for. Don't you? Doesn't every believer? Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 7:1) "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29) "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1) We worship God because of what he has already done. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life appears then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4). Does not the desire to worship God grow out of awe of God and the feeling of extreme gratefulness to God for what such an awesome God has done for you/me?

 

 

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