Let’s go to worship carries a lot of various meanings in today’s modern world. As Christians we call Sunday, a day of worship. We encourage people to meet for a worship service. Do we really understand who it is we worship and what it is to be a true worshipper.
For many years I myself coming up in a Pentecostal mind set have had many ways of worship expressed to me. Frankly, I am not sure if anyone truly knew what worship was all about. Who we worship and how has been an age old debate that maybe we all should take a closer look at.
Personally I have come to understand that if you do not have who we worship right, we will never get the rest of it right. My eyes have been opened to see through history and study of scripture, that many of the problems we deal with in the church and God’s people are directly connected to the understanding of who we worship.
I might as well be point blank with you. Today, we have come to the place in our churches we are practicing what we call proper worship and it can not be found anywhere in scripture. We have been deceived and taught to worship others such as Jesus, Holy Spirit, and men of God. We have confused praise with worship, and the actual Sunday service as worship, even though they are not. Can we have a time of worship in a Sunday service or moment of praise? Yes, we can, but praise is not worship and going to a Sunday service does not make you a worshiper.
Now that I stirred up your thinking, hopefully let’s see what worship is all about. I do not consider myself an expert but I do believe the Word of God does have a few things on such a subject. Let’s start with what Jesus said to the woman at the well.
(John 4:20-24 NIV) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem Jerusalem
You see this is an age old debate on where and how to worship. Even churches that may believe in similar doctrines will still say “the way they worship is right and everyone else is wrong”. Jesus spends very little time with the debate but draws he attention to pure worship and who is to be worshiped.
Throughout the four gospels Jesus was always quick to let everyone know he did not seek to be worshiped, but to get all men to worship the Father. “The time is coming” he said, people would worship GOD.
(Mat NIV) Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
(John NIV) I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
(John 17:3 NIV) Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Now before you dig out scriptures to show me that there were people that worshiped Jesus, let’s take a look into what worship was and what it meant to the people of the time.
In the New Testament there are two words used for worship. The first is, proskuneo, pros-koo-neh'-o; (mean. to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):--worship. This carries a wide range of meaning that many in today’s modern world do not understand. This is a positional expression of honor and reverence. Like in England
In today’s churches we stand and sing on an average fast praise songs and follow up with a couple slow songs, closing our eyes, raising our hand or hands and call this worship. This would be very unfamiliar to the people of Jesus’ time. This is also a reason why Jews and Islamist think we are not serious about our worship, for they to this day prostate themselves in worship. To be fair I am not saying one has to lie on the floor to worship and I hope to make that clear as we go.
The second word used in the New Testament is sebomai, seb'-om-ahee; mid. of an appar. prim. verb; to revere, i.e. adore:--devout, religious, worship. This word is used less often to describe the act of worship such as, the people are worshiping together. Or the word is used to describe a type of religious person. This is not the word Jesus used at the well it was the first, as he was telling her God was seeking true worshipers.
So what does it mean to worship as Jesus described to the woman? I think since Jesus referred to the Hebrew way of worship we need to look into the Old Testament to draw out what is worship.
(Gen 24:52 NKJV) And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
(Deu 26:10 NIV) and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me." Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.
(1 Chr NIV) 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.
(2 Chr 7:3 NIV) When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever."
(Psa 29:2 NIV) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
There are three Hebrew words for worship and they all basically mean the same varying from the act of worship to the position of worship. They are shachah, shaw-khaw'; a prim. root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (espec. reflex. in homage to royalty or God):--bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship. Then there is cagad, saw-gad'; a prim. root; to prostrate oneself (in homage):--fall down. Then the last one is in like manor of the second word, cegid, (Chald.), seg-eed'; corresp. to cagad:--worship
So’ what does that mean to us today in how we should worship? Do we need to bow down to the floor to worship? I don’t think so, but it may not hurt some of us to do it now and again. I feel it is what that position represented that we need to understand. When God created man His intention was to have relationship with that created man. God wanted to provide for man in every aspect of life, free from all worries and cares of life. All man had to do was worship God, recognizing His higher position and power over man. It was on this basis that Satan tricked man. (Gen 3:5 NIV) "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Adam and every man until Jesus (Jesus is the only one who did not fall for the lie, Matt. 4.) and still after have believed this lie. We want to be our own god, controlling our own world, but we can not handle it.
The position of worship carried a lot of meaning. When one would bow to a King they would be saying, “You are greater than I or of a higher position than I”. When we are worshiping God we need to be saying from our heart, “God you are greater than I”. Sometimes it may mean we have to humble ourselves, put our faces to the floor and cry out to God the Father, letting him know we are unable to carry life’s burdens. We may be a god of our own world, but God you are the God of all gods. It is not the song we sing it is the words from our heart in humble honor to God who is God alone that we submit our entire lives to.
God chose a nation of people that their very lives depended on him. He wanted their everyday life to be an expression of worship. All that they did centered on the Tabernacle and His presence. The daily work, crops of the field, how they treated each other was to be in complete submission to God. Through Jesus this is the way it should be for each and every believer. Our very life and daily work, and how we relate to others needs to bring honor to God. To do other wise is an act of rebellion, no matter how often you sing a worship song and go to church.
Lord I am nothing without you! I need you in every second of the day! Paul put it so well in his sermon on Mars hill. Read what He said take it to heart and we will pick this up next week.
(Acts 17:23-31 NIV) For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. {24} "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. {26} From one man(Adam) 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. {27} 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. {28} 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' {29} "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. {30} In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. {31} For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man (Jesus) he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
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