What does the
church of Christ teach about worship?
What does the Bible say about worship?
John 4:21-24
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye
shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation
is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such
to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth.
KJV
Introduction:
What does
worship mean to you? Is it a time to sit back and listen or a time to
actively participate?
Are you waiting to experience an emotional high
without having to think about what you’re doing?
Do you come prepared
to worship Jehovah or do you expect others to get you prepared?
We will see
today that it does matter how we worship. We must ask Christ to teach
us what true worship is all about.
True
Worship:
- Not
all worship is “true worship” Acts 17:22-23
- Jesus described true worship to the Samaritan woman at
Jacob’s well. John 4:21-24
- Exercise both heart and mind. The human heart with
its emotions and
attitudes must be involved. Acceptable worship also
includes worshipping
according to the truth of God’s word as revealed by the Holy
Spirit.
Two
extremes are possible.
1. Spirit
without Truth
- Worshipping idols can be emotional, but is false
worship. Isaiah 44:9, 18-20
- It is very prevalent in the religious world to be all
about feelings!
- Many believe that if it gives me an emotional high or
makes me happy, then God must approve of it. Romans
10:1-2
2. Truth
without Spirit
- One may do right outward acts for the wrong reasons,
with wrong
attitudes, insincerely, or arrogantly.
It was thought that correct external worship would excuse
greed and
oppression.
Amos 8:4-5
- To some who were confident of their own righteousness
and looked down
on everybody else, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee
and the tax
collector.
Luke 18:9-14
Sacrificial
Worship:
- God has always desired His people to make sacrifices.
Today, instead of
bringing to God the bodies of dead animals as sacrifices,
Christians offer
our bodies as “living sacrifices.”
Romans 12:1
- Every Christian is a member of a holy priesthood.
I Peter 2:4-5
- Christians offer the parts of our bodies as “instruments
of righteousness.” Romans 6:12-13
- This idea of sacrifice has much to do with our worship
together as Christ’s
church – God’s family.
Give God our
best!
- Prayer:
Listen carefully to words of the one leading prayer. Meditate upon
them.
- Songs:
Honor God with your singing. Show gratitude to the Lord. Do not
be dishonest to the words of the song.
- Listening to God’s word: Open our Bibles and follow along. Allow
the
words to change us. Desire to know God more fully.
- Lord’s
Supper: Remember God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is with us. Focus on
what the bread and fruit of the vine truly mean.
- Offering: Gifts from a willing heart – significant enough to honor
God.
Show that He has first place in our lives.
I pray that you
have seen that it does matter how we worship. It is a privilege
and honor to
those “born again.”
Bobby Stafford
February 20,
2011
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