Praise
Worshipping the Living God
By Predikuesi
Jan 19, 2007 - 12:37:23 AM

Worshipping the Living God
“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:5-7)

Introduction

Worship is an extremely important part of the believer’s service to God. Unfortunately this is one of the areas where the devil can introduce a counterfeit. He knows all about praise, therefore he can easily convince believers, unless they are truly led by the Spirit, that they are worshipping God when in fact they are not (see Ezekiel 38:13-16). There is obviously a right and a wrong way to worship God.

Today’s worship

The very ministry that should bring us in humility before the feet of the Lord has become yet another avenue to exalt the flesh. In many churches the worship service has been reduced to entertainment and for the glorification of those who have beautiful voices above a clean heart. Modern worshippers live according to feelings, emotions and sensations. If they don’t get those feelings then the whole meeting is boring in their estimation. So when they go to church and the sound isn't turned up high enough, they are not stimulated. When the beat isn't there, they are not excited. When the singer is not good enough, they are not edified. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Do not flatter yourselves: if you go to places of worship merely to look about you or to hear music, you are not worshipping God” and “If we choose a false way of worship we shall, ere long, choose to worship a false god.”

Worship God

Our worship will only be as great as our dedication and commitment to God. If we have no time for Him during the week, then whatever worship we offer Him on Sunday is weak, worthless and a sham. We can only worship God to the extent that we love and obey Him, or to quote Spurgeon again, “Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the Majesty of Heaven.” False worship is all words and no heart, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me” (Matthew 15:8-9).

The God we worship is involved and interested in every aspect of our daily lives, both the good and the difficult. We must worship Him during the bad times as well as the good, otherwise we will have an unbalanced view of the Lord. Some stop worshipping Him the moment something goes wrong. This proves that they live according to their feelings instead of by faith. To them He is only a good-time God.

Job is an excellent example of how to worship God. He realised that the Lord was still almighty and worthy of praise even though his whole world had collapsed around him, “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). This is especially significant when we understand that God sometimes allows hardships to test the quality of our faith and commitment to Him (see opening text). Do we feel comfortable about worshipping God now?

Worshipping those we love

People today worship musicians, sport and film stars. They will honour their idols by wearing their names on their clothing and tattooing them on their bodies. What does God mean to us? Do we truly honour and worship the God of glory? Too often worship is flippant and carnal. Instead of coming “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms” (Psalm 95:2) many stomp their way into His presence as though they deserved to be there. They forget that they are dealing with the Lord God Almighty, so holy that no man can look upon Him, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13). All of us are unworthy to cross the threshold of the Holy of Holies, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Such flippancy is the result of a poor concept of who God is. True worship is a heartfelt expression of love, devotion and passion for Christ]

I sing the praises of me

God is an awesome God and we are all of unclean lips. How then can these lips of ours offer praise to Him? Worship ought to reveal our honour of Him in true reverence and godly fear. Modern worship is self-centred rather than God-centred. Notice the abundance of songs that glorify the flesh with their “I’s” and “me’s”. It is though “How great I am” has replaced “How great Thou art.” We need to purify our worship and eradicate all songs that exalt self and the church, or else we will be guilty of the same error mentioned in Romans 1:25, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.” It is time for true worshippers to decrease, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Conclusion

“When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures” (Jeremiah 10:13) … “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). We must “worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) by laying down our lives as a living sacrifice (see Romans 12:1-2). The ability of the singer is far less important than the God we serve. Worship is not about beautiful singing but about holy living. Anything short of this is not true worship.

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