Chapter 5 - Exalts the Lord

If for some reason you are standing while reading this or hearing this, you might want to sit down. Not too long ago, I learned something that has shaken me to my core. It’s made me question my upbringing. I don’t even know what to believe anymore. What’s so shocking? I learned that there is no such thing as Chester Drawers. Some of you must be thinking, “Yes they do. I have some chester drawers at my house.” Well, actually, it is a “chest of drawers.” Who knew? Mind blown, right? But yes, in fact, the correct pronunciation is “of” not “er.” Now I’m contemplating if my entire childhood was a lie. My southern roots definitely betrayed me on this word. I’m glad you all were sitting down.

It can be disturbing to think of something one way your whole life and then find out that it’s not true. We do this with “church” words all the time. We have words that we have heard in a church setting that end up taking on a meaning of their own, a meaning that might be slightly off, or completely off, its original meaning. These words are still used frequently but have veered far enough from their intent that we don’t understand them anymore. One of those words is worship.

If you were to walk into the largest church gathering in the world and ask all the congregants what worship is or what comes to their mind when you say worship, you would get a plethora of answers. You probably would not get the exact same two answers. Yet, every believer knows they are to worship God. Ephesians 5:18-20 says, 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is important for us to clearly understand worship because as a follower of Christ, worshipping Him is of primary importance. For a healthy, strong relationship with the risen Savior, there will be a pattern of authentic worship.

Since this is of utmost importance, we should have a clear definition of what that is and what worship looks like. We need a foundation to build upon. The foundation should be a biblical understanding of true worship.

As we examine the truth of Scripture and the heart of God, we will come to grips that worship is an end in itself; it is not a means of something else. Worship is not a means to an end. When we try to worship for the sake of certain benefits that may be received, the act ceases to be worship. It’s not worship, it’s just good ol’ manipulation. And that goes for the worship of God or the worship of anything.

When I was a Student Pastor in my previous life, I was notorious for the use of the phrase “I can’t hear you!” That’s Student Pastor talk for “Cheer louder because that makes me feel like you are having a good time.” One of the tricks of getting kids to yell louder is to offer them free stuff. It could be the latest technology or a shirt, it could even be a rock. If you tell kids you have something free for them if they scream, they scream…loudly. I never stooped to this level, at least that I remember, but in theory you could get kids to scream and cheer for Jesus if you offered them free pizza. Now the cheering and clapping and screaming, that’s a worthy expression of worship, but if the adoration is given in order to receive something for yourself, that’s not really worshipping. That’s just pretending to get something. We do the same with God.

We worship Him but deep down we do it for some sort of blessing in our health or fattening of our checking account. That’s not real worship. Worship should be the end not a means to an end. I should worship God for His glory alone, not as a path to a desired end. We must be careful to not let our minds think that if we offer God praise, then we should start reaping stuff. That has switched from being the exaltation of God and has become the exaltation of self.

Job, who was a man who had his family and wealth taken from him said this… Job 1:21 …“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” 22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. Job was declaring genuine worship is not about getting for yourself. If that is why you worship, at minimum, you are really just superstitious and, at maximum, flat out a manipulator.

In our relationship with Christ, we should feel that we cannot help but to worship. When you achieve awareness of something that is awe-inspiring, you have no choice but to offer some sort of praise. There are people who deeply appreciate art. They can look at a painting, sculpture, or an amazing photograph and it moves them in their gut or heart and they feel they must respond with emotion or adoration. Greatness was recognized and a response was made.

Maybe that’s not you. Maybe you appreciate a different type of art and you see it in an incredible athletic play, where a ferocious dunk or an acrobatic catch was made that was for you jaw dropping. Maybe that doesn’t do it for you, maybe it’s music or film or food. Whatever you encountered created a visceral response.

There is something you came across your path that evoked a reply. All of us have at some point worshipped. Deep down I believe we are wired to worship. Eph 1:12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Theologian, Philosopher St. Augustine said, “Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom. And man desires to praise thee, for he is a part of thy creation; he bears his mortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that thou dost resist the proud. Still he desires to praise thee, this man who is only a small part of thy creation. Thou hast prompted him, that he should delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.”

Augustine is basically saying, God’s greatness elicits our response in worship. Deep down we were created to worship greatness. We recognize that there is more out there than the mundane, than the normal. When we get a correct vision of God, it demands a worship response because God is only worthy of worship. But until we possess this truth, we settle for the lesser and worship created things instead of the Creator.

Our English word for worship is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word that means one worthy of reverence and honor. We can respect and appreciate the arts, but when we worship we should declare God’s worth. Look at this vision John had of worship in heaven. Rev 5:11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” 14 And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.”

We worship God because He is God. Our worship is given to the One who is worthy simply because of who He is. He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and the Omnipresent One. Ultimately, that is enough to make Him worthy. Yes, He is wealthy and able to meet our needs and answer our prayers, but we must decide if we worship because of His wealthiness or worthiness.

Think about it…would you continue to worship God if moving forward He chose not to give you anything over the bare essentials of life? Would God still be worthy of your worship? Or is your worship completely dependent upon the abundance of material things? The question is, do you worship God to give or get?

There is a worship song that declares our God is worthy…

“I want the Healer not just the healing - I want the Giver not just the gift - I want the REAL thing not just something” That’s worship. It’s not worshipping stuff but seeing the true worth in the one true God.

But it is one thing to read about it or talk about it and another to experience it. What should worship look like? Through the Scriptures, and through the early church, we are painted a picture. What we see is that Worship is a Celebration.

At its core, worship is celebratory. It is a celebration of acts that God has done. Worshippers worship in appreciation for what God has done. 2 Sam 6:5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

Time and time again in the New Testament, Jesus or the apostles would heal someone and they would shout in praise. You don’t have to read much in Scripture to know that worship is a celebration.

Acts 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. 9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God.

Worship is an encounter. Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. The celebration is not “to people” though but “to the Lord.” We celebrate because we’ve had some encounter with Him and so we praise Him for whatever took place in that encounter. Why does the healed man offer praise? Because his encounter with Jesus, through the apostles, changed him.

Worship is an offering. The purpose of worship is not to receive blessings from God but to make offerings to God. Yes, in that encounter you might have received something good, like being able to walk. But now you give God back what you can in worship. In Scripture, as we see people worship God, it involves an offering. Ps 96:8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.

The New Testament also emphasizes giving as central in worship. Phil 4:18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

And of course, what Paul said, Rom 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Considering these principles and in light of these experiences, I ask again…what is worship? I think we should define worship in its most basic form as….Giving in response to God. It is not about getting, but worship is a gift to the Father. As you read the entirety of Scriptures, His people would bring sacrifices of animals and produce, and money, and even their very lives as a gift to God. These offerings are more visible and recognizable, but all offerings aren’t all physical. Sometimes the gift to God was not tangible like love, attention, and focus.

The birth of Jesus is a perfect example. In the birth story you have wise men who come and worship Jesus with actual tangible gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh) but you also have the shepherds respond to the new Savior by praising God verbally. Two encounters, both responded by giving, giving gifts of monetary value and giving praise.

The gift is given as a response to the worthiness of God Almighty. When you realize you are in the presence of God, it stirs within you to offer Him love, affection, sacrifices, money, even your very self. Sometimes it is unmistakable that you are in the presence of God and sometimes you simply give trusting, even though you don’t sense it. But because you believe He is worthy, you still give.

The truth is, you can encounter God anywhere. You can worship God at your house or in nature or even at the mall. But a follower of Christ cannot forget this - it is of high value to gather with the spiritual family and worship the God of the Universe together. This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote this…

Heb 10:19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

The writer of Hebrews is saying we can absolutely go right into the presence of God and we should do that consistently as a church family. It is paramount to be involved in a church. The ripple effect can strengthen, bless, and encourage your life and the lives around you. You need a church family.

Paul writes in Eph 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. All Christians are blood relatives. We might not be related biologically, but we are through the blood of Christ. A local church comprises of people in a specific area that are spiritual birth siblings because of their born-again faith in Jesus Christ. Sadly, today, our understanding of the word “church” and the terminology we use today focuses more on the brick and mortar than the flesh and blood. But a church is not a building.

The Greek word found in Scripture that is primarily translated as “church” is ekklesia. Ekklesia is a compound word composed of two segments: ek, a preposition meaning “out of,” and a verb, kaleo, signifying “to call” - hence, “to call out.” It was a word that would describe a gathering of people for a specific purpose. Many times this word would be used even for political or military gatherings. Jesus used it to describe His followers uniting together. The word “church” we typically see in translations of the Bible comes from the German word kirche. This word is associated with a building. However, that was not what Jesus was communicating.

The church is not a place at an address. It is a family with a mission. It’s definitely not a perfect family. But an imperfect family that sees the bigger picture of traveling on an incredible spiritual journey with each other. The ride is so much better, stronger and enjoyable when you go together. No one likes to ride the roller coaster by his or herself. The thrill of laughing and screaming is compounded in the presence of others. A disciple of Christ that isn’t a part of a church is truly missing out on the blessing of the family. And the reverse is true, too. The church misses out because family members are absent.

Typically, every Sunday, believers get the family together and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords in unity. The Church has been gathering together to worship Jesus now for 2000 years. Every time it gathers, believers link arm and arm with those who have been before for us, still declaring our God is worthy. That’s a big family tree! But over those 2000 years there have been people that stop gathering. They forget the importance of the church family or just don’t see the value that it holds.

Are you familiar with the spadefoot toad? This frog is known to gather in large groups around ponds and sing. They pulsate and vocalize in union creating a harmonious toad song. They do this for two reasons. One is for mating. Growing up, my dad told me I should stick with taking a band class because, in his words, “musicians always get the chicks.” I guess spadefoot toads took seriously my father’s advice. But these frogs also do this for their own protection. When they sing together, they are in such unison, the sound actually makes it difficult for predators to pick off any individual toad. Their song saves them.

Not only are the toads singing a song, we are too. In Psalm 133:1 David sings, How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! Harmony isn’t playing the same notes. Harmony is created through distinct notes that sound good together. When you are in biblical community, the differences sound great together and the listening world wants to hear. That’s when our song saves us.

Many people who profess Christ will say Sunday is their sleep day. Many churches today make it convenient for folks and have late worship services. However, if you have control over your schedule, know that even what time you go to sleep on Saturday night is an act of worship. Sometimes the issue is not sleep but value. What do you really value? If you see the value in worshipping with your church family, you will go to extremes to make it happen. Don’t underestimate how important it is to gather together. The Christian life is to be lived within the context of the fellowship of the saints. The Bible knows nothing of a “lone ranger Christian.”

For many people, making money to provide for your family is a priority. That’s a great priority. To do this, typically you have to get up early and work because you have deemed that important. Know that worshipping the Lord in the context of a church family too, is highly important for the success of your earthly family.

Do not neglect this amazing access we have. Let’s heed the words In Hebrews and together “let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Your Christian health will always reap the benefits of having a spiritual family nearby.