What is worship? Is it liking what
God has given us, that is in material things and saying thank you
for these things?
Or is it being lost in wonderment
at the condescension of an Almighty God to uplift us from the pit
of sin that we have sunk ourselves into?
The bible tells us that the last
of these is the closest to the truth as we shall discover as we
have a look at these passages in the BIBLE!
Psalm32:1 Our God, you bless everyone
whose sins you forgive
and wipe away.
2 You bless them by saying,
“You told me your sins,
without trying to hide them,
and now I forgive you.”
3 Before I confessed my sins,
my bones felt limp,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Night and day your hand
weighed heavily on me,
and my strength was gone
as in the summer heat.
5 So I confessed my sins
and told them all to you.
I said, “I’ll tell the Lord
each one of my sins.”
Then you forgave me
and took away my guilt.
6 We worship you, Lord,
and we should always pray
whenever we find out
that we have sinned.
Then we won’t be swept away
by a raging flood.
7 You are my hiding place!
You protect me from trouble,
and you put songs in my heart
because you have saved me.
8 You said to me,
“I will point out the road
that you should follow.
I will be your teacher
and watch over you.
9 Don’t be stupid
like horses and mules
that must be led with ropes
to make them obey.”
10 All kinds of troubles
will strike the wicked,
but your kindness shields those
who trust you, Lord.
11 And so your good people
should celebrate and shout.
Psalm 40:1 I patiently waited, Lord,
for you to hear my prayer.
You listened 2 and pulled me
from a lonely pit
full of mud and mire.
You let me stand on a rock
with my feet firm,
3 and you gave me a new song,
a song of praise to you.
Many will see this,
and they will honor and trust
you, the Lord God.
4 You bless all of those
who trust you, Lord,
and refuse to worship idols
or follow false gods.
5 You, Lord God, have done
many wonderful things,
and you have planned
marvelous things for us.
No one is like you!
I would never be able to tell
all you have done.
6 Sacrifices and offerings
are not what please you;
gifts and payment for sin
are not what you demand.
But you made me willing
to listen and obey.
7 And so, I said, “I am here
to do what is written
about me in the book,
where it says,
8 ‘I enjoy pleasing you.
Your Law is in my heart.’ ”
9 When your people worshiped,
you know I told them,
“Our Lord always helps!”
10 When all your people met,
I did not keep silent.
I said, “Our Lord is kind.
He is faithful and caring,
and he saves us.”
11 You, Lord, never fail
to have pity on me;
your love and faithfulness
always keep me secure.
12 I have more troubles
than I can count.
My sins are all around me,
and I can’t find my way.
My sins outnumber
the hairs on my head,
and I feel weak.
13 Please show that you care
and come to my rescue.
Hurry and help me!
14 Disappoint and confuse
all who want me dead;
turn away and disgrace
all who want to hurt me.
15 Embarrass and shame
all of those who say,
“Just look at you now!”
16 Our Lord, let your worshipers
rejoice and be glad.
They love you for saving them,
so let them always say,
“The Lord is wonderful!”
17 I am poor and needy,
but, Lord God,
you care about me,
and you come to my rescue.
Please hurry and help.
How do we Worship?
In addition to these passages of
scripture on worship there is other sources of information that
discusses the theme of worship one of them being the christian writer
E.G. White the articles below are from her pen and are from many
different books and manuscripts. I appreciate the assistance of
the E.G. White Estate for their web page and search engines.
In the future I will be placing
peices of material here from the Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon.
I will worship toward thy holy temple,
and praise thy name for thy
loving-kindness and for thy truth.
Ps. 138:2.
Chapter Title: Fountain of Life
and Power
The church of God below is one with
the church of God above. Believers on the earth and the beings in
heaven who have never fallen constitute one church.
Every heavenly intelligence is interested
in the assemblies of the saints who on earth meet to worship God.
In the inner court of heaven they listen to the testimony of the
witnesses for Christ in the outer court on earth, and the praise
and thanksgiving from the worshipers below is taken up in the heavenly
anthem, and praise and rejoicing sound through the heavenly courts
because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam.
While angels drink from the fountainhead, the saints on earth drink
of the pure streams flowing from the throne, the streams that make
glad the city of our God. Oh, that we could all realize the nearness
of heaven to earth! . . . In every assembly of the saints below
are angels of God, listening to the testimonies, songs, and prayers.
Let us remember that our praises are supplemented by the choirs
of the angelic host above.
The bright and cheerful side of
our religion will be represented by all who are daily consecrated
to God. . . . While we review, not the dark chapters in our experience,
but the manifestations of God's great mercy and unfailing love,
we shall praise far more than complain. We shall talk of the loving
faithfulness of God as the true, tender, compassionate shepherd
of His flock, which He has declared that none shall pluck out of
His hand. The language of the heart will not be selfish murmuring
and repining. Praise, like clear-flowing streams, will come from
God's truly believing ones. . . .
Worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev. 14:7 .
The duty to worship God is based
upon the fact that He is the Creator and that to
Him all other beings owe their existence.
And wherever, in the Bible, His claim to
reverence and worship, above the
gods of the heathen, is presented, there is cited
the evidence of His creative power.
"All the gods of the nations are idols: but the
Lord made the heavens" (Ps. 96:5).
"To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be
equal? saith the Holy One. Lift
up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created
these things." "Thus saith the Lord
that created the heavens; God Himself that
formed the earth and made it: .
. . I am the Lord; and there is none else" (Isa. 40:25,
26; 45:18).
· come, let us worship and bow down:
let us kneel before the Lord our maker . Ps. 95:6
The Lord has a special interest
in the families of His children here below. Angels
offer the smoke of the fragrant
incense for the praying saints. Then in every family
let prayer ascend to heaven both
at morning and at the cool sunset hour, in our
behalf presenting before God the
Saviour's merits. Morning and evening the
heavenly universe takes notice of
every praying household.
Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15.
The Bible is a guide in the management
of children. Here, if parents desire, they
may find a course marked out for
the education and training of their children, that
they may make no blunders. . . .
When this Guidebook is followed, parents, instead
of giving unlimited indulgence to
their children, will use more often the chastening
rod; instead of being blind to their
faults, their perverse tempers, and alive only to
their virtues, they will have clear
discernment and will look upon these things in
the light of the Bible. They will
know that they must command their children in
the right way.-- Child Guidance,
p. 256.
Trust. . .in the living God, who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy. 1 Tim. 6:17.
We should be much happier and more
useful, if our homelife and social intercourse
were governed by the principles
of the Christian religion, and illustrated the
meekness and simplicity of Christ.
. . . Let visitors see that we try to make all
around us happy by our cheerfulness,
sympathy, and love.
To make an image of God dishonors
Him. No one should bring into service the
power of imagination to worship
that which belittles God in the mind and
associates Him with common things.
Those who worship God must worship Him in
spirit and in truth. They must exercise
living faith. Their worship will then be
controlled not by the imagination,
but by genuine faith.
Let men worship and serve the Lord
God, and Him only. Let not selfish pride be
lifted up and served as a god. Let
not money be made a god. If sensuality is not
kept under the control of the higher
powers of the mind, base passion will rule the
being. Anything that is made the
subject of undue thought and admiration,
absorbing the mind, is a god chosen
before the Lord. God is a searcher of the heart.
He distinguishes between true heart-service
and idolatry (MS 126, 1901).
Jesus answered the woman by saying
that the time was at hand when they should
neither worship the Father in that
mountain nor in Jerusalem. Said he, "Ye
worship ye know not what; we know
what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and
144
now is, when the true worshipers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth;
for the Father seeketh such to worship
him. God is a Spirit; and they that worship
him must worship him in spirit and
in truth."
This was a plain statement that
the Jews were more nearly correct in the
principles of their religion than
any other nation. Jesus also alluded to the faith of
the Samaritans being amalgamated
with the worship of graven images. True, they
held that these idols were only
to remind them of the living God, the Ruler of the universe; but,
nevertheless, the people were led to reverence these inanimate figures.
The earth is the Lord's, and the
fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein. Ps. 24:1.
God speaks to us in nature. It is
His voice we hear as we gaze upon the beauty and
richness of the natural world. We
view His glory in the beauteous things His hand
has made. We stand and behold His
works without a veil between. God has given
us these things that in beholding
the works of His hands we may learn of Him.
An Act of Worship Like Prayer --Singing,
as a part of religious service, is as much an
act of worship as is prayer. The
heart must feel the spirit of the song, to give it
right expression.--PP 594.
Meaning of Words in Songs --As a
part of religious service, singing is as much an act
of worship as is prayer. Indeed,
many a song is prayer. If the child is taught to
realize this, he will think more
of the meaning of the words he sings and will be
more susceptible to their power.--Ed
168.
To Satan's demand for worship, Christ
answered: "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and
Him only shalt thou serve." Matthew
4:3-10.
"Let all the angels of God worship
Him." Hebrews 1:6.
Joyfully the leaders of the heavenly
host adore the Redeemer. The innumerable
company of angels bow before Him,
and the courts of Heaven echo and re-echo with
the glad shout:
Fathers and mothers, make the hour
of worship intensely interesting. A little
thought given to preparation for
this hour will enable you to make it both pleasant
and profitable. Eternity alone will
reveal the good results with which such seasons
of worship are fraught.
The life of Abraham, the friend
of God, was a life of prayer. Wherever he pitched
his tent, close beside it was built
an altar, upon which was offered the morning and
evening sacrifice. When his tent
was removed, the altar remained. And the roving
Canaanite, as he came to that altar,
knew who had been there; and when he had
pitched his tent, he repaired the
altar, and worshiped the living God.
Chapter Title: Family Worship not
to be Neglected
While we endeavor to secure the
comfort and happiness of our guests, let us not
overlook our obligation to God.
The hour of prayer should not be neglected for any
consideration. . . . At an early
hour of the evening, when you can pray unhurriedly
and understandingly, present your
supplication, and raise your voices in happy,
grateful praise. Let all who visit
Christians see that the hour of prayer is the most
sacred, the most precious, and the
happiest hour of the day. Such an example will
not be without effect.
Article Title: Never Man Spake Like
This Man
The woman of Samaria said to Christ,
"Our fathers worshiped in this mountain;
and ye say, that in Jerusalem is
the place where men ought to worship." Jesus
answered, "Believe me, the hour
cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain,
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know
what we worship: for salvation is
of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshipers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth: for the
Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in
truth." A God of infinite holiness does not accept
a spiritless offering. Those who
worship him must worship him in spirit and truth,
or else their worship is valueless.
God has no part or lot in the matter; for their
pretensions are vain.
Article Title: Never Man Spake Like
This Man
These words are still sounding.
They contain truth which is universal, which is a
light to all believers and a condemnation
to all unbelievers. But they were
particularly fitted to the Jewish
nation. The religious services of the Jews had
degenerated from spiritual worship
to a mere formalism. "In vain do they worship
me," said Christ, "teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men." The proud
lovers of pleasure were so fully
engrossed with their own ambitious expectations
and desires that they had no relish
for the words of the great Teacher. He did not
encourage their worldly projects;
he never flattered them or praised their
smartness; and his words were not
pleasant to their world-bound souls.
Chapter Title: Heart Worship Required
The incense of true worship, which
should have been offered to God, has been
mingled with the worship of self.
In the place of lifting their thoughts to God, in the
place of learning to know Him better,
men deny Him in their lives. Their attention
is taken up with objects that conceal
God from their view.
Chapter Title: Heart Worship Required
Thus it is with the great majority
of religionists. God calls for sincere
heart-worship. The door to light
and an intelligent knowledge of the truth is open
to every sincere worker for God.
In order for worship to be acceptable, it must be
offered in faith and hope, and the
life must be in harmony with it. God requires the
devotion of heart, mind, soul, and
strength. Our noblest powers are to be used to do
Him homage. Our thoughts are to
be conformed to His will; our affections
sanctified to His service.--Letter
143, 1904, pp. 3,4. (To Marian Davis, April 28,
1904.) White Estate Washington,
D. C. March 3, 1980
This movement, demanding that all
observe as sacred an idol sabbath, resembles
the act of Nebuchadnezzar in making
a golden image, and setting
219
it up for all to worship. In the
interpretation of the king's dream, Daniel had told
him, "Thou art this head of gold."
Chapter Title: True Worship Vs.
False Worship
The dream was given the king to
show him that earthly kingdoms were not
enduring, but would pass away and
be followed by the kingdom of the Prince of
heaven, which should fill the whole
earth. But Nebuchadnezzar determined to
make an image like that which he
had seen, only it was to be made all of gold. This
idol of gold was to be a most imposing
spectacle, and was to take the place of God
and be worshiped as God.
Chapter Title: The Giving of the
Law
To make an image of God dishonors
Him. No one should bring into service the
power of imagination to worship
that which belittles God in the mind and
associates Him with common things.
185
Those who worship God must worship
Him in spirit and in truth. They must
exercise living faith. Their worship
will then be controlled not by the imagination,
but by genuine faith.
Chapter Title: The Giving of the
Law
Let men worship and serve the Lord
God, and Him only. Let not selfish pride be
lifted up and served as a god. Let
not money be made a god. If sensuality is not
kept under the control of the higher
powers of the mind, base passion will rule the
being. Anything that is made the
subject of undue thought and admiration,
absorbing the mind, is a god chosen
before the Lord. God is a searcher of the heart.
He distinguishes between true heart-service
and idolatry.
The Contemporary English [computer file], electronic
ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995
by the American Bible Society, [Online] Available: Logos Library
System.
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