Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation chapter 7 as we look at worship or as I have called this study, “What About Worship?” It seems that the focus in the church today is the selfish trinity, you know, Me, Myself and I!  Folks, that is not spiritual, but that is truly carnal!

            And yet, go into a Christian bookstore today and check out the books that are there to feed the flesh, that the focus is on self. We see so many of these so-called Christian self-help books and that is not of God.  How can I say that?  Because we are not to rely on self but on God to see us through, and thus, we see the problem today.  Look again at these Christian bookstores and see how many books are out there dealing with the worship of God, intimate fellowship with God and-so-on.  Thus, we have lost the focus of what spiritual worship, what the worship of God is all about.  You see, our focus needs to be upon Him as Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

            Even in churches, even here at Calvary I have heard some say things like this, “I can’t worship with that kind of music?” Or “I can’t worship in that building!”  Or “I can’t worship unless there is an organ playing!” Or whatever the case may be.  Do you see what the common denominator is in each of these cases?  It is “I”.  “I can’t do this because . . .” And the reality is, it is not that you can’t, you just refuse to because of your feelings, your own ideas, your own thoughts.

            In regards to worship, listen to what A. W. Tozer had to say:

            What is worship?  Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.

        - A. W. Tozer, quoted in D. J. Fant, A. W. Tozer, Christian Publications, 1964, p. 90

            Also, regarding worship, we are told:

            Barclay quotes William Temple, the renowned archbishop of Canterbury, as defining worship as quickening the conscience by the holiness of God, feeding the mind with the truth of God, purging the imagination by the beauty of God, opening the heart to the love of God, and devoting the will to the purpose of God.

- R. Mounce, Matthew, p. 151

            You see, the focus is upon God and as we bow down before Him He blesses us with His presence in our lives.  It is like the story that Scott Higgins tells, are you “A Fan Club or a Concert?”  He wrote:

            Bob Dylan is one of the few singers in the world who sings better when he has a cold.  Those who don’t like him can’t understand those who do.  Go to one of his concerts and the air will be heavy with the scent of illegal substances and the anticipation of his fans.  The lights dim, the band starts playing, and out walks the Master himself and launches into his music. Now there are probably some Dylan fans here today, those who lined up, bought tickets and attended one of his concerts. Some fans even go further than attending the concert – they belong to a Bob Dylan fan club.  Become part of the fan club and you can discuss the lyrics, enjoy the songs, track Dylan’s movements, praise his accomplishments, bemoan the fact that Dylan is under-appreciated, learn all sorts of interesting Dylan trivia.
            Now let me ask you a question: when we come to church are we coming to the concert or the fan club?  There is one huge and dramatic difference between the concert and the fan club.  At the fan club you can praise your hero, study your hero’s writings, learn all about your hero and his values, dreams and wishes.  But the one thing you won’t find at the fan club is the hero himself. For that you need a concert.  The one big difference between the concert and the fan club meeting is the presence of the honoured guest.

- Scott Higgins

            Why is worship so important?  Because it is the primary reason that God has created us and redeemed us, that we would worship Him.  Remember what Jesus said in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  Thus, if worship is the ultimate priority of the Christian life, we need to understand what true Biblical worship is all about.  With that as our introduction, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 7, beginning in verse 9 and see what the Lord has for us this morning in regards to worship.

            Here we see an innumerable number of people who are saved during the Tribulation Period and have been martyred for their faith by the Antichrist and those who follow after Him, standing before the throne of God, cleansed by the blood of Christ.  And as they gather all heaven breaks forth with praises and worship unto God, praising Him for redeeming these people out of the Tribulation Period! We will deal more with this group of people and this worship in heaven later on in our study, but first I want to share with you what Biblical worship is not and then we will look at what Biblical worship is all about.

1.  WHAT IS NOT BIBLICAL WORSHIP

            A. Music and singing

            First of all Biblical worship is not just music and singing!  I know, that may shock some of you but think about it.  You can sing all the worship songs you want unto God and if your heart is not right with God, then they are meaningless to Him. Remember Israel’s history as they were in rebellion against God and yet they continued to worship Him.  The Lord said to them in Amos 5:23, “Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.”

            Now some of you may say that was the Old Testament and things are different now with Jesus, with the New Testament.  Really, then why did Jesus say to the hypocritical Jewish religious leaders of his days, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”  Matthew 15:8-9.

            You see, the reality is it does matter to God and He wants our hearts to be right with Him.  Our music, our songs that we sing unto the Lord need to flow from a heart that is in love with Him!

            B.  Emotionalism

            Some people feel that emotionalism is the proof that God is being worshiped.  You know, you get those Holy Ghost goose bumps, maybe shed some tears over the music and songs you are hearing.  But let me ask you this, have you ever been moved, had an emotional experience as you listened to a secular song or maybe watched a secular movie or television program?  I am sure that most of you have and yet that is totally unrelated to God. Thus, emotionalism by itself is not worship.

            Now please understand that you can have an emotional response to hearing worship songs, you may shed some tears as God is moving you.  But, by themselves it is not true spiritual worship.  Then what is?  Let me tell you.

2.  WHAT BIBLICAL WORSHIP IS

            A.  Reverence

            To understand what Biblical worship is all about we need to look at the Greek word that is translated into our English word, “worship”.  The Greek word is PROSKUENO and it literally means, “to kiss toward.”  You see, there was the ancient custom of kissing the hand of a superior such as a king. Also, it speaks of bowing down before a superior being with a sense of respect, reverence, awe, and homage.  Thus, the true worship of God is seen in our reverence towards Him as we bow before Him.  You see, He is God and He therefore deserves our worship!

            It is amazing the things that we bow down to today, which are nothing more than idols in our lives.  People bow down before their jobs, sports, money, cars, entertainment and yet, when it comes time to bow down before God, they just don’t have the time or energy to do so!  You see, priorities in our life, He is God and thus, He deserves our worship!

            B.  Sacrifice

            In studying the Scriptures there is the law of first mention, which basically states that the first time a word is used in the Scriptures it sets the tone for what that word is all about.  Do you know where in the Bible we see the word “worship” first used?

            Interestingly enough it is found in the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings and it is seen in the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. You know the story in Genesis chapter 22. God tells Abraham to take his only son to a mountain He has specified and offer him as a sacrifice unto God.  Now this was a beautiful picture of what our heavenly Father would do some 2,000 years later on that same mountain as He offered His only begotten Son to pay for the sins of the world.  Also, you need to keep in mind that Abraham did not go through with the sacrifice of his son, God stopped him and provided an animal for a sacrifice.

            What I want you to see is what is said in Genesis 22:5, “And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’”  You see, worship, true Biblical worship is not only seen in reverence towards God, but it will cost us something, it will be a sacrifice unto Him!

            Paul, in Romans 12:1 put it like this, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”  That phrase, “reasonable service” in the Greek literally means “spiritual worship.” The New International Version translates this verse like this, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.”  You see, our lives are like a sacrifice unto God, a living sacrifice unto Him. It is a sweet smelling sacrifice that ascends to the throne of God.  But, do you know what the only problem is with a living sacrifice?  It can and often does get up off the altar of sacrifice and runs away!  Thus, we need to understand that true worship will cost us something!

            Do we see other examples in the Scriptures besides the offering of Isaac by Abraham?  You bet we do and the one in II Samuel chapter 24 fits in perfectly with what we are discussing right now.  In that chapter David does a foolish thing and he numbers the people, something that God did not want him to do. And God is angry and we are told in II Samuel 24:11-13, “Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, ‘Go and tell David, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.’”’ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, ‘Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.’”

            And David falls upon the mercy of God and chooses the plague by the Lord and in this judgment seventy thousand men died. And as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord prevented this and this angel of the Lord stopped at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David repents of his sin before God and Gad the Seer comes to David and tells David to build an altar unto God on this spot, the threshing floor of Araunah.

            And in II Samuel chapter 24, beginning in verse 20 we are told, “Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’ And David said, ‘To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.’ Now Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.’ And Araunah said to the king, ‘May the LORD your God accept you.’ Then the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.”  II Samuel 24:20-25.

            Here is a perfect example that the worship of the Lord is a sacrifice unto Him, it will you cost you something.  It may cost you your time, your possessions, positions in the work place; it may even cost you money and-so-on.  But to be true worship, it will be a sacrifice!

            Now, in saying that, let me also stress this point.  God will, not accept a sacrifice with a heart that is wrong. Again in Amos chapter 5 we are told, “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.” Amos 5:20-21.  I think that is very clear, if your heart is not right, God will not accept your sacrifice you have offered to Him.  It is as G. Campbell Morgan said, “God seeks and values the gifts we bring Him – gifts of praise, thanksgiving and service, and material offerings.  In all such giving at the altar we enter into the highest experiences of fellowship. But the gift is acceptable to God in the measure to which the one who offers it is in fellowship with Him in character and conduct; and the test of this is in our relationships with our fellow men. We are thus charged to postpone giving to God until right relationships are established with others.  Could the neglect of this be the explanation of the barrenness of our worship? (Matt 5:24).”

            C.  Praise

            Listen carefully to what Paul admonishes us to do in Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”  We are to praise God with our lips. Notice also that it is the “sacrifice of praise” that we offer unto God. Paul in Colossians 3:16 put it this way, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”  Our praise of God should be continual; in good times and in bad times we should thank Him and praise Him for being our God!

            Turn with me to Psalm 150 and let’s read through this Psalm of praise unto the Lord.  We are told, “Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!”  Psalm 150:1-6.

            First of all, where is God?  He is in His sanctuary, in heaven.  Why are we to praise God?  We are to praise God for all He has done – His mighty acts. We are to praise God according to what?  We are to praise God according to His greatness – He is awesome, He is perfect, He is gracious, He is holy and-so-on.  What are we to praise God with?  Now this is interesting. We are to praise God with the sound of a trumpet, with a lute and harp.  We need some more worship instruments. We are to praise Him with timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments. There you go Art and Travis, not the dance, but the stringed instruments!  We are to praise Him with flutes and loud cymbals and with crashing cymbals – bang away Mickey!  Again, no dancing Mickey!  Lastly, who should praise the Lord?  Everything that has breath is to praise the Lord. As I look around here this morning some of you look tired, but I don’t think I’ve killed any of you. You are all still breathing and thus, if you have breath in you then you are to praise the Lord by the words, by the songs you sing, by the music that comes from your life.

            D.  Giving

            Now here is one that you might not have thought of but our giving is a form of worship unto God. In Philippians 4:15-18 Paul tells us, “Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.”

            Paul says that this support for his ministry, this gift of money the church at Philippi sent him was a sweet smelling aroma unto God; it was an acceptable sacrifice that was pleasing to God!

            Now the reason we give to the Lord is not to get something back, but it is done out of love. In fact, all we have comes from Him and we are just giving to Him what He has entrusted to us. And folks, this is not just speaking of money here, but our time, our talents, our gifts that we can give to the Lord by ministering to the body of Christ. I am so thankful here at Calvary Chapel that so many of you use the resources that God has given to you to edify the body of Christ. And yes, it is a sacrifice, but you do so willingly, freely. It is as Paul said in II Corinthians 9:6-7, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”  Our giving is a form of worship unto God!

            E.  Converts

            Did you realize that winning people to Christ is a form of spiritual worship unto God?  It is as Paul tells us in Romans 15:16, “that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” When Paul says that his “offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable,” he is saying that these converts he has won to Christ is a form of worship unto God!

            Now, here in Revelation chapter 7, look at verses 9 and 10 where we are told, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”  This is some of the fruit of the witnessing of these 144,000 Jewish witnesses for Christ during the Tribulation Period. It is their worship unto God. Now, when this happens, as these saved, martyred Tribulation Saints stand before the throne of God, do you know what takes place in heaven? The worship of God for the salvation of these saints! You see, they did not worship these 144,000 for they were just the instruments that God used. God alone deserves our worship!

            We see a great illustration of this in Luke chapter 15, beginning in verse 4 where we are told, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”  Luke 15:4-7. 

            You see, all heaven breaks forth with praise unto God for one sinner that repents and gets saved, can you imagine the noise when this innumerable number of Tribulation sinners become saints! And so, the conversion of a sinner to a saint as we share the Gospel message with the lost is a form of worship unto God!

            E.  Loving the body of Christ

            And lastly this morning, our spiritual worship is seen as we love the body of Christ, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Look at Romans 14:14-23 for a minute and you will see what I mean.  Paul tells us, “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

            In other words, a form of worship unto God is ministering to others in the body of Christ, sacrificing your life for them. There is no jockeying for positions, no who is better than another, but as Paul said in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”  That should be our hearts desire and if it is, if it is not only head knowledge but this is actively seen in our lives, then this is a form of worship unto God.

            Paul put it this way in Galatians 5:13-15, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”  And folks, this is not an option.  And look at how ugly it is when we are fighting; we are like cannibals devouring each other.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”  You see, if you have a problem with someone in the body of Christ, you better deal with it!

            Now, why is this so hard for us to do?  Because of pride, because we must be right, because we refuse to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord, and thus, we see all kinds of fighting in the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:21).  Again, we must surrender to God and submit to His will and love the brethren.

            Let me take you back to Romans chapter 14 for a minute.  In verse 18 the word “serves” is the Greek word LATREO and it is often translated in the New Testament as “worship.” Thus, Paul is saying that if we treat our family in Christ with love by putting their needs above our own then that is a form of acceptable worship that is well pleasing to God!

            Let me share with you this beautiful example of what this is all about.  Way back in October of 1998 Moody Monthly magazine had this story by Jerry B. Jenkins called, “Angela Unaware” and it goes like this:

            You can sometimes learn as much about love outside the church as in.

            Several years ago I served on the faculty of a writers conference noted not only for its training, but also for its emphasis on fraternity.  Writers got to know and enjoy and love one another during the week, and lifetime friendships were born or cultivated.

            Angela was an outsider, a newcomer drawn by the brochure’s promise of a talent night. Attendees were encouraged to bring musical instruments, puppets, object lessons, a speech, a poem, whatever they wanted.

            Angela arrived plain, plump, and freshly divorced. Along with her bags was a black guitar case she insisted on carrying herself.  She seemed alarmed when Talent Night did not appear in the program.

            “We’re flexible here,” she was told.  “We see how the week is going, try to determine how many are interested, and then we assign a coordinator. Are you volunteering?”

            “Sure!”

            Angela took her job seriously.  Between workshops and major sessions, she ferreted out every actor, actress, comedian, poet, orator, singer, and ventriloquist. She drew up the program, put up posters, and made announcements at every meal.

            Nearly half the conferees would perform, and I knew of no one who would have missed it.  Talent Night was always a hilarious highlight.

            When the big night came, Angela distributed a typed program. She had organized not only the talent, but also the sound and the lighting.  Those who had little talent were big on chutzpah and made us laugh till we cried. Others, accomplished at tugging at heart stings, kept us emotional.

            The program went from funny to slapstick to serious, and it all led to the finale: a solo by Angela, who would accompany herself on the guitar. That black case had made us curious, and her interest in the show made us expectant.

            Angela had carefully orchestrated the show by turning it gradually more serious until the end, when a woman did a monologue on motherhood and a man read a poem about the loss of a child. Then the lights dimmed and Angela strode to a stool at stage center.

            She knelt and removed her gleaming guitar, slipped the strap over her head, and sat on the stool, crossing her legs.  She rested the instrument on her knee and tuned it.  I nearly laughed when her first chord was off key.  Clearly the guitar was in tune. Her fingering was wrong.  Her strum was not authoritative.

            She winced and tried again, surrounding the notes. Her fingers trembled, her lips quivered. The introduction to her chorus was long but contained only three simple chords. It became evident that she knew only those three and had mastered none.

            The more she tried, the more panic-stricken she appeared, and when she opened her mouth to sing, we could hardly hear.  She was short of breath, off key, and her strumming was worse for the attention given to singing.

            We agonized with her when she gave up on the guitar and tried to finish

a cappella. She forgot a word and skipped it, then forgot the tune and started over.

            It was then that we rallied ‘round this sweet, tortured soul, this woman in pain who had given so much. First one, then another joined her in the familiar chorus, until we were all singing, not loud but full and deep and warm.

            During a pause between phrases, a man called out, “Thank you for this evening, Angela! We love you!” Three hundred stood and applauded.

            Angela stood awkwardly, her hands at her sides, the guitar hanging from her neck. She tried to smile through her tears.

            We had been to church.

  - Jerry B. Jenkins, Angela Unaware, Moody Monthly, October 1998, p. 6

Folks, that is what God desires of us, that we rally around each other, that we love each other, because, as we do we are worshiping Him!

And so, we have seen this morning that true Biblical worship is – REVERENCE, SACRIFICE, PRAISE, GIVING, CONVERTS, and LOVE TOWARDS OUR BROTHER AND SISTERS IN CHRIST.

Now, we have just scratched the surface this morning of what worship is all about and next time we will continue looking at this because, as Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24.  This is the purpose that God has created us, this is the purpose for which He has redeemed us, and this is the passion of His heart, that we would worship Him!