Studies in Christian Worship
by David Tucker

Study 2 WHO DO WE WORSHIP?

When our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan to bow down to him and in exchange receive all of the kingdoms of the world – as though they were Satan's to give! – Jesus replied, "For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10).

Who are we to worship? The answer of course is the Lord our God. In
l Chronicles 16:29 we read, "Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness". One Bible Dictionary says, "At the heart of worship is God himself. In order truly to worship two fundamental elements are needed: revelation, through which God shows Himself to man, and response, through which awe-stricken man responds to God." Martin Luther claimed that to know God is to worship Him. In saying that, he brought together both aspects of worship: revelation and response. He insisted that worship isn't an optional extra for the godly person but an essential symptom or expression of that knowledge. Worship is that sign, that outworking of the inner knowledge of God.

Our God makes Himself known to us in a variety of ways:-

• He speaks through His works in creation. Psalm 19:l, Romans 1:20.
• He speaks through His written word. Psalm 19:7.
• He speaks supremely through the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews l:l,2.
• He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. John l6:l3. Christian worship must be informed. It depends upon the revelation of God. The shortest route to deeper and richer worship is a clear understanding and knowledge of God and His ways. J. I. Packer warns us that, "Christians today largely lack a true appreciation of the majesty of God and that is the reason why our faith is so feeble and our worship so flabby."

The God whom we are to worship is:-

1. THE LIVING GOD

We come to a God who is alive, a God who is glorious, a God who is holy, a God who is majestic, a God who is sovereign, a God who is on the Throne and a God who dwells among men. He is with us, dwelling among us and living in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Look up l Corinthians 6:19. What makes our worship so utterly unique and such a privilege is that He is with us in a special way. The great spur to our church services must be the fact and the knowledge of the presence of the living God in the midst of His people.

And this living God among us is:-

• The God of Creation. Out of nothing He has made all that we see around us. The beauty and the splendour reflect the power of God. He has fashioned us in His own image. God's great power in creation should be a continual stimulus to praise. Genesis l:1,2; 2:4-7; Psalm 8:3-5; 19:l. Isaiah 42:5; Acts 17:24; Romans l:20.
• The God of the Covenants. He stooped down to Noah, Abraham, Moses and David and made covenants with them. The living, creative God made promises to His people. What condescension! And the response of man in His direction should be to worship Him. Genesis 6:18; 15:18; Exodus 2:24; 19:5; 2 Chronicles 13:5.
• The God of Calvary. He planned our salvation and spared not His only Son to secure our salvation. Paul writes, "… that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ…" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Notice the words of Jesus in the Upper Room when He took the cup, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me." (l Corinthians 11:25).

The living God is the God of creation and the God of redemption, and His majestic work and provision should draw forth our spontaneous worship.

2. THE LOVING GOD

What a profound and moving discovery is the knowledge that I can actually give God my Father pleasure in worship because He loves me, says so and means it. He can say to me as the Lover says to the Beloved in the Song of Solomon, "Show me your face, let me hear your voice: for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely." (Song 2:14). He loves us because He is a God of love. Deuteronomy 7:7-9; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4; l John 4:9,10. We may feel sometimes that we have so little to bring to Him and offer to Him. Who are we? And the answer is that we are His children. We have been adopted into His family and saved by what Christ did for us at Calvary. Our position in Jesus and in God's family should draw forth the love of our hearts to a loving God.

'Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord,
Almighty as Thou art,
For Thou hast stooped to ask of me,
The love of my poor heart.'

3. THE LISTENING GOD

He listens to us as we worship Him. He listens as we sing and bring our praises to Him. Ephesians 5:19b. He listens as we pray – a vital part of our worship. Psalm 145:18,19; Proverbs 15:29; Matthew 6:6. He listens as we ask for forgiveness. He listens as we beg to be restored and renewed. He listens as we bring our needs to Him. He listens as our praise and worship bubble over in inexpressible joy and He delights in us, and we serve Him and bring Him joy and pleasure.