Studies in Christian Worship
by David Tucker


Study 4 HOW SHOULD WE WORSHIP?

The answer to our title, to our question, is given by our Lord Jesus Christ in John 4:23,24. We are to worship Him 'in spirit and in truth'. One writer puts it, "What is central to Christian worship is not 'forms' but the presence of the triune God, who through His word, the Bible, and by His Holy Spirit enlivens, enlightens and enables all who believe in order that they may worship-serve Him in spirit and in truth".

At the heart of all this is the condition of our hearts. Central to our worship is our individual walk with Jesus. How close are we to Him? Is our worship a living response from deep inside? A Pastor wrote to his congregation, "I don't consider the location of worship to be a graveyard. Nor do I believe I am leading you in loving thoughts about a deceased friend. According to the promise of Jesus, the King is among us when we gather in His name. If the disciples were glad when they saw the risen Lord, should our joy be any less?"


1. THE MASTER'S WORD

True, real, genuine and warm worship comes from a heart touched by Christ. Turn to John 4:20-24, and notice the following:-

  • ---verse 20 The woman speaks to Jesus about the 'where' of worship. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you Jews claim it is in Jerusalem.
  • ---verse 21 Jesus replies and draws attention to the 'who' and the 'what' of worship, not the 'where'. One writer puts it like this: "The Samaritan woman was preoccupied with the place of worship, but Jesus taught her that true worship was spiritual, not spatial".
  • ---verse 22 In this verse Jesus links inseparably Worship and the Word. He reminds her that the Scriptures are the only reliable guide, "Salvation is from the Jews". The plan of God and the redemptive work of Christ has been entrusted to the Jews and comes to us from them. Look up Romans 3:1,2; 9:3-5.
  • ---verse 23 Notice the words, "true worshippers". These are the genuine worshippers, the real worshippers. And how do true worshippers worship the Father? The clear answer is, "in spirit and in truth". The worship is not primarily physical, but spiritual, and it is prompted and motivated by the truth. That is, a clear and definite knowledge of God and His plan of salvation, received by special revelation, based on the truth. The truth teaches us and our hearts respond. There may be harmony in the singing, but the real harmony is that the worship must be in tune with the Scriptures. We learn more of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the blackness of our sin and the redness of His blood and our hearts are drawn out in worship. Our worship must be real, not empty.

2. THE OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE

We can illustrate our first heading from the Old Testament.

  • We meet those who worshipped individually. Genesis 24:26.
  • We meet those who worshipped collectively. Psalm 42:4.
  • We meet in the Old Testament the ritual worship – the shedding of blood, the presenting of incense, pronouncing the priestly blessing. This was all very necessary and represented the way into the presence of God.

But we meet in the Old Testament empty worship. They brought their sacrifices, did their duty, went through all of the ritual, but their hearts were not right with God, and the worship was empty. It wasn't from the heart, and it wasn't in spirit and in truth. Look up l Samuel 15:22; Amos 5:2l-24; Micah
6:6-8.

There was empty worship in the Old Testament and there can be empty worship today. We can go through all of the motions, but if it isn't from the heart we leave with hearts untouched.

But thank God there was real worship in the Old Testament. Worship in the Temple for many was a living reality. And when the sanctuary was destroyed and the exiles found themselves in Babylon, worship for many remained a necessity. Daniel prayed in Babylon, Daniel 6:10. Undoubtedly Nehemiah praised God in Susa, Nehemiah 1:4. With humble and submissive hearts they worshipped God in spirit and in truth. These are the kinds of worshippers the Father seeks.


3. HOW DO WE APPLY THIS?

Scripture has no blueprint for the pattern of our worship services. For the New Testament congregations there was freedom to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Their emphasis would be upon the Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit, whilst the inner love of the heart would be expressed in praise.

  • We worship when we're prepared. We need to take time to prepare our hearts and minds before we worship. We should pray earnestly to be forgiven and to come in the right attitude. Look up Matthew 5:23-24 and Ecclesiastes 5:1.
  • We worship when we respond to God. He beckons, we draw near, He speaks and when we hear His voice we worship. The Scriptures invite us to sing for joy to the Lord, to shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation and to enter His gates with thanksgiving in the heart. Psalm 95:1,2. We worship when we pray, when the Scriptures are read, when we bring an offering, when the Word is preached.

One writer has it, "Worship is, in part, listening to what God might say to us, through music, through words, through fellowship. It is also our response to what He speaks. Worship has occurred when life responds with an openness to how God could change our lives."

"O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord."