1. Spiritual Life & Disciplines Part 11 – Spiritual Discipline #3 – Worship

2. What is worship? “Let me grab my guitar, we’re gonna worship now!” A definition: “Worship is ascribing to God His worth, or stating and affirming His supreme value…. [It is] honor and adoration directed to God.” – John MacArthur, The Ultimate Priority, 14. Two main biblical forms: Verbal expressions of praise & thanksgiving (Ps. 29:2, 66:4) A godly life that reflects the character of Christ (Rom. 12:1-2)

3. What is worship? Worship is both an end and a means “Worship is a spiritual discipline in so far as it is both an end and a means. The worship of God is an end in itself because worship, as we’ve defined it, is to focus on God and respond to God. There is no higher goal than focusing on and responding to God. But worship is also a means in the sense that it is a means to Godliness. The more truly we worship God, the more we become like Him” – Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 88.

4. What is worship? Worship is both a specific event & an ongoing activity Specific Events: Public or corporate worship Private worship Family worship Ongoing activities Godly character that reflects Christ Heart of joyful praise, submission, contentment, and trust of Him

5. Public/Corporate Worship Corporate worship is when brothers and sisters in Christ, committed to each other in a local church, come together to worship God together The assembling of believers for corporate worship is itself a spiritual discipline (Heb. 10:25)

6. Private Worship Private worship describes those personal times when a believer worships God individually and privately. “Public worship will not excuse us from secret worship” – Matthew Henry

7. Family Worship Family worship is similar to corporate worship, but is done in the context of the family Family worship is a time for Bible study, prayer, and song.

8. The Heart of Worship A focus on the worth and value of God (Thought component) A satisfaction, delight, and joy in God (Affection component) An allegiance and submission to God (Volition component)

9. Life as Worship Worship is not just an event, it is an ongoing, life-encompassing activity Worship is the constant activity of the human heart. The problem is not that we don’t worship God, but that we replace God with other objects of worship (Rom. 1:25)

10. Life as Worship Identifying false worship: What do we value or esteem? What do we praise? What captures the affections of our hearts? What guides our life & decisions?

11. 2 Key Elements of Worship – John 4:23 Worship is done “in spirit.” This means that worship is primarily an internal, heart work “Without the heart it is no worship; it is a stage play; an acting a part without being that person really which is acted by us: a hypocrite, in the notion of the word, is a stage-player…. We may truly be said to worship God, though [we] lack perfection; but we cannot be said to worship him, if we [lack] sincerity” – Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God, 25-26.

12. 2 Key Elements of Worship – John 4:23 “There is only one hindrance to worshiping in spirit – self. It can come in all kinds of packages, but the result is the same: when we set ourselves in front of God, we cannot worship Him properly. We can blame it on a lack of time, or too many distractions – but we find the time to do the projects and activities we genuinely want to do. The real problem with the one who uses those excuses is that he is too selfish – too lazy and too self- indulgent – to align his priorities properly” – John MacArthur, The Ultimate Priority, 121.

13. 2 Key Elements of Worship – John 4:23 Worship is done “in truth.” This means that worship must be motivated and guided by the truth of God “Worship is not an emotional exercise with God-words that induce certain feelings. Worship is a response built upon the truth” – John MacArthur, The Ultimate Priority, 121.

14. 2 Key Elements of Worship – John 4:23 “I take ‘in spirit’ to mean that this is true worship carried along by the Holy Spirit and is happening mainly as an inward, spiritual event, not mainly as an outward, bodily event. And I take ‘in truth’ to mean that this true worship is a response to true views of God and is shaped and guided by true views of God” – John Piper, Desiring God

15. Worship as a Spiritual Discipline 4 sub-disciplines: The practice of private worship The practice of family worship The practice of corporate worship The practice of lifestyle worship If worship is primarily a response, how are we feeding and cultivating our walk with God?

16. Resources to Enhance Your Worship John MacArthur, The Ultimate Priority (Moody, 1983) Don Whitney, Family Worship