REVERENCING GOD “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him” (Psalm 89:7).

What Is Worship? REVERENCING GOD

What Is Worship? 1) Primary word used in N.T. defined: “to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence; among the Orientals, especially the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence; in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication” (Thayer). This word is used approximately 197 in the Scriptures in some form (worship(s); worshiped, worshiper(s), worshiping, etc.).

What Is Worship? Why Worship God? REVERENCING GOD

Why Worship God? 1) He is our Creator. “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:24-25).

Why Worship God? 2) He gives to us freely. (a) Physically – “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). (b) Spiritually – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Why Worship God? 3) God requires worship. “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” (John 4:23). “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10). He quotes Deuteronomy 6:13.

What Is Worship? Why Worship God? Great Men Worship REVERENCING GOD

Great Men & Women Reverenced God 1) Noah – upon leaving the ark. “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20).

Great Men & Women Reverenced God 2) Abram – in each place he journeyed. “Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:6-7). “And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12:8).

Great Men & Women Reverenced God 3) Hannah – the blessing she received. “Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her” (1 Samuel 1:19).

Great Men & Women Reverenced God 4) Lydia – while visiting Philippi. “And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:13-14).

REVERENCING GOD What Is Worship? Why Worship God? Great Men Worship Need Members REVERENCING GOD

We Need Members That Reverence God 1) During worship is not the time to talk, etc. “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20).

We Need Members That Reverence God 2) It is a time for deep reflection. “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15).

We Need Members That Reverence God 3) Be on time and stay till services are over. “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).

We Need Members That Reverence God 4) Dress to reflect godliness. “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Timothy 2:9-10).

REVERENCING GOD What Is Worship? Why Worship God? Great Men Worship Need Members A Privilege REVERENCING GOD

It Is A Privilege To Worship God 1) Should rejoice and be glad. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2).

It Is A Privilege To Worship God 2) Should prepare ourselves for worship. “Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath” (Mark 15:42). “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).

It Is A Privilege To Worship God 3) May we each remember ---- “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

REVERENCING GOD What Is Worship? Why Worship God? Great Men Worship Need Members A Privilege REVERENCING GOD