Jun. 30, 2024

The Power of Worship

Introduction - This lesson involves the employment of worship in spiritual warfare.  It is a new thing for our church and for me.  I readily admit that I have not fully understood the importance of worship in the Christian’s private or corporate life. I always focused more on the mechanics of worship (did I like the song? Too many of them? Too fast? too slow? Are they making everyone feel good? etc.) As a new Christian, I didn’t even “get it” at all.  I just wanted to hear preaching, which was cognitive.  I couldn’t handle all the sentimentality of singing to God.  My understanding of worship has been unfolding by steps, starting in only recent years with the idea that God wants and needs worship.  Let me offer a simple definition of worship right here, which fits the relationship which God has with the Christian in this dispensation of grace rather than a crisp, theological definition: worship is the giving of loving attention to the one who deserves it.  God’s creation, even rocks, will cry out extolling His greatness.  Numerous places in the Scripture record the praises of God by angels and humans.  It is not hard to deduce that God loves and needs praise, adoration, and thanks, especially from moral creatures like us who have a free will, or He would not have created us.  He does not punish his creatures for worshipping Him or declare that it is wrong; instead, He blesses them for it.  It must, therefore, be a part of His nature. He needs to be worshipped!

Since we are created in His image, and are being nurtured to mature like Christ did, it is easy to see that we have been created with the same need.  You don’t have to look hard to see that need in all of us:  Children respond immediately to praise, women receive it gladly and respond with affection, men receive it with affected humility (but they really do like it) and they become loyal to their brothers, and God Himself receives it and blesses those who lovingly turn their attention to Him.  When I say “God responds” I mean He does mighty acts of power in our behalf.  He doesn’t just smile or wink at our efforts.  Here are a few examples:

Joshua 6:20 So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.  NLT

Acts 16:25-28 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” NLT

We have learned a lot about praying, and are getting more diligent about it, but do not have nearly the consciousness of how God defends us in response to worshipping Him. We can understand the obvious effect of asking God to do something for us, but we don’t connect worship to any direct outcome.

Revelation 15:2-6 I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them. 3And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

        “Great and marvelous are your works,

            O Lord God, the Almighty.

                Just and true are your ways,

            O King of the nations.a

                4Who will not fear you, Lord,

            and glorify your name?

            For you alone are holy.

                All nations will come and worship before you,

            for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

    5Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide                     open. 6The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple.                     They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests. NLT

This verse is followed by the outpouring of a “vial” or “bowl” judgment on the cities of the earth via the greatest earthquake ever, destroying ALL the cities of the earth, including the entire earthly system of commerce and sin, called Babylon.  

There are more demonstrations of power in response to praise than just these three.  God is surrounded by beings who worship Him continuously.  Look at this scene which occurs as Jesus prepares to return to the earth:

Revelation 19:1-8 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,

            “Praise the LORD!

        Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

            2His judgments are true and just.

        He has punished the great prostitute

            who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

        He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

3And again their voices rang out,“Praise the LORD!The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”4Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the LORD!”5And from the throne came a voice that said,“Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.”6Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:“Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 

This scene is followed immediately by the opening of heaven and the appearance of Jesus on a white horse, ready to come to earth and capture the devil.  These mighty acts, some for small groups, some for the whole earth, could hardly be coincidental.  They all seem to be responses to intense displays of loving attention  (worship).

There are several sweet clues in the Scripture which tell us that God really wants us, with our friendship and praise, and not just what we can produce:  

1. He wants a regular day with us each week:

    Isaiah 58:13-14 If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
           And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And speaking your own word,Then you will take delight in the LORD,
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
           For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” NASB

We spend much time running about trying to do things for God (or, if we’re truthful, trying to better our lot in life).  Jesus predicted in his teaching about Mary and Martha that we will tend to lack the most important part, that is giving attention to God.  We have the well-intentioned idea that He wants us produce actions for Him, and we overlook the fact that He wants our loving attention much more.

2.  He wants to meet with us over a meal pretty regularly

    1 Cor 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in             the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and             said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25In the same way He took             the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you             drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim             the Lord’s death until He comes. NLT

    Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

The allusion to the table of God is in the Bible in a couple critical spots.  In this one, God has such command over the personages and circumstances which oppose us, that He can make a banquet table for us to calmly fellowship with Him right there in their presence.  This is another allusion to close fellowship and loving attention (worship)!  Having a great meal while our enemies are powerless to do anything but look on! This speaks of real power.  We have really overlooked the effect of loving attention directed to God!

3. He’s planning an eternity of worship to Him.  Pastor John Burke, in his excellent collection of interviews with people who have had Near Death Experiences, tells of the experiences of three people who saw the throne room of God and witnessed millions of people singing and dancing around the unbelievably beautiful throne.  Although I can’t reprint their accounts here, it is evident that God loves music and has bound heaven together with it. NDE’ers report that it flows through everything and everyone in heaven. Notice that we haven’t talked much about music in this discussion.  Music is a great asset, but it is worthless without your undivided loving attention.  How does someone know you are paying attention to them?  You seek to be in their presence, you inquire about them, you tell them edifying things, you develop a relationship by being with them by communicating frequently.  

Conclusion: God will be drawing us closer to Him in the years we are on the earth.  It is much like the relationship between husbands and wives in earthly life. As we graduate to the Eternal Kingdom, God continues to draw us closer to him.  No more distractions, no more problems, just eternal union with the One who created us! This earth and heaven are just the start; there’s a new heaven and Earth yet to come!