THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

 

Chapter 2

​

​

​

​

 

The Purpose of Worship

 

 

Text

​

Heb. 9:11-14 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

​

Memory Verse

​

Heb. 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

​​

Introduction

Worship is not aimless. God commands us to worship Him for our good, not for His need. Whether we worship or not does not change who God is. He is all-powerful, everywhere, all of the time.

​

God calls us to worship because it involves offering and service that ultimately benefits us. In true worship, we depend on God and we also learn to depend on and serve one another. Worship connects us to God and connects us to each other.

​

Objective

To see how, through worship:

​

(1) Humanity is brought into fellowship with God.

​

(2) We find satisfaction and security.

​

(3) We express our dependence on God.

​

(4) We receive reward for faithful service, now and in eternity.

​

Presentation

​

1. Worship Unites Us With God

When Mary asked how she could bear a child as a virgin, the angel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34-35) When our spirit yields to God’s Spirit in worship, we enter into close fellowship with Him.

​

The Bible says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 8:16) 

​

“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” (John 10:34 (KJV))

​

This does not make us divine, but it means we are adopted as God’s children, with God as our Father (John 4:23-24; 2 Cor. 6:14-18). It is only in the Spirit that this relationship is formed and strengthened. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 15:50)

​

2. Worship Satisfies and Secures Us

God designed us to find life, growth, and security in worship. Paul warned against turning away from Christ, saying we must “hold firmly to the Head, from whom the whole body … grows as God causes it to grow.” (Col. 2:18-19)

​

Joshua understood this when he told Israel, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Josh. 24:15)

​

A life of worship unites us with God and with other believers. It secures us in Him and leads to a life of peace and purpose without regret.

​

3. Worship Expresses Our Dependence on God

To worship Jehovah is to work for Him and with Him. “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Cor. 3:9)

​

Worshippers show loyalty to the one they regard as God (1 Cor. 8:5-6). A good synonym for worship is “service”, because it means saying and doing what God would say and do if He were physically present among us.

​

But this service must aim at the good of others. If it does not benefit people, it is not worthy of God’s reward. “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17-19; 4:20-21) 

​

True worship reflects God’s heart for people (Micah 6:6-8).

​

4. Worship Opens the Way to Reward

In worship and service, we build hope for a future reward. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

​

Conclusion

God does not need our worship. But we need to worship Him. We cannot live well for even a moment without staying connected to God through Christ. That connection is kept alive through worship. Knowing this, should we not make worship of the only true God our priority? Yes.

​​

Evaluation Questions & Answers

​​

1. How can worshiping God be a means of security to the worshippers?

   • Worship keeps us connected to God, who is our refuge and strength. As we stay in Him, He guards and sustains us.

   • Ps. 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

   • Ps. 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

2. State two reasons why you cannot be satisfied when you fail to worship God.

   • (1) We were made to know and enjoy God. Without Him, there is an emptiness nothing else can fill.

   • Ps. 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

   • These words were reflected by Augustine who said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

   • (2) Without worship, we lose direction and growth in Christ.

   • Jer. 2:13 For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns - broken cisterns that can hold no water.

   • Col. 2:19 …and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

3. Why should God reward or pay those who worship Him?

   • God rewards worship and service not because He owes us, but because He is faithful and just. He honours those who serve Him with a sincere heart.

   • Heb. 6:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

   • 1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

4. “Worship” is a means of merging God with man. Explain.

   • Through worship, our spirit connects with God’s Spirit. We become His children and share in His life. This is not us becoming God, but being adopted into His family and living in fellowship with Him.

   • Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

   • 1 Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

   • Luke 3:15 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

​

​

Prayer

Father, thank You for the privilege of worship. Help me to live every day in a way that reflects a true worshipper of You. May my life point my neighbours to You. Amen.

​

​​                          

​

​