Worship

“Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.” (Psalms 138:5)

Psalm 138 was written by David. David was a worshipper, a worshipper of God. Those solitary times caring for his father’s sheep were filled with song and music to the Lord. And in worshipping God, he learned God’s ways and God’s heart. He drew so close to God that God said that he was a man after God’s heart. When King Saul sinned, the prophet Samuel said to him: “But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.” (1Samuel 13:14) And that man was David.

When David was king, he established a music school for musicians and singers. He accomplished his goal of having worship 24 hours a day every day. He had thousands of musicians and singers to implement this. He was an accomplished musician and even invented musical instruments.

Worship is important in the God’s kingdom. In God’s kingdom, worship is expressed with singing. It is a way of expressing our devotion and reverence for the Lord. The Bible says that worshippers are like lively stones, built into a spiritual house (meaning temple) which is a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices. What that means is that when we gather together offering spiritual sacrifices which is the worship in song, we become a temple for God to inhabit and manifest His glory. It’s a reference to the Old Testament when priests offered sacrifices and God manifested His Presence either by consuming the sacrifice or displaying His glory. In reality, the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of what was to come in the new covenant. The priests being the worshippers and together forming a temple. The sacrifice being the worship. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” (1Peter 2:5) And this is how important it is for believers to gather and worship. Individual worship is great, but worship with believers, as a church, becomes a perfect offering. Some come late to church because after all, it’s only the singing. But the singing is worship and a very important part of the service.

“By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16) Not only are we to worship and give thanks to the Lord, but we are to do it continually meaning constantly and always in the Greek. This Scripture points out other holy sacrifices. One is to do good and another to communicate, meaning fellowship in the original Greek. These are spiritual sacrifices that please God. To do good needs no explanation. Any good work is a spiritual sacrifice that brings God glory. But also getting together, encouraging each other and supporting each other is a spiritual sacrifice because we are giving of ourselves in time, energy and effort to God’s people.

Heaven is filled with worship. John records what God shows him about the last days in Revelation. There is worship before God’s Throne: “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, Who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:8-11) Don’t get distracted by the beasts. They may be symbolic or actual. And we don’t know all there is to know about heaven. For this study, we concentrate on their worship which inspires the twenty-four elders to worship God also.

“And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” (Revelation 5:8) This is an interesting scene in heaven. When Jesus, Who is the only one worthy to open the sealed book that God had, the elders worship. The elders have harps and also vials full of the prayers of the saints. “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;” (Revelation 5:9-11) They all sing a new song; the angels, the beasts, the elders and thousands of angels. John records at least four more incidents of worship and singing in heaven.

When we worship together in church and the glory of God is manifest, it is a thousandth of what worship is in heaven. Don’t miss out on worship. It is divine and heavenly.