A Lifestyle of Worship

Lesson 5 – A Lifestyle of Worship

In prior lessons we examined why we worship God, the fruit it can bear in our lives, and even some of the outward expressions of worship found in Scripture. We could stop there and feel pretty good about it, but the Bible encourages us to go farther. Head knowledge is okay as far as it goes, but God longs for a more intimate relationship with you through the experience we call worship.

To have a life that reflects a more intimate state with God requires three things

· A Continual Effort

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

In his commentary on the Bible, Albert Barnes points out that this sacrifice of praise is a lot like the “peace offerings or friendship offerings” that the Jews made in the Old Testament. These were not made for the atonement for sins, but rather they were made by Jews who were already in good standing with God. These men were considered friends of God. These sacrifices were not offered to produce friendship with God but to preserve it. They were often given as a way of showing thanksgiving to God.

Worship is like that. We have our atonement in Christ, and no longer need to shed the blood of animals. We give sacrifices of praise and worship to God because we are in good standing with Him and wish to remain so. We worship out of gratitude to the God who loves us and provides for us. In doing so we open ourselves up to real communication with Him.

Two things worth pointing out.

1. It is the fruit of our lips. It needs to be expressed vocally.

2. It is for giving thanks to Him. It is the response of the grateful heart. If you are reluctant to do this, you may need an attitude check.

As discussed in Lesson 2, the more time we spend with God in worship the more we become like Him. We lose more of our self-focus and become more devoted to Him. David and other writers of the Psalms understood this. They knew the fruit of worship in their lives and longed for more. They were willing to put everything they had into pursuing God. Are we?

· A Commitment to Holiness

Oh worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)

Give to Jehovah the glory of His name; worship Jehovah in the majesty of holiness. (Psalm 29:2)

Give to Jehovah the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him; worship Jehovah in the adornment of holiness. (1Chronicles 16:29)

There is a direct relationship between worship and holiness. In Lesson 3 we emphasized that God is holy and He expects holiness from those that draw near to Him. Holiness is called beautiful and majestic in the verses above. It is compared to an adornment, which is something used to beautify, or make more pleasing. Coming to our God adorned with the beauty and majesty of holiness makes us more pleasing to Him.

Being holy means that we are set apart. reserved for God. Our praises are just for Him, Our thanks go to Him alone. Our deepest, purest love belongs to God and no one else. When we worship God and give Him the things that are His, it pleases Him.

Not only that but without holiness we won’t ever get near him:

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

God calls us to intimacy with Him but there is a condition – holiness. The real praises of God come from a people who are pursuing holiness.

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. (1Peter 2:9-11)

The more we enter into the light of God’s presence in worship, the more the darkness in us gets exposed. We have a choice. We can stay “afar off” like Israel did when God first spoke to them from Mount Sinai, or we can choose to pursue God and His holiness. We can wander in the wilderness, or we can go confidently before the throne of grace.

· A Willingness to Sacrifice

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

God has been merciful to us. He gave His Son’s life as a sacrifice for us and has redeemed us from our sin and death. Paul urges us to respond in kind, by giving ourselves as a sacrifice - a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. This kind of sacrifice means:

· Living – We are not physically put to death like Jesus was. His sacrifice was sufficient for all men forever. Ours is to be a living sacrifice, perpetually offered to God as long as we live.

· Holy – We are giving our bodies, our flesh, over to God alone. We are no longer claim any authority. We have no rights to satisfy the desires of our flesh.

· Acceptable – In the Old Testament it was required that God would receive the first fruits, the best animals without flaw or blemish. Only the first and best sacrifices were acceptable to Him. A person would not dare to give anything less because they would risk the rejection of their offering. Remember Cain? Remember the sons of Aaron? Or the sons of Eli?

God deserves our very best. He does not want our excess, or our castoffs. He will not accept half-hearted praise or lip service worship. He calls us to a total commitment to Him. A life divided between serving Him and serving us will not please Him.

'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

A lukewarm relationship with God leaves a bad taste in His mouth. It should in yours, too. He gave Himself 100% for you. He wants 100% of you in return. Give Him your self fully.