Worthy Of Worship
Worthy Of Worship
As the calendar turns to 2025, perhaps you are taking some time to evaluate the last twelve months. For most people, 2024 was a mixture of highlights that were exciting and joyful and low moments that were discouraging and painful. No matter the specific percentage of highs and lows you experienced last year, you spent every day of 2024 worshiping. While you most likely did not attend worship services every day, you still spent three–hundred and sixty-five days worshiping something or someone. And you will do the same this year. Worship is guaranteed. Everyone, even the staunchest atheist, worships.
While worship is guaranteed, it is not always directed at the appropriate recipient. The problem with most worship is that it is misguided, and offered to something or someone undeserving. By nature, we readily worship comfort, knowledge, wisdom, achievement, pleasure, and convenience rather than our Creator, who is the only worthy recipient of our worship. Correctly understood, worship is the proper response of all moral agents as they sacrificially offer all honor, praise, adoration, and worth to their Creator-God because of who He is and because of all He has done through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. Authentic, Christian worship is God-centered, and not limited to a specific time or place. According to this definition, everybody worships something or someone all of the time—there isn’t a minute during the day when we are not engaged in worship. On this side of the cross, we are to respond to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ by honoring Him, praising Him, adoring Him, and ascribing all worth to Him.
One of the most important questions you must answer is: Who or what has captivated your heart to the point it controls your priorities, decisions, and attitudes? If the answer to this question is anything other than the God of the Bible, you are guilty of idolatry and false worship.
Authentic worship always includes giving. This aspect of worship is wonderfully illustrated by the wise men who sought out Jesus following his birth. In Matthew 2:11 we read, “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Through their dedicated actions, the wise men teach an essential lesson about how we must respond to Jesus. The stated purpose of their visit was to worship the Messiah, and as an integral part of their worship, they brought proper gifts that were worthy of royalty. Their gifts included gold, frankincense (a costly, beautiful smelling incense), and myrrh (an ingredient used for anointing oil [Exodus 30:23], in purification rites for women [Esther 2:12], in embalming [John 19:39], it was offered to Jesus on the cross [Mark 15:23 “And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it”], and as a perfume [Song of Solomon 3:6]—still used today as a flavoring agent, in essential oils, and even medicinally). As the Magi bowed before the Lord in humble worship, they sacrificially offered gifts to their new born King.
Perhaps you are wondering what worship should include. What should we consistently bring before the Lord in humble worship? The ninety-fifth Psalm offers a magnificent description of worship. While there is no heading on this Psalm, Hebrews 4:7 attributes it to David, who carefully illustrates what should be included in worship. In the first two verses, we read:
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
The first verse boldly declares that God is worthy to be praised with singing and joyful noises because of who He is: The rock (i.e., fortress) of our salvation. God is the only one who can deliver us from the power and penalty of sin. Only our Creator-God is a sufficient and steady source of security—He alone can deliver us from the power and punishment of sin. By His grace and mercy, God took the initiative to save humanity from their sin (e.g., Noah and his family). Through the sacrificial death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, He provided a means through which sinful humanity could be redeemed through faith.
David reminds us that God is worthy of thanksgiving because of what He accomplished through sending His Son, and decreeing that He would be born of a virgin and die on the cross for our sins. Joyful, celebrative singing in worshipful praise is the natural response to what God has accomplished for sinners like us. True biblical worship is not emotionless; our love, adoration, and appreciation to God for the salvation He has provided should ignite our hearts in jubilant praise and exaltation.
In verses 3-5 David writes:
For [because] the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
We have innumerable reasons to worship God, but carefully consider the specific reasons David offers in these verses. First, God is worthy of our worship because He is our great God (the only true and living God). Second, because He is our great King above all gods (as our omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God, He alone is truly awesome). God rules supreme over all of the deaf and dumb idols, over all of the mystical gods, over all of the mythological titans, and over every imaginary deity of pagan religions. And third, because He is our sovereign Creator; He is the all-powerful maker and sustainer of all of creation. All that exists belongs to God to do with as He sovereignly chooses. God’s greatness is evidenced by His ultimate creative power—He alone spoke the world into existence. God is great, He rules over all of creation, and holds the heavens and the stars in the palm of His almighty hand.
In verse 6 we read:
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our
Maker!
God is worthy of our worship and submission because He is our Maker. He is both the Maker and Owner of creation; therefore, He is the Maker and Owner of each of us. Because of who God is, our attitude before Him should be one of worshipful reverence. As Solomon warns in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.” When we enter the Lord’s presence in worship, we must come before him reverently, eager to listen, and willing to obey. No matter our physical position—whether bowing or standing—our posture before God should be one of humble submission.
In the final section of Psalm 95 (vv. 7-11), David writes:
For [because] he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”
Once again, we have countless reasons to worship God, but consider for a moment the reasons David offers in these final verses. First, we should worship God because he is our God. The Creator of the universe is not a distant, indifferent God. He is a personal God who is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives. Second, we readily worship Him because He is our Shepherd. Our Creator is a compassionate God who consistently cares for His sheep and diligently watches over them. In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” As followers of Jesus, we are His sheep, placed under the divine care of the Good Shepherd. Like sheep, we are often dumb, defenseless, and wayward. Without the Good Shepherd leading us and tending to us, we would be in grave spiritual danger. God sovereignly rules and reigns over all of creation, and yet He tenderly and compassionately cares for you and for me. And a third reason to worship God is because He is a rest-giving God. At the end of a long day, we all grow physically tired. More importantly, we quickly become spiritually weary from fighting against temptation and evil. We all crave spiritual rest, and only Jesus can provide the lasting rest we long for.
In the closing verses of Psalm 95, we are urged to listen to God and to obey Him. As mighty as God is, He is not to be trifled with; He is to be obeyed, not provoked. Note David’s words at the end of verse 7: “Today, if you hear his voice...” The question is not whether or not God’s voice is audible; the question is whether or not we will choose to listen. In verse 8 David warns against hardening our hearts the way God’s people did in Exodus 17:2-7 (see also Numbers 20:13) when they revolted against God and Moses. This rebellion resulted in God’s forty years of discipline. Because God’s people had foolishly hardened their hearts, they spent all of these years wandering in the wilderness. Because of their rebelliom, they would not enter the Promised Land (i.e., God’s rest), and experience God’s favor and blessing. Hardheartedness prevents us from properly worshiping God, and leaves us aimlessly wandering in a spiritual wasteland.
David offers a preview of the ultimate rest that would be made available through recognizing Jesus’s redemptive work on the cross. This rest is not merely physical; it is the spiritual and emotional rest that comes with a personal relationship with God. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:32, “I want you to be free from anxieties.” Being free from the cares and burdens of this world is only made possible when we surrender our lives to the Redeemer. David pleads with his readers to not make the mistakes of the past and follow in the troubled path of disobedience. There is a better way to live, and David wants God’s people to obediently follow in the footsteps of the righteous.
Based on the teachings of Psalm 95, we can conclude that worship should never be reluctant or resistant. Instead, it must be jubilant and receptive. The verbs used by David in Psalm 95 call for energetic, joyful, boisterous worship that humbly seeks to obey God from a tender heart. This powerful Psalm invites us to bow down before our Sovereign King and adore him in reverential worship.
According to Scripture, worship is an ongoing captivation of the heart that produces desires, words, and deeds that consistently please the Lord. Our outward acts of worship should match our inner attitudes of humility, submission, reverence, and adoration. Worship is not about earning favor with God, but rather properly responding to God’s unmerited grace and mercy. For worship to please God it must first originate in a humble, submissive heart. Psalm 95 reminds us that authentic worship involves a wholehearted commitment to God and an accurate reflection of God’s holy character.
Will you choose today to hear God’s voice and bow before Him in humble worship and obedience? Or will you choose to harden your heart and reject God as your God, King, Creator, and Shepherd? Jesus gave you the wonderful gift of salvation, what are you willing to give Him in return?
While worship is guaranteed, it is not always directed at the appropriate recipient. The problem with most worship is that it is misguided, and offered to something or someone undeserving. By nature, we readily worship comfort, knowledge, wisdom, achievement, pleasure, and convenience rather than our Creator, who is the only worthy recipient of our worship. Correctly understood, worship is the proper response of all moral agents as they sacrificially offer all honor, praise, adoration, and worth to their Creator-God because of who He is and because of all He has done through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. Authentic, Christian worship is God-centered, and not limited to a specific time or place. According to this definition, everybody worships something or someone all of the time—there isn’t a minute during the day when we are not engaged in worship. On this side of the cross, we are to respond to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ by honoring Him, praising Him, adoring Him, and ascribing all worth to Him.
One of the most important questions you must answer is: Who or what has captivated your heart to the point it controls your priorities, decisions, and attitudes? If the answer to this question is anything other than the God of the Bible, you are guilty of idolatry and false worship.
Authentic worship always includes giving. This aspect of worship is wonderfully illustrated by the wise men who sought out Jesus following his birth. In Matthew 2:11 we read, “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Through their dedicated actions, the wise men teach an essential lesson about how we must respond to Jesus. The stated purpose of their visit was to worship the Messiah, and as an integral part of their worship, they brought proper gifts that were worthy of royalty. Their gifts included gold, frankincense (a costly, beautiful smelling incense), and myrrh (an ingredient used for anointing oil [Exodus 30:23], in purification rites for women [Esther 2:12], in embalming [John 19:39], it was offered to Jesus on the cross [Mark 15:23 “And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it”], and as a perfume [Song of Solomon 3:6]—still used today as a flavoring agent, in essential oils, and even medicinally). As the Magi bowed before the Lord in humble worship, they sacrificially offered gifts to their new born King.
Perhaps you are wondering what worship should include. What should we consistently bring before the Lord in humble worship? The ninety-fifth Psalm offers a magnificent description of worship. While there is no heading on this Psalm, Hebrews 4:7 attributes it to David, who carefully illustrates what should be included in worship. In the first two verses, we read:
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
The first verse boldly declares that God is worthy to be praised with singing and joyful noises because of who He is: The rock (i.e., fortress) of our salvation. God is the only one who can deliver us from the power and penalty of sin. Only our Creator-God is a sufficient and steady source of security—He alone can deliver us from the power and punishment of sin. By His grace and mercy, God took the initiative to save humanity from their sin (e.g., Noah and his family). Through the sacrificial death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, He provided a means through which sinful humanity could be redeemed through faith.
David reminds us that God is worthy of thanksgiving because of what He accomplished through sending His Son, and decreeing that He would be born of a virgin and die on the cross for our sins. Joyful, celebrative singing in worshipful praise is the natural response to what God has accomplished for sinners like us. True biblical worship is not emotionless; our love, adoration, and appreciation to God for the salvation He has provided should ignite our hearts in jubilant praise and exaltation.
In verses 3-5 David writes:
For [because] the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
We have innumerable reasons to worship God, but carefully consider the specific reasons David offers in these verses. First, God is worthy of our worship because He is our great God (the only true and living God). Second, because He is our great King above all gods (as our omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God, He alone is truly awesome). God rules supreme over all of the deaf and dumb idols, over all of the mystical gods, over all of the mythological titans, and over every imaginary deity of pagan religions. And third, because He is our sovereign Creator; He is the all-powerful maker and sustainer of all of creation. All that exists belongs to God to do with as He sovereignly chooses. God’s greatness is evidenced by His ultimate creative power—He alone spoke the world into existence. God is great, He rules over all of creation, and holds the heavens and the stars in the palm of His almighty hand.
In verse 6 we read:
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our
Maker!
God is worthy of our worship and submission because He is our Maker. He is both the Maker and Owner of creation; therefore, He is the Maker and Owner of each of us. Because of who God is, our attitude before Him should be one of worshipful reverence. As Solomon warns in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.” When we enter the Lord’s presence in worship, we must come before him reverently, eager to listen, and willing to obey. No matter our physical position—whether bowing or standing—our posture before God should be one of humble submission.
In the final section of Psalm 95 (vv. 7-11), David writes:
For [because] he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”
Once again, we have countless reasons to worship God, but consider for a moment the reasons David offers in these final verses. First, we should worship God because he is our God. The Creator of the universe is not a distant, indifferent God. He is a personal God who is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives. Second, we readily worship Him because He is our Shepherd. Our Creator is a compassionate God who consistently cares for His sheep and diligently watches over them. In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” As followers of Jesus, we are His sheep, placed under the divine care of the Good Shepherd. Like sheep, we are often dumb, defenseless, and wayward. Without the Good Shepherd leading us and tending to us, we would be in grave spiritual danger. God sovereignly rules and reigns over all of creation, and yet He tenderly and compassionately cares for you and for me. And a third reason to worship God is because He is a rest-giving God. At the end of a long day, we all grow physically tired. More importantly, we quickly become spiritually weary from fighting against temptation and evil. We all crave spiritual rest, and only Jesus can provide the lasting rest we long for.
In the closing verses of Psalm 95, we are urged to listen to God and to obey Him. As mighty as God is, He is not to be trifled with; He is to be obeyed, not provoked. Note David’s words at the end of verse 7: “Today, if you hear his voice...” The question is not whether or not God’s voice is audible; the question is whether or not we will choose to listen. In verse 8 David warns against hardening our hearts the way God’s people did in Exodus 17:2-7 (see also Numbers 20:13) when they revolted against God and Moses. This rebellion resulted in God’s forty years of discipline. Because God’s people had foolishly hardened their hearts, they spent all of these years wandering in the wilderness. Because of their rebelliom, they would not enter the Promised Land (i.e., God’s rest), and experience God’s favor and blessing. Hardheartedness prevents us from properly worshiping God, and leaves us aimlessly wandering in a spiritual wasteland.
David offers a preview of the ultimate rest that would be made available through recognizing Jesus’s redemptive work on the cross. This rest is not merely physical; it is the spiritual and emotional rest that comes with a personal relationship with God. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:32, “I want you to be free from anxieties.” Being free from the cares and burdens of this world is only made possible when we surrender our lives to the Redeemer. David pleads with his readers to not make the mistakes of the past and follow in the troubled path of disobedience. There is a better way to live, and David wants God’s people to obediently follow in the footsteps of the righteous.
Based on the teachings of Psalm 95, we can conclude that worship should never be reluctant or resistant. Instead, it must be jubilant and receptive. The verbs used by David in Psalm 95 call for energetic, joyful, boisterous worship that humbly seeks to obey God from a tender heart. This powerful Psalm invites us to bow down before our Sovereign King and adore him in reverential worship.
According to Scripture, worship is an ongoing captivation of the heart that produces desires, words, and deeds that consistently please the Lord. Our outward acts of worship should match our inner attitudes of humility, submission, reverence, and adoration. Worship is not about earning favor with God, but rather properly responding to God’s unmerited grace and mercy. For worship to please God it must first originate in a humble, submissive heart. Psalm 95 reminds us that authentic worship involves a wholehearted commitment to God and an accurate reflection of God’s holy character.
Will you choose today to hear God’s voice and bow before Him in humble worship and obedience? Or will you choose to harden your heart and reject God as your God, King, Creator, and Shepherd? Jesus gave you the wonderful gift of salvation, what are you willing to give Him in return?
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