TYPES OF WORSHIP

Introduction:

    1. This evening I want to spend some time dealing with types/kinds of Worship.
      1. While we list each kind of worship separately, I believe that all kinds of Worship fall into two major groups , (1) True ; (2) False Worship.
    2. In this study we want to examine what "true and undefiled" acceptable worship is as well as note some of the characteristics of false and unacceptable worship.
    3. As we study these tonight the application that we are to make is What Group do I fall in so far as my Worship to God is concerned?

Body:

  1. TRUE WORSHIP --- ACCEPTED BY GOD ......John 4:23-24
    1. True worship according to John is rendered in "Spirit and in Truth."
      1. May have prayed these exact words in public prayer, yet what does this phrase truly mean?
    2. I believe that True Worship has three basic characteristics.
      1. The Proper Object:
        1. The One True and Living God is the proper object of Worship ....John 4:23-24.
        2. The question might be asked But Why should man worship God?
          1. It is God's Desire that men worship Him ... John 4:23c.
          2. Because He is "the One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all" ..... Eph. 4:6.
            1. We are His "offspring" ...Acts 17:29.
            2. God has made to dwell on this earth ... Acts 17:28.
            3. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights..." James 1:17.
          3. It is a Command of Christ...."Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."....Matt. 4:10.
            1. Our Love is demonstrated for Christ by keeping His Commandments ...John 14:15.
          4. Christ Allowed Men To Worship Him ... (Jesus is God ... John 1:1 ,14 and while on earth He accepted men to worship Him.
            1. The Wise Men Worshipped Him...Matt. 2:11.
            2. The Leper Worshipped Him......Matt. 8:2
            3. The Ruler Worshipped Him .....Matt. 9:18
            4. His Disciples Worshipped Him ...Matt. 14:33
            5. The Woman of Canaan worshipped him ... Matt. 15:25.
            6. The Mother of Zebedee's children worship Him....Matt. 28:10
            7. The women who had gone to the tomb worshiped Him ....Matt. 28:10
            8. The eleven disciples worshiped Him ... Matt 28:17.
            9. The blind man whom Jesus healed worshiped Him....John 9:38.
            10. Although men worshiped Him, Jesus taught that men are to Worship the Father in Heaven ... John 4:23-24.
        3. Since man is a creature of Worship, many times man worships other objects that are unacceptable to God.
          1. Other Men : This is often a problem when men allow congregations to put them on a pedestal.
            1. Acts 10:25,26 ... Cornelius fell at the feet of Peter to worship Him.
            2. Acts 14:8-18 ... The people of Lystra sought to worship Paul and Barnabas.
            3. II Thess. 2:3-4 there are going to be men who are going to demand worship from other men.
          2. Angels :
            1. Revelation 22:9-10 ... John fell at the feet of the angel to worship him.
            2. Col. 2:18 ... Worshiping of Angels can beguile man.
          3. Idols : These are gods created in the minds of men and crafted with their own hands.
            1. Acts 17:16 those in Athens worshiped many idols.
            2. Idolatry was one of the reasons that the children of Israel lost their inheritance in the O.T.
              1. The Golden calves set up in the Northern Kingdom was the abomination of Jeroboam's religion.
              2. Moloch and Remphan, are referred to as ..."figures which you made to worship" ...Acts 7:43.
            3. The interesting things about these idols are:
              1. Men made them with their hands.
              2. They bear them upon the shoulder, they carry them.
              3. They set them in a place and he shall not be removed.
              4. They cry out unto it, yet it does not answer, nor save them from their trouble.
            4. The question one would have to ask is why do men want to worship a God such as this?
            5. Notice what Elijah says of gods such as this ...I Kings 18:27.
          4. The Creatures of This World ....Romans 1:25
            1. Many animals in ancient times as well as in modern times have become objects of worship.
            2. In Nigeria one of the native tribes worships the pythons and the boa constrictors.
            3. In India the cow is sacred.
          5. The Devil : .... Matt. 4:9.
            1. The devil desires Worship and he gets it even today.
            2. There is a church of Satan and it was started by Anton Szandor Levay.
              1. It's official creed book is the Satanic Bible.
              2. Black pages with white writing.
              3. It has the Satanic nine commandments.
            3. It is an active worshiping group and a group that is ever growing.
        4. What we need to note that all TRUE Worship and acceptable worship must be rendered unto God.


  2. True Worship Must Be Offered "in Spirit .....John 4:23-24
    1. This has reference to sincerity, to the condition of one's mind when one worships.
      1. Notice what Albert Barnes has to comment on this verse:
        1. "in Spirit ... The word Spirit, here, stands opposed to rites and ceremonies, and to the pomp of external worship. It refers to the mind, the souls, the heart. They shall worship God with a sincere mind; with the simple offering of gratitude and prayer; with desire to glorify Him, and without external pomp and splendor. Spiritual worship is that where the heart is offered to God, and where we do not depend on external forms for acceptance" {Notes on the N.T. Comments on John 4:23}
        2. Insincere worship is never accepted by God ...cf Malachi 1:6-14.
        3. Worshiping God is a very serious matter, and should never be taken lightly.
          1. When partaking of the emblems of the Lord's Supper ....I Cor. 11:27-29.
          2. Psa. 89:7 ..."God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in Reverence by all those who are around Him."
            1. Matt. 18:20 ..."Where to or three are gathered in My Name, I am there in the midst of them."
        4. Worshiping God has to do with attitude and manners which we show reverence towards God's Will and discipline towards the one who is giving the lesson.
          1. It is not the time to write notes, think about the shopping list, giggle or crack jokes.
        5. The one who worships "In spirit" leaves feeling uplifted by having worshiped God in the right way.


  3. TRUE worship must be offered "in truth" .... John 4:23-24.
    1. "In truth" is used in contrast to "the Law".
      1. The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ"....John 1:17.
        1. This means that we must worship as the New Testament teaches and not as the Law of Moses Teaches.
          1. Going back to the old Law to justify an act of worship will make Christ become of no effect unto us....Gal. 5:4.
        2. Every act of True Worship will be taught as it is found in the N.T.
          1. To use anything that is not authorized in the N.T is to cease from practicing True Worship.
          2. No other authority except Jesus Christ and His will is true worship.
            1. Traditions ...."What is Tradition? The unwritten word of God... handed down by word of mouth" Do You have to believe tradition? Yes, because it is the word of God and has equal authority with the Bible. (A Catechism for Adults by William J. Cogan p. 10-11)
            2. Doctrines of men or synods, councils etc. are not true worship.

Conclusion:

    1. Is the worship that you are giving God...TRUE WORSHIP?
    2. If you are not a child of God you cannot worship God acceptably!
      1. In order to come to God and worship Him acceptably one needs to H+B+R+C+B = Sal + Faithful life.