We live in the days of the worship wars among the churches of America. Do we go contemporary or stay traditional? Do we have drums or no drums? Do we utilize screens or no screens? All of these questions are being asked and faced my many churches. Does the style matter? Do the instruments matter? Do screens matter? Yes and no. At the heart of the matter they do not matter. It is good to consider contextualization in worship but the focus needs to be most importantly on glorifying the Father. That is our first concern. Is doing this going to honor our God? Is it going to bring people to see his majesty and saving grace? Countless examples of worship are found throughout the pages of Scripture giving us glimpses into what see as such a complex matter in the church. This essay will show two examples of worship: one from both the Old and New Testaments. We will first look at Nehemiah 8:1-12, when Ezra reads the law and then Colossians 1:15-20.
Nehemiah 8:1-12 gives a great picture of what corporate worship looked like in the fifth century B.C. Much can be said of this passage and it’s application to corporate worship and the basis for preaching in a pulpit but I want to focus on one verse. When Ezra stands and reads the Law of Moses to the people gathered before him, the people immediately stand as he opens the book. In verse 6 after Ezra blesses the Lord, the people respond with a resounding, “Amen, Amen,” and lifted their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped God with their faces to the ground. This worship shows an incredible awe and reverence for God. They stood for the reading of the Law and they worshiped with their faces on the ground. They knew they were unworthy of God’s grace and mercy. They understood what it meant to be rescued.
Rarely does someone ever get on his or her face before God in the midst of corporate worship. I am not implying that this is a requisite for true worship, nor do I believe this passage is saying so but I feel that we have lost our reverence, our awe before the majestic Creator. Verse 6 says that Ezra blessed the great God. (Emphasis mine) When we gather for corporate worship or privately, we must not be absent minded to how great and powerful he is. In Acts 5 we see what happens to Ananias and Sapphira when they lie about what they had given to the church. God struck them dead on the spot. They had lost their fear of God but verse 5 tells us that fear came upon the others. Reverence is a respectful fear of something or someone. It is not being scared as fear is typically associated with. We must remember whom it is that we worship and that is a majestic, holy, righteous, just, and wrathful God. We should fall on our faces in worship just as the Israelites did.
In Colossians 1:15-20 Paul writes out six verses of theological affirmations of the person and work of Jesus Christ. But not only is it theological affirmation; it is also a doxology or praise to Christ. Each verse gives us a foundation for worshiping Christ and what we are worshiping him for. First we worship him for being the image of God. He is that which we strive to be. We are being conformed to his image. (Rom 8:29) He is the example we look to as we seek to be imitators of God. (Eph 5:1) Secondly, we worship him because he is the creator of all things. As created beings we are subject to the lordship of the creator and we worship him for freely and graciously creating us. Thirdly, we worship him because he is eternal and sovereign. He is the God who is. He is the great I AM. He is the Word who, in the beginning, was with God and is God. Jn 1:1) He is also sovereign and in control. He rules and reigns over all creation as he is intimately involved with that which he created. We trust in his control of our lives. Fourthly we worship him because he is the head of the Church. As believers we make up the church, the body of Christ. As all bodies do we, the body of Christ, have a head. The head tells the body what to do and where to go. He gives us purpose and direction. He is our Lord to whom we willingly submit. Fifthly, we worship him because he is God. All that God is dwelt in the man Jesus Christ. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14) One of the great mysteries of our faith is found in the God/man Jesus Christ. He was fully God and fully man having no separation between the two within him. And lastly we worship him because he has redeemed us by the blood of his cross. Through the blood of Christ we are reconciled to God, not through human means or actions. By grace we have been saved. (Eph 2:8) Christ died for undeserving sinners so that they might be made right before God, live eternally with the Father, and for the glory of the Father. That is who we worship.
It is of utmost importance that we worship rightly. If we do not understand whom it is that we are to worship we will not worship the God of the Bible. That is sin and idolatry. Scripture clearly indicates who it is that we worship. We worship the triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God’s word must define our worship, not styles and preferences. In this age of confusion of what worship looks like, who we worship must be set forth and that will determine how we worship. And if we know that which we worship we will worship rightly.
“To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
-Rom 16:27
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