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From Psalm 113: Understanding the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Worship
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From Psalm 113: Understanding the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Worship
Continue exploring
Connected by scripture or shared themes.
Worship begins with understanding who we worship. Psalm 113:1-2 tells us clearly: "Praise the Lord. Praise, oh servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord."
The Lord is the one who must be the object of all our worship. Yet this is becoming increasingly difficult for us. We are easily distracted by thousands of competing interests—entertainment, purchases, phone notifications, and the constant pursuit of the next thrill. We are also easily disillusioned and disinterested. Satan knows how to tempt us, mislead us, and discourage us from focusing on God.
But the Bible makes this crystal clear: The Lord God is to be praised above all things on this earth. God gave us the Ten Commandments, and the very first one states: "You shall have no other gods before me."
Church should never be about anything except the Lord Jesus Christ. This day is called the Lord's Day because it belongs to Him. We should have a weekly, consistent appointment where we set aside the first day of the week, come to the house of the Lord, and focus exclusively on Jesus—not on sports, entertainment, or ourselves, but only on the Lord Jesus Christ.
What are we supposed to do? The answer is found in the words praise, worship, honor, and glory—all interchangeable terms describing what we owe to the Lord.
Psalm 29:2 says, "Ascribe to the Lord the glory that is due his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness."
Worship is the highest activity of the soul because it fixes our attention on the highest being in the universe. It is the admission that God is everything and we are completely dependent upon Him. Worship is the cry of the heart that remembers where we would be without God's grace. It is the language of those who have discovered that Jesus is all they need. Worship is not just singing about God—it is delighting in God.
1. Worship is not a spectator sport. We often think that those on stage are the performers, God is conducting them, and we are the audience. This is backwards. The people on stage are the conductors, you are the performers, and God is the audience. There should never be a single person who walks through these doors and does not participate in worship.
2. God wants your whole heart. God doesn't want half your heart, a sliver, or three-quarters. He wants 100% of your heart. Isaiah records that the Lord said, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
When it's time to sing, sing with all your heart. When it's time to pray, pray with all your heart. When it's time to worship, worship with all your heart.
3. There are unlimited expressions of worship. The Bible describes hundreds of ways to express worship. We don't all have to worship the same way.
Psalm 113:2 says, "Let the name of the Lord be praised both now and forevermore."
When should you praise the Lord? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no moment when you should not be praising the Lord.
Sunday worship at church should be a continuation of what you've been doing all week. You should be praising the Lord on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. When you come to church on Sunday, it's simply a continuation of your worship throughout the week.
Psalm 113:3 says, "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised."
Where should you praise God? Wherever you are. Because of the earth's rotation, no matter where you are on this planet, you will always see the sun rise in one direction and set in another. Each and every person should be involved in giving praise to almighty God, wherever they may be.
This is the most important question. Psalm 113:4 tells us: "The Lord is exalted over all the nations. His glory is above the heavens."
We live on Earth with all its presidents, kings, congressmen, dictators, and leaders engaged in power struggles. We think this is the most important thing in the world. But the Bible reveals that the Lord is exalted over all nations, and His glory is above all the heavens.
One day a whole sermon will be devoted to explaining the vastness of the universe—not just our galaxy or solar system, but galaxies that extend so far beyond our comprehension that no human can truly grasp their magnitude. Yet God sits enthroned above all of this and has to stoop down to look at the heavens and earth.
The reason the Lord is to be praised is that there is no one like Him.
Consider His names and attributes:
Who else is worthy of our praise? No one. You cannot exaggerate anything great about God because He is far greater than our ability to define Him.
What you've experienced here today is a snapshot of what heaven will be like. The Bible says in heaven there will be people from every tribe, every tongue, and every language. When you look around this church, you see a racially diverse congregation—a picture of heaven's diversity.
When you get to heaven, worship is what you will be doing. Imagine that day when you see Jesus face-to-face for the very first time. There will be:
And in that moment, as all of heaven erupts, you will hear His voice for the very first time, and all heaven will sing: "Worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb to receive glory and power and honor and wisdom and strength and praise. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."
Today you have a choice. You can make a decision that you want to be in that number on that day. How do you do it? Come to Jesus with your whole heart, mind, hands, and soul. Make a decision that from this day forward, you will follow Jesus all the days of your life.
If you're not a Christian, come forward today. Decision counselors will help you, and you can be baptized into His name. From this day forward, from the rising to the setting of the sun, wherever you go, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—you will be worshipping the One who alone is worthy.
Worship begins with understanding who we worship. Psalm 113:1-2 tells us clearly: "Praise the Lord. Praise, oh servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord."
The Lord is the one who must be the object of all our worship. Yet this is becoming increasingly difficult for us. We are easily distracted by thousands of competing interests—entertainment, purchases, phone notifications, and the constant pursuit of the next thrill. We are also easily disillusioned and disinterested. Satan knows how to tempt us, mislead us, and discourage us from focusing on God.
But the Bible makes this crystal clear: The Lord God is to be praised above all things on this earth. God gave us the Ten Commandments, and the very first one states: "You shall have no other gods before me."
Church should never be about anything except the Lord Jesus Christ. This day is called the Lord's Day because it belongs to Him. We should have a weekly, consistent appointment where we set aside the first day of the week, come to the house of the Lord, and focus exclusively on Jesus—not on sports, entertainment, or ourselves, but only on the Lord Jesus Christ.
What are we supposed to do? The answer is found in the words praise, worship, honor, and glory—all interchangeable terms describing what we owe to the Lord.
Psalm 29:2 says, "Ascribe to the Lord the glory that is due his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness."
Worship is the highest activity of the soul because it fixes our attention on the highest being in the universe. It is the admission that God is everything and we are completely dependent upon Him. Worship is the cry of the heart that remembers where we would be without God's grace. It is the language of those who have discovered that Jesus is all they need. Worship is not just singing about God—it is delighting in God.
1. Worship is not a spectator sport. We often think that those on stage are the performers, God is conducting them, and we are the audience. This is backwards. The people on stage are the conductors, you are the performers, and God is the audience. There should never be a single person who walks through these doors and does not participate in worship.
2. God wants your whole heart. God doesn't want half your heart, a sliver, or three-quarters. He wants 100% of your heart. Isaiah records that the Lord said, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
When it's time to sing, sing with all your heart. When it's time to pray, pray with all your heart. When it's time to worship, worship with all your heart.
3. There are unlimited expressions of worship. The Bible describes hundreds of ways to express worship. We don't all have to worship the same way.
Psalm 113:2 says, "Let the name of the Lord be praised both now and forevermore."
When should you praise the Lord? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no moment when you should not be praising the Lord.
Sunday worship at church should be a continuation of what you've been doing all week. You should be praising the Lord on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. When you come to church on Sunday, it's simply a continuation of your worship throughout the week.
Psalm 113:3 says, "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised."
Where should you praise God? Wherever you are. Because of the earth's rotation, no matter where you are on this planet, you will always see the sun rise in one direction and set in another. Each and every person should be involved in giving praise to almighty God, wherever they may be.
This is the most important question. Psalm 113:4 tells us: "The Lord is exalted over all the nations. His glory is above the heavens."
We live on Earth with all its presidents, kings, congressmen, dictators, and leaders engaged in power struggles. We think this is the most important thing in the world. But the Bible reveals that the Lord is exalted over all nations, and His glory is above all the heavens.
One day a whole sermon will be devoted to explaining the vastness of the universe—not just our galaxy or solar system, but galaxies that extend so far beyond our comprehension that no human can truly grasp their magnitude. Yet God sits enthroned above all of this and has to stoop down to look at the heavens and earth.
The reason the Lord is to be praised is that there is no one like Him.
Consider His names and attributes:
Who else is worthy of our praise? No one. You cannot exaggerate anything great about God because He is far greater than our ability to define Him.
What you've experienced here today is a snapshot of what heaven will be like. The Bible says in heaven there will be people from every tribe, every tongue, and every language. When you look around this church, you see a racially diverse congregation—a picture of heaven's diversity.
When you get to heaven, worship is what you will be doing. Imagine that day when you see Jesus face-to-face for the very first time. There will be:
And in that moment, as all of heaven erupts, you will hear His voice for the very first time, and all heaven will sing: "Worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb to receive glory and power and honor and wisdom and strength and praise. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."
Today you have a choice. You can make a decision that you want to be in that number on that day. How do you do it? Come to Jesus with your whole heart, mind, hands, and soul. Make a decision that from this day forward, you will follow Jesus all the days of your life.
If you're not a Christian, come forward today. Decision counselors will help you, and you can be baptized into His name. From this day forward, from the rising to the setting of the sun, wherever you go, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—you will be worshipping the One who alone is worthy.
