Some More Amazing Truths about Worship
David W Palmer
1. Worship Is Service in the Body—A lifestyle of surrender
(Romans 12:1 BSB) “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
First, we see that offering our bodies as living sacrifices in obedience to God is “pleasing” to him. From Hebrews 11:6, we know that this means that we would have to be doing it by faith:
(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) “But without faith it is impossible to please Him …”
This BSB translation of Rom. 12:1 also says that it is your “spiritual service of worship.” We know that Jesus connected true worship with serving (Mat. 4:10, Luke 4:8). But the true actions that please God are not physical, self-initiated ones done by us to be [merely physical] worship to impress him; on the contrary, they are the ones that are birthed in true worship in spirit—ones that “God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10 NKJV).
So the actions that please God are not done from the flesh or human strength in a self-initiated effort to please him. They are the result of faith-filled spiritual worship—the result of bowing to God in the spirit, loving him, pouring out our heart to him in intimate affection, and submitting to his will like Jesus did when he said, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NKJV). Then by his grace, we can imitate what we hear and see in the spirit with Father like Jesus did:
(John 5:19–20 CEV) Jesus told the people: “I tell you for certain the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do. {20} The Father loves the Son and has shown him everything he does. …”
2. Singing?
God’s word has much to say and many instructions about singing praise. But if the singing, etc., does not result in a lifestyle of surrender that pleases God—making our bodies a living sacrifice—then it’s not true worship in spirit and in truth, is it?
Singing, however, is a great benefit to true worship; it can first facilitate praise. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of his people (KJV). When we offer true, heartfelt, sincere praise to God, his Holy Spirit manifests himself in tangible glory. This allows all present to encounter God directly—meeting with him, hearing from him, experiencing his power, and finding his grace.
Singing can then further help us worship at this point; it can focus us on what God wants to do in us, through us, or for us. For example, we could sing about surrender, calling, healing, freedom, commissioning, impartation, etc. Meanwhile, our spirit man—the true me—can adore him, love him, honour him, yield to his will, receive his assignment, and find the grace to do it.
3. True Worship Is a Response to God’s Manifested Presence
(Matthew 28:9 NKJV) And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him.
(Matthew 28:17 NKJV) When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted.
This is a perfect illustration of New Testament worship. When his disciples encountered the true risen Lord of lords and King of kings—the Lord Jesus Christ—their spontaneous [and almost involuntary] response was to worship him. Their body language of prostration and holding his feet signalled a heart of respectful surrender to their risen Savior. If our heart is right, if we come by faith, if we stand on his word, and if we obediently praise as directed in scripture, Jesus will inhabit our praise. The response of a true disciple? … true worship!
(Psalm 100:4 NLT) “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
I encourage you today; first, enter his gates with thanksgiving—making the sacrifice of praise, and confessing his word as truth. Then “go into his courts with praise.” This is whe
