09/12/2020
What Worship Is, Part III
By Don E. Shotwell, Jr.
Additional Content by Zach Neese
This will be the last blog post in the ‘Worship The King’ series this year. We are about to go into a spiritual warfare series, and it will be a VIDEO series. They will be posted to YouTube, and to our dedicated site which ‘should be’ up and running by the end of September. I will have that URL for you in a few weeks.
Okay, so this is part three – so far we’ve learned that worship is defined as love expressed, and we have broken down what love is and that worship is love, as we are commanded to love both God and people – our neighbor, all humankind – yes, even the guy who cut you off in traffic this morning. Today, we are going to talk about worship as an expression. We are also going to look at how the bible defines worship in the original Greek and Hebrew.
Alright so, if you have your bibles, turn with me to two passages of scripture – Philippians 2, put a marker there and go over to Genesis 22. We are going to look at two of the greatest EXPRESSIONS of worship in the bible. Worship is ‘love expressed,’ another way to say that is ‘love COMMUNICATED.’ When God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross, He made the greatest sacrifice ever communicated to humankind. John 3:16 (NLT) says, ‘for God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.’
Last time, we learned that when a man is going to propose to a woman, if he is wise, he will give her an engagement ring. That ‘ring’ communicates how much that bride is worth in the eyes her future husband. When a woman is showing – because a woman never wants to have to TELL – all of her friends that engagement ring, showing it off, it is understood to mean that it represents how much their friend is worth in the eyes of the man she is now engaged to. The cross is the ‘engagement ring’ to the bride of Christ. With the death of His one and only Son, God COMMUNICATED, or expressed, much he loves us – how much we are worth to Him.
Now, we are going to look at how we express, or communicate, our love back to God. Okay, so Genesis 22, we are going to look at verses 1 through 14:
Genesis 22:1-14
[1] “Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. ‘Abraham!’ God called. ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Here I am.’”
[2] “‘Take your son, your only son--yes, Isaac, whom you love so much--and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.’”
[3] “The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.”
[4] “On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.”
[5] “‘Stay here with the donkey,’ Abraham told the servants. ‘The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.’”
[6] “So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,”
[7] “Isaac turned to Abraham and said, ‘Father?’ ‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied. ‘We have the fire and the wood,’ the boy said, ‘but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?’”
[8] “‘God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,’ Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.”
[9] “When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.”
[10] “And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.”
[11] “At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Yes,’ Abraham replied. ‘Here I am!’”
[12] “‘Don't lay a hand on the boy!’ the angel said. ‘Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.’”
[13] “Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.”
[14] “Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means ‘the LORD will provide’). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’”
Could you imagine?! How agonizing! I am not a parent, but I am what is commonly referred to as a ‘pet’ parent to a beautiful, 6-year-old little Calico named Cali (I know, original, right?). She is an absolutely precious and adorable little girl. She’s my baby, and I couldn’t imagine life without her. So, if God ever asked me to sacrifice her to ‘test my faith,’ I don’t really know if I could follow through or not! However, Abraham DID know, and he WAS going to follow through. Notice what it says in Hebrews chapter 11:
Hebrews 11:17-19: “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, ‘Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.’ Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”
This tells us that this picture is a type and shadow of Christ, God’s own son, sacrificed to show us how much God values and love us. Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac because God was worth that much to him. Romans 4:3 says, “For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’” Abraham’s faith in God is what saved him. He believed in God and his sovereignty and his ability to “bring (Isaac) back to life again” that he was willing to follow through. “Well, what about Isaac? It would’ve taken him a lifetime of therapy, had he actually been killed and raised again, to get over the fact that HIS OWN FATHER KILLED HIM!” Abraham probably considered that. He just believed more in God’s sovereign ability to bring him back, and so most likely considered that God, bringing Isaac back to life, would also heal him of that mental trauma in addition to bringing him back to life.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Did Abraham know that God was going to raise Isaac from the dead? No. However, Abraham loved God to the extent that he had what I like to call “faith inconsequential.” It's not that Abraham’s faith itself was inconsequential, by no means, but that his faith was so deep and so wide that he was going to follow through regardless of the consequences. That was the extent of Abraham’s love for God: unquestioning faith. Scripture says he “reasoned” that God would bring Isaac back to life, but he had no guarantee. Nevertheless, Abraham obeyed because obedience is born out of love, facilitated by trust. Abraham trusted God. He had FAITH in God (you see what I did, there?). WE love God so much and want to follow him in every way and everything we do. That love produces trust, and that trust, or FAITH, gives birth to obedience in the life of a believer. You say, “obedience to what? His commands?? All six hundred plus?!” No. Remember our text from two sessions ago?:
Mark 12:28-31 (NASB): “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'hear, o Israel! the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."”
The most oft quoted version of this in the synoptic gospels is Matthew’s version, which adds:
Matthew 22:40 (NASB) “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” The New Living Translation says, “the entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Abraham communicated his love to God by his obedience. Next, we’re going to look at the greatest example of worship that has ever been set for us – Jesus Christ. He also communicated his love to God by his obedience. Luke chapter 22 is where we pick up this story, right before Jesus is to be betrayed by Judas. Thank God for Judas – for without Judas, there would be no crucifixion. He played a crucial role in Jesus’ story. Okay, so Luke 22:
Luke 22:39-44
[39] “Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.”
[40] “There he told them, ‘Pray that you will not give in to temptation.’”
[41] “He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed,”
[42] “‘Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’”
[43] “Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.” more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
[45] At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.
[46] "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation."
He says in verse 42, “yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Yet again, we see obedience. That’s the communication of worship. Remember that the cross is the “engagement ring” to the bride of Christ, and it is Jesus saying, “that is how much this woman is worth to me.” The bride of Christ is the church, by the way, made up of every person who is saved, those who have been saved and have died, and those who will be saved. Unless your “religion” completely throws out the books of Ephesians, Romans and 1 & 2 Corinthians where it talks about unity and being one body and says that “Christ (also) loved the church (singular) and gave himself up for her,” it’s called the universal invisible church. That’s Ephesians 5:25-26, and it says, “for husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word.”
Jesus, God in the flesh, says, “Hey, (insert your name here, and mine, too!), I love you, and THIS is how much YOU are worth to me. So, I am going to communicate that love by being obedient to my father, even to my own death in a Roman cross.”
Alright, you still have your place in Philippians 2? Notice:
Philippians 2:3-11:
[3] “Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”
[4] “Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
[5] “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
[6] “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.”
[7] “Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,”
[8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.”
[9] “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,”
[10] “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”
[11] “and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Paul pretty much sums it up right there! Verse 8 says, “he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.” “He humbled himself in obedience to God,” loving us so much that he was obedient, willing to sacrifice himself on a cross so as to communicate to us our worth. That is the greatest expression of love. John 15:13-14 says, “there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” In essence, “I loved you first, now love me back so we can be friends,” because the greatest commandment is to love him, “and because we are friends, I’ll run interference with my father so when he comes to judge the living and the dead, you will be saved from the punishment related to your sins, what you earned by your deeds, which is death.” That is essence is Christianity. He communicated his love for us first, and that is the only reason we can love him at all. Romans 5:8 says that, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We didn’t deserve it nor earn it, as singer/songwriter Cory Asbury said in his song “Reckless Love.” As he explains the song, “when (you) look a father who adores his son so much, but is willing to send him to a cross to die a brutal and gruesome death. To me,” Cory continues, “that type of love is reckless – it says ‘I will do ANYTHING. To have my sons and daughters who are estranged from me brought back into the fold, I’m sending my son to a cross.”
So, Christ set before us an example of how to worship by his obedience of the father. What does that look like for us; how do we communicate that love back to God? Well, we already talked about obedience, which is motivated by love, but what are some other ways that we can communicate our love for God? Let’s take a look at what the bible says about this.
The bible was written in three languages: Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, with some portions of Daniel and Ezra, as well as small sections of Genesis and Jeremiah, and, although in dispute among scholars, smaller portions of Numbers, Job, and Psalms being written in Aramaic. The entirety of the New Testament, however, was written in Koine Greek.
The Greek word most often translated as “worship” is the word “proskuneo.” It has three meanings:
1. lit. to adore
2. to prostrate oneself; to bow with reverence; to fall on one’s face.
3. to kiss (like kissing hands toward someone, or kissing one’s shoes on the hem of a garment)
In the Gospel according to John, chapter 4, Jesus is speaking to who the New Living Translation calls the “Samaritan Woman,” (growing up, I’d always heard her called the “Woman at the Well”) and Jesus uses the Koine Greek word “proskuneo” twice. John 4:24 says, “for God is Spirit, so those who WORSHIP him must WORSHIP in spirit and in truth.” Now, there has been some controversy over the third definition of “proskuneo,” specifically about “kissing.”
As a man, I can attest that public displays of affection (PDA) can be pretty uncomfortable sometimes, and there are all sorts of things that race through your mind if you are taking part in PDA or even watching PDA. For instance:
Doing it:
This is something intimate between me and my girlfriend (or, in the future, because I’m not married – yet – my wife). Yes, she is MORE than worthy of my kiss and my touch, and yes, I want to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS how much in love with her I am, but again, this is intimate – is SHE okay with it? Is it embarrassing to HER? Did I brush my teeth this morning? Is this inappropriate for a public audience if I kiss her like that or touch her like that? Is she giving me “the signal” to drop the concession drinks and popcorn in the floor and head for the nearest movie theater bathroom …(‘cause I’m a guy, and that’s what we think about)… (ONLY IF WE ARE MARRIED)?
Watching it:
Do I watch? Do I look away? Am I supposed to watch? Is my girlfriend (or, in the future, because I’m not married – yet – my wife) going to catch me looking? What will she think if she does? Is SHE looking? Shiny object… …(‘cause I’m a guy)… What if she is? What should I THINK if she IS? What does THAT mean? Is she giving me a signal to drop the concession drinks and popcorn in the floor and head for the nearest movie theater bathroom if she IS watching …(‘cause I’m a guy, and that’s what we think about)… (ONLY IF WE ARE MARRIED)?
Men think about s*x WAAAY too often, and not always at appropriate times, either. Don’t have s*x before marriage. But, as you probably guessed, PDA can get a bit uncomfortable!
Yet, we serve a God who demonstratively displayed his love and affection for us in a way that, as we read earlier in John 15:13, cannot be matched! This is, as Zach Neese, author of our textbook for this series, said, “a bias that we have culturally created, not one that we have gleaned from the Spirit or Word of God.” As Pastor Zach goes on to say, “I believe it is this pedantic prudery that has caused some to define proskuneo as “to lick, licking the hand, like a dog licking his master’s hand.” That’s like what a dog does. No one wants to be God’s poodle. So, let’s explain it in a more modern idiom: blowing kisses to God. That’s more child-like. Like a child, from a distance, blowing kisses to their father, that’s “proskuneo.” Why does a child blow kisses to their father? Because they ADORE him! It’s an expression of love to someone who is a bit further away, otherwise, we’d kiss their face. In Luke chapter 7, we see the woman with the alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. This wasn’t Chanel or Esteé Lauder or Dolce and Gabbana, or, for the guys, Curve Crush or Hugo XY. This wasn’t even Armani Acqua Di Gio! This was DKNY Golden Delicious or Clive Christian No. 1! This was the good stuff! She was an immoral woman, and her sins were many, yet she began to anoint his feet, kissing them, weeping heavily and wiping her tears with her hair!
Watch what Jesus says in response to the Pharisee Simon and those with him:
Luke 7:45-47
[45] “You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.”
[46] “You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.”
[47] “‘I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.’”
WOW!!! What an expression! It is the only place in the gospels where Jesus said that someone besides his father had demonstrated love toward him. How sad! Much like a kiss, worship is an expression of intimate love between us and God. There is a certain way I kiss my sisters, or my nephews or niece. There is a certain way I will kiss my friends. But there is a specific kiss reserved for my lover, whomever she may be in my future. It’s fervent. It’s strong. It’s romantic. It’s loving. It’s sloppy. It’s passionate. It’s intimate. As pastor Zach says, “the greater the intimacy of a relationship, the more passionately its love is expressed. The greater the intimacy of our relationship with God, the more passionate our worship will be. After all, He defined passion for us on the cross. When we reciprocate that passion, we are demonstrating our love for Him appropriately.”
The second Greek word that is most often translated as “worship” is the word “latreuo.” Latreuo describes ministering to God, render religious homage, or serve. It describes what we talked at length about in our last session – bond service. So, if you would like to learn more about that, I would recommend you go back and read that, or wait until sometime next year when I will be making these into video blogs, or “vlogs.”
Translating “worship” in Hebrew is a bit different, as there are no vowels. Yep, you read that correctly – NO VOWELS. The Hebrew word most often translated as “worship” is “shachah.” It literally means “to bow down” or “to stoop down.” Worship is bowing as it demonstrates God’s lordship over our lives. Both Hebrew AND Greek words mean to bow low, so there is no escaping it. Bowing low is willful submission to God. It goes back to obedience. Obedience is the communication of our love to God. We communicate our love to God by following his commands to love him and love our neighbor.
Can I let you in on a little secret?
We can’t do it.
1 John 4:19 (NKJV) says, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
You’ve made it this far, now pay attention, because here is the application:
You want to know how to truly worship God? Trust. Believe in God. Believe that he did what he said he did and that he will do what he said he is going to do. Trust that he knows what is best for our lives. When we do what is right in our own eyes, we fail. But when we trust him completely, and let him guide us, we are communicating the greatest expression of love that anyone can – obedience.
Obedience is the product of belief.
Belief is love expressed.
Love expressed is worship.
God, I ask that you teach each and every one of us your ways. Give us your wisdom, as your word says if we ask for, you’ll grant it. Lord I ask that you’ll guide their hearts, and if I have said anything in error, or anything that is hard to understand, Lord I ask that you reveal it to them and forgive me for my ignorance. Bless each and every person reading this that they may know you better and draw closer to you because of this work. Not my will be done, not my agenda be pushed through this writing, not my way, but your way, always. Keep us safe as we go from here, wherever that may be. We ask these things in the holy and precious name of Yeshua, God incarnate, Jesus Christ, AMEN.
Hey, make sure to keep checking back for more updates. I will update the Facebook blog site at least once a week on our progress. I will have a dedicated URL for you by the end of the month and we will start “vlogging” by the end of the year – it’s a lot to set up, so please be in prayer for us. Thank you all for your support, and don’t forget to like and subscribe, and tell your friends about us! Thank you, and God bless you all, I’ll see you in about a month.
God bless,
- Don E. Shotwell, Jr.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation |
© 1996, 2004, 2007 | Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc. | Carol Stream, Illinois 60188 | All rights reserved.
Neese, Zach | © 2015 | How To Worship A King: Prepare Your Heart. Prepare Your World. Prepare The Way. | Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House.
