Who Is The Lord? Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go." (Exodus 5:1-2 RSV)

The God We Serve! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalms 100:2-5 RSV) God the FatherGod the SonGod the H.S.ApostlesWordFaith Heb. 11:6 James. 1:21 John 16:13 John 15:26 John 12:49 1 Cor. 15:28

Why Should Reverence For God Be Above All? He is the Creator. (Gen. 1:1; 2:7) Man is dependent upon God as a guide. (Jer. 10:23) God is the father of our spirits. (Heb. 12:9) But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24 RSV)

How May We Show Our Reverence For God? Reverence His name. (Psalm 111:9; Matt. 6:9; Eph. 4:29;5:3,4) Reverence His Word. (2 Pet. 3:16; Isa. 66:2) Reverence His commandments. (1 Jn. 5:3) Reverence the worship of God. (Matt. 4:10; Heb. 12:28)

Common Quotes About Worship “I will worship God but in my own individual way.” “Worship should be uplifting and exciting to me.” “Worship is boring and I am not getting anything out of it.” “God wants me to be happy and I am not getting what I need in this worship to be happy.” “I need to get rid of my guilt but I leave here feeling worse.”

The Nature of Worship WORSHIP ◦ Upward ◦ God-ward ◦ Praise ◦ Faith ◦ Thankfulness ◦ With our heart SERVICE ◦ Outward ◦ Man-ward ◦ Practice ◦ Works ◦ Helpfulness ◦ With our hands Worship: Reverence Paid to God. Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" (Matthew 4:10 RSV)

Worship Should Mean Something We are coming before the Lord. ◦ Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!' Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all. But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:19-20 NKJV) Remember The Other Person in Worship is the Great God!

When You Come Before God… God’s Worship For Us Today: ◦ The Lord’s Supper ◦ Singing ◦ Praying ◦ Contribution ◦ Reading & Studying God’s Word Examples For Us: ◦ Genesis 4:3-7 ◦ Leviticus 10:1-3 ◦ Malachi 1:6-10  Lack of reverence  Offered weak, lame sacrifices  Self-willed  Thoughtless  Leftovers  Wearisome

Worship services should be reverent, prepared, joyful, and intense. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. (Psalms 2:11 NKJV)

Proper Preparation Should Be Made for Worship Services. So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. (Genesis 22:3-9 NKJV)

Preparation Before The Worship Service! Remember that there is a relationship going on in worship. Your Mind. Your Body. Your Bible Lesson.

Worship Services Should Be Prepared. Announcements – May distract from a service if not prepared and concise. (May need to be made at end of the service.) Singing – Songs prepared and should help the worship along a certain thought pattern. Prayer – Should be sincere but prepared for the benefit of the congregation. Lord’s Supper – Should provide an atmosphere conducive for the occasion. Should help to get closer to God. Giving – Preparation from each member. Preaching – should be Bible-based and prepared to help the worshiper to draw closer to God.

Worship Services Should Be Joyful. Ps 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 119:162 ¶ I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Do we rejoice in the Lord or do we rejoice when worship is over?

Worship Services Should Be Intense. We are not here to be entertained! We are not here to watch a show. We must all be engaged in the worship to God! We should always be giving God our best. When people visit they can tell if our worship is real! God reacts to how we worship Him! We should be tired after our worship services!

Some Benefits of Worship The realization of our need for God. Broadens our relationship with God. It fulfills the God-given desire within us to worship. We show our reverence for God by just doing what He commands. It gives us the opportunity to remember the Lord’s death and the Grace of God. It gets us ready for the next week!

Conclusion Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 NKJV) God Knows Our Hearts! We cannot deceive Him! We just possess proper reverence for God if we hope to enter heaven.

Sources Material by Kevin Kay Sermons by Harold Comer related to Authority Speaking The Truth in Love – Article on Reverence by Bobby Thompson