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Ch012 The Worship of God: The Principle Obligation of the Believer

Ch012 The Worship of God: The Principle Obligation of the Believer examines the Bible’s teaching on what is worship.

The Worship of God
The Principal Obligation for the Believer
By David Cox

[ch012] v3.2 ©2023 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this for non-profit purposes

Let us think of God as the worthiest Being who deserves a spiritual response from our souls (which should be surrender, dedication and obedience). He is first and foremost our Creator. Salvation is in essence, trust (or faith) in the person of God. His promises of salvation are real, and He is always ready to save us. If we believe this “we are calling upon God in our lives”. And this is what saves us.

Salvation is not a prayer of magic words, which, being vain or feigned (lies), neither affects nor changes our lives. It is putting great trust in God, knowing His character and imitating Him (Ephesians 5:1).

To worship Him is to recognize His character, to trust and exalt Him to be our only pattern. To worship Him is to express faith through words and actions (meditations on His divine character). And it is in Sunday worship given to us by God that we best focus our worship of God.

What is Worship?

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

One’s attitude toward God is of supreme importance. God punishes pride, and rewards humiliation before Him. Access to God is by recognizing His Sovereignty. The second and third commandments speak of wrong forms and objects of worship, the fourth commandment speaks of the day of worship (dedicated to the Lord). Worship is simply the exaltation of God by the person who honors Him. Worship is a spiritual activity, it is an imitation of the morality (moral character) of God, it springs from the soul, it is the response to the Creator with esteem, actions and words that exalt Him in all that He deserves. William Ames explains that there are two forms of worship, formal (in worship) and informal, of which he says, “One cannot give honor to God in any other way but by expressing faith, hope, and love.” That is, true worship is seen in one’s activity and attitude.

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

At this point, says William Ames, “God requires only one thing: worship of Him. This has to do with a fearful attitude (reverence), walking in His ways, loving and serving Him. This is the heart of worship.”

Who do we Worship?

Matthew 4:9 And (Satan) saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

It is striking that Satan wanted Jesus to worship him, and God emphatically insisted that worship is only for God Himself. Firstly, “our Lord” is our Master, the one who rules our lives. Secondly, it is important that Satan wanted Jesus to worship him “prostrate”. That is; to be valid worship, it must be exactly as Satan commanded him.

Satan wanted worship as a sign and in a position of submission (prostrate and humbling himself). That is, worship must deal primarily with the object of worship (God alone, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit John 5:23), and then the form (the humiliation and exaltation of God over us and our will). Satan wants to rob God of His worship. Worship is to keep our eyes fixed, and to give Him attention and priority, offering Him what He requires, and it must be in the form God specifies. Satan intends to draw us away from the right object by corrupting the proper forms. Also, it is very clear that we must never worship anyone other than God Himself, the Creator.

Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

“Giving worship” is the word σεβάζομαι (sebazomai) which means to give reverence or adoration. It is forbidden to worship any creature, or thing, especially wealth. In Colossians 2:18 and Revelation 19:10 it is forbidden to worship angels who literally are “messengers” (which can be preachers or spirit beings appearing in vision with a message).

The Elements of Worship

Worship comes from the fact that we are creatures made by God for His glory. It is the primary obligation of every creature to worship God. This is the reason God created us. It is the response of every creature to God, their Creator. Worship implies that we should prostrate ourselves before the superior God (exalting Him).

The forms are not specific because the attitude is more important than the position of the body, but what the Scriptures command is that we kneel before God, bow our heads to the ground, and be still and maintain silent listening before Him. In general, let us show reverence, awe and humiliation in the presence of God. (Children whose parents do not accustom them to behave well in church will always have problems with worshiping God as adults. The teacher’s authority in school comes from God, and these children will also not be good students in school and will suffer in life).

How should we worship God?

Genesis 4:5-7 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

When we examine Cain, we do not understand his sin in a very clear way. Cain’s sin was that he worshipped in a way that did not please God (the same thing that Nabad and Abihu did in Leviticus 10:1-11 by offering “strange fire”). Many commentators are of the opinion that Cain offered a bloodless offering, a requirement demanded by God, although this could well be, God does not explain it to us. His mistake was not to give importance to the details of his worship, when one has precise instruction from God, one must obey faithfully.

Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Numbers 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

We must study how it is that God wants us to worship Him, and fulfill it exactly. It was God’s constant concern that His people that they not forsake His commandments to follow the thoughts of their hearts. Worship begins with God, and continues with hearing, studying, understanding and applying the Word of God to our own lives.

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Exodus 20:4-5 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

God forbade worship of that which does not have God as its object, and especially not worshiping using images of any kind (of God himself, or of persons, of saints, or of animals, plants, stars, the sun, the moon, etc.). The method of worship is spiritual and not in symbols. The form or method of worship is very important.

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The woman doubted the right place to worship (Jerusalem or Samaria). Jesus declined both centers of worship (which was of great contention between Jews and Samaritans) and focused on spiritual worship, through the truth of God spiritually, dwelling and living visibly within the life of each one.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

The most important part of worship is that we live God’s moral character (morality) in our daily lives. Thus, we will worship God in the way that pleases Him. Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.

The most essential parts of worship in services are: 1) To know and understand the spiritual truth that we need to follow by reading the Bible itself. 2) To insist on this in our way of worship (hymns, Scripture reading, testimonies, etc.). 3)encourage our brethren in faith and love, using spiritual examples, (testimonies and actions of grace) where God shows His character in us, through our experiences.

The “Lord’s Day”

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…

It is extremely important that one worships God. Salvation is not really within you if you do not worship God WITH YOUR OWN LIFE, with your expressions, your words, and your deeds. Furthermore, as a permanent habit of the child of God, there is a specific time and place to worship God, and this is in the church services (in the company of the brethren) every first day of the week.

The observance of the Sabbath (which is a rest from normal life) was of supreme importance in the Old Testament. Breaking the rules of reverence for God on that day was punishable by death.

1 John 1:5, 7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

John observed that there are some people who do not easily fellowship with the brethren. (1 John 2:19 “they went out from us, but they were not of us”) They abandon the church and the brethren. These people do not want to identify with the redeemed of God. John saw the purification of sins, or moral change (1 John 1:7; 3:3, 6) and the love between brethren (1 John 3:10) as the clearest demonstration of a child of God.

Conclusion

The worship of God is the result of having changed one’s life, leaving sin and living together with the brothers and sisters in the community of faith. This is emphasized in the formal worship services.

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Ch11 True Praise

True Praise

By David Cox

[ch11] v1 ©2012 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be reproduced for non-profit purposes.




Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. Deut 10:20-21

What is praise? How is it different from worship? (according to the Bible of course). Well, praise is to say something good about somebody. If a mother rises at 5:00 AM every day to prepare a good breakfast for her kids, does other beneficial things, then her children may “praise her” for the good that she has done them. When they do this publicly, then that is praise. So in praise, we publicly recognize the acts of God for humanity which are good, great, and excellent, and in so doing, reflect God’s benevolent character.

Psa. 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. In a sense, God dwells in these “praises of men”. God is highly pleased when men praise Him. The Psalmist presents God as living or inhabiting in the midst of these praises.

Psa 148:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. 6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. We are to praise our God because He is worthy to be praised (2Sam 22:4; 1Chr. 16:25). Praise begins and focuses on God. Praise does not start out as something emotional (although it can get emotional), but it is a spiritual activity of the will, something we are obligated to do. Praise is spiritual, and is created by the mind and soul meditating on God before seeking to be moved by the emotions (it neither excludes the emotion nor exalts them but allows them when it is appropriate). Continue reading →

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bs32 Should we seek the Holy Spirit?

bs32 Should we seek the Holy Spirit? examines the question of seeking the Holy Spirit, or do Christians already have Him.

bs32 Should we seek the Holy Spirit? examines the question of seeking the Holy Spirit, or do Christians already have Him.

By David Cox

[bs32] v1 ©2023 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes.

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

There are people who say that the Christian must seek the Holy Spirit. In this common concept, the “arrival” of the Holy Spirit is accompanied by certain “evidence” which is normally one or more: speaking in tongues, falling on the floor and rolling back and forth, strong convulsions, a certain losing of control of the body by oneself. While the Bible speaks of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or to say it precisely, that the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit, this “evidence” does not appear in the Bible. Moreover, this evidence is seen as mental illness or the activity of demons. These “manifestations” are what the mystery religions believed and are not biblical. The presence of the Holy Spirit is only seen in holiness and piety in the life of the person.

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ch27 Tithe Is it biblical to tithe? v2

ch27 Tithe Is it biblical to tithe? v2 makes the biblical case for giving to God’s work. Topics: The Principle of Giving to God | What is the Tithe? | Why do we tithe? | Is Tithing for the NT?

Is it Biblical to Tithe? v2

Tithe: Is Giving a tithe a NT Obligation?
By David Cox
[ch27] v1 ©2008 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be reproduced for non-profit purposes




There are people who attack the work of God from without, and there are those who attack the work of God from within. The two most critical points of God’s work which have been seriously attacked from within is the role of pastor in taking care of the church, and the economic sustaining of the church. If convince the ministers to work a secular job to support themselves (see 1Cor 9:14; Mat 10:10; Gal 6:5; 1Tim 5:17) then you will cause an economic poverty within the work of God, basically making it impossible for ministers to accomplish anything more than just keeping their doors open.

There are groups who wish to “free” or unlink the tithe from being a NT Christian’s obligation. If we accept their arguments for a moment, then this means that God doesn’t want his children to support the work of God? What is the biblical alternative? This makes no sense that good Christians don’t want to support the work of God. The rejection of the tithe for the NT Christian has to be a teaching of the devil.




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fam13 Polygamy: Is it biblical to have multiple spouses?

Polygamy

Polygamy: Is it biblical to have multiple spouses?

By David Cox

[FAM13] v1r ©2008 www.coxtracts.com/fam13
This brochure can be freely photocopied and printed

This tract, Polygamy, examines the practice and thinking of some groups that espouse multiple marriage partners as being biblical. While the practice is found in parts of the Bible, it is not condoned by God. TOPICS: The Plan of God | The Attack Against Marriage | Polygamy among the Patriarchs | God overlooked Man’s Disobedience | The New Testament Pattern | Adultery, Two wives at the same time




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pc06 Suicide or something worse?

pc06 Suicide or something worse? We look at the causes of depression leading into suicide, and help from God and the Bible.

pc06 Suicide or something worse? We look at the causes of depression leading into suicide, and help from God and the Bible.

Suicide: A solution or something worse?

by David Cox
[P06] v1 ©2008

www.coxtracts.com
[email protected]
This tract can be freely reproduced for non-profit purposes.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; Ecclesiastes 12:1

The Rock group called “The Suicide Girls” make money by promoting the concept of suicide. In fact, there are fads among our youth like the Emus which also promote this concept among our youth as something great. These elements are floating around among our youth which glamorize suicide, such as a game where they hang themselves in their closet, and then remove the rope before actually dying to see how close to death they can get. Many times, they err and die before they can free themselves. The culture among these groups is a study of suicide to worship it and promote suicide pacts making it romantic and desirable.

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ch34 Brethren, we must not fight!

ch34 Brethren we must not fight!

ch34 Brethren, we must not fight! explains why Christians should not be contentious, especially between brethren.

Brethren, we Must Not Fight!

By David Cox

[ch34] v1r © 2009 www.coxtractscom
You can freely photocopy and print this brochure




But about brotherly love you don’t need me to write to you, because you yourselves have learned from God that you love one another; 1Thes. 4:9

The Bible speaks of a Christian as a person who has a different personality. This person who is saved is someone who seeks to impose brotherly love in his life, in that he loves his brethren. This is a change from the carnal life he was in before he was saved, “living in malice and envy, loathsome, and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3).




Because it is important?

1Jn. 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another; because love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God; because God is love.

Perhaps it is not very obvious why brethren should not fight, but God hates brethren when they are fighting. First, we have to understand that God in his essence is love. Aggression, friction, strife, and fighting are things that God opposes. They are from the Devil. When two brothers get into a fight, then they are lending themselves to the Devil’s purposes. It is not God. But much more than “God doesn’t like it,” God says his children have to learn, understand, and practice love.

1Jn. 2: 9 He that says he is in the light and hates his brother, is still in the darkness. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no stumbling. 11 But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

God proposes a union and friendship between His children, in which a brother helps and supports his brother in what he does in life. When two people are brothers and fight, then God says that they walk in darkness and that they stumble.

1Jn. 3:10 In this the children of God are manifested, and the children of the devil: everyone who does not do justice, and who does not love his brother, is not of God.

If a person does not love his brethren, then it is manifested that he is not a child of God.

1Jn. 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers and sisters. He who does not love his brother remains in death.

The mark that a person is truly saved is that they love their brother, they do not fight, and they tend to not enter into conflicts and in contentions with their brethren. The Christian understands that God commanded that we have brethren, to have a relationship with them. In demonstrating the love of one brother to another, reveals his faith in Christ. Resistance in fighting or seeking to contend with your brethren is something that draws attention to whether one is saved or that one is still unconverted.

1Jn. 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has permanent eternal life in him. 16 By this, we have known love, in which he laid down his life for us; we too must lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

God puts love, being friendly, ignoring, hating, and murderous all on the same line. They are actually degrees of the same thing, your relationship with your neighbor is a reflection of your relationship with God. At one extreme is love, in which one dies for the other. At the other extreme is the murderer. Everything between the two is degrees from one extreme or the other. In addition, brethren share what they have in this life.

Mat. 5:43 You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and you shall hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who abuse and persecute you;

When a person understands (1) the love of God,
(2) what the moral character of God is like, (3) that God is love, (4) that God is not aggressive, and contentious, then one understands God and our common salvation. It is very important to understand that everything is based on two points, as Jesus emphasized.

Mat. 22:37 Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is similar: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Salvation and the whole Christian life is based on our relationship with God, and on how we demonstrate this spiritual relationship, especially on how we accept and imitate him (Eph. 5:1 “Be imitators of God as beloved children“) i.e. nature and moral character of God, and then how we manifest this change of moral character in us to be like God through how we relate to other people (our neighbor, especially our brethren).



Irritating one another

1Co. 13:5 Love is … not irritated.
Gal. 5:26 Let’s not become boastful, irritating each other, envying one another.

God commands us not to irritate each other. The idea here is to provoke, to call for conflict and contention. A Christian is a person who seeks peace, not conflict. As Christians, we sometimes have to face even our brethren when they disobey the will of God the Father, but in general, we must be people who love their neighbors and brethren, forgetting and covering up their offenses and not seeking conflict and contention with them.

Biting and wasting away

Gal. 5:15 But if you bite and eat one another, see that you also do not consume one another.

Between the brethren, when they start attacking and destroying each other then they end up killing each other. The idea is taken literally from one animal that attacks and turns against another to such an extent that it consumes the other.

The Relationship Between One Another

Jn. 13:34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Jn. 15:12 This is my commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you.
Jn. 15:17 This I command you: Love one another.
Rom. 13: 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

It is essential to see the importance that Jesus placed on his children having a loving relationship with each other. This relationship defines and reveals the moral character of God, and one announces God living within them by living in this way.

Upholding one another and putting up with one another

Col. 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. As Christ forgave you, so do you.

Simply put, if one is saved, he supports and endures his brethren. We seek peace, forgiving each other if we are children of God.

Forgiving one another

Eph. 4:32 But be kind to one another, merciful, forgiving one another, as God also forgave you in Christ.

If you seek and want to be forgiven by God, then He gives you the test of someone offending you so He can see if you really want forgiveness IN YOUR OWN LIFE. If you want to be forgiven by God, then you will also forgive others, bearing their offenses, not holding a grudge and envy against them. God sees the sincerity of your heart toward the salvation that God gives you through how you forgive other people who offend and annoy you.

Exhorting and teaching you

Col. 3:16 The word of Christ abundantly dwells in you, teaching and exhorting one another in all wisdom…

When we understand the Bible and the will of God, then we understand that it is our task as children of God to be those who proclaim the virtues of God (“that you proclaim the virtues of him who called you ” 1Pet 2:9). In this, we explain and live God’s word (God’s will in words and actions) for others. We encourage and teach, but we do not litigate or be aggressive and conflictive in nature.

Cheer up and build yourselves

1Thes. 5:11 Wherefore encourage one another, and build one another up, just as you do.

The truth of a saved person is that he encourages and edifies his brethren instead of fighting with them.

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Author Pastor David Cox

Pastor David Cox

See also Why People leave your church (posts November 6, 2020)