What is WORSHIP

means
To GOD
1. The primary Hebrew word for worship.
a. Shachah - "to depress, i.e. prostrate (in homage to royalty or
God): bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly
beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop,
worship.“
2. Three Greek words.
a. Proskuneo - "meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's
hand), to fawn or crouch to, homage (do reverence to,
adore): worship." It occurs 59 times in the New Testament. It
originally carried with it the idea of subjects falling down to kiss
the ground before a king or kiss their feet.
b. Sebomai - "to reverence, hold in awe." Used 10 times in the
New Testament.
c. Latreuo - "to render religious service of homage." Used 21
times in the New Testament.
. The word in the English language.
3

(1): Noun- 1. The feeling or expression of

reverence and adoration for a deity. 2. Adoration
or devotion comparable to religious homage,
shown toward a person or principle. Verb- 1. Show
reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with
religious rites. 2. Treat (someone or something)
with the reverence and adoration appropriate to a
deity 3. Take part in a religious ceremony.
Definition of worship in the Bible:

Worship is defined and detailed in an encounter

between Jesus and a woman at a well in
Samaria (John 4:1-26).
Sometimes we go to church, but we don’t
worship.
We sing songs, but we don’t worship.
We listen to sermons, but we don’t worship.
We serve in a ministry area—but don’t
worship.
The Bible talks about several "kinds" of worship.

1. Ignorant Worship--Acts 17:22-31

a. Acts 17:23 - "for as I was passing through and
considering the objects of your worship, I even
found an altar with this inscription: TO THE
UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you
worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
b. Paul perceived that they were very religious but
he warned them that their religious service was not
pleasing to God for it was done without knowledge
of what God wanted or even who God was.
c. Ignorant worship is like throwing darts at a bulls
eye while blindfolded--sure you might hit the mark
but more than
likely you will do a lot of damage
d. ignorant worship is not pleasing to God for he is
not glorified by accident, but by a conscience praise
of His name.
e. Such worship will never be pleasing to God, for
His will has been revealed (John 4:24).
f. God does not wink (tolerate) ignorance - Acts
17:30.
2. Vain Worship
a. Matthew 15:7-9 "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah
prophesy about you, saying: 8 - 'These people draw
near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their
lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9- And in vain they
worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.'"
b. The Pharisees made their worship Vain (useless)
because they had layered on the commandments of
men to their practices.
c. This is the attitude which changes what God has
said, does not respect what God has said, and not
obey what He has commanded. See Leviticus 10:1-11.
3. Will Worship
a. Colossians 2:23 - Which things have indeed a
show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and
neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the
satisfying of the flesh. (KJV)
b. Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
c. This is worship that centers in satisfying self. This
is the same type of worship that we often have
today, that which calls for "audience centered"
worship.
4. True Worship.
a. John 4:23-24 "But the hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is
seeking such to worship Him. 24 - "God is Spirit,
and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth."
We are as Hebrews 13:15 says to "Offer the sacrifice of
praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His
name." In worship we must be the participants, not the
observers. We want to please and entertain ourselves. In
Galatians 1:10 the question is asked, "Do I seek to please
men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of
Christ."
Worship is God-centered not man-centered. When our
worship is to please God instead of ourselves, then and
only then will our worship be much more meaningful and
spiritually uplifting to us and acceptable to God.
THE CORRECT ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

A. Worship is God centered.

1. Psalms 95:6 - Oh come, let us worship and bow
down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
2. Acts 17:23 - "for as I was passing through and
considering the objects of your worship, I even found
an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing,
Him I proclaim to you:
3. Hebrews 13:15 - Therefore by Him let us continually
offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of
our lips, giving thanks to His name.
4. One of the great errors in modern worship is
making it worshiper centered. Worship is to be
centered on praising God, not entertaining ourselves.
a. We need to understand that the blessings we
receive from worship are a by-product of our worship
and not the focus. In worship we come to do and give,
not receive.
b. The effort to "get more" out of worship has led to
all types of artificial, superficial, and unscriptural
gimmicks to "liven up" worship periods. Such IS NOT
WORSHIPING GOD; it is bowing to altar of the social
gospel.
c. Our problem is that we have determined that we
have a problem but have not correctly diagnosed the
problem. The problem is not with the content of our
worship. The problem is with our hearts. We are so
materialistic and carnal minded that we cannot center
our minds of praising God and need artificial
stimulation to "feel" spiritual.
B. The correct place of our worship.

1. Anyplace where God's people dwell. Matt. 18:20

2. Acts 17:24-25 "God, who made the world and everything in
it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in
temples made with hands. 25- "Nor is He worshiped with
men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives
to all life, breath, and all things.
3. This is the truth that Jesus revealed to the Samaritan
woman.
a. John 4:20-21 "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and
you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought
to worship." 21 - Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the
hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father."
C. There must be a combining of reverence toward
God and worshiping according to the truth of God's
will.
1. John 4:23-24
2. Joshua 24:14 - "Now therefore, fear the LORD,
serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the
gods which your fathers served on the other side of
the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!
Worships Involves Total Surrender of Our Lives

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of

God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
true and proper worship.”
Rom 12:1 (NIV)
Obedience is an act of WORSHIP

John 14: 23-24 23Jesus replied, “All who love me

will do what I say. My Father will love them, and
we will come and make our home with each of
them. 24Anyone who doesn’t love me will not
obey me. And remember, my words are not my
own. What I am telling you is from the Father who
sent me.
Even in the Old Testament Obedience was the Highest
form of Worship In 1 Samuel 15: 22-23 God rejected
Saul as King because Saul disobeyed His
Commandments. Starting with verse 22..

22But Samuel replied,“What is more pleasing to the

LORD:your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your
obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better
than sacrifice,and submission is better than offering
the fat of rams. 23Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So
because you have rejected the command of the LORD,
he has rejected you as king.”