Rhythm #6: Worship

(Note: This sermon focuses primarily on how worship relates to the Fear of the Lord. For a more direct article on Worship as a spiritual discipline, check out Dr. Calvin Whitman’s article on Worship.)

“You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:22-24)

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. (Is 11:1-3)

Dt 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Dt 6:14-16 “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.”

Luke 4:7-12 “If you worship me, it will all be yours.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Ps 34:7-11 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord..”

Is 33:5-6 “The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.”

Ps 19:9 “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.”

Prov 8:12-13 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.”

Ps 25:12-14 “Who is the man who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
His soul will abide in prosperity, And his
descendants will inherit the land.
The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.”

Ps 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.”

Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened.
Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”

1 Pet 1:14-17 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.”

So what is the Fear of the Lord?

A divine fear: The reverencing and adoring of Gods holiness.
Worshipping Him in the beauty of His holiness and coming before His sacred inspection.
A gracious habit and principle placed by God in the soul causing us to love what is beautiful and hate what is evil.
A powerful sense of both the fury of His wrath and the sweetness of His love.

Prov 2:1-5 “My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.”

Lk 11:9-10, 13. ““So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Prov 2:1-5. “My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.”