“Oh Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down” #2380

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: 8 Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness (Psalm 95:6–8, NKJV).

Today’s passage depicts prostrate worshipers bent in obeisance, giving the Almighty reverential deference and honor. Worship is not a performance for God or people. Turning worship into entertainment dilutes and profanes the holiness of God (see Lev. 10:1-3). True worship is offered to God as the worshiper humbly and thankfully acknowledges His hand of guidance, provisions, and protection. Worshipers recall God is our Maker, both of flesh and spirit (Isa. 42:15; Zech. 12:1). We are God’s sheep in Christ, saved by the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). Therefore, God’s people listen to and follow His voice (v. 7; John 10:27). The example of Israel worshiping the golden calf and murmuring against the Lord reminds us how quickly the hearts of worshipers can become hardened against God (Exod. 32:1-8). Mindful of this warning, God’s true worshipers assess their hearts, listen to His word, and offer Him the worship He designed, worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24; Acts 2:42). The psalmist’s call to worship still rings true, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods” (Ps. 95:2-3).

True Worshipers Offer God True Worship #1564

23 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. (John 4:23–24, NKJV)

The true God seeks true worshipers to offer Him true worship. According to Jesus, true worship is offered God “in spirit and truth.” Since God’s word is truth, it necessarily follows that God’s word reveals true worship and is not devised in the human heart (John 17:17; 2 Kings 12:33). Sincerity alone is insufficient to qualify one as a true worshiper. To please God, sincere worship comes from the heart (“in spirit”) and conforms to the truth of God. The true worshipers we read of in the New Testament offered God reverential prayers, heart-filled singing, memorial eating of the Lord’s supper, thankful giving, and the respectful teaching of God’s word (Acts 2:42; 20:7; Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 16:2). Since God accepted their worship, we can offer the same worship today, equally confident that He accepts our worship. True worshipers give God gospel-revealed worship from the heart, not man made worship (Colossians 2:23). God seeks true worshipers. Worship God with your full heart and in the gospel-revealed way.