Are You a Thanks Giver, a Praiser, or a Worshipper?

John 4:23-24

23 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. [i]

One of the most misunderstood terms in our English language is the word “worship”.

We often confuse the word worship with thanksgiving and praise.

1.)    The Bible teaches us in numerous places that we are to give thanks unto God for what he has done.

 

28 times in the KJV the word “thanksgiving” appears.

Such memorable passages as the following:

Psalm 100:1-5

1  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.   2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

[ii]

Isaiah 51:3

3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

[iii]

The term “give thanks” appears 35 times:

Including such memorable passages as: 1 Chronicles 16:7-8

7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. 8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. [iv]

The term “thanksgiving” simply means: to render thanks to God for blessings granted.

Thanksgiving is an easy thing for us, because the act of thanksgiving always hinges on the fact that God has already done something for us.

2.)    And, then there is the term “praise”. Praise is also something that is most often easy for us to accomplish, because our praise hinges on something that God has already done.

It’s usually not too difficult for us to fulfill:

Psalm 150:1-6 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.  2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.  4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.  5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

[v]

Because the word of our testimony in the congregation makes us excited about what God has done for us.

The testimonies of:

§  Healing

§  Salvation

§  Deliverance

§  Provision

Make us desire to give thanks unto God and praise Him for what he has done in our midst.

There is nothing wrong with that, in fact the Bible commands us to give praise in the sanctuary, to praise God for what He has done.

I never want to forget the fact that (9) times in scripture David said:

Psalm 106:1

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  [vi]

I love to praise the Lord!

I love to sing songs like:

§  When I think of the goodness of Jesus, and all He has done for me!

§  He keeps right on blessing me!

§  I love to praise Him, I love to praise His name!

I love to praise the Lord, I love to give Him thanks for all He’s done!

Because you see, the term worship means something entirely different.

Worship simply means “pure adoration unto God, not based on acts of blessing, but based on His nature and the fact that He is God alone!”

You see, thanksgiving and praise are contingent on what God has done!

But, worship is contingent on Who God is!

It’s easy to give thanks, and praise, but it’s not always easy to worship!

Because true worship says:

§  Even though I lost my job, I’ll still worship you, because you are God and  you have not changed!

§  Even though my marriage is falling apart, I’ll still worship you for you are God, and you have not changed!

§  Even though my family turns against me, I’ll still worship you, for you are God and you have not changed!

True worship says, no matter what is happening in my life, you are God and Your excellent greatness has not changed!

True worship says, no matter whether or not:

§  I have food on the table

§  Money in the bank

§  Peace in my home

§  I’m being blessed or not

I’ll still stand with my hands raised and worship, because no matter what you have or have not done, you are God and there is none beside you!

True Worship says I exalt you because you are:

§  Alpha and Omega

§  Beginning and end

§  Chief Cornerstone

§  Deliverer

§  Everlasting Father

§  First and Last

§  Good Shepherd

§  Holy One

§  I am

§  Jesus

§  King of Kings

§  Lamb of God

§  Mediator

§  Nazarene

§  Only Begotten Son

§  Prince of Peace

§  Quick and Righteous Judge

§  Redeemer

§  Saviour

§  True Vine

§  Unquenchable Fire

§  Victorious King

§  Word made flesh

§  X-press Image of God

§  Yahweh

§  Zion’s Conquering King

I.)                I THINK IT IS INTERESTING THAT JESUS USED THIS TERM TO DESCRIBE THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT THE FATHER IS SEEKING.

Jesus didn’t say that the Father was seeking thanks givers, or praisers, but he said, “God is seeking people who will worship Him!”

A.)     Abraham had been a praiser and a thanksgiver for a long time.

And with good reason, for the Bible says he was a wealthy man. He was a man well respected by his peers, and specifically, a “friend of God”.

It’s easy to praise and give thanks when you’re well stocked with gold, silver, cattle, wealth.

It’s easy to praise when God is giving to you.

But, Abraham learned about worship when God not only stopped giving TO him, but instead required something OF him.

When all the wealth and riches couldn’t save the life of the son that God had given Abraham, and God said, “Now, we’ll see how much you really love me, and not just what I can do for you.”

And on the day that Abraham became a true worshipper, the Bible says:

Genesis 22:5

5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. [vii]

Abraham, you’ve enjoyed the blessings of God for a long time, and your allegiance to God has never really been tested, but today, you learned what it means to simply worship God for who He is!

B.)      Job was another man who had no problem praising God.

Job 1:1-3

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

[viii]

§  It’s easy to praise when you have such great substance.

§  It’s easy to give the Lord thanks when He has given you so much.

§  It’s easy to love God as long as you’re on the receiving end.

But, Job learned about true worship in a single day, when everything that he had was stripped from him, without explanation, without apology, without warning.

But, look at the character of Job after the final messenger had left with the news that all of his children and their spouses had been destroyed.

Job 1:20-22

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,  21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

[ix]

Job knew how to be a praiser and a thanks giver, but on that day he learned how to be a worshipper!

Job learned what it meant to praise God when He was taking from you, and not when He was just giving to you!

C.)      Three Hebrew children

The three Hebrew boys, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, more commonly known to us as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, which were their Babylonian names, had no problem giving thanks to God.

They had been elevated in the King’s Court because of their talents, skills, and abilities. They had been chosen to work their way up the ladder of Babylonian success.

§  But, one fateful day, their resolve was tested. Will we go on being successful according to the world’s standards, even if it means denying our God?

§  Or will we stand for what’s right, even if it means dying in the furnace?

It’s easy to praise when things are going well, and I have favor in the king’s eyes. But, what will I do now?

And their answer was swift, and without delay!

Daniel 3:17-18

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

[x]

These three words have impacted me so much “BUT IF NOT”!

These three young men went from being praisers on that day to being TRUE worshippers!

They said:

§  We know that God CAN do it, but even if he doesn’t we will still worship HIM!

§  We know that God can keep us safe, but even if He doesn’t, it doesn’t change the way we feel about HIM!

Teach us to say “BUT IF NOT!”

Let me tell you, in each of the cases I just brought to you for consideration, the story didn’t end with a son being lost, or with Job sitting in a pile of ashes, or with the Hebrew children being burned to a crisp!

God’s people went thru some hard times, but when they stayed true to God, and learned how to worship in the hard times, eventually God brought them through and blessed them more mightily than ever before!

§  You might be in the furnace now, but learn how to worship!

§  You might be stripped down to nothing now, but learn how to worship!

§  You might have lost everything, but learn how to worship, God’s not thru yet!

II.)              SOMEONE SAID RECENTLY, “THE PROBLEM WITH US IS THAT WE SEEK GOD’S HAND, AND NOT HIS FACE”

§  We seek what God can do for us, and not an intimate relationship with Him.

§  We only seek the blessing of God, and not the communion with Him.

§  We praise, but we never really worship.

Can we as a church truly worship God even when HE is not blessing?

Or even more critically, when He is taking things from us?

The Bible tells of a group of 86 priests that were sitting around one day, testifying of God’s mighty acts, and sharing what God had done for them.

When an evil man named Doeg came upon them and destroyed all but one of these Godly men.

And one escaped by the name of Abiathar. And the Bible says: 1 Samuel 23:6

6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

[xi]

§  Now, that may not seem like much to you, but you must understand that the ephod was a symbol of prayer, worship, communion with God.

§  And it was never designed to be carried in one’s hand, it was designed to be worn around one’s chest, close to the heart.

And, Abiathar was wearing his worship when things were going well, but when things weren’t going so well, he took off his worship!

God is not looking for people who will just worship when it’s convenient, but will wear their worship every day, wherever they go!

God is not looking for people who will just worship when things are going well, but will keep that worship on when things are not going well!

Now, let me show you the flip side of that coin.

The Philistines had stolen the ark of the covenant and brought it back after it caused them so much trouble.

When they took it from the Israelites, there were three things in that ark:

1.)    Aaron’s rod that budded

2.)    Pot of manna

3.)    Tables of stone

When they brought it back the only thing left in it were the tables of stone.

The Philistines said, “We want the miracle working power of God, we want the provision of God, but we don’t want the law of God!”

We want to serve your God when He’s blessing, when He’s working miracles, but that’s as far as it goes!

But, the Bible says that when the ark of the covenant came back into Jerusalem, that: 2 Samuel 6:14

14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. [xii]

David said, “My worship doesn’t hinge on all the times God has provided, or the miracles He has done……

BUT I HAVE THE EPHOD OF WORSHIP ON TODAY SIMPLY BECAUSE IN THIS ARK ARE CONTAINED THE WORDS OF MY GOD, AND IF HE NEVER DOES ANOTHER THING FOR ME I’M GOING TO WORSHIP HIM JUST BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS!

That’s why Jesus said that a true worshipper will worship in spirit and in truth:

It’s easy to worship when things are going well, and we’re excited, and our spirits are high and we’re on a mountaintop experience,

But, it’s harder to worship in truth, because:

§  Truth says God can heal, but for some reason He hasn’t

 

§  Truth says, God can provide, but for some reason He hasn’t

 

§  Truth says, God is able, but for some reason He’s not willing,

 

But a true worshipper says, I know God is able, BUT IF NOT, I will still worship!

Truth says:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. [xiii]

·        Not just in the good times, but in the bad times too!

·        Not just when God is giving, but when He is taking away!

·        Not just when God is moving, but when He is standing still!

·        Not just when God is speaking, but when He is silent!

God has blessed us immeasurably, but what He is looking for is people who will not just praise Him for His might acts,

Or give thanks for His blessings,

But people that will just come together and worship Him because of Who HE is!

Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia International University of Columbia, South Carolina, wrote this testimony:

Life was heavy on me. My dearest friend and intimate companion, my delightful wife Muriel, was slipping away, one painful loss at a time, as Alzheimer’s disease ravaged her brain. Just as the full impact of what was happening to us hit home, the life of Bob, our eldest son, was snuffed out in a diving accident.

Two years later, to care for Muriel, I left my life work at its peak. I was numb. Not bitter, let alone angry. Why should I be? That’s the way life is, life in a broken world. But the passion in my love for God had evaporated, leaving a residue of resignation where once had been vibrant faith.

I knew that I was in deep trouble, and I did the only thing I knew to do—I went away to a mountain hideaway for prayer and fasting. It took about twenty-four hours to shake free of preoccupation with my own wounds and to focus on the excellencies of God. As I did, slowly love began to be rekindled. And with love came joy.

I wrote God a love letter, naming forty-one of his marvelous gifts to me, spotlighting eleven of his grandest acts in history, and exulting in ten of his characteristics that exceed my imagination. Surely he enjoyed my gratitude—who doesn’t appreciate gratitude?

But I discovered something else. Something happened to me. I call it the reflex action of thanksgiving. My love flamed up from the dying embers, and my spirit soared. I discovered that ingratitude impoverishes—but that a heavy heart lifts on the wings of praise.[1]