True Worship

In John 4:24, Jesus said, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."(NKJ) Lest we believe that the nature and content of our worship are not important, let me include here the words of Jesus from John 4:23, "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."(NKJ)

Jesus revealed that "true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth"(v. 23), and then in verse 24, He declares: "those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth". If we want to be among the true worshipers, we will very definitely be concerned about the nature (spirit) and content (truth) of our worship.

What Is Worship?

Out of many passages that speak of worship (or use the term) we have selected a few to allow the Bible to give us some insight on the matter of worship. Each selection will be followed by some short comments.

Ps 45:11 "...because He is your Lord, worship Him" (NKJ). Lordship is deserving of honor and glory. Such honor and glory is given by offering worship.
Ps 66:4-5 "All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name. Selah. Come and see the works of God; he is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men." (NKJ) All are to worship God and sing praises to Him. Why? Because of His great and awesome works toward man.
Ps 86:9-13 "All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fearYour name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol". (NKJ) The Psalmist attributes creation to God ("all nations whom You have made") and suggests that as a result thereof "all nations" "shall come and worship". In that worship, they will "glorify" God's name because of His greatness, and because He "alone" is God. The Psalmist also sees God as a teacher or instructor, and desires knowledge of His way and truth and seeks union with God ("unite my heart to fear Your name"). God is worthy of glory because of His mercy toward us and the deliverance He offers for our soul.
Ps 95:6-7 "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 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:" (NKJ) The Psalmist is prepared to "worship and bow down" before "the Lord our Maker". He recognizes that God is God, and we are the people of His pasture.
Ps 96:9 "Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth." (NKJ) This call to worship is a call to come "in the beauty of holiness", and to come and "tremble before Him". It demonstrates the concern that we ought to have when we come before God. We are to come in "holiness" which holds with it the idea of being set aside, sanctified, and holy as He is Holy. We are to come before Him "trembling" not in fear, but in genuine reverence and respect.
Ps 99:5 "Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool-- he is holy" (NKJ) At this place, the Psalmist calls for us to exalt the Lord and worship at His footstool. Why? "For He is holy".
Matt 4:10 "Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" (NKJ). This New Testament passage shows Jesus refusing to bow down and worship Satan. Instead, Jesus declares,"You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve". From other passages in the New Testament we learn that we are not to "worship idols" (Acts17:29; 15:29; I Cor. 10:14); not to "worship men" (Acts 10:25,26; 14:14,15);and not to "worship angels" (Rev. 22:8,9; Col. 2:18). God (not men, not idols, not angels) is to be worshipped (Revelation 22:9).