The Purpose of Worship

What is worship?

Worship is how we express our love for God.

The main Hebrew word for worship in the Old Testament literally means "to bow down".
And the main Greek word for worship in the New Testament literally means "to kiss".
These two meanings demonstrate that worship is all about how we respond to God. We should respond with humility (bowing down before God); and with love (as in the meaning of the Greek word).

In other words:-

Humility + love = worship.

Humility in worship

God is great. He made the universe, the world, and everything in the world. And he also made each of us. We cannot begin to understand his greatness. His wisdom is beyond our understanding. His power is beyond our comprehension. His love means more to us than anything else.

In the book of Revelation, there is a description of heaven. There, a vast crowd worship Jesus in a loud voice, singing, 'Worthy is the Lamb (Jesus) who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!' (Revelation 5:12 NIV).

Love in worship

Jesus said: 'The most important [commandment]... is this: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."' (Mark 12:29-30 NIV).

For one woman in the Bible, her worship was literally with a kiss. Luke 7:36-50 tells her story. She was a sinful woman who wanted God to forgive her. She worshipped Jesus. She took an expensive jar of perfume and poured it on Jesus. She wept as she kissed his feet. The people who saw her criticised. They said that Jesus should never accept such a sinful woman. But Jesus said that she had shown great love. And Jesus forgave her sins.

So, how should we worship?

The woman in Luke 7 worshipped with perfume, and a kiss. She loved Jesus, and her love was true worship.
In Revelation 5:6-8, John saw a vision of four living creatures who surround God's throne in heaven, continually saying 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.' (Revelation 4:8 NIV). That's real worship.
In Mark 12:41-44, a widow gave all that she had to God. That was sacrificial worship.

We worship God with our words, but we also worship him with our lives. Jesus told us to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). And we must only worship God. When John saw the vision of heaven in the Book of Revelation, he wanted to worship the angel who showed him these amazing things. But the angel stopped him, saying, 'Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!' (Revelation 22:9 NIV).

An old hymn says:

'The whole creation joins in one

To bless the sacred name

Of him who sits upon the throne

And to adore the lamb.'

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