Evangelical Free Church of Embarass

A man was walking down the street one day. As he came by his neighbor’s house, he noticed that the neighbor was struggling to get a refrigerator through the doorway. The man went up to the house and offered his help. Together they worked hard, struggling to move the refrigerator. They couldn’t get it anywhere. After five minutes, they stopped to rest. As they were leaning against the refrigerator, the man who had stopped to help said, “This is impossible. We’ll never get that refrigerator in the house.” His neighbor looked at him and said, “In? I’m trying to get it out!”

There’s a lesson in that story. When you’re doing something with a group of people, it’s always good to have the same purpose. That’s true in the experience of worship. Obviously, we as God’s people don’t see eye to eye on every worship issue. But there are some universal principles concerning worship that should guide us all, so that it doesn’t matter where you are, who you are, or when it is. Those universal principles about worship will always be true, and we can all agree on them. Let me remind you of what I believe are four universal principles from God’s word concerning worship that everyone who follows Christ can agree on. They become our purpose in worship.

Universal principles of worship

The first principle is focus and priority. We’ve already looked at that in our series these weeks. From Revelation Chapters 4 and 5 we learned that the focus and priority is always to be God the Father and Jesus the Lamb. No one else deserves worship. In heaven, God the Father on the throne and Jesus the Lamb are the focus and priority of worship. If that’s the case in heaven, it should be the case here. That is a universal principle.

Last week we talked about a second universal principle of worship, from Matthew Chapter 15 and 1 Samuel Chapter 16. Worship is to be from the heart. It’s an expression of our hearts to God the Father and to Jesus the Lamb. The Bible says that God looks at the heart --- that’s what concerns Him. In Matthew 15 Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If you just worship me with your lips, if you just go through the motions, if all of it is following rules and traditions but your heart isn’t there, your worship is in vain.” Thus, a universal principle of worship is that it must be from the heart.

A third universal principle, which we’ll look at next week, is that when we worship it is always to be in spirit and in truth. The word “and” is very important there.

And fourth, according to 1 Corinthians Chapter 14, whenever God’s people assemble together, everything we do is to be done decently and in order, including our worship. It’s a universal principle; it doesn’t matter where you are, when in history you happen to be living, who you are. Whenever we worship, we are to do so decently and in order.

Although God’s people tend to not always agree on specific worship issues, we can all agree on these four universal principles. They guide us, and we can share them as our purposes in worship.

This week I read through the entire book of Psalms. In Old Testament times, the book of Psalms was the Jewish worship handbook. When the Jewish people gathered for worship in the temple, the book of Psalms was their hymnal, their songbook, and their liturgy. It’s what they used, what they sang, what they spoke. The book of Psalms became their guide on how to worship, but it also became their tool, their method, and their form as they worshiped.

As I read through the book of Psalms, paying attention to the subject of worship and how the book presents it, I observed some things. First of all, I really believe that the book of Psalms presents worship in the context of the four universal principles. If you read through the book of Psalms, seeing it as a guide for worship and keeping those four principles in mind, you would find that it follows those principles.

Another thing I noticed is that in the book of Psalms there is a strong emphasis on worship as a group experience. I also noticed the tremendous variety of forms of worship and ways to worship.

Worship as a group experience

First of all, there is a strong emphasis on worship as a group experience. Let’s start in Chapter 22 and see some of the scriptures that point to this emphasis. Psalm 22, verse 22: “I will declare Your name to my brothers. In the congregation I will praise You.” (You can substitute “group” for “congregation.”) Move to Psalm Chapter 34, verses 1 to 3: “I will extol the Lord at all times. His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord. Let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together.” (To “exalt His name together” requires you to do it as a group.)

Next, go to Psalm 99, verse 5: “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool. He is holy.” Then, to verse 9: “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.”

Notice in those verses that the invitation is to exalt the Lord. It says in verse 5 to do it at His footstool. Verse 9 says to do it at His holy mountain. What’s that about? The footstool refers to the temple. The holy mountain refers to Jerusalem. Those two scriptures are talking about worshiping at a certain place where people gather. To these people, it was at the temple in Jerusalem. So, again, it is talking about worshiping at a certain place with others.

Psalm 100, verses 1 to 5: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

Notice what it says: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Don’t try to make that figurative. It’s speaking literally, inviting the people of Israel to enter the courts of the temple and to enter the gates. It’s talking about going to a place and worshiping as a group.

We go on to Psalm 111:1: “Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.” An assembly --- that’s a group, one that’s extolling and worshiping the Lord.

That’s just a sampling. You’ll find other references in the book of Psalms that emphasize worship as a group experience. In the New Testament, the book of Hebrews, Chapter 10, verse 25 says, ”Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together.” The Greek word for “assemble” is “synagogue.” In other words, do not forsake the “synagogue-ing” of yourselves together. It means the regular coming and meeting together.

The book of Psalms and, I think, the rest of scriptures as well, place great emphasis on worship as a group experience. I believe the book’s primary intent is to be a guide and tool for group worship. Obviously, we can use it in our individual worship, but I suggest that its primary purpose is to lead and guide us as a group. The word “Psalm” itself puts the emphasis on worship as group experience --- people sharing a common relationship with God, coming together and joining to worship Him.

We know that there are people who say they don’t need to worship with a group. They say they can worship God on their own. That statement is right, but it’s also wrong. When people say they can worship God on their own, they are correct. Any of us, any time or anywhere, can worship God on our own. But, when they say they don’t need to get together with a group to worship, they are wrong. That does not go along with scripture. We need to worship as a group. We need to come together with those who share a common relationship with God and join with one another in worship. That’s an emphasis that is primary in scripture. Of course, there are those who might say, “Yeah, I don’t come together with God’s people when they worship, but I’m there in spirit.”

Can I give you a little lesson? Where is a person’s spirit? It’s in the body. So, at any given time, where is our spirit? It’s wherever our body is. So, if my body is not worshiping with God’s people, I had better not say that I’m with them in spirit. If my body isn’t there, my spirit isn’t there, either. So, to say that you’re with them “in spirit” is just a nice thing to say. Scripture, as in the book of Psalms, emphasizes worship as a group experience. God intended for us to have that experience. We need to worship as a group.

Different forms of worship

The next thing that I noticed in the book of Psalms is that it illustrates many different forms used in worship. If you look at the Psalms as the Jews’ guide and tool for worship, you start seeing a variety of ways that they did it and forms that it took. I want to tell you about some of them so that you can see and appreciate the variety that’s presented in the Psalms.

Songs of ascent

I want you to notice something in Psalm Chapter 120. Before the Psalm even begins, you will probably find some sort of heading there that says “A Song of Ascent.” If you go to Psalm 121, you’ll probably find the same thing. In fact, you’ll find it before all the Psalms from 120 to 134. What does that mean? These were songs that were either sung or chanted by the Jewish people as they made their way to Jerusalem and to the temple for different feasts and worship times. They were all called “songs of ascent”, because no matter what direction you came from, if you were going to Jerusalem you were ascending.

The Jewish people, as they made their way for worship, would sing or chant Psalms 120 to 134. They were preparing for their worship in Jerusalem, anticipating getting to the temple to worship. I remember when I was in what was then Yugoslavia, in 1990. We stayed one weekend in a small village. In the morning we went to a little Baptist church. I remember walking to the church with the pastor and his family, and seeing other groups of people walking toward the church from other directions. You could hear those little groups of people singing in their language. I think they were singing worship songs. I picture that being like what the Jewish people would do as they made their way to Jerusalem and the temple for worship. They would sing or chant these Psalms.

Psalm 122, verse 1 says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us go to the house of the Lord.’” The Jews were glad to be going to the house of the Lord for worship --- so glad that they started their singing and their preparation on the way, in anticipation. What do you do on your way to worship with God’s people? Does it have anything to do with preparing for worship? Does it have anything to do with your great anticipation of gathering together to join in worship? Some of us wouldn’t want anybody to know what we’re doing and saying on the way to worship. The Jews used the songs of ascent from the book of Psalms.

Music

As you go through the book of Psalms, you can’t miss the emphasis on music in worship all the way through. Psalm 95 is just one example. Verse 1 says, “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord. Let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.” Many of the Psalms talk about singing to the Lord.

In fact, in some of the Psalms, such as Psalm 89, you’ll find the word “Selah.” “Selah” was a guidepost for the Jews in their worship. Whenever they came to “Selah”, they would stop speaking or singing. It meant “instrumental interlude.” The instruments continued to play, but the people didn’t sing or say anything --- instead they reflected on what they had already sung or said.

The Jewish people were instructed to use all kinds of instruments in their worship. Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power. Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.” Then, the instructions on using instruments: “Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet. Praise Him with the harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine, and dancing. Praise Him with the strings and flute. Praise Him with the clash of cymbals. Praise Him with resounding cymbals.”

We see that the Jews were instructed to use all kinds of instruments. If you categorize the list, you’ll see that there are three kinds of instruments listed: stringed instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments.

And, yes, there is dancing. It’s repeated in Psalm 149, verse 3: “Let them praise His name with dancing, make music to Him with tambourine and harp.” In Exodus Chapter 15, we see the people of God dancing before Him as they express their worship. Obviously, it might not be the type of dance we’re familiar with. I don’t think it’s a “swing your partner round and round” thing. I don’t think it’s a close, slow dance with someone of the opposite sex. But we can’t dismiss the fact that in this Jewish guidebook for worship, dance was part of the worship.

As you go on in Psalms 84, 86, and a number of others, at the beginning you’ll find a notation like “To the choir director,” or “To the director of music.” Back in the temple, the Jews had directors of music. There were actually people in the temple who had the responsibility of guiding people in their worship. And so, the concept of worship teams and worship leaders isn’t new for us today. They had choir directors even then, to guide the people in their musical worship.

Other worship forms

It wasn’t just music. The Jews also used speaking as a type of worship. For example, Psalm 66, verse 3 says, “Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your deeds, so great is Your power.’” In verse 16, “Come and listen, all you who fear God, let me tell you what He has done for me.” Worship in the temple included speaking, saying things to God, like “Your love endures forever.”

Then, there were offerings and sacrifices. Psalm 66, verse 13 reads like this. “I will come to your temple with burnt offerings, and fulfill my vows to you.” Verse 15 talks about the sacrifices of rams, bulls, and goats. The Jewish people would bring animals as offerings and sacrifices as part of their worship.

The Psalms contain additional instructions for worship. Psalm 47, verse 1 tells people to “Clap your hands” as a part of their worship. Verses 6 and 7 of Psalm 95 tell them to bow down and kneel: “Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for He is our God and we are His people.” Yet another form is the lifting of hands. Psalm 63, verses 2 to 4: “I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long I live and in Your name I will lift up my hands.” Verses 1 and 2 in Psalm 134 again instruct the people as they come to worship: “Lift up your hands before the Lord.”

What I’ve shown you here is the diversity that the Psalms presented to the Jewish people: music including singing, instruments, dance, directors; speaking; lifting and clapping hands; bowing and kneeling; giving offerings and sacrifices; preparing on your way to worship; taking time in the service to just listen to music and reflect. All those things are presented in the Jewish worship handbook. What a variety. It’s interesting to me that if you look at the list, the people were using things that were common in their day and in their culture to worship God.

In fact, all of these things were also common among the pagans. In that day, the pagans sang, played all the instruments, lifted their hands to their gods, bowed before their gods, and clapped their hands in their orgies. Everything that the Jewish worship handbook instructed the Jews to include in their worship was common to the culture and was used in other contexts by the pagans. But God said, “I want you to use them for Me, to declare My greatness and to worship Me.” As you look at the list, do you think all of it was acceptable to God? I would think so, since it is His guidebook.

How do we determine if worship is acceptable to God? We go to the universal principles. Is the focus and priority on God the Father and Jesus the Lamb? Is God’s greatness being declared? Is He being honored, glorified, praised, and loved? Second, we ask ourselves if it is from the heart. Is the heart being expressed to God? Third, is it happening in spirit and in truth? And last, is it being done decently and in order?

Although the pagans used similar worship forms, the way they used them wasn’t acceptable to God. But when the Jews gathered in the temple and used them, it was acceptable to God. Why? Because they used them to declare the greatness of God and they did so from the heart, in spirit and in truth, and decently and in order. That made the difference.

There is a quote by Rick Warren that reads like this. “The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God, based on the background and personality God gave you. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to worship.” It’s a good quote; I especially like the last line: “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to worship.” We really see that in the Psalms --- what a variety, what a diversity of ways to worship God.

So, here’s my question. What if the Psalms were our guide for worshiping today? What if, like the Jews back then, we decided that the book of Psalms was going to be our guide and tool? Could you worship that way? Look at the list. Could you worship that way if the Psalms were our guide?

Be careful before you answer that question, especially if you find yourself tempted to say, “No, I don’t think I could. If it would involve those kinds of things, I’m not sure I could worship.” Be careful before you answer that way, because if you do, what are you saying about your worship? For one thing, you’re giving a lot of weight to the form. If you say that you can’t worship because of the form the worship takes, then you are placing too much emphasis on the form. Is it the forms and methods that really keep us from and get us to worship? I’m not sure that’s the way it should be.

Let me suggest something. Worship is bigger than that. We have traditional worship, contemporary worship, alternative worship, liturgical worship, and blended worship. Worship is bigger than traditional. Worship is bigger than contemporary. Worship is bigger than liturgical. Worship is bigger than blended or alternative. Worship is bigger than my preferences. Worship is bigger than musical instruments. Worship is bigger than songs. Worship is bigger than dancing. Worship is bigger than clapping and raising hands. Worship is bigger than bowing or kneeling.

God has given us so many possible ways for worshiping Him. I’m not sure that it would be a bad idea to let the Psalms broaden our view of worship. Maybe I’m not going to do everything they say, but at least I can broaden my views so that once in a while I’m willing to get out of my box. Maybe I’ll break through the fear of something I’m uncomfortable with, in order to express what’s in my heart.

Obviously, there will be things I’m more comfortable with because of my background. Notice the quote by Rick Warren talks about our backgrounds and personalities as being very important. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate how others express themselves to God, and that I can’t at least try sometimes. Worship is bigger than those things. Worship is bigger than tradition; it is bigger than my personality; it’s bigger than my background. What’s important are the four universal principles.

Young people, if you say you can’t worship with a hymn, stop and think about what you are saying. If the hymn is keeping you from worshiping, or if others of you have a hard time with contemporary worship and you say you can’t worship that way, do you realize the weight you’re putting on the form? Does that mean that if hymns were all there is, young people couldn’t worship? Does it mean that if contemporary forms of worship were all there is, others among us couldn’t worship?

Let’s be careful of the weight that we put on the forms. It’s the universal principles that are important. Worship is bigger than all that stuff, and I think the book of Psalms really shows us that. You can go through the Psalms to see if I’m right, but I think they really follow the four universal principles. It’s clear that the book of Psalms emphasizes worship as a group experience. Let’s not say we don’t need that. For sure, it presents a variety of all kinds of forms and methods for worshiping God.

All of us probably have to make some adjustments in our thinking about worship. To some extent, let the Psalms be your guide in making those adjustments. Let’s pray.

Father, I give you thanks for being a God who deserves our worship. You alone and Your son Jesus Christ are worthy. Thank You, God, for the opportunity to express our praise and honor to You as a group. What a joy, Lord, to join our voices and to worship You. Thank you, God, that You have given us so many ways and forms and tools that we can use to do that. Thank You for the ones that really touch our hearts. Thank You for the ones that really touch the hearts of others. I just thank You, Lord, that anyone who wants to worship can do so. You have made that possible. In Jesus’ name, amen.