Wherever we look in our society whether in Washington, Hollywood, Wall Street,  or Main  Street, we are likely to see the prevalence of unfaithfulness, ungodliness, and dishonesty. Unfaithfulness reigns in the media, education, and religion, even among families, friends, and neighbors. Too often, our culture exalts evil and mocks righteousness encouraging the increase of depravity. Good is called evil and evil good. During this state of affairs, believers are tempted to either join the sea of unfaithfulness or hopelessly mourn the irreparable situation. Instead of succumbing to worldliness or adopting a doomsday mentality, this Psalm urges believers to trust in God’s promises of judgment and salvation.

The Psalmist begins his Psalm pleading for help complaining that there were no more godly or faithful men. He further complains that lying, flattery, and pride flourish. He prays that God will remove the instruments, which enable these vices to continue. He would surely sympathize with the sea of unfaithfulness we see in our time.

As he seeks God and his assistance, God speaks to David promising that he will both judge the unfaithful, godless persons and that he will save those who seek him (vs. 5). When God says to David that he will arise now, it means that his longsuffering has ended and that he will bring temporal judgment against the unfaithful. God’s motivation for his action is that the weak are being harmed, and these weak persons are sighing under their oppressive burdens. We can trust God to judge because he is righteous, and he loves righteousness.[1] He will not tolerate evil forever. Although God’s judgment may not happen in this world, he will judge and condemn all evil in the world to come. Moreover, God’s words here encourage us to pour out our hearts to him because he brings judgment in response to the sighings of his afflicted people. Thus, we should trust and pray resisting worldliness; otherwise, we too will face God’s judgment.

God also promises to rescue those deluged in a sea of unfaithfulness and put them in a place of safety. No matter how dark the world gets; all hope is not lost. His gospel is more powerful than the lying, deceptive, and flattering tongues of the world. His church by his presence is more powerful than the kingdom of darkness. Even if death takes us, Christ resurrection overcomes it. God has promised to save his people. Like David, trust in the words of God, which unlike the world’s words are pure without deceit. The Psalmist assures us that God indeed will keep his people; he will preserve them through whatever temptation assails them.

Do not lose heart by giving in to worldliness or becoming hopeless. God will keep every one of his promises. He will both judge and save.

In our passage, we read his words of comfort for those who are grieving so that they will not lose hope. This very passage of Scripture was written specifically for use in giving comfort and hope to those who are grieving the death of their loved ones.

God teaches us that grief is expected but should be limited. Our world is a sinful, fallen world. Things are not what they were originally created to be. Disease, pain, suffering, and death entered God’s good creation because of mankind’s sin. Jesus Christ experienced these miseries personally when he entered this world, and the Bible describes his weeping during his affliction. For example, he wept bitterly at the funeral of his friend, Lazarus. Friends, grieving is appropriate and expected in this world as long these afflictions continue. And, they will continue until Christ returns. Thus, grief should be expected as long as disease, suffering, sin, and death exist.

However, grief should be limited because there will be an end to all the above evils. In the New Heaven and Earth, there will be no more mourning, crying, or pain. There is hope for those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ lived, died, and lives again, those who die in Christ only sleep. Those who die will be raised from the dead in the last day to meet Christ in the air. The graves will be open at the voice of the archangel, the bodies will be brought to life by the command of Christ, and body and soul will once again be reunited. After this, believers will be with their Lord forever in the New Heaven and Earth. Not only will they be with the Lord, but everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ will live forever with the Lord. We will be reunited with those from whom we have been separated. Therefore, while we grieve this time of separation, we must understand that separation is only temporary if we know Christ. There is hope.

This passage is intended first of all to give hope to those who have faith in Christ. But, the Scriptures also give hope to those who do not yet know Christ, for Christ died and was raised from the dead for all kinds of men, persons from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation: rich and poor, young and old, black and white, etc. If you will believe in Christ trusting in his death and resurrection, your parting with your loved one will only be temporary, for you too will receive eternal hope and life. Amen.

In contrast to the contemporary church, David declares in this Psalm that God is known by the judgment he executes. Truly, in his day, God was known for his judgment. Not only did Israel come to know the Lord more fully from the Exodus but the whole world became acquainted with him because he brought judgment on the mighty nation of Egypt. After Israel left Egypt, they defeated the kings of Bashan and the Amorites causing the inhabitants of the Promised Land to fear for their lives. In addition, David himself through God’s strength killed the mighty Philistine warrior Goliath. All of these acts were commanded or brought about by God to judge sin.

Specifically, in this passage, David shows that God is the one who executes judgment in that he executes both temporal and eternal judgment. David himself sees unbelieving nations becoming trapped by their own sinful deeds. Eventually, God will cast these godless nations into hell forever where they will face eternal judgment.

Obviously, there needs to be balance between justice and mercy because both are attributed to God. In this Psalm, David makes the connection between justice and mercy, namely, God must bring justice to David’s enemies if David is to receive mercy (vs. 13). Moreover, for the needy and poor to be relieved of their oppression, the wicked must be punished (vs. 17-18). Similarly, the cross demonstrates God’s mercy in that he sent his Son to die for sinners and provide salvation, yet it also demonstrates that God is just in that he was so intent that justice be maintained that he did not spare his only Son. Be balanced speak of mercy and justice.

While balance should be maintained, the Church cannot shy away from God’s justice and judgment. For, in preaching God’s just judgment, God will humble the nations causing them to realize that they are but men, which by God’s grace may lead to repentance and ultimately salvation. Therefore, we must faithfully teach the Law of God as the perfect standard of righteousness and that God’s judgment will be in accordance with this Law.

The Church must warn the world that God will one day turn the wicked and all nations who forget God into hell. We must plead with sinners that hell is a real place that was created by a just God to punish both angelic and human sinners. Further, we must courageously preach that the cross reveals God’s hatred for sin and for all those who commit iniquity and that it gives a glimpse of the punishment that sinners will one day face for all eternity. Far from an indulgent grandfather, we need to teach everyone that God will not “clear the guilty”[1] repaying sin with his strict justice. May the Church’s faithful preaching of God’s justice cause the Lord once more to be known by the judgment he executes and put sinners in fear of him leading to repentance and salvation through the cross of Christ.

We are invited to praise God with our whole heart (vs. 1-2). We are not to render mere lip service to God; rather, our praise should flow from a heart that knows God’s nature and character, feels to the depths of the soul love for God, and daily chooses obedience. Consequently, our worship will be filled with gladness and joy. You may wonder how someone can gladly and joyfully praise God for his judgment when his judgment is so terrible. We need to recognize that it is God in whom we should be rejoicing not the destruction of sinners. Even God does not take delight in the death of the wicked.[1] However, God’s righteous judgment is wonderful. To understand, imagine if God were not a righteous judge. Murder, rape, and other heinous sins may go unpunished or even rewarded if God were unjust. God’s just judgment ensures that justice will be done. For that, we ought to be glad and joyous.

Next, David praises God for his justice declaring how God has acted justly in the past/present and how he will act in the future (vs. 3-8). He shows God on his judgment throne bringing temporal judgment on the nations by rebuking, destroying, and blotting them out. This temporal judgment will either bring the sinners to repentance or it will be a taste of the eternal judgment that they will eventually face if they remain impenitent. Whatever the case, David shows us that God’s temporal judgment toward the nations is perfectly righteous and worthy of praise.

Not only will God render temporal judgment when necessary, he will eventually render eternal judgment on the world administering perfect justice for every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. The New Testament teaches us God the Son, the Lord Jesus, will be the judge that all mankind must face.[2] Therefore, no one any where on earth will get away with any sinful deed whatsoever. Injustice may triumph for a time but justice will one day reign forever because of our perfectly just God.

God is completely righteous and just, but he is also most merciful. David declares God’s mercy by showing him to be a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble (vs. 9-12). In other words, the presence of the Lord is a safe place to flee in danger. This seems to be a strange description after describing God’s perfect and terrible justice. However, those who experience his mercy are his people who dwell in his city, Zion. They know the Lord, trust and seek him, and are humble. God’s people will never face his wrath presently or eternally because of Christ’s death on the cross; instead, they constantly receive his great mercy because Christ bore their punishment. Thus, God is merciful to his people avenging and remembering them. For his people, God’s presence is the place to flee when facing danger. Praise him for his mercy to his people.

If you are not one of God’s people and experiencing trouble, this may be a taste of your eternal destiny or God’s kindness to lead you to repentance. Do not store up wrath for yourself by hardening your heart. Turn to God in repentance and trust in the mercy of Christ.

For believers, the trouble we face is only temporary, and God mercifully assists us in our trouble. Therefore, praise God for his perfect justice; praise him for his great mercy.

Personal devotions and family worship are important elements of a Christian’s life and growth in the faith. As such, all Christians and Christian families should be engaged in them. But, personal devotions and family worship were never intended to replace the corporate gathering of God’s people to worship. Replacing corporate worship in this manner makes the believers life and growth defective because he is ignoring the fact that the Spirit not only connects him to God but to all of God’s people. We need each other as we are told in Scripture, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’”[3]

We have previously considered the elements of worship under three headings: prayer, praise, and preaching/hearing the Word of God. Christians should participate in each of these elements of worship privately and especially corporately. Paul makes corporate prayer a vital priority.[4] Biblically, corporate prayer is not every believer praying at the same time and place together. Rather, corporate prayer consists of one leading in prayer while other believers join with him making the prayer his own and responding appropriately with amen.[5] Corporate prayer not only encourages us to join our hearts but also helps us learn to pray.

One of the main reasons that God has joined us together by his Spirit is so that “[we together] may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.”[6] Thus, the church exists for corporate praise. In addition, the songs of praise Christians sing are intended to teach and admonish each other.[7] Therefore, the church’s corporate praise glorifies God and encourages others both of which are essential for a healthy Christian life.

As for the preaching/hearing the Word of God, this element of worship is also vital in corporate worship. God has ordained the preaching/hearing of the Word as a special means of encouraging faith.[8] It is important to read the Bible and memorize it, but doing so does not rid one of the need to hear the Word and its exposition. God has given every believer the Spirit, and believers, therefore, are enabled by him to understand the Bible. However, God has also given gifted teachers to the church so that his people can learn from them as well.

A final element of worship we have not considered so far is the ordinances of the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This is especially relevant to a discussion of corporate worship because these ordinances are not to be done alone. They are for the gathered church. Baptism necessitates a baptizer, baptizee, and witnesses. And, the Lord’s Supper is a community celebration and to perform it privately destroys the meaning of the Supper.

Worship in the Spirit entails corporate worship because God’s Spirit not only connects believers to God but to each other also. Christians must pray, praise, listen to the Word, and participate in the ordinances together with the help of the Spirit.    

Another implication of worship in the Spirit is that only believers can truly worship God. This is a necessary conclusion based on the fact that true worship is dependent on the help of the Holy Spirit and that only believers have the Spirit. Throughout the book of Acts, receiving the Spirit is contingent on repentance and faith.[1] In addition, the Apostle Paul teaches that those without the Spirit do not belong to Christ.[2] Therefore, only believers can truly appreciate God’s supreme value and express his worth with proper attitudes and actions. Only believers can truly praise, pray, and preach/hear God’s Word.

Since only believers can truly worship, Christians should not join with those who are not believers to “worship” god. Most evangelical Christians understand this exclusivism as it is applied to other religions (Islam, Buddhism, etc.). However, when it comes to other denominations of Christians, we struggle to apply this principle. There are two extremes to avoid when applying the doctrine of ecclesiastical separation. One extreme involves Christians separating themselves from other Christians who do not agree 100 percent on every doctrinal issue. The other extreme is embracing any group that is even remotely Christian, even if they deny essential teachings of Christianity.

The principle developed from this verse is that only believers can truly worship God; therefore, believers should not join with unbelievers to “worship” god.  The corollary is that one should not divide from other believers. In order to be a believer, one must embrace the gospel.[3] Therefore, one should not divide from believers who believe and affirm the biblical gospel. However, we must divide with those who do not believe, undermine, or do not affirm the biblical gospel because they are not believers and cannot truly worship God.[4]  

The first rule of worship is that the help of the Holy Spirit is absolutely indispensable in order for worship to be acceptable to God. One of the implications of this rule is that God must initiate worship. God’s initiative in worship should have a great impact on the believer’s praise, prayer, and preaching/hearing.

God’s initiative in worship is demonstrated in John 4. First, Jesus tells the woman at the well that the Father is seeking people to worship him in Spirit in truth.[1]In addition, John tells us that Jesus felt compelled to pass through Samaria on his way to Galilee.[2] This would have been an odd route to take because devout Jews refused to pass through Samaria as a result of religious animosity between them and the Samaritans. The obvious explanation for this necessity to pass through Samaria is that Jesus following the Father’s will is going to Samaria to seek worshipers. Moreover, in the Gospel of John and during the conversation with the Samaritan woman,[3] it is made clear that Jesus is the one who grants the Spirit. Thus, we see the Father seeks worshipers and gives them the Spirit through the work of Christ. The result is that many Samaritans come to Jesus to worship him as the Messiah, the Savior of the world.[4]

True worship does not begin with man taking one step toward God in order to move God to send his Spirit. This attitude can be seen in churches today who feel that the reason for music in church is to get the congregation in the right spirit to gain God’s attention or to make the congregation more receptive, and in response, God will send his Spirit. If this were the way God worked, one portion of worship would be possible and necessary without the Spirit. However, this is not how God works in worship. Instead, God invites persons to worship through his Word and grants his Spirit so that the would be worshipers will begin worshiping and thereby move into deeper worship with the help of the Spirit.[5]

The necessity of God’s initiative in worship does not mean that one ought to be passive in worship until he feels that God has sent the Spirit. This is true because when God invites believers through his word to worship, he also sends his Spirit. When the word is effective, it is because the Spirit is working with it to make it effective. However, this is not the same as presuming that the Spirit is present, for the Scripture says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”[6]  Thus, God’s Spirit makes his people seekers. While worshipers are dependent on the graciousness of God to send the Spirit, God invites believers to worship him, enables them to seek him by his Spirit, and as a consequence their worship is made acceptable. Worship is, therefore, an interaction between God and man. God acts and man responds with worship.

God’s initiative in worship should affect one’s view of music in worship. Music is not a means to bring God down to us neither is it a means to lift the believer up to God. Nor, is music a means of attracting “seekers”. Music is an aid to help believers express praise to God and encourage one another,[7] and as believers are further conformed to the image of Christ through worship, sinners will glorify God proclaiming God is among them. By God’s grace, some of them will also become worshipers of God.

As prayer is another aspect of worship, God must also initiate it. He initiates prayer by humbling believers so that they see their need for help. He also encourages believers to pray by pointing them to the work of Christ, which assures them that they will be heard. In addition, the Spirit purifies the motives of believers so that they do not ask amiss. Thus, prayer is part of the believer’s interaction with God in worship.

If God initiates worship through his Spirit and the Spirit works through the Word of God, then God’s Word must have a central place in worship. Worship should begin with an invitation from God’s Word to worship. The Law should be read to produce dependence on the Spirit through the crucifying of one’s flesh, and the Gospel proclaimed to assure worshipers that God will be found because of the work of Christ. The content of our prayer and praise must be guided by the Word. Finally, everyone should be exhorted to respond to the word with repentance, faith, and obedience.

As you can see, taking God’s sovereignty serious has a serious impact on how one views worship. 

From this text we have learned so far what worship is and that there are rules for acceptable worship. This blog will start to unfold one of the rules for worship, worship in the spirit. In this blog, we will look at the meaning of worship in the spirit and will later discuss the implications of the meaning for our worship.

The meaning of the clause “God is Spirit” is tethered to the meaning of worship in the spirit. The word Spirit is intended to distinguish God from all that is not God. That is, there exists God who is spirit and all other beings who are flesh. This indicates God’s infinite power over his creation. This interpretation is proven correct by two considerations: biblical usage and the context. In the Bible, the words flesh and spirit are often equivalent to weakness and strength respectively. Additionally, the point of the passage is that the place of worship will no longer be a priority; therefore, mentioning God’s infinite power establishes that God has no boundaries and can be worshiped wherever persons worship him in spirit and truth.

It is often thought that worship in spirit means to worship from the heart or one’s inner feelings of worship must match the outward expression of worship. While it is true that one’s feelings and actions in worship should correspond, this text is probably not teaching this truth. Rather, it is teaching that worship must be aided by the Holy Spirit to be acceptable to the infinitely powerful God. Thus, spirit in this text refers either to the Holy Spirit or the spirit of man regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah[1] teaches that God is so infinite that the worship of the nations could never move him or be acceptable to him. Even Israel’s temple, which was built according to God’s specific command, was insufficient to adequately worship God, but he graciously accepted worship from the temple or directed towards it[2]. The Apostle Paul adds that we need the assistance of the Spirit in our prayers: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”[3] Without the assistance of God’s Spirit, our best worship cannot rise above the ceilings of our churches.

Since worship is an appreciation of God’s supreme value expressed in both corporate and personal praise, prayer, and hearing of God’s Word, no matter the form that the expression of appreciation takes it must have the Spirit’s help in order to make it acceptable to our infinitely powerful God. Just as fire descended from heaven to ignite Elijah’s offering on Mt. Carmel and only then did the smoke ascend to heaven, the Spirit must come down from heaven to energize our praise and lift it to the courts of heaven. The Spirit must teach us to pray and lift our requests to God’s gracious throne. He must work through the Word and in the hearts of his people to make their lives a sweet smelling savor to the Lord.  

The first rule for worship is to worship in the spirit meaning to worship with the help of the Holy Spirit.   

Understanding both the English word worship and the Greek word translated worship helps one to understand what worship is. The English word worship is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word which combines the words worth and ship and means one worthy of reverence and honor, that is, “when we worship, we are declaring God’s worth.”[1] We worship whatever we consider to be of great value. The Greek word, which is used in our text, means literally to “kiss the hand towards” or “prostrate oneself in reverence.”[2] The word points to both outward actions and inward attitudes towards the person or thing reverenced. Therefore, worship is an appreciation of God’s supreme value expressed in proper attitudes and actions towards God.

In the Bible, worship is given to God because he is the creator, he reveals his promises, and works to redeem a people for himself.[3] It is expressed in various ways: in giving of gifts/sacrifices, in songs, through intercession, by corporate celebration, in preaching and listening to God’s Word, and in following the ways of and serving God. Thus, God is valued both for who he is and what he does. Worshipers express their appreciation of God and his works through both corporate and personal praise, prayer, and preaching/hearing.

As a result of the above definition and description of worship, Christians must ask themselves: Is God who I value supremely in worship. One must be careful to avoid the sin of devaluing God and placing supreme value on other persons or things. This is idolatry. The sinful heart of a believer may deceive him into believing that he values God supremely while actually valuing the benefits of worship rather than God. That is, the believer may value learning the Bible, fellowship, music, or the feelings worship evoke. These benefits truly are beneficial. But, God is to be worshiped because he alone in the entire universe is supremely valuable. God’s gifts are not more valuable than the giver. When the benefits of worship are more valued than God, man has attributed supreme value to himself rather than God.

In addition, Christians should guard themselves against seeking the praise of men in worship. This can be especially tempting to those who lead in worship, i.e., praise, prayer, and preaching. Thus, leaders in worship must be conscious that their job is to point persons away from them and to the one who has supreme worth. Songs of praise should not primarily cause us to appreciate the performance; rather, they should help the believer express his appreciation for God and his works. The prayers offered in a worship service should not cause us to admire the eloquence of the person praying, but they should speak to God for the congregation by thanking God for his blessings, confessing our sin, and supplicating for their needs. Those who preach the Word should not seek to share their personal thoughts; rather, they should attempt to unfold the mind of God from the pages of Scripture so that his people will increasingly appreciate God’s supreme worth.

Worship is an appreciation of God’s supreme value expressed in proper attitudes and actions towards God. Therefore, Christians should examine themselves thoroughly to be certain that they are placing supreme value on God alone. 

However, the Bible makes clear that there are rules for acceptable worship (See Gen. 4:3-7, Lev. 10:1-3, Isa. 1:10-17, Acts 17:22-23), and Jesus demonstrates his agreement by using the word must in his teaching on acceptable worship. The Greek word translated must means compulsion of any kind. Thus, Jesus is implying that God compels people to worship him in a certain manner, which he describes as “in spirit and truth.” We will study later what this phrase means, but all we need to understand for now is that Jesus is arguing there are requirements or rules in worship. Whatever the biblical requirements are we must be prepared to reject unbiblical worship, seek our understanding of worship from Scripture, and submit to its requirements.

Since Jesus affirms that there are rules for worship, we must be prepared to reject any worship as false that does not measure up to God’s standard. In the Leviticus and Acts references above, God rejects the worship of men because they do not offer what is commanded and because worship is done ignorantly. No doubt these men were sincere in their offerings, but God requires something more than sincerity. Certainly, insincere worship is not acceptable to God either as the other references make clear. Therefore, churches should discourage both wrong attitudes and unbiblical methods in worship. Individually, Christians must be sure that they approach God with sincere hearts and in the manner God prescribes. We discuss below methods of worship, but if we are guilty of insincere and hypocritical worship, we should repent, seek cleansing, and ask God for a sincere heart.

Moreover, since Scripture is the final authority of faith and practice, we must seek God’s regulations for worship in its pages. Christians must not turn to the world and ask it how it should worship. Too many churches have failed to do this. They survey the community asking it what kind of music it wants to hear, what kind of preaching would be acceptable to them, and what kind of church service they would enjoy. They rely on sociology, demographic information, and business management techniques to determine how they should worship. While these churches are sincere in their desire to reach their communities with the Gospel, they have undermined God’s authority and do not worship God acceptably. If we want to worship God acceptably, we must do the hard work of interpreting, applying, and remaining faithful to Scripture. This is true even if the world rejects our worship as irrelevant.

Finally, we must by grace submit to the rules and worship God acceptably. There is often great pressure to compromise because churches that look to the world to determine its worship are often growing numerically. On the surface, they are more exciting and appealing. And, they seem to have the sincerity and spontaneity traditional churches lack. These developments exert pressure on traditional churches to conform or die off. These pressures make it difficult to reject unscriptural worship and to remain faithful to God’s requirements for worship. However, churches must determine by God’s grace to submit to his requirements and trust God to work through the gospel and his Spirit for numerical and spiritual growth because God’s favor is preferable to man’s favor.

Jesus teaches us that there are rules for worship, which both the church and individual believers must follow for their worship to be acceptable to God. Therefore, we must reject unbiblical worship, discover the regulations for worship in Scripture, and submit to God’s way of worship by grace. In this way, worship will be God centered and acceptable to the one who truly matters, our Lord.