The Bible teaches us about the importance of worship in many ways. The first four of the Ten Commandments address the subject of worship, focusing on the particulars of who and how and when God is to be worshiped. The history of Israel is from one perspective a history of God’s people’s sins against Him in worship and His sore judgments against them for those sins. The Old Covenant prescriptions for the worship God by His people were very elaborate and detailed, indicating the importance of this subject. Worship is no less significant to the Lord in the New Testament. Jesus asserted that the Father is seeking true worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).
Worship will always be an important subject for Christ’s church. It is an important subject for us today. These two messages were delivered at the pastors’ conference in North Bergen, New Jersey in May of this year address the general subject of worship. In particular, they address the subjects of Reverence in Worship and The Centrality of Preaching in Worship.
Reverence in Worship
Our worship, if it is to be pleasing to God, must be reverent. As Hebrews 12:28 admonishes us, we must worship God “with reverence and godly fear” if our worship is to be pleasing to Him. Furthermore, reverence in our worship to God is not just a Reformed or a Puritan idea. It is a biblical mandate. In the face of pressure from seemingly every direction and every angle to eliminate reverence from Christian worship, we must be vigilant to maintain and promote reverence in our worship, remembering that “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
The Centrality of Preaching in Worship
In addition, worship that is honoring to God and pleasing to Him will be marked by the centrality of preaching. It is God’s Word that brings sinners to new life in Christ, and it is God’s Word that makes believers more and more like Christ. The conviction that preaching should be central in New Covenant worship is a wonderful heritage we have received from the Reformation, but we must remember that its roots are not in the Reformation but in the Bible. It is the apostle Paul who gave Timothy that parting charge to “Preach the Word! . . . , in season and out of season.”
May the Lord help us to strive to worship God in spirit and truth, and to that end may He bless these messages for the good of His church and the glory of His name.