Worship that Pleases God

Have you ever asked yourself, “Is God pleased with the way I worship?” If you are like most church goers today, you probably haven’t.

Typically one develops his/her theology of worship in one of two ways, either by default or by personal preference. If you ask someone why they worship the way they do, they will likely respond by saying, “That’s the way we have always done it.” or “That’s the way I like it.”

Whatever your answer may be the question you must ask is, “Is what I am doing in worship pleasing to God?”

Fortunately for us, God does not leave us in the dark when it comes to how we should worship Him. He has revealed in Scripture explicit teaching to guide as to what constitutes God honoring worship.

The first thing we must recognize is that not all worship is pleasing to Him. The second commandment, which says “You shall not make any graven images,” has to do with our manner of worship. Obviously it means that we should not use images of God in our worship. But we can glean a broader principle. Through this command we are to understand that worship that God finds acceptable is worship that is limited to his revealed will.

So it is not just images that he forbids. It is any kind of worship that does not abide by what He lays out in His Word. Simply put, the second commandment says that God prescribes in Scripture the way we must worship Him. To worship in any way out of accord with Scripture’s explicit commands is to worship God according to the imaginations of men and the suggestions of Satan.

For instance, in the last 30 years there has been many innovations in worship. We’ve seen the introduction of drama’s, skits, video clips, and women leading the congregation in worship in worship teams and as pastors. The average worshipper today does not even question their legitimacy. But can we find a mandate for such things in Scripture?

In the Old Testament God was very peculiar about the kind of worship that he wanted. Many laws were given to regulate the services in the temple and sacrificial system. This was to protect the purity of worship. God knew that man was prone to corrupt His worship. He knew that if he didn’t give the appropriate guidance, the hearts of men would soon be lead astray by their own sinful inclinations and personal preferences.

We also see what happens when men did deviate from God’s rule regarding worship. Nadab and Abihu were struck down because they offered “strange (i.e. unlawful) fire” at the alter (Lev. 10). King Uzzah was afflicted with leprosy because he offered incense that only the priests were permitted to offer (2 Chron. 26:16f).

These episodes were recorded to warn us about deviating from Scripture in our worship. They serve as indicators of how misdirected worship angers God.

Knowing that we should be wary of our personal inclinations, our attention should be drawn to the Bible. What does it say about how we should worship God?

Obviously, many of the OT liturgical practices have passed away with the coming of Christ. But the principle of Scriptural worship certainly remains. Though there is no one chapter in the New Testament entitled “Pure Worship,” when we look at the whole of its teaching we can see that there are certain elements of worship that God requires.

For instance, when the people of God gather each Lord’s Day they should pray corporately (2 Tim. 2:1f), sing praises to God (Col. 3:16), read the Scriptures (Acts 15:21) and listen to it unfolded through sound preaching (2 Tim. 4:1). As well, they should observe the sacraments (Baptism and Lord’s Supper, [Acts 2:42]) as often as the opportunity may be afforded.

God has left us with a clear testimony as to what kind of worship He prefers. He loves the simplicity of Scriptural worship. Undoubtedly, sinful men will find such things unappealing and pervert his worship by trying to “spice it up.” But for those who love Him, it won’t pose a problem. Their pleasure will be focused on pleasing Him in church.