PLACES WHERE GOD AND MAN MEET: (Part 14)

The traits of true worship:

I will add descriptive meaning in parenthesis to certain words within this verse.

Romans 12:1 ESV  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present (a decisive dedication) your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy (that which is devoted and consecrated) and acceptable (that which is well pleasing) to God, which is your spiritual worship.

In offering “true worship” to the Father we have studied three requirements so far in the first 13 lessons.

​1. With Adam and Eve we saw that “true worship” requires us to deal with sin correctly.
2. With Cain and Abel we saw that “true worship” requires that we worship God’s way because not all that we offer may be acceptable to the Father.
​3. With Noah, Abraham and Isaac we saw that “true worship requires total obedience.

The fourth truth of “true worship” is that it comes forth from a grateful heart. In other words, worship is a logical, natural and spiritual response when we understand what the Father has done for us.

We see in Genesis the list of references to those who built altars to worship the Lord, or those who bowed the head, the knees, or the body before the Lord as an act of worship. These all came from a grateful heart for the great things done by the Father. I have listed some of these references for your own personal study later on.

Those who bowed the head, knees, or body in worship, or those who built an altar.

Gen.8:19:20; 12:7-8; 13:3-4; 13:14-18; 18:1-3; 19:1; 22:4-5; 22:8-9; 24:23-27; 24:48; 24:51-52; 26:24-25; 33:18-20; 35:1-7 

A thankful heart is a strong motivator to worship. We don’t have to look very far to find things to be thankful for. If we have dealt with sin correctly, if we have worshipped God’s way and not our way, and if we walk in obedience in word, deed and thought, then out of a thankful heart “true worship” will flow. By the way, true worship has nothing to do with music. Music is an act of praise, among 20 other forms of praising God. The terms worship team, worship time, and worship songs are religious terms brought about to replace what true worship is. There is not one verse in the Bible where music is tied to worship other than when we rightly praise God it should lead us to worship. Don't we question as to how our Lord Jesus Christ worshipped so much. yet without having a music team following Him around? More on this later.