Worthy is the Lamb!
We are to worship (that is, to ascribe worth to) Jesus simply because he deserves it. Regardless of our position and experience, he deserves all glory, honour and praise forever, and it is fitting for us to give it to him. If we do not praise God, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40); that is how much he is to be praised. It’s in our DNA to worship God; it’s part of how he created the world to be and what he created us to do. So before we start to think about what God has done to make it necessary to praise and worship him, he deserves it. When we worship the Lord, we find ourselves at home, doing what we were created to do. Something inside us is satisfied when we put God in his rightful place in our lives, as is demonstrated in part by our worship to him.
In Revelation chapters 4 and 5 we see a vivid, beautiful picture of worship in creation, starting with the lamb on the throne (as all our worship should) then step by step revealing every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth in worship, singing their various songs of praise to Jesus, the centre and sustainer of all things. It is interesting to note that only after the Lamb has taken the scroll in 5:7 (that is, Jesus has died, risen and ascended) that the earth is included in this picture. It is only through Jesus that we can offer acceptable sacrifices of worship from a fallen world.
This brings us to the other aspect of / reason for worship. The first is that we worship God for who he is; the second is that we worship him for what he has done. That is why Psalm 100 exhorts us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4). In God’s work of redemption for mankind, he earned (for want of a better word) all praise for the rest of eternity. The amazing love, grace and mercy displayed in this incredible act is reason for us to offer him thanks. Thanking God is a huge part of praise and comes from our realising what he has done for us.
As worship starts with Christ, it is also sustained by him, as he sustains all things (Colossians 1:17). The Holy Spirit tells us how to worship, and in following his direction, we find ourselves working together with God and ascending higher into realms of glory and into his wonderful presence. In New Life Church, we are passionate about “Holy Spirit led” worship, and we believe that this kind of worship will have an effect on the city around us.
Worship and praise are fundamental in both the life of the individual Christian and in the life of the Church, and that worship and praise are means by which we enter God’s presence. In worshipping God, we put him in his rightful place, and we find ourselves in our rightful place, seated in heavenly realms with Christ! (Ephesians 2:6)
“For by [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth… …and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross”(Colossians 1:16-20)