Worshipping and Serving God

Worship and service are very closely connected. In fact, the same Greek word latreuo is used for both worship and service. All human beings are worshippers. We either worship the one true God, or someone or something else. All human beings are servants or indeed slaves – either to God, or to ourselves.

In the passages for today we see the importance of worshipping and serving the one true God with all of our hearts and beings.

1. Why do we worship and serve?

Psalm 97:1–12

The psalmist says ‘All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols – worship him, all you gods!’ (v.7)

‘The Lord reigns.’ (v.1) If the Lord did not reign, there would be no point to life – but he does and there is cause for gladness (v.1).

The psalmist praises God – first, for who he is and second, for what he has done.

Lord, like the psalmist, I want to begin today by worshipping and praising you for who you are. I worship you because you are the king who reigns over the entire universe. Everything is under your ultimate control. Praise you that ‘righteousness and justice are the foundation of [your] throne.’ (v.2) Thank you that you always do what is right and are deeply concerned about justice on the earth. Praise you for your power, for the fire that goes before you and your lightening that lights up the world (v.3, 4). Praise you that ‘the mountains melt like wax before [you], before the Lord of all the earth.’ (v.5) Thank you that ‘the heavens proclaim [your] righteousness, and all the peoples see [your] glory.’ (v.6) ‘You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.’ (v.9)

As we worship and serve God he helps us to hate what is evil (v.10). We cannot love the Lord and remain neutral towards evil – or condone it – we must hate it.

Lord, I praise you for who you are and for what you have done for us.

• Protection (v.10b)

Thank you that you guard our lives.

• Deliverance (v.10c)

Thank you that you deliver us from the hand of the wicked.

• Shedding light (v.11a)

Thank you that you shed light on us. You guide and convict, opening our eyes.

• Joy (v.11b, 12)

Thank you that you give us joy and we can rejoice in you and praise your holy name.

2. Whom do we worship and serve?

New Testament
1 Corinthians 9:19–10:13

Until the love of God changes our perspective (Romans 12:1), most of us are slaves to ourselves (and our own bodily appetites). Because of Jesus Christ Paul saw himself as a slave to everyone, and he made his own body his slave.

He made himself ‘a slave to everyone.’ (9:19a) His purpose was ‘to win as many as possible.’ (v.19b)

Paul is passionate about preaching the gospel and saving as many people as possible (v.22, 23). He is willing to become a slave to everyone. He says ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.’ (v.22b) This does not mean that he is hypocritical or is not comfortable in his own skin and ‘not capable of being himself’. Nor does it mean that he changes the message of the gospel to suit the audience.

Rather, ‘whereas [Paul] is intransigent on matters that affect the gospel itself, whether theological or behavioural, that same concern for the saving power of the gospel is what causes him to become all things to all people in matters that don’t count.’ (Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, p431)

This has wide application beyond the areas that perhaps St Paul had in mind. To take a trivial example, it might even affect the clothes we wear in order that the people we are speaking to should not be put off and should be able to identify with us.

Whereas Paul is willing to be a slave to everyone, he is not willing to be enslaved by his bodily appetites. He regards his life as a race (v.24). He is a runner who needs to go into ‘strict training.’ (v.25) Like an athlete he has to be ruthless with his own body. To make it his slave so that, having preached to others, he doesn’t himself become ‘disqualified for the prize.’ (v.27)

He knows that there are many temptations around. He can see this from Israel’s history. They set their hearts ‘on evil things.’ (10:6) They committed ‘sexual immorality.’ (v.8) They put God to the test (v.9). They grumbled (v.10). These all ‘happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.’ (v.11)

We will be tempted as they were. Yet he says ‘No temptation has seized you except what is common among people. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.’ (v.13)

Lord, I pray this for myself and for our congregation. Help us to be willing to be slaves to everyone to win as many as possible. Help us to go into strict training in order to win ‘a crown that will last for ever.’ (9:25) Help us to avoid falling into temptation. Thank you that you always provide a way of escape. Help us to take that way of escape. Lord, ‘lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.’ (Matthew 6:13) Help us to worship and serve you, and you alone.

3. How do we worship and serve?

Old Testament
2 Chronicles 2:1–5:1

We see in the Chronicler’s account of the preparations for building the temple, the great importance of worship. The building of the temple required a great deal of servants (2:10, 15).

The building itself took a great deal of time and required extraordinary attention to detail. For example we read of ‘the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold); the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.’ (4:21-22) The smallest details must be of the highest quality in God’s service.

Lord, help us in our worship and our service of you to give attention to detail and to ensure that everything we do is of the very highest quality.