Redefining True Worship by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

THREE MAIN AREAS TO COVER

1. Understanding what worship is
2. Understanding what a worshipper is
3. The pattern for true worship

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WHAT IS WORSHIP?

Worship generally involves three things:

• Reverence
• Adoration
• Honor

The Hebrew Meaning:

The primary Hebrew word for worship is "Shachah", which means:

• To bow
• To kneel
• To prostrate
• To fall down

All as an expression of honor and reverence to a deity.

Key Principle: Worship in its essence is not so much about the activity as it is the posture. The activity only finds its value when the posture is right.

Law of First Mention:

The first mention of worship in the Bible is Genesis 22:5 - Abraham taking Isaac to worship. The context was sacrifice. Abraham said, "I and the lad will go yonder to worship" (that's the word "shachah" - to bow, to express reverence, honor, and obedience).

Worship is first about the posture of reverence and adoration, then it extends to all activities that express that state (singing, giving, service, etc.). These activities can be empty if the posture is not there.

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THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - JOHN 4:20-24

Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well. When she perceived He was a prophet, she immediately asked about worship - showing that even though her life wasn't in order, she had a burning question about worship.

She was location-conscious: "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, but you say Jerusalem is the place of worship."

Jesus' Response (John 4:21-24):

• An hour(an opportune time) is coming when worship will no longer be about location
• It will neither be in the mountain nor in Jerusalem
• The more important aspect of worship is the object, the father
• The Father seeks TRUE WORSHIPPERS - They shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth
• God is spirit - those who worship Him MUST worship in spirit and in truth

Key Insight: God is spirit. In the business of spirits, what powers your activity is the heart. God assesses you starting from your heart, regardless of the activity.

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THREE PARAMETERS THAT QUALIFY TRUE WORSHIP

1. CLEAR DEFINITION OF THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP

Your worship cannot be true until there is a definition of the object of worship.

Entities that seek worship:

• Your belly (it is a god)
• Mammon
• Yourself (the flesh)
• Him who sits on the throne and the Lamb (Revelation 5:4-6&9&13)

Just because you are crying or rolling on the ground doesn't mean you're worshiping the right object. It's a careless assumption that just because all of us are rolling, we're rolling to the same object of worship.

The True Object: Him who sits on the throne and the Lamb.

Most times situations make us have a resemblance of worship, but our attention is on ourselves, our pain, or our needs. You can go to the place of worship thinking only about salary and breakthrough - but breakthrough is not Him who sits on the throne.

Worship is an act of faith - it demands that you forget about everything else and focus on Him, believing that by the time you worship Him, you will not leave the way you came.

Example: The Woman with the Alabaster Box

She had legitimate concerns and a disturbing past, but in the presence of God, nothing else mattered - not her hair (representing her glory), not her pain, not one year's worth of savings. Her entire attention was on Jesus. She was in the audience of one.

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2. THE STATE OF THE WORSHIPPER

The state of the worshipper is as important as the object of worship. You can get the object right (God Almighty), but when something is wrong with the worshipper, it corrupts the worship itself.

Living for Jesus is better than:

• Preaching for Jesus
• Singing for Jesus
• Giving to the kingdom
• Clapping and crying
• Serving Jesus

1 Samuel 15:22 - "Obedience is better than sacrifice"

John 14:21 - "He that keeps my commands, he it is that loves me, and I will love him. My Father will love him and we will manifest ourselves to him."

Requirements for the Worshipper:

• A broken and surrendered heart as a lifestyle (not just Sunday activity)
• Psalm 51 - God seeks a broken and contrite heart
• Genuine Surrender and obedience are the clearest proof that you love God
• A sincere heart and love for God
• A lifestyle of conformity to the image and character of Christ

Critical Truth: The heart posture of the one who sings is the channel through which power and life flows to the people. The life of God can flow from God and not get to the people because something is wrong with the vessel.

Romans 12:1 - "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable worship."

Your first worship is not your special number, not the instrument you play, not your offering - it's your heart.

The Worshipper's Altar Powers the Worship:

When you open your mouth to sing, you reveal your secret place. You reveal the strength of your altar.

Five people can sing the same song, musically accurate, but one person gets healed because it's like they draw from the wells of their secret place. Someone else will sing and there's no life - just a good voice.

Every time great melody does not produce power, the problem is the worshipper.

Living for Jesus is greater than singing for Him. Just because you're in the choir doesn't mean your secret place is in order.

The Greatest Proof of Love: Surrender and obedience (John 14:21)

There are certain kinds of songs you cannot receive by composing. It is a byproduct of what happens to your person in His presence.

The Principle: Create an atmosphere that can host the presence of God. And when He comes, the first assignment should not be to give you a song. It should be to change you.

PRIORITIZE TRANSFORMATION OVER TRANSACTION

Every time the presence of God, the manifested presence of God is there, don't waste the opportunity. Don't ask for things. Ask for transformation.

How God Answers Prayer:

One of the ways that God answers our prayer is to cause us to grow into the version that can make the answer arrive.

If you don't grow spiritually, there are certain answers that cannot come to this version of you.

So one of the ways God answers prayer is by leaving the issue of the answer and causing the person who wants the answer to grow.

THE INTIMACY TEST

When a man gets married to a woman, the intimacy that happens between them is done in secret. You don't have to see that she has met with her husband - what she's carrying becomes the proof. Because of what she's carrying:

• Her appetite changes
• What she eats begins to change
• Where she goes changes
• Her sleeping time adjusts

An adjustment begins to happen - that is proof she has met with the husband.

The Application:

If you are the bride of Christ and you claim to have had intimacy, show me the adjustments that have happened. Let me see the deposits of that spiritual seed in you.

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3. WORSHIP ACCORDING TO PATTERN

Pattern - God is a God of patterns.

Genesis 4:4-7 - Cain and Abel:

It was an issue of heart condition, but also an issue of pattern. God had respect for Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's.

Genesis 4:7 - "If you do well, shall you not be accepted?" (Meaning: if you do it according to pattern)

The Glory of God is a report card - it validates that you have kept pattern.

Every time you see the glory of God revealed in any aspect of your life, it's an attestation that divine patterns have been kept:

• Glory in finances = divine patterns kept
• Glory in ministry = divine patterns kept

When you raise a song of worship and the glory of God does not show up, it means there is a violation of patterns.

Example: Tabernacle of Moses

God kept telling Moses to build according to the pattern shown on the mount. The glory never came until Moses put the last peg according to pattern. Then the Shekinah of God came and mantled that place.

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THE PATTERN OF TRUE WORSHIP (THE KEY TO TRAPPING GOD'S GLORY)

No matter how sincere you are, if you do not follow according to pattern, the glory will not come.

Illustration: A microphone amplifies voice, but only under the right conditions - when it's switched on. Being sincere with a mic that's off produces the same result as having no mic. Not understanding the pattern makes the engagement a waste.

THE FOUR-STEP PATTERN:

1. HEART - Reverence to God from the heart

A heart of reverence for God. It's a heart affair first.

2. WORDS - Verbalizing your reverence through words

Your lips expressing the honor and praise.

Matthew 15 - "They draw nigh to me with their lips but their heart..."

Romans 10:8-10 - It's always heart, then lips

3. LIFE - A lifestyle of surrender and honor

A lifestyle of surrender, obedience, and conformity to Christ

4. SERVICE - Physical expressions that show you honor God

Singing, preaching, giving, lifting hands, etc.

THE FORMULA:

1. Your HEART
2. Your WORDS
3. Your LIFE
4. Your SERVICE

Reverse the formula and you will not see the glory of God.

Some do: words + service = no glory

Others do: heart + words (stop there) = no glory

The complete pattern: Heart → Words → Life → Service

Nobody who keeps this pattern will fail to see the glory of God.

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THE FATHER IS SEEKING TRUE WORSHIPPERS

God is not just receiving worship - He's seeking men. In a meeting while we're all seeking Him, He comes seeking men.

Possibilities that Follow Worship (When Pattern is Kept):

• His manifested presence
• His power
• Divine solutions

Those who understand worship are never bankrupt in life. They lock themselves away and come up with answers.

If a prayer warrior is not a worshipper, he will be wasting his time.

A worshipper is not just a singer - a worshipper is one who is a keeper of these patterns.

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THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID - ACTS 15:16-17

"After this I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David"

Context:

Israel was never a unified nation until King David. They lived a nomadic life, moving from place to place. David pitched temporary tabernacles, intending to build a permanent one, but God didn't allow it because his hands had shed too much blood. He gathered offerings for Solomon to build.

The Ark of God was kept in David's temporary tabernacle - a temporary place of worship.

Why David Was a Man After God's Heart:

David kept the pattern - Heart, Words, Life, Service

Examples from David:

• "Search my heart, try my thoughts"
• "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable"
• "I'd rather be a doorkeeper in your house"

The Rebuilding of David's Tabernacle (Prophetic):

It's not about a physical tabernacle. Jesus said the hour has come when it's no longer about location.

The tabernacle of David in prophecy is:

• A restoration of divine order
• A unified acceptable system of worship
• Points to a person, not a location
• Not limited to one people group (Jews and Gentiles melted into one new man in Christ)
• About intimacy beyond activity

Jesus is called the Son of David - He came as the fulfillment. He is the embodiment, the restoration of that tabernacle.

Whereas in former times they faced the temple, now our focus is on the throne of grace, the presence.

Hebrews 4:16 - "We therefore come boldly before the throne of grace"

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FINAL WORD

This is a culture you must maintain beyond these days of worship. It's from the heart, then your words, then your lifestyle, then your service.

The Pattern for True Worship:

• A heart of reverence
• Words that are pure, true, and sincere
• A lifestyle of surrender, brokenness, love, and conformity
• An acceptable service