The New Man And His Worship 2nd Service by Pastor Poju Oyemade: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Worship of the New Creature

In John 4:21, Jesus said to the woman at the well: "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father." Under the old arrangement, the nation of Israel would travel to Jerusalem to worship. Zechariah 14:17-18 shows what was at stake — nations that did not come to Jerusalem to worship would receive no rain. Those who came received blessing: rain upon the work of their hands.

John 4:22: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews." Jesus pointed out that the Samaritans had no knowledge of who they were worshipping. You cannot worship someone you do not know, because worship is the description and acknowledgment of who that person is. Worship must be knowledge-based. You are describing attributes, declaring who this person is — and that requires knowing them.

John 4:23-24: "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The Father is seeking — this is his heart cry — people who will worship him in spirit and in truth. Imagine what begins to happen in the life of a person who meets this need that the Father himself has.

What Worship Is

Worship is an expression of a person toward his Maker, his God, his Father. It includes the surrendering of one's own will, acknowledging him as Lord. It is also adoration to the source of one's being and existence — "you are, because he is." Everything in you came out of him, and worship acknowledges him as that source. It is the highest form of intimacy with God.

A person who enters into true worship in spirit and in truth loses consciousness of time. They become deeply intimate with God — not conscious of their physical environment, but deep in communion with him. It is like entering the presence of a very wise and successful person seeking one specific thing. As that person draws you into conversation — sharing wisdom, expanding your vision — what you originally came for fades in the light of the encounter itself. You leave not only with the thing you came for, but with something far greater.

The Spirit, Soul, and Body in Worship

The spirit, soul, and body all participate in worship in different ways. There are songs that come out of the spirit — songs brought by the Holy Spirit. And there are songs from the soul, arising from one's understanding of God's word. 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 speaks of praying and singing with the spirit (in an unknown tongue) as well as praying and singing with the understanding.

Singing in the spirit privately — in tongues — satisfies the heart of God and edifies the one singing. This is something to cultivate in private worship. If a person reaches the point where joy begins to rise within them as they sing to God in an unknown tongue, they are touching real things in the realm of the spirit.

Singing with the understanding means singing the knowledge of God that has been revealed. When such revelation is expressed in song, others can also be edified and taught about God — which is what Ephesians 5:19 means by "teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs."

The body also participates in worship. Romans 6:13: "Yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness." When genuine encounter with God is happening in worship, the body posture shows it.

Daniel 10:7-10: when Daniel saw the vision of God, no strength remained in him and he fell on his face to the ground. Joshua 5:14-15: when Joshua met the captain of the Lord's host, he fell on his face to the earth and worshipped. In removing his sandals — as instructed — Joshua was expressing: wherever you lead, I go. I no longer have control over my steps. That posture of surrender extended into a way of life: David, before every major decision, would inquire of the Lord, regardless of how desperate the situation. That ongoing dependence is an extension of worship.

The body does participate in worship — but the body does not originate it. A person can move physically while their heart has no real conversation with God, no knowledge of his attributes being described back to him. Physical movement to music may have its own value, but it is not where true worship actually begins.

Private and Corporate Worship

Private worship can go deeper than corporate worship, because in private you can sing the full depth of your personal revelation — things known only between you and God. In corporate worship, the standard must serve the entire gathering. The lyrics must be accessible to everyone present, from the most mature to the newest believer.

This is Paul's guideline in 1 Corinthians 14:16-17: if you bless with the spirit in an unknown tongue, how shall the unlearned say amen to your giving of thanks? Your worship may be perfectly acceptable to God, but it edifies no one else. In corporate settings, words must be easy to understand so that the body can enter together. A worship song with deep revelation, expressed simply enough for everyone to sing — that is what makes corporate worship powerful.

Launching the Word of God Through Praise

Praise is the most potent force in spiritual warfare. In physical warfare, a missile can be launched from a ship, a plane, a cannon, or a tank. The launching pads vary — but the missile stays the same. In spiritual warfare, the missile that does the actual damage is the word of God. Prayer, praise, and spoken confession are launching pads.

Psalm 149:6: "Let the high praises of God be in thy mouth, and a two-edged sword in thy hand" — to execute vengeance, to bind kings with chains, to execute upon them the judgment that is written.

Ephesians 6:17 names the sword of the spirit — the word of God — and the next verse says "praying always," showing that prayer is the launching pad by which that sword is sent into a situation.

In Acts 4:23-26, under threat from religious authorities, the early church gathered and launched scripture into the situation. They quoted Psalm 2 specifically — because it matched their crisis exactly — and launched its declared outcome over what they faced. The missile was the scripture. The launching pad was prayer.

Why Perfected Praise Is the Strongest Launching Pad

Hebrews 1:13, citing Psalm 110:1-2, says: "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of his strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

What is the rod of his strength? Psalm 8:2: "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."

Jesus interpreted this in Matthew 21:16: "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise." The rod of God's strength is perfected praise.

Perfected praise is not just any praise. It is praise arising from revelation — from knowledge of a perfect sacrifice. It is knowledgeable praise, coming from understanding of what God has done. When a worshipper enters into perfected praise, yielding themselves in worship while recognizing that what God has declared is already finished, God's strength is released into the situation.

This is why worship placed in the future — "God, one day you will do this" — carries no confrontation. Satan agrees with procrastination. But when the worshipper yields themselves to the present reality of what God has already accomplished, declaring it in intimate worship, that is where things break open.

A person without employment who enters into worship and begins to commune with God — not about what might happen, but about what is already written and settled — gets so intimate in that worship that they come out with a deep knowing. They have been in fellowship with God about what he has already finished, even though it has not yet appeared on the outside. From that place, rain begins to fall on their life. Doors open that they cannot explain.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your word. By the power of your spirit, we ask that you establish us in this truth. Cause it to bring forth fruit in our lives, in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.