I delivered the following message last Sabbath:

ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

There has been much discussion one or more of the forums of Maritime SDA OnLine on what constitutes worship. I, therefore, decided to do a study on that and present to you the results of that study.

Maybe the way to begin is to see what the Bible has to say on such an obviously important topic.

Let us begin with the worship given to God by the angels and the redeemed.

We need to go to the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelations to be precise to find key two words, "angel" and "worship" in Chapter 7, Verses 11 & 12:

Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

How did the angels of God worship Him?

What do these verses tell us?

1. They bowed, or kneeled down, before the throne of God.

2. They praised Him saying, "Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. "

Did worship in heaven consist of anything else?

By using the key word "harps" I came up with Revelation 5:8-12

Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Revelation 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

3. They sang. In verse 9 it says that they "sung a new song." In other words, worship included singing with the sound of harps. It says that everyone of them had harps.

Let us see if there is any other record of singing in heaven.

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

Revelation 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
It says that the 144,000 also sang a new song which only they could sing.

And where did they sing this new song?

Revelation 14:3 says that "they sung as it were a new song before the throne."

And who's throne was it? It was God's throne. It was the throne of God.

Music was definitely an important part of their worship to God and to the Lamb.

By the way, another element of worship was also brought forth there back in Revelations 5:8 which says that every one of them had harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints!

4. So the 4th element of worship was prayer.

And what is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God.

To summarize, we see 4 elements in worship:

1. Bowing down, or kneeling.
2. Praising and thanksgiving.
3. Singing.
4. Praying.

These elements of themselves do not bring about appropriate worship to God unless another very important element is also present.

Can you guess what that very important element is?

Well, let us see if we can glean that other most important element from God's Holy Word by turning to Leviticus 19:30.

Leviticus 19:30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

What, therefore, is that 5th and most important element of worship?

5. Reverence.

Here are a few more references on "reverence":

Psalms 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29 For our God is a consuming fire.

We saw how the angels and the redeemed in heaven either worship, or will worship God, now how are we, or will we worship our God here on earth now?

Will He be our Saviour to us, or will He be a consuming fire to us?

I guess the answer to that depends upon how we are worshipping Him here and now.

Are we incorporating all the five elements in our Worship Service?

Let us analyze our Worship Service here in the Fredericton SDA Church.

Let us begin with the most important element, the element of REVERENCE simply because the appropriate use of the other elements depends on the exercising of appropriate reverence in the House of God.

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"True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. With this sense of the Unseen the heart of every child should be deeply impressed." {Child Guidance 538.3}

"Reverence should be shown also for the name of God. Never should that name be spoken lightly or thoughtlessly. Even in prayer its frequent or needless repetition should be avoided. "Holy and reverend is his name." Psalm 111:9. Angels, as they speak it, veil their faces. With what reverence should we, who are fallen and sinful, take it upon our lips!" {CG 538.5}

"We should reverence God's Word. For the printed volume we should show respect, never putting it to common uses or handling it carelessly. And never should Scripture be quoted in a jest or paraphrased to point a witty saying. "Every word of God is pure"; "as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." (Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 12:6.)" {CG 538.6}

"Many . . . have no true appreciation of the sacredness of eternal things. Nearly all need to be taught how to conduct themselves in the house of God. Parents should not only teach, but command, their children to enter the sanctuary with sobriety and reverence." {CG 540.2}

"From the sacredness which was attached to the earthly sanctuary, Christians may learn how they should regard the place where the Lord meets with His people. There has been a great change, not for the better, but for the worse, in the habits and customs of the people in reference to religious worship. The precious, the sacred things which connect us with God are fast losing their hold upon our minds and hearts and are being brought down to the level of the common things. The reverence which the people had anciently for the sanctuary, where they met with God in sacred service, has largely passed away. Nevertheless God Himself gave the order of His service, exalting it high above everything of a temporal nature." {CG 540.3}

"The house of God is often desecrated, and the Sabbath violated by Sabbath-believers' children. In some cases they are even allowed to run about the house, play, talk, and manifest their evil tempers in the very meetings where the saints should worship God in the beauty of holiness. And the place that should be holy, and where a holy stillness should reign, and where there should be perfect order, neatness, and humility, is made to be a perfect Babylon, "confusion." This is enough to bring God's displeasure and shut His presence from our assemblies." {CG 540.4}

"It is too true that reverence for the house of God has become almost extinct. Sacred things and places are not discerned; the holy and exalted are not appreciated. Is there not a cause for the want of fervent piety in our families? Is it not because the high standard of religion is left to trail in the dust? God gave rules of order, perfect and exact, to His ancient people. Has His character changed? Is He not the great and mighty God who rules in the heaven of heavens? Would it not be well for us often to read the directions given by God Himself to the Hebrews, that we who have the light of the glorious truth shining upon us may imitate their reverence for the house of God? We have abundant reason . . . even to be more thoughtful and reverential in our worship than had the Jews. But an enemy has been at
work to destroy our faith in the sacredness of Christian worship." {CG 541.1}

"The house is the sanctuary for the family, and the closet or the grove the most retired place for individual worship; but the church is the sanctuary for the congregation. There should be rules in regard to the time, the place, and the manner of worshiping." {CG 541.2}

"Parents, elevate the standard of Christianity in the minds of your children; help them to weave Jesus into their experience; teach them to have the highest reverence for the house of God and to understand that when they enter the Lord's house, it should be with hearts that are softened and subdued by such thoughts as these: "God is here; this is His house. I must have pure thoughts and the holiest motives. I must have no pride, envy, jealousy, evil surmising, hatred, or deception in my heart; for I am coming into the presence of the holy God. This is the place where God meets with and blesses His people. The high and holy One who inhabiteth eternity looks upon me, searches my heart, and reads the most secret thoughts and acts of my life." {CG 541.3}

"The moral taste of the worshipers in God's holy sanctuary must be elevated, refined, sanctified. This matter has been sadly neglected. Its importance has been overlooked, and as the result disorder and irreverence have become prevalent, and God has been dishonored. When the leaders in the church, ministers and people, fathers and mothers, have not had elevated views of this matter, what could be expected of the inexperienced children? They are too often found in groups, away from the parents, who should have charge of them. Notwithstanding they are in the presence of God, and His eye is looking upon them; they are light and trifling; they whisper and laugh, are careless, irreverent, and inattentive." {CG 542.1}

"Do not have so little reverence for the house and worship of God as to communicate with one another during the sermon. If those who commit this fault could see the angels of God looking upon them and marking their doings, they would be filled with shame and abhorrence of themselves. God wants attentive hearers. It was while men slept that the enemy sowed tares." {CG 542.2}

"There should be a sacred spot, like the sanctuary of old, where God is to meet with His people. That place should not be used as a lunchroom or as a business room, but simply for the worship of God. When children attend day school in the same place where they assemble to worship on the Sabbath, they cannot be made to feel the sacredness of the place, and that they must enter with feelings of reverence. The sacred and common are so blended that it is difficult to distinguish them." {CG 542.3}

"It is for this reason that the house or sanctuary dedicated to God should not be made a common place, Its sacredness should not be confused or mingled with the common everyday feelings or business life. There should be a solemn awe upon the worshipers as they enter the sanctuary, and they should leave behind all common worldly thoughts, for it is the place where God reveals His presence. It is as the audience chamber of the great and eternal God; therefore pride and passion, dissension and self-esteem, selfishness, and covetousness, which God pronounces idolatry, are inappropriate for such a place." {CG 543.1}

"Your child should be taught to obey as the children of God obey Him. If this standard is maintained, a word from you will have some weight when your child is restless in the house of God. But if the children cannot be restrained, if the parents feel that the restraint is too much of an exaction, the child should be removed from the church at once; it should not be left to divert the minds of the hearers by talking or running about. God is dishonored by the loose way in which parents manage their children while at church." {CG 544.1}

"All should be taught to be neat, clean, and orderly in their dress, but not to indulge in that external adorning which is wholly inappropriate for the sanctuary. There should be no display of the apparel, for this encourages irreverence. . . . All matters of dress should be strictly guarded, following closely the Bible rule. Fashion has been the goddess who has ruled the outside world, and she often insinuates herself into the church. The church should make the Word of God her standard, and parents should think intelligently upon this subject." {CG 544.2}

"Nothing that is sacred, nothing that pertains to the worship of God, should be treated with carelessness and indifference. When the word of life is spoken, you should remember that you are listening to the voice of God through His delegated servant. Do not lose these words through inattention; if heeded, they may keep your feet from straying into wrong paths." {CG 545.2}

"Reverence is greatly needed in the youth of this age. I am alarmed as I see children and youth of religious parents so heedless of the order and propriety that should be observed in the house of God. While God's servants are presenting the words of life to the people, some will be reading, others whispering and laughing. Their eyes are sinning by diverting the attention of those around them. This habit, if allowed to remain unchecked, will grow and influence others." {CG 546.2}

"Children and youth should never feel that it is something to be proud of to be indifferent and careless in meetings where God is worshiped. God sees every irreverent thought or action, and it is registered in the books of heaven. He says, "I know thy works." Nothing is hid from His all-searching eye. If you have formed in any degree the habit of inattention and indifference in the house of God, exercise the powers you have to correct it, and show that you have self-respect. Practice reverence until it becomes a part of yourself." {CG 546.3}

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Matt. 6:9. {AG 94.1}

"To hallow the name of the Lord requires that the words in which we speak of the Supreme Being be uttered with reverence. "Holy and reverend is his name" (Ps. 111:9). We are never in any manner to treat lightly the titles or appellations of the Deity. In prayer we enter the audience chamber of the Most High; and we should come before Him with holy awe. The angels veil their faces in His presence. The cherubim and the bright and holy seraphim approach His throne with solemn reverence. How much more should we, finite, sinful beings, come in a reverent manner before the Lord, our Maker! {AG 94.2}

But to hallow the name of the Lord means much more than this. We may, like the Jews in Christ's day, manifest the greatest outward reverence for God, and yet profane His name continually. "The name of the Lord" is "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" (Ex. 34:5-7). Of the church of Christ it is written, "This is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness" (Jer. 33:16). This name is put upon every follower of Christ. It is the heritage of the child of God. The family are called after the Father. The prophet Jeremiah, in the time of Israel's sore distress and ribulation, prayed, "We are called by thy name; leave us not" (Jer. 14:9)." {AG 94.3}

This name is hallowed by the angels of heaven, by the inhabitants of unfallen worlds. When you pray, "Hallowed be thy name," you ask that it may be hallowed in this world, hallowed in you. God has acknowledged you before men and angels as His child; pray that you may do no dishonor to the "worthy name by which ye are called" (James 2:7). God sends you into the world as His representatives. In every act of life you are to make manifest the name of God. This petition calls upon you to possess His character. You
cannot hallow His name, you cannot represent Him to the world, unless in life and character you represent the very life and character of God. This you can do only through the acceptance of the grace and righteousness of Christ. {AG 94.4}

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All the above quotes show how lacking reverence had been during the days of Ellen G. White.

If reverence was a concern way back then, is it any better now, or is it a lot worse now? I have seen a big downward spiral myself since first becoming a Christian back in 1967.

Could it be that the reason why the other elements of worship are not fitting together as well as they should, is on account of the fact that the main element, reverence, is lacking?

1. When we bow down, or kneel in prayer, is our reverence for God where it should be? Are we praying from our heart, or is it only words coming from our lips? Do we pray like the Pharisee, or do we pray like the publican?

2. When we sing, whether it be from the church hymnal, or the praise book, is our reverence for God where it should be? Are we singing from our heart, or are we just making our lips move, and the words are barely being heard by ourselves, let alone by others?

3. And when we praise the Lord, and thank Him for His goodness and mercy and grace, is our reverence for God even in praise and thanksgiving, where it should be? Are we praising Him and thanking Him from our heart, or are we just again making our lips move, but our hearts are not really in the words that we are uttering?

Without truly giving appropriate reverence to God, we are missing out on giving Him our true and heart filled worship.

The only way we can truly worship Him, and all the other elements falling in place, is when we worship Him from the bottom of our hearts in Spirit and in Truth.

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

This is then appropriate worship.

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Opening Hymn: "Come Worship, Join to Sing" - #10

Responsive Reading: "Praise at God's Throne" - #708

Closing Hymn: "O Worship the Lord" - #6