What Does True Worship Look Like? Part 2
(May 19,2025)
A quick refresher from last week reveals that there are at least three characteristics of true worship, according to Pastor Adrian Rogers – Regeneration, Authentication by the Holy Spirit, and Regulation by the Word of God. Today we will examine what it means that true worship is authenticated by the Holy Spirit.
In John 4:24 Jesus tells the Samaritan woman he met at Jacob’s well, “God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Jesus means that true worship is led by the Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart towards the Son, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. True Holy Spirit led worship always points to the Lord Jesus Christ, for so the Father has ordained it.
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore, God exalted Him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NIV).
I don’t believe it is too strong a statement to say that “worship” in which the Holy Spirit is not present is vanity and so much noise in the Father’s ears. Oh! That our hearts were wholly tuned to the Holy Spirit when we come before our God to offer Him the sacrifice of praise!
Somehow, we have made worship all about us. How we feel during and after worship. If we feel good, we think we have worshipped. If we don’t feel good, we haven’t. Sometimes, the most meaningful thing we can do to worship is to repent of our sin. Let the Spirit search us and convict us. Admit our sin, confess it and repent. Then when we offer our praise, it will be accepted by God and bless His heart.
Next week we finish our discussion with true worship is regulated by the truth of the Word of God. This is perhaps the most important point of all.