Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven

Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline

Rory Noland

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9780310426240
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Music

Rory Noland addresses the challenges of Christian worship head-on, offering practical suggestions gleaned from Scripture on understanding and experiencing vibrant worship. The first half of Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven explores what it means to grow as a private worshiper. The practices of the psalmist David provide insight to help people worship God on their own. Second, Noland discusses corporate worship by exploring the glorious gatherings in heaven, as described in the book of Revelation. He presents immediately applicable ideas for becoming a better corporate worshiper. This book includes: • Slice-of-church-life scenarios. Every chapter begins with a brief scenario that presents a worship-related issue or a conflict corresponding to the chapter topic. • Group discussion questions. Based on the opening scenario, these questions help readers think about and discuss worship-related topics from different perspectives. • Issue-by-issue practical guidance from a biblical perspective. • "Ponder and Apply" application questions. Each chapter ends with a series of discussion questions and action steps to help readers identify key insights and make personal applications.

PART 1

Growing as a Private Worshiper
Worship in the Psalms of David

If a church wants to take the next step in improving its worship, it’s not always necessary to overhaul the program or find a new worship leader. Instead, I would encourage every member to become individual worshipers. Can you imagine a church comprised largely of people who worshiped God on their own during the week and then came together on Sunday to worship? Their hearts would be so primed for worship, it wouldn’t matter whether the music was traditional, contemporary, or whatever. Theologian D. A. Carson adds:

In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God. As a brother put it to me, it’s a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset.²

True worshipers experience more than great music or stirred emotions during worship; they experience being in the presence of God.

The Power and Privilege of Private Worship

The first step to becoming a better worshiper is to become a vibrant worshiper Monday through Saturday. As believers, we can worship God on our own, one-on-one, and experience the power and privilege of worship every day.

A. W. Tozer emphatically underscores the importance of daily individual worship:

You will be worshiping God long after everything else has ceased to exist. Too bad if you do not learn to worship Him now so that you do not have to cram for the last examination. For my part, I want to worship God in my own private life so fully and satisfyingly to the end so that I will not have to cram for the final exams. I can nearly stop breathing with quietness and say, “I worship Him; I am still worshiping Him; and I expect to worship Him for all eternity.”

That is what you are here for, to glorify God and enjoy Him thoroughly and forever, telling the universe how great God is.³

If you long to worship God “fully and satisfyingly to the end” of your days, if you desire to worship God on a deeper level, the Lord may be calling you to take the next step in your practice of personal worship.

David, the Private Worshiper

Other than Jesus, the best example of a day-to-day worshiper in the Bible is David. He was a king and a warrior, but he was also a poet and prolific songwriter. In fact, half of the 150 psalms are attributed to David, which means that he either wrote those particular psalms or is associated with them in some way. We don’t know what David’s music sounded like, but his lyrics have come down to us through the ages and are some of the most cherished and quoted portions of Scripture. David’s psalms have been sung, prayed, recited, chanted, and dramatized through the centuries all over the world. Moreover, they cover the full range of human emotion, from anger and sadness to zeal and joy.

Even the psalms that didn’t flow from David’s pen still exhibit his influence. Asaph, for example, an ancient worship leader who wrote twelve psalms, was appointed by David, as were the sons of Korah, a Levitical family of worship leaders who authored eleven psalms. Two psalms are credited to King Solomon, David’s son. No wonder Charles Spurgeon’s voluminous commentary on the book of Psalms is aptly titled The Treasury of David, for this rich treasure chest of prayers, testimony, and song is closely identified with David and bound together by one central theme: worship.

Intensely Personal

For more than three thousand years, the psalms of David have been a mainstay in public worship gatherings, and yet many are intensely personal. David loved to spend time alone with God. “For God alone my soul waits in silence,” he declared (Psalm 62:1; see also Psalm 62:5). Throughout Psalm 37, David reminds us three times to wait on the Lord (Psalm 37:7, 9, 34). Though king over God’s people, David understood that God is a personal God who values one-on-one time with his children.

David treasured intimacy with God. When David committed adultery and realized that he had sinned against God, his greatest fear was being alienated from God. “Cast me not away from your presence,” he pleaded, “and take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). David couldn’t imagine life apart from God and, more than anything, he wanted to be close to God.

That’s why reading David’s psalms often feels like an invasion of privacy, as if you’re reading a personal diary or eavesdropping on someone’s most private thoughts. Take Psalm 139:1 – 3 for example:

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

Like the example above, many of David’s psalms are addressed or written directly to the Lord. “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:1 – 3). David’s poetry not only speaks about God but it speaks to him as well.

Deeply Passionate

David was hungry for God. In Psalm 143:6, he wrote, “I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.” David’s passion for God comes through loud and clear in his worship: “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever” (Psalm 86:12). Serious worshipers are known for their intense, passionate devotion to God.

A Life of Private Worship

I used to wonder where David learned to worship with such depth, intimacy, and passion. I now realize that it was during those early years he spent alone in the fields tending his father’s sheep. In seclusion, alone with God, was where David truly learned how to worship. In several stages of life, we glimpse David worshiping God privately. Let’s examine a few of these scenes, starting with those formative years as a young shepherd.

Shepherd Boy

In his younger days, it seems as though David and his sheep were inseparable. When Samuel came to anoint him king of Israel, David was out on the hillside herding the sheep (1 Samuel 16:11). Afterward, he didn’t call a press conference or pose for photo ops; he went back to his shepherding duties. In fact, when Saul summoned David to play his harp in the royal court, he asked David’s father, Jesse, to send his son “who is with the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:19). It’s as if Saul said, “Hey, Jesse, send me that kid of yours who’s really into sheep.” When his brothers went off to war, David, being the youngest, was stuck at home guarding sheep (1 Samuel 17:15).

In 1 Samuel 17:34 – 36, David admitted to learning valuable combat lessons in the company of his wooly friends. Those fields were not only the training grounds where David became a warrior but they were also the schoolhouse where he learned to be a worshiper. After all, who else but a bona fide shepherd could have possibly written the Twenty-third Psalm? “The LORD is my shepherd… . He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:1 – 2). For every shepherd, a life of solitude comes with the job, and in David’s case, it inspired deep heartfelt worship.

Middle-Aged King

As king, David wanted to honor God by building a temple for worship, but God rejected his offer. Extremely disappointed, Scripture reveals that David “went in and sat before the LORD” (2 Samuel 7:18). We will examine this story in more detail in chapter 4, but for now notice that when David heard the bad news, he immediately got alone with God. It was customary in those days to enlist the services of the high priest, a prophet, or some other religious professional. David went directly to God and worshiped.

Sage Old Man

David lived a long and fruitful life. He went from a worshiping shepherd boy to a worshiping king, so it was only natural for him to be worshiping at the end of his days. For example, in Psalm 143:5, David looks back on his life and is encouraged by all that God has done: “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.”

Upon his deathbed, there was chaos and confusion as to who would be David’s successor. Finally his son, Solomon, was anointed king. When David’s servants came to congratulate him, his response was one of praise to God: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it” (1 Kings 1:48).

Enrolling in David’s School of Private Worship

Over the next four chapters, David will serve as mentor and guide in our quest to grow as private worshipers. We will examine four compelling characteristics of David’s private worship and glean practical principles we can apply to our own individual efforts. We will see that David practiced the following in his worship:

• Made worship his top priority
• Observed a regular routine of private worship
• Regarded obedience as the highest form of worship
• Worshiped amidst adversity

David may be a prime example of a biblical worshiper, but he is not a perfect example. He struggled with sexual lust, committed adultery and murder, and tried to cover it up. On top of all that, David wasn’t an exemplary father. He failed to discipline his children (2 Samuel 13:21), and he wasn’t attentive to them either (2 Samuel 14:24, 28). So, much like you and me, David was greatly flawed, prone to weaknesses, and saddled with shortcomings. Yet he continually sought the Lord in worship.

Of course, our study will not be confined to merely the Old Testament. We’ll learn all we can from Jesus, the disciples, the apostle Paul, and others, for they too have something significant to add to our discussion of private worship.

Lay Aside False Assumptions

Before we get started, however, it’s important to discard any and all assumptions you have regarding worship. David learned that lesson the hard way. During his reign as king, David made arrangements to move the ark of the covenant to its final resting place in Jerusalem. The ark played a significant role in Old Testament worship; it’s where God manifested his presence. David assumed he could just put the ark on a cart and roll it down the street. During the trip, though, the cart hit a bump in the road, and a man named Uzzah, who was part of the procession, reached out his hand to steady the ark. God immediately struck down Uzzah, and he died on the spot. David was so upset, he temporarily called off the entire operation (2 Samuel 6:2 – 10).

At first glance, Uzzah’s punishment seems unfair for what seemed like a good deed. But the rescue mission blatantly violated God’s commands. Earlier in Scripture, God clearly stipulated that whenever the ark was to be moved, it had to be carried by the Levites — hoisted on their shoulders using poles placed through several rings on the sides of the ark (see Exodus 25:14 – 15; Numbers 7:9). Furthermore, Numbers 4:15 adamantly forbids anyone to ever touch the ark. Had David followed God’s prescribed rules, a lot of pain and tragedy could have been avoided.

Like Uzzah, many of us have assumptions and practices that may be well-intentioned but false, based on tradition, upbringing, or personal preference. When we operate on false assumptions, we fail to properly honor God.

Search the Scriptures

Eventually, David searched the Scriptures, or someone brought them to his attention, and he learned the correct way to transport the ark (see 2 Samuel 6:12 – 15). We too need to scour the Bible to learn how God wants to be worshiped. For it doesn’t matter how you and I want to praise God. It’s not ultimately important whether worship makes us feel good or if the music is to our liking. True worship must always be offered on God’s terms, not ours. So we need to learn how God wants to be worshiped. In this book, we will continually come back to the Bible as the only source of truth and information regarding worship.

David certainly possessed a high view of God’s Word. In Psalm 138:2, he reverently stated, “For you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” “The word of the LORD proves true,” he wrote (Psalm 18:30).

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

PSALM 19:7 – 8

Because of his deep respect for God’s Word, David was open to its teaching and his own worship was biblically based. In Psalm 32, God warns us, through David, not to be obstinate, but to gladly receive godly instruction:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

PSALM 32:8 – 9

Christians can be stubborn as mules, set in their ways, especially when it comes to worship. Let’s you and I respond differently by laying aside long-held notions and searching the Scriptures to learn all we can about how God desires to be worshiped. As we begin our journey, may we hear and heed David’s invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8), with eager anticipation for all that God’s Word has to teach us about growing as worshipers of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 1

Do What Matters Most
Make Worship a Priority

On Sunday morning, the Johnson family drives to church at the other end of town. Ned, proud father of the three boys in the back seat, works an office job during the week. Nellie, his wife, works part time as a substitute teacher. Together, Ned and Nellie lead a small group at the church and volunteer with the high school group.

As they drive along the interstate, the conversation is usually punctuated with loving directives toward the back seat to stop yelling, whining, and hitting. This morning, however, the boys are unusually quiet, behaving like model citizens.

“Did you slip them tranquilizers?” ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• INTRODUCTION: Worship Now … and Forever
• PART 1: Growing as a Private Worshiper: Worship in the Psalms of David
• PART 2: Growing as a Corporate Worshiper: Worship in the Book of Revelation
• EPILOGUE: Let’s Worship Like We’re Already There
• APPENDIX A: Names of God
• APPENDIX B: Attributes of God
• Notes
• Also by Rory Noland
• Copyright
• About the Publisher
• Share Your Thoughts