I. This week, we're going to focus on worship, rather than praise.

A. Silence and Reverence in worship?
B. Is worship different than praise?
C. Examples of worship in the Bible.
D. The Responsibility of the Worshiper.

II. Silence and Reverence in worship?

A. Silence
1. There are no clear statements of scripture that focus on both the idea of silence/quietness and worship/praise.  
2. There are verses that talk about being silent before God:
a. Psalm 46:10; Habakkuk 2:18-20 - suggests worship, awe, reverence.
b. Revelation 3:19 - listening to God.
3. There are clear statements of scripture about NOT being quiet during worship:
a. Luke 19:37-40 - "the stones will cry out."
b. Psalm 66:1 - "Shout for joy to the Lord."
B. Reverence
1. Psalm 5:7 - "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple."  
2. Hebrews 12:28 - "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." 3. Reverence - in both verses, the words reverence and awe mean fear, terror, awesome or terrifying thing, respect, caution, apprehension, holy fear, mingled fear and love."  
4. Reverence doesn't necessarily equal silence!

III. Is worship different than praise?

A. Many books on P&W list differences between the two.
B. I'm not convinced that they're two separate things. I think they're two aspects of the same thing. Praise describes the physical, outward act, and worship describes the inward, intimate, heart-to-heart act. Here are some examples of that:

1. Praise is always seen or heard - worship is not always evident to an observer. Only the worshiper and God know if he/she is truly worshiping.
2. Praise is often preparatory to worship. When we praise, it's easier to worship.
3. Worship occurs in our hearts. Praise occurs outside our hearts.

IV. Examples of worship in the Bible. Have someone read these verses:

A. II Samuel 6:14-15, 21-22.
1. Not worried who was watching him "dance with all his might." He danced/celebrated before the Lord - not before the people. 
2. He wanted to be "humiliated in [his] own eyes" before God. 
B. Revelation 4:9-11.
1. Not distracted by the person next to them - they were focused on God alone. 
C. Luke 7:36-50.
1. Worshipers are givers. She gave costly perfume - year's wages (vs. 37) 
2. A heart deeply stirred before God - she was weeping. Brokenness and tears - (vs. 38) 
3. She kissed Jesus' feet. The definition of worship. (Vs. 38) 
4. Not worried about others - focused on Jesus only. The one focused on others was Simon.

V. The Responsibility of the Worshiper:

A. To Worship!
1. The responsibility to worship rests with us - not the pastor or worship leader. Each individual offers up their own "sacrifice of praise." 
2. Be worshipers all week long (a lifestyle of praise). 
3. Bring an offering rather than ask for a handout. Psalm 96:8, I Corinthians 14:26. 
4. Be self-motivated in worship. Sometimes it's easy to praise, sometimes it's not. Enter readily & wholeheartedly into the praise of God, even when tired or down. 
5. Frequent the place of worship (don't neglect the assembling of saints - Hebrews 10:25). 
B. How can we prepare for worship? Ask people:
1. Get up early to pray and praise 
2. Deal with known sin in our lives before the service 
3. Pray for the service ahead of time
C. Make His praise glorious!  Psalm 66:2: 
1. We have to invest energy - We make it glorious. 
2. Make our songs a praise from our hearts unto God. Just because we're singing songs, doesn't mean we're singing praises to God. It's possible for us to sing without having our hearts in it.  
3. Worship despite distractions. Psalm 34:1 - bless the Lord at all times

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