First Baptist Church, South Haven
Join us for in-person worship in the sanctuary or live on Facebook at 10:30am. The service will also be posted to YouTube and Archive later in the week.
What Is Worship?
Joshua 5:13-14
Psalm 95:6
Pastor Adam Parmenter
What Is Worship?
Word in the Old Testament most often translated as “worship”
שָׁחָה / shachah - Bow, prostrate in submission
Joshua 5:13-14 NIV
Joshua assumed a body posture lowering himself, then offers reverence to God. He bowed his body and he also bowed in his heart.
Psalms 95:1-2 NIV
· What other kinds of events have shouting and singing celebration?
· What is the mood of this Psalm?
The Psalm writer offers an exited invitation: “come!”
Psalms 95:6 NIV
VS 6 To what?
· Bow – Kara(bend, bow, sink to your knees)
· Worship – Shawkaw – prostrate
· Kneel – Barak – bless or kneel
To bow low is to humble yourself before when who is greater than you.
· Physical position, but more importantly a heart position.
Most common word translated worship in the New Testament:
In the New Testament, the most common Greek Word translated as worship is Proskuneo (προσκυνέω – pros-kü-ne’-ō).
· To kiss the hand as a sign of reverence
· To fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead, showing reverence.
· Kneeling or lying flat on one’s face in homage
John 4:23 NIV
Uppermost on God’s heart is that when I worship, I bow myself low in reverence. The body position is not mandatory, but the heart position is.
God is always most concerned about the state of our heart:
Psalms 51:16-17 NIV
Hosea 6:6 NIV
The Bible doesn’t have a list of reasons why we bow ourselves to God in one place, but by searching the scriptures we can find some.
Why Bow? It’s true
Psalms 95:7 NIV
When I bow down to God, I declare the truth of God’s greatness and power.
I don’t like to bow. Neither did Adam and Eve.
Genesis 2:17 NIV
It’s in our nature to rebel against God.
Bowing our hearts to God in reverence, places us in harmony with what is true and gives due respect to who God is.
Why bow? It places me under Him.
My admission of His greatness and my powerlessness, opens me up for His protection.
Psalms 91:4 NIV
Why bow? It enhances my fellowship with God.
Mark 8:34-35 NIV
There is a joyful invitation to bow:
Psalms 95:6 NIV
Bowing before our Lord is the best place to be. Even Jesus, God in human flesh, bowed Himself in the ultimate act of worship.
Matthew 26:39 NIV
· Tina Dell is undergoing testing due to low hemoglobin.
· Dave & Connie Hollis and their family upon the loss of Dave’s sister, Paula Hollis, on 4/11, following a lengthy battle with cancer.
· Shirley Means (Miriam Bryant's sister) is receiving therapy and hopes to go home soon. She is in Henderson, Nevada.
· Caroline Bocock has been terribly ill as she is dealing with a Lyme Disease outbreak. Some of her symptoms included being in excruciating pain, having blackouts, issues with sleeping, darkening vision, random skin issues, a constant headache since 11/5, and so much more. She is taking a regiment of medications to get it under control.
· Nolan Marshall (son of Dan & Tracy) is receiving outpatient therapy but hasn’t found an even keel yet. He has been allowed to return to the school environment with many boundaries in place. The Marshall family is still very much in crisis mode and continued prayers are appreciated as they try to adjust medications and work with Nolan to manage his diagnoses.
· Joyce Bocock has completed chemo and radiation; praise God that both tumors have shrunk significantly more than expected; evaluating additional treatment options.
· Check out our monthly prayer card on-line at southhavenfbc.com under “Weekly Bulletins” for a list of those with on-going needs.
First Baptist Church
1635 76th Street
South Haven, MI 49090
269-637-1291
southhavenfbc@gmail.com