Spiritual Worship

A Sermon by Archibald Alexander

Philippians 3:3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit.

Everything around us shows that there is a God, and that He is wise, powerful and good. Our own minds lead us to believe that God approves of good conduct, and will punish evil doers. From the Scriptures, we learn that God is Almighty and can do whatever He pleases, that He knows all things and is perfectly acquainted with our most secret actions and the thoughts and imaginations of our hearts, that He is a witness of every word we speak and of everything we do, and that we cannot escape from his presence.

How beautifully this is expressed in Psalm 139: “O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. . . . Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. . . . If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.”

The duty of worshipping God – praising Him for His glorious perfections and wonderful works; thanking Him for the blessings, both temporal and spiritual, that He gives us; confessing before Him our dependence and sinfulness; and praying to Him in humble confidence for such things as we need – is so evident to every serious mind that it is unnecessary to spend time proving it. The proper method of performing this duty and the benefits to be expected from it will be the subjects of this sermon.

1. God should be worshipped with a knowledge of His true character. To worship our Creator, without knowing what kind of being He is, is to worship an “unknown God”. This is the great fault of heathen religion. They may take great pains in their worship, but they do not know the true character of God; therefore they ascribe the passions and frailties of men to the imaginary beings they worship. They foolishly bow down to wood and stones and pay homage to gods of gold and silver which they have made. No service can be acceptable to God which is not founded on a right knowledge of His character. To offer Him worship, imagining Him to be the opposite of what He is, is to offer an insult to Him. Hence the great importance of true religious knowledge, and you know where this may be obtained.

¹Taken, with editing, from Alexander’s Practical Sermons:

The works of God in creation all proclaim His power, wisdom and goodness. If we look at our bodies and consider how wisely they are formed, with everything adapted to a good purpose, we may again adopt the words of Psalm 139: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. If we do not then learn to know God, it is because we do not like to retain Him in our knowledge, and so are without excuse. This, Paul assures us, was the real origin of idolatry, with all its vile abominations. Many grow up to manhood without ever reflecting seriously on God’s works, or raising admiring thoughts to the great Creator of the universe. As men do not desire the knowledge of God or make use of their opportunities of knowing Him, it is just in Him to leave them to the darkness they have chosen, and to punish them for the enormous sins they are constantly committing.

But as man is a fallen creature, the knowledge which reason can furnish is not sufficient. It does not reveal the mercy of God to sinners. It does not show how man can be reconciled to a holy God – how sin can be pardoned, or how the corrupt nature of man can be purified and restored to the image of God which has been lost. Therefore God in great mercy has made a further revelation of His character in His Word. In the time of Moses, God’s communications were committed to writing and, from time to time, inspired men added other books to those of Moses, until the canon of the Old Testament was finished by Malachi.

Then, after four or five hundred years, Christ, the promised Deliverer, came and taught the way of salvation much more clearly. Having died for sin and risen again, He commanded His apostles to instruct the world. These holy men were inspired to write in the books of the New Testament all that was necessary for the instruction of the Church for all time to come. From these two parts of the Bible, all necessary information may be obtained. So plain are the lessons of instruction given here that “the wayfaring men, though fools,” need not err. Those with access to the Bible can therefore have no excuse for not knowing God. Let them come to it with a humble, teachable disposition, and they will not go away disappointed. Those of the weakest understanding may here become wise unto salvation. And if they learn the true character of God, as given by the unerring pen of inspiration, they will be led to worship Him with knowledge and will be delighted to ascribe glory and honour, praise and blessing to this majestic Being.

1. God should be worshipped with reverence, or godly fear. It is natural to feel overawed in the presence of one greatly our superior. How proper this is when we draw nigh to the great God in worship! There is a slavish dread which leads men to flee from God, and there is a superstitious fear which arises from erroneous views of His character; but godly fear is so necessary

to true worship that worship is often expressed by fear in Scripture. The wicked are described as having no fear of God before their eyes; and the common character of the righteous is, “they that fear God”. Several inspired writers declare that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Nature itself dictates that God should be worshipped with reverence. All nations, when they worship, put themselves in an attitude of reverence. They bow their heads, fall on their knees, or prostrate themselves on the ground. Indeed, the literal meaning of worship is to bow down, or to lie prostrate.

Everywhere in Scripture, worship is coupled with fear or reverence; so there is no true worship where this is lacking. God is a jealous God and will not be mocked with merely the external forms of worship; much less will He accept service that is prompted by pride and levity. “God is greatly to be feared in the assemblies of His saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are about Him.” “Him shall ye fear, and Him shall ye worship.” Reverence is represented as most remarkable in the worship in heaven, where the most exalted among creatures veil their faces and fall prostrate before the throne of the Almighty. The wise preacher has left us this precept: “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools; for they consider not that they do evil”.

It seems then that a lack of serious consideration is the common evil to which men are liable when attending the worship of God. It is shocking to see the thoughtless levity with which many enter the place of worship, and the careless indifference of most of them. This is a great evil, but it is not laid to heart. Many feel they perform a meritorious act when they spend an hour in the house of God, whereas God, who searches the heart, may know that they did not have one solemn impression of His presence during the service. Reverence may thus be considered a criterion to distinguish true religion from the spurious. False religion may have as much fervour as true, but one may notice that the fear of God is not felt in the raptures of the fanatic. Such people often show a disgusting familiarity with their Maker, using a freedom with Him which would not be allowed towards an equal. Where religious feeling runs to excess, reverence for the presence of God’s majesty is always defective. A consciousness of this would preserve the mind from indulging human passions as sometimes happens in public worship.

1. Humility is another essential ingredient in a truly devotional spirit. Whatever service lacks this, and however exactly conformed to God’s rule it is in other respects, it will appear abominable in the sight of God, instead of being a sweet savour. For we know from the Word of God that nothing is more odious in His sight than pride; and of all pride, religious pride is the most hateful. The parable of the Pharisee and the publican was intended to

teach this very point. The Pharisee represents the proud worshipper who boasts of his own performances and of his superiority to other men; the publican represents the humble penitent, who brings the sacrifice of a broken spirit. We are taught emphatically that “a broken and a contrite heart [God] will not despise”. We do not need here to make any distinction between the humble spirit and the penitent disposition. They are produced by the very same views; indeed humility is an essential part of true repentance.

This is the spirit that is more pleasing to God than any other He sees in the human heart; and this is found in no heart but that which is renewed. “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? For all these things hath Mine hand made, and all these things have been, saith the Lord; but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” And again, “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” says the Saviour, and, “Blessed are they that mourn”. The Psalms express every variety in the feelings of true worshippers; thus we find humility strongly expressed in a large portion of them.

That worshipper who approaches the throne of God, clothed with the modest robe of genuine humility, always meets with acceptance. Let us then worship the Almighty with a humble and contrite spirit, and let us seek such a frame of mind more earnestly than ecstatic delight or overflowing joys. Set it down as undoubted truth that, as your views of the character of God are exalted and spiritual, you will in the same proportion sink down in deep abasement, from a view of your own vileness and unworthiness. And when you rise to join the worshippers in the courts above, this same sentiment of profound humility will accompany you and you will feel that you are, in the presence of the Most High, less than nothing and vanity. You will also, with unceasing and unaffected humility, acknowledge your unworthiness of the dignity to which you shall be advanced, and the happiness which you will enjoy there for ever. But the deeper your feelings of self-abasement, the more ardent and constant will be your gratitude to Him that loved you and washed you in His own blood, and made you kings and priests unto God.

1. “Without faith, it is impossible to please [God];” for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Indeed, without faith all worship must be a mere empty form and, however decent and orthodox this form may be in itself, it is no better than

the worship of idols in the sight of God. To exercise faith when praying is expressly required in many places of Scripture. The Saviour attributes a mighty efficacy to prayer offered up in faith. We must rely implicitly on the promises of God, believing assuredly that He will perform what He has said.

The question is often asked, Ought we to believe, in every case, that we shall receive what we ask? Those who had the gift of miracles possessed a faith of miracles, and also most of those for whom the miracle was wrought. This was a full persuasion that, by the power of God, the miracle would take place. But since miracles have ceased in the Church, there is no room for faith of this kind. The confidence, or faith, which should now accompany prayer is a full belief that whatever we ask, in accordance with the will of God, will be granted. God’s promises should be our guide in offering up our petitions. But if we pray for blessings not specifically promised, we have no certain ground of confidence that the blessing shall be given, for we do not know that it is agreeable to God’s will. But when we pray in humble submission to the will of God, believing that He will grant whatever is best, we may rest assured that our prayers will be answered and that we shall receive the thing asked, or something as good or better.

The principal exercise of faith in worship has respect to Jesus Christ, the divine Mediator. As guilty sinners, we cannot approach a just and holy God. We must draw near in the name of Him whom God has appointed to be the great High Priest. As, under the Old Testament, no one could offer a sacrifice but by a priest, so all our sacrifices must be offered through Christ, the great High Priest. It is only through Him that any of our services can be acceptable. He must offer up our imperfect prayers and praises, giving them efficacy through His own precious merits. In our worship then we should look constantly to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor and expect to be accepted only for His name’s sake.

It will be found profitable to have in our minds such promises of God as it may be proper to rely on in our petitions, and which we may plead before the throne of grace. We cannot stand on more favourable ground, when we appear before God, than when we rest on His word. We should fill our mouths with arguments derived from His faithful promises, and then we shall be sure to prevail. “He cannot deny Himself.” He will never disappoint the hopes which rest upon His word.

But we should see that our faith is scriptural in its nature, as well as in its object. It must not only be a speculative assent, cold and ineffectual – but a spiritual, cordial persuasion of the truth as it is in Jesus. A true faith may be always known by this: it works by love and purifies the heart.

1. God should be worshipped with fixed attention of mind and fervency of

spirit. Spiritual worship is especially interrupted by the wandering of our thoughts. It is to be feared that most worshippers do not have their thoughts steadily directed to the great object of all true worship. They lay no restraint on their thoughts, ever prone to wander, and when they stray, they are not watchful and resolute to bring them back, and place them on their proper object. Even pious people are much to blame for negligence in this respect. They are indeed troubled when they reflect seriously on the matter; but they are apt to forget the sinfulness of professing to worship God while the heart is far from Him. This is one of the accusations God brings against His ancient people. “This people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me.”

Fervency of spirit is properly joined with fixedness of attention, for they go together and influence each other. If the affections are lively they will carry the train of thought with them, and if the attention is fixed on the object of worship, fervency of spirit will be kindled. The offering of the affections of the heart is the soul of devotion. Such offerings alone will God accept. All external services without this, however solemn and decent, are abominable in His sight. The crying defect of our worship is the lack of heart; it is mere formalism or hypocrisy. We should strive then to worship God in spirit, and this we can only do by the aid of the Holy Spirit. We should be much concerned to have that blessed Monitor abiding with us at all times. Keep your hearts with all diligence when you seek to worship God, in public or in private. Let your attention be fixed and your spirit fervent.

1. God must be worshipped according to the Scriptures, only by such ceremonies as He has appointed, and not by forms and institutions of man’s devising. As to the external circumstances of worship – time and place, for instance – they should be regulated by Paul’s comprehensive rule: “Let all things be done decently and in order”. But as it relates to the worship itself, nothing should be introduced but what is authorised by the Scriptures: including prayer, singing the praise of God, reading the Bible and administering the sacraments. “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Appointing ceremonies belongs exclusively to the Head of the Church. If men may decree one ceremony, they may decree a thousand; and by adopting this principle, the Christian Church was burdened with ceremonies devised by man until her ritual was more burdensome than the ceremonial law of the Jews. The ceremonies introduced often savoured of paganism; they were adopted to conciliate pagans and reconcile them to the Church. But God is jealous of His authority, and His challenge to all these is: “Who hath required this at your hand?”

It is very important for the spirituality of our worship that its simplicity

and purity is preserved. Striking ceremonies may attract attention for a while, but then people’s minds will be occupied with externals, and they will trust in these human rites. Faith and spirituality in the worship of God will be banished. There is a constant tendency in human nature to lay great stress on externals. After a while, human actions and signs acquire, in the view of men, a sacredness which only belongs to what God has appointed; and these too may be so observed that the external rite is substituted for the spiritual grace which it was merely intended to represent.

1. God should be worshipped constantly. Men are not required to spend all their time in the worship of God, because they have other duties which the law of God requires. But God should be worshipped daily, morning and evening; and the Lord’s day should entirely be devoted to His service as far as possible. In the temple, the daily sacrifices took place every evening and morning, by God’s appointment, and were accompanied by prayer and praise. On the Sabbath the services were doubled, as God directed this day to be sanctified by a rest from all worldly pursuits. We cannot go to an excess in the worship of God, unless we make this duty exclude others which ought not to be neglected. Some people may be so situated that they can devote their whole time to prayer and other devotional exercises, as did the aged Anna, who spent all her time in fasting and prayer at the temple. And some aged widows now might pursue a similar course.

But all who have families and worldly occupations must attend not merely to one duty, but to them all. A woman in England took up the opinion that her whole time ought to be spent in prayer, and she entirely neglected her family and other duties at home. A godly minister visited the house and saw everything lying in filth and confusion. He raised his voice and asked authoritatively, “Is there no fear of God in this house, that the care of the family is so neglected?” This cutting reproof had the effect of reclaiming the misguided woman from her error. But, in our day, there is little need to warn people against spending too much time in their devotions, especially in private. There is more need to excite them to greater diligence in this noblest employment in which a creature can be engaged. We find that the saints, in Scripture, were frequent in their prayers. David says in one place, “Seven times a day do I praise Thee because of Thy righteous judgments”; and, “Evening and morning and at noon will I pray”.

Our prayers and praises should not only be frequent, but constant. It is asked, “Will [the hypocrite] always call upon God?” Perseverance in prayer is often taught by the Lord and His apostles. Success is especially ascribed to earnest continuance in prayer – in the case of the oppressed widow, and the neighbour seeking bread to set before his friend. Paul’s exhortations are

frequent and urgent on this point: “Pray without ceasing”; “continuing instant in prayer”; “Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.”

Application. 1. Under all dispensations and in all worlds, the highest duty of all rational creatures is to worship God; and all who live in the neglect of divine worship are in a state of rebellion against the King of heaven. They constantly disobey one of the fundamental laws of His kingdom and are practical atheists, for they are “without God in the world”. They are more inexcusable than the atheist; he does not worship God because he does not believe in His existence; yet these believe and refuse to worship. They are more irreligious than the heathen, for all these worship some sort of gods.

1. How unreasonable it is for a creature to refuse to worship his Creator, from whom he derives his being! What base ingratitude it is to receive the blessings of providence and yet never acknowledge Him from which they come! How preposterous is the hope of such people that they shall go to heaven when they die – for they have no taste for the activities of heaven! There God is worshipped without ceasing by all the inhabitants, but what would they do in such society who have always hated prayer and devotion? Their presence would disturb the harmony of the heavenly songs. If by accident they could enter that holy place, it would immediately be necessary to cast them out. And they would wish to depart, for the songs of saints and angels could bring no pleasure to those whose hearts are alienated from God.

2. If any wish to know how they may glorify God most effectively and most in accordance with His will, it is by sincerely engaging in His worship. Then the noblest exercises of the soul are elicited: adoration, love, gratitude, joy, faith, repentance, humility, confidence, self-dedication and hope. The more often and the more purely we worship God, the more is genuine piety kindled, and the more constantly will the holy flame be kept alive. And the livelier our spirit of devotion is, the stronger will be the impulse which will bear us on in performing other good works. And this spirit, like leaven in the mass of meal, will pervade and sanctify all our other doings.

If the Christian desires a happy life, let him cultivate a devotional spirit. This is how pure joy may be drawn from the fountain of living waters. Certainly our chief joy should be in God, and this joy of the Lord would be our daily strength. In the dark day of adversity, when all His billows go over us, what will be our condition unless we have a refuge from trouble in God? If heaven is a place of sublime devotion, what better preparation can we make for it than by cultivating the spirit of genuine devotion? If we find it to be our highest privilege and greatest pleasure to draw near to God here in devotional exercises, we shall not be reluctant to be translated to that world where we shall be able to worship Him perfectly.