One of the most common questions that has disturbed the mind of mankind throughout history is this: why are we here; what is our purpose? People of every generation have pondered this question. Fortunately, Scripture clearly depicts the reason for our existence: to worship God.
When we begin to understand that worship is our reason for being, it will revolutionize our thinking in every area of life. However, the concept of worship can mean different things to different people. To some, this word brings to mind reflective moments sensing the reality of the presence of God. For others it can mean any one of various physical expressions (lifting hands, kneeling, dancing, etc.) of adoration to their Savior. Still others find the height of worship in learning new truths from the Word of God. All of these, and numerous other expressions, can be worship.
Unfortunately, to many people today the idea of praise and worship brings to mind simply a current fad, something that will soon pass. They think of certain musical styles or instrumentation that are trendy but not enduring; a “now” sound that will soon fade in popularity.
However, praise and worship is much more than a current fad. It is very clear from Scripture and other sources that our main purpose in life is to worship God. Although this is never directly stated in Scripture, it is obvious from the consistent references made to the importance of worship that the real reason the Lord made us was to worship Him.
One of the best places to readily make this observation is in the original ten commandments God gave His people. The first three commandments all deal with our worshipping God only. First He tells us to have no other gods before Him; second He instructs us to have no idols, and third He commands that we not misuse His name (Exodus 20:2-7).
Think for a moment about the implications of giving the people ten commandments set in stone. If you had the opportunity to start a brand-new country and could give the people just ten laws by which to run the nation, what would you deem most important? Would you “waste” three of your laws in an effort to impress upon the people that worshipping God is first priority? The Lord obviously thought it was that important. The first three of the original ten rules had worship as their focus.
This focus is even reflected in the way God had the Israelites set up their camp in the desert. He commanded that three tribes be positioned to the north, three to the south, three to the east and three to the west. At the very center of the camp God commanded that they set up the tabernacle containing the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies.
“Why did God make this kind of arrangement for their camp? God was communicating a spiritual principle via this physical encampment. The spiritual principle was that no matter what they were doing—from finding new ways to cook manna to getting married, transacting business or having sex—God wanted them to know that the very center of their lives was worship. Life in the nation of Israel was to evolve around the worship of God" [Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson, Empowered Evangelicals, (Ann Arbor, Vine Books, 1995), pp. 154-155].
Peter’s first letter offers a very clear understanding of our purpose. Peter tells us that unbelievers “stumble because they disobey the message” (1 Peter 2:8b). He then goes on to contrast this with the lives of believers. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God...” (1 Peter 2:9a). Peter continues this sentence with what grammatically is referred to as a purpose clause, “...that you may...” The words following a purpose clause give the purpose or reason for what was stated previously. He tells us that the reason we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation is so that we may “declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9b). Our reason for being is to declare His praises.
Throughout John’s Revelation we see glimpses of heaven. In each of those heavenly snapshots the main activity is worship. Throughout eternity what we will be involved in is not evangelistic crusades, not teaching Sunday School classes. We will not be witnessing to our neighbors or engaging in spiritual warfare. Our main activity in heaven will be worship.
In the fourth chapter of Revelation, John relates seeing the throne of God and the thrones of the twenty-four elders surrounding it. He mentions the awesomeness of God’s presence (“flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder”). In great detail he describes the “four living creatures” that were near the throne. He then tells their function. “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’” Then John goes on to describe the activity of the entire scene he has just painted for us. “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being’” (Revelation 4:2-11). Worship.
Not only does John depict worship as the main activity of those whose natural habitat is heaven, he also clearly portrays it as the chief function of those who previously lived on earth. In Revelation 15 he describes the “sea of glass mixed with fire.” Standing beside the sea were the saints of God “who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name.” John goes on to again portray the activity of the scene.
“They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed’” (Revelation 15:2-4). Again, worship. Wholehearted, unashamed, unabashed worship.
We can often catch a glimpse of someone’s true feelings about a certain topic from their emotional reactions. Recently I began looking at the times in Scripture when God became angry. It is interesting to note that nearly every time the Lord expressed His wrath toward His own people it was because of one of two reasons: either they were directly involved in idolatry or they were trusting in themselves for provision instead of God. In either case the reality is that they were refusing to give God the honor, or worship, of which only He is worthy. And because of this He showed His rage.
Please understand that God is certainly not insecure. He is not throwing a childish temper tantrum. His anger is forthcoming because His people consistently violate the reason for which He created them—worship. Throughout the Scriptures the Lord demonstrates the priority of worship by His reaction to non-worship and false worship.
When the Lord told Pharaoh of Egypt to let the people of Israel go free, His reason was simple: that they might worship God. The very reason He created man is put forth to Pharaoh as the emphatic reason for allowing the Israelites to leave: to worship their Creator.
In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray using what we commonly refer to as the Lord's Prayer. Do you recall the opening words? “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name...” This is not a statement of fact. If it were Jesus would have said, “Your name is hallowed.” Instead, the Greek seems to be a bit unclear, it is either a petition (“Father, let Your name be revered by men as holy”) or a statement of worship (“Father, we honor Your name as holy...”). In either case the final scenario is worship.
The writers of the Westminster Catechism put it this way: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Without question our reason for existing is to worship God.
Charles Stanley, in his tape series Worship: A Biblical View, asks, “Is there anything that God needs? Is there anything He cannot provide for Himself? ‘No’ to both questions. Can you name the thing that God wants from us above anything else? He wants us to worship Him, motivated by love and devotion to Him because of Who He is.”
“Worship is written upon the heart of man by the hand of God. In a broad sense worship is inseparable from and is an expression of life. It is not that man cannot live without worship, it is that he cannot truly live without worship... man was made to worship as surely as he was made to breathe. We may restrict the expression of worship for a season, just as we may briefly hold our breath, but there is an inward craving for worship that cannot be permanently stilled [Judson Cornwall, quoted by Don McMinn in The Practice of Praise, (Waco, Word, 1992)].
The last thing Satan tempted Jesus with in the desert was for Jesus to worship him (Matthew 4:9). Even the enemy of our souls understands the priority of worship. The truth is that Satan will often tempt you and me in the same way he did Jesus. And if he cannot get us to worship him then he will do everything he can to keep us from worshipping God. He will try to keep us busy with mundane tasks, problems in life, etc. He will even help keep us busy with church activities in order to keep us from focusing on the Lord and worshipping Him. Do not fall for his ploys.
Worship. It is and always will be our first priority.