Revelation 5 is one of the most moving and powerful pictures of worship in all of Scripture. The chapter begins with a mysterious scroll “written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals,” representing God’s purposes for creation. A voice goes out into the world, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” When no one is found, John, the author of Revelation, begins to weep. But an “elder” comforts him and says, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). John looks up and sees Jesus—“a Lamb standing as though it had been slain”—who takes the scroll “from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” Verses 8-10 then read:

“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb . . . and they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’”

Worship is a response to the revelation of redemption. Another way to say this is that worship is a response to the reality of what God has and will accomplish through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Worship is empowered by how well we understand, with both our heads and our hearts, who God is and what he has done. This is what we mean when we say worship is “treasuring God.”

We believe that worship is . . .

God-Centered
Psalm 145:3, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

Word-Centered
Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Transformational
Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Missional & Evangelistic
1 Chronicles 16:8-10 & 23-24, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; Tell of all his wonderful acts. Sing to the Lord, all the earth proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

Culturally Relevant & Intelligible
1 Corinthians 14:24-25, “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

A Blend of Old and New
Matthew 13:52, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’”
Psalm 33:3, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

For Further Reading