“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” –Psalm 29:2
Worship is reserved for God and God alone. We give honor, adoration, and reverence to God and his Son Jesus, and we give it to them alone; clothed in the beauty of holiness. To do this is not some great feat that makes you stand out amongst the masses. No, this is your reasonable service and if you have holiness of heart it is your natural inclination. Worship is not an intellectual ascension or a Sunday formality; worship must be possessed before practiced.
In the ages before Jesus Christ the Jews were given specific instructions on how to worship God. These instructions mainly surround who, what, when, where and how. Who should worship, what they should worship and when. Finally, where and how to perform it. By following these instructions you gave glory unto God (for he is worthy), you worshipped His name, and did it in the beauty of His holiness. They had a book that helped them to understanding how to worship God (as do we) and many times it instructed them to put on or prepare themselves to worship. You had to wash in water or wear certain garments, this was known as “sanctifying”. You were setting yourself apart from your daily routine, cleansing from committed sin (for in that day this was all that could be cleansed) and preparing to worship. This was worship in the beauty of holiness. When our Savior Jesus Christ came he fulfilled the law (the rules I spoke of above) and brought to mankind the chance of personal holiness through Him. The free gift of the Holy Spirit in a forgiven human heart whereby we are brought into full fellowship with the Father. You no longer have to wash yourself X amount of times or wear a certain garment. You no longer have to obey rituals and slay animals; the Holy Spirit in your heart is all the preparation you need for worship. When Jesus moves into your heart, he abolishes formality and brings actuality. He removes professed and produces possessed. When you truly receive the Spirit you simultaneously receive a genuine spirit of worship. Why? Because not only does it compel you to want Him to have his way, his will, and his wishes in your life, but it manifest in you the realization that you have been redeemed. You have a personal testimony, a real relationship, and you love God so much that it brings about a continuous spirit of worship. Moreover you understand and readily recognize that he is worthy, because you remember well the day when the breath of God banished the monster of sin from your life. This is the beauty of holiness, we can possess it and we can worship the Lord in it; “for the Father seeketh such to worship.” (John 4:23)
When holiness is your preparation for worship it changes the: who, what, when, where and how you worship. First, who, you no longer worship yourself or some other idol, but you worship God and Jesus Christ, and you do it out of love. Second the when, it’s no longer once on Wednesday and twice on Sunday, but every minute, every hour, every day (and on Wednesday and Sunday too). It changes the where, to anywhere, anywhere God would have you to be. You can worship in your living room, in the parking lot, in your car, “where Jesus is tis heaven there”. Finally, it changes the how. Before holiness, perhaps you went to church because momma did or granddaddy did. Your wife goes so you go. Perhaps you read your Bible because “that’s what we do.” During this time the “how” to worship was lost to you, just like the how to love your neighbor was lost to you. Then holiness came and when the Spirit came, the “how” came with it; and how do we worship? We worship in spirit, in truth, and in the beauty of holiness. For He is worthy.
