“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” –Psalm 29:2
When we talk of worship, we are speaking of something reserved for God and God alone. In worship we give honor, adoration, and reverence to God and his Son Jesus; we give it to them and them alone. This worship is clothed in the beauty of holiness. Worship is not an intellectual ascension, or a Sunday formality, worship is as much a possession as it is a practice.
In the ages before Jesus Christ the Jews had specific instructions on how to worship God. These instructions surround who, what, when, where and how. Who should worship, what should they worship and when. Finally, where, and how to do 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 holiness. They had the law which helped them to understand how to worship God and at times it instructed them to put on or prepare themselves to worship. You had to wash in water, wear certain garments, give certain sacrifices which were sanctifying the worshipper to approach God. Bridging the gap between holy, and unholy. Setting themselves apart, cleansing from committed sin and preparing to worship. At that time, 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 humanity the chance of personal holiness through Him. The gift of the Holy Spirit within whereby the converted is sanctified and brought into full fellowship with the Father. No longer must you wash yourself X number of times or wear a certain garment. No longer must you obey rituals and slay animals; the Holy Spirit in your heart is all the preparation you need for worship. When Jesus abides 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 manifests 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 recognize that he is worthy, because you remember well the day when the breath of God banished the dark cloud 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 an idol, but you worship God and Jesus Christ, and you do it out of love. Second, it is 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 the experience of holiness, maybe you went to church because momma did, or granddaddy did. Your wife goes, so you go. You read your Bible because “that’s what we do.” During this time, the “how” to worship is 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.
