3D Worship Part 1 – 3 Critical Questions of Worship
Deuteronomy 6:1-6 November 9, 2025
Introduction
Vine planted 4 years ago:
o Book Joshua – transitions into a new season as we fearlessly trust and
follow the Lord
o Evangelism – moving people one step closer to Jesus – Matthew 9-10
o 1 John – confidence in Christ in the certainty of our eternity with Him as
adopted children of God
o Now, as we grow in our confident walk with God, sharing truth with those
around us in whatever season of life in which we find ourselves, it is critical
that we are growing in our worship of our God and teaching others to do
the same.
What comes to mind when I say the word “worship”? Think back on a time when
you remember truly pouring your worship out to the Lord?
o Voddie Baucham recounts a powerful worship experience he had: “From
the time I pulled up into the parking lot, my attention was captivated. Just
by the way we were greeted and ushered in, helped to park; the smiles on
the faces of the people – the attendants in the parking lot; the excitement of
all the people as they gathered; the friendliness of the people. As we
approached the building it was obvious that it was designed purposefully to
elicit awe. Every brick had a purpose, every aspect of it. The way we were
ushered to our seats…and from the first song it was obvious that this was
not going to be an ordinary experience. Everything was done purposefully,
and orderly, and passionately. The emotion was at times overwhelming.
There were some people in tears. When it was all over I remember having
the sense of just being completely wrung out, just done; and thinking, wow,
that was incredible. But it wasn’t church, it was a football game. And you
thought I was describing a worship experience…because I was. It WAS a
worship experience. But it was a worship experience that had nothing to do
with Christ, and unfortunately, that describes many churches today.
Powerful, passionate experiences that have nothing to do with Christ.” (Law
of Worship sermon 1)
o It is not an overstatement to say that our understanding of worship will
shape our relationship with and pursuit of God. If we don’t think much
about worship, we probably don’t think much about God. If we have an
unbalanced or incomplete understanding of worship, our walk with God will
be unbalanced or lacking the depth that God desires for us as we walk with
Him.
3 Sections/Questions: 1) What Does it Mean to Worship? 2) What Worship Does
God Require? and 3) How Do We Grow in Our Worship of God? (next week:
What is Proper Worship?)
What Does it Mean to Worship?
One of Satan’s favorite strategies is to confuse and adulterate our understanding
of worship. He will do everything he can to get us to direct our worship away from
God…or to deceive us into worshipping God in an improper way.
For many of us, when I asked the question of what comes to mind
when I say the word “worship” it was likely something to do with
singing.
While that is certainly an aspect of worship…it is so woefully
short of a proper understanding of the full scope of worship we
are invited to. And this is because, the enemy is so good at
what he does…shifting our focus away from God, to ourselves
or to anything other than the one true God.
o Matthew 4:8-10 “8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to
him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then
Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the
Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”” (quoting Deuteronomy
6:13)
Deuteronomy 6:13 “It is the Lord your God you shall fear [worship].
Him you shall serve….”
Note that Jesus turns “fear” into “worship”
o Fear = reverential awe of God…exaltation of Yahweh,
worship of Yahweh, because He is the one true God
Deuteronomy 6:1-3 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the
rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do
them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear
the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his
statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life,
and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do
them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord,
the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and
honey.” (see also Deut. 4:10, 5:29, 6:13, 24, 8:6, 10:12, 20, 13:4, 14:23, 17:19,
28:58, 31:12)
o Fear of the Lord = reverential, awe inspired worship of Yahweh because of
who He is and what He has done (more on this in commandment 1)
Vaughan Roberts writes “Worship never begins with us; it is always a response
to the truth. It flows out of an understanding of who God is and what he has done
for us in Christ. It begins with his revelation and redemption.” True Worship,
Authentic Media 2002 (p16).
Worship = exaltation (giving value and worth) and prioritization (giving attention
and urgency) of the object of our highest love at any given moment as evidenced
by our obedience, values, actions, attitudes, thoughts, words, etc.
o What we love, we worship; put differently, worship is an act of love….to
love something is to worship it….and to love God is to properly worship
Him above all else.
In any given moment we will be worshipping the thing that we love
the most by our thoughts/emotions, words, and actions.
What Worship Does God Require?
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your
heart.”(see also Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:29-31, Luke 10:27)
Hear (v4)
o “Hear” (Heb. šāma) more than just literal hearing, it was a call to attention
and a call to action, a command to observe the things to which your
attention is being drawn, a command to hear and obey
In the ancient Hebrew, there is no separate word for “obey”.
Listening/hearing and doing are two sides of the same coin.
1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying [shama]
the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey [shama] is better than
sacrifice, and to listen [qāšaḇ = be attentive] than the fat of
rams.”
The Hebrew for this verse is actually written “šāma, šāma”…Hear is
repeated twice…which is like underlining, bolding, and highlighting
this for the readers/listeners….the repetition essentially means “pay
close attention and be obedient to do what I’m about to tell you”
o šāma is the word that begins the most important prayer in Judaism. The
whole šāma prayer, which includes verses 4-9, is spoken daily in the
Jewish tradition, in the morning and the evening – to help remind the
Jewish people how to worship the Lord as they start their day and to reflect
on who they worshipped as they end their day.
Rabbi finding kids after WW2 goes to orphanages throughout
Germany and recites Shema and all the Jewish kids are able to recite
with him.
To what are the children of God to listen and obey?
First that, Jehovah [= Yahweh (consonants) + Adonai (vowels)], is the one true
God (Elohim), that He should be our only, exclusive God (because He is
supreme), and that He is in perfect unity (one = eḥāḏ = united, same word as
Genesis 2:24 for a husband and wife being united in one flesh) with Himself (as
opposed to singularity…i.e. pointing to trinity). (more on this in commandment 1)
o If we know that He is God, (with all the qualities that He alone possesses)
then we can trust Him…so our hearing Him and obeying Him is a matter of
trusting Him, of putting our faith in Him, because of who He is and what He
has done.
Second, the way we show our faith, trust, and obedience is that we are to love
him completely and fully
o “Love” (Heb. ‘āhaḇ) = expresses the covenantal commitment of loyalty and
submission to one who is greater because the greater one loves you; to desire,
devote, and delight yourself in the object of your focus – to love God is to worship
God
The charge to love Yahweh is frequent in Deuteronomy – (Deut. 6:5;
7:9; 10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 13:3; 19:9; 30:6, 16, 20)
o We are to love (and, therefore, worship) with every aspect of our being:
“Heart” (Heb. lēḇāḇ) – the center of a man, from which their emotions,
intellect/thoughts, and will all proceed. In Hebrew understanding, one
‘thinks’ with their heart – the Greeks would call this the “mind”
“Soul” (Heb. nep̄eš) – the inner breath and consciousness of a man,
their essence, their being, their total awareness including how they
physically use their body
“Might” (Heb. mᵊ’ōḏ) – literally: very much, exceedingly or abundance;
refers to the greatest degree of effort/intensity with our influence,
wealth, strength, time, and every other resource a person can devote
to the Lord
o Bible scholar Lois Tverberg offers this paraphrase of these verses –
“Listen Israel, the Lord is your God, He and He alone! You should love him
with every thought you think, live every hour of every day for him, be willing
to sacrifice your life for him. Love him with every penny in your wallet and
everything that you’ve got!”
How Do We Grow in Our Worship of God?
The Shama shows us that worship is learning to love God with all of our being.
So how do we grow in our worship? First and foremost, we must grow in knowing
God’s love for us.
1 John 4:8, 19 “8…God is love…19 We love because he first loved us.”
o How did He love us? By sending us His son (John 3:16)
John 15:9-11 “9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my
love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have
kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have
spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
o The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. The Father and
Son both love us, which is why the Son was sent to save us and make the
way for us to be able to know the love of the Father and why the Spirit was
sent to enable and empower us to give our love to Him.
The more I learn of God, the more I learn How much He loves
me….the more I will be able to love Him and others (including,
properly loving myself)…and the better I will be able to properly
worship Him
Remember that worship is an act of love – it is exaltation and
prioritization of the object of our highest love at any given moment
As we learn to abide in God’s love for us – remaining in His love –
God will continually deepen and grow as our highest love.
When we abide, when we remain, when we rest and rely upon
the power and presence of the Father, through the authority of
the Son, in the power of the Spirit, we are worshipping God in
loving relationship.
Practically, we do this as we learn to Desire more of Him,
Devote ourselves more to Him, and Delight more in Him.
3D Worship: Desire, Devotion, Delight
o Desire: awe/reverence (fear of the Lord), affection, respect (drive to be with
and resemble), admiration, appreciation/gratitude
Who was your first love? Mine was a little cutie-pie named Leslie
Rae…sure I had crushes, but they were nothing compared to Leslie…
Psalm 34:1-3 “1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall
continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let
the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let
us exalt his name together!”
o Devotion: obedience, commitment, prioritization, pursuit
Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki—founder of the Suzuki
Method—believed children could learn music like a language. He
once practiced a single phrase from Bach’s concerto for eight hours a
day until it was flawless. When asked why he didn’t tire of the
repetition, he smiled: “I am not practicing notes. I am practicing love.”
Suzuki’s patient devotion transformed millions of students. His
method spread worldwide because he taught that mastery—and
love—come from undivided attention to what is most worthy.
Psalm 63:1-4 “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul
thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land
where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the
sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your
steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will
bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
o Delight: contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, excitement, hope, peace
Cravings….food, drink, exercise (endorphin junkie)…strangest
craving you pregnant ladies have had…Starbucks (Siren logo)… “that
first sip feeling”….otherwise known as a sugar addiction being
satisfied.
Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than
honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the
desires of your heart.”
Augustine “Love God, then do as you please.”
As we grow in Desiring the presence and power of God in our lives; Devotion to
His kingdom, His glory, His people; and Delighting in Him because only He can
satisfy, we WILL grow in worship of the one true God because we will grow in our
love for Him.
o You see, worship is not some song we sing or experience we
have…worship is an expression of love for our God that can be displayed
in literally every aspect of our lives
And God calls us – He commands us – to display it in every aspect of
our lives as the expression of our faith-filled love for Him; that all may
see and know to whom we belong, by whom we’ve been saved, and
for whom we serve.
Each of the decalogue is an extension of desire, devotion, and delight…
Conclusion
You heard Voddie’s description of the football game he went to as the most
intense act of worship he had witnessed (tongue and cheek, of course). Let me
tell you of an act of worship I witnessed this week.
o Dean’s act of worship with fixing our dryer – “you preach in service to the
Lord. I can fix things in service to our God.”
It is my prayer that through this series we can all learn to worship like this man
did….serving our God however, wherever, and whenever He calls us to exalt and
prioritize Him (worship) as our highest love at all times.
Amen. Amen.