True Worship Is Not About Us, Lifting Up Jesus in Spirit and Truth

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True Worship Is Not About Us

Lifting Up Jesus in Spirit and Truth

By Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

출처 https://www.brooklyntabernacle.org/true-worship-is-not-about-us/

듣기 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O7RZfWr6So

I was driving /by a church /recently and saw [a typical sign /with the name of the church and order of services].

“Worship Services,” it said.

What is worship?

[The first thing () we know about God from the Word] is that He is worthy to be worshiped.

Psalm 29:2 reads, “Ascribe /to the Lord [the glory due his name];

worship [the Lord /in the splendor of his holiness]” (NIV).

* ascribe (원인·결과 등을) ~에게 돌리다, (어떤 성질·특징을) ~에게 귀속시키다, (작품·말의 출처를) ~의 것으로 보다

* 자동사 read 1. to consist of specific words, phrases, or other similar elements 구성되다

                      2. to yield a particular meaning or impression when read 특정한 의미로 읽혀지다

One time the apostle Paul and Barnabas were so used /by God /that superstitious and ignorant people started

sacrificing to them. Paul and Barnabas said, “No, don’t sacrifice /to us! Worship God only” (see Acts 14:8–17).

We can admire people.

We can respect people.

But God is the only One we worship.

What does “worship” mean?

It comes /from a Hebrew word

/meaning to bow down /before and exalt /in the highest way possible [the One () we are worshiping].

In the Old Testament, the Lord’s people started [to worship other gods], and that made [God] [angry]

(see Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:14–15).

Israel suffered [a lot of punishment], even being sent away from the land God had given them,

because they turned their backs /on God and worshiped [hideous idols] (see 2 Kings 17:7–23).

We are to worship [God].

How should we worship?

With our hearts, adoring God for who He is.

In prayer we concentrate /on our needs, in thanksgiving we concentrate /on our blessings,

but in worship we concentrate /on who God is—His holiness, His faithfulness, His magnificence.

Worship is the deepest of all.

The Bible, from beginning to end, talks /about worship.

In the book of Revelation, the atmosphere is nothing but people /falling before God, worshiping Him

(see Revelation 4:10–11; 7:11).

[We Christians, who will spend [eternity] /with God

//where there won’t be any iPhones, thank goodness, will be /in total concentration on God.

The modern mind is so distracted.

It’s like the old joke about a preacher //who said,

“We’re going to sing ‘Take Time to Be Holy,’ but let’s just do the first verse.”

*TAKE TIME 1. to need or require time to happen or be done.

2. take the time : to use an amount of time in order to do something important

거룩하게 되기 위하여 시간이 걸린다/시간을 쓰자면서 겨우 가사 1절만 하자고 하니 웃기는 것

No time to worship God.

But read the Old and New Testaments

—people took time to worship and adore God, to say words of worship from their hearts:

“How great is our God!

How greatly to be praised!

How awesome are You, God!” (강조상의 도치)

We can be singing praise and worship songs and not worshiping,

because worship is a prostration of our souls before God.

We can sing, “How great is our God . . .”

and be thinking, “Wait a minute. I’ve got to text Joe,” then be back to “. . . sing with me, how great is our . . .”

That’s not worship.

Sometimes the worship team can distract us /from worshiping God.

I once spoke /at a church //whose worship team members were bending [themselves] /like pretzels /as they sang.

Worship has nothing to do with positions.

We can lift our hands, the Bible tells us (see Psalm 134:2),

but it has to be an expression‎ of our hearts: “God, You are great. I am small. Oh, I worship You.”

The preacher can be a distraction too.

To preach effectively, a minister should present Jesus and how great God is,

then get /in the background /so people can worship God.

It’s not about us or our churches.

Where do we go /to worship?

No place special.

We can worship /in the shower, brushing our teeth, sitting alone in a chair.

We do not have to go /to church to worship.

Now church can be conducive to corporate worship.

When I walk /into church on Sunday mornings /to preach and the people are praising and worshiping,

I feel their intensity, their heartfelt-ness.

I want to get to my seat and worship God too.

Worship is contagious.

But Jesus said, “You don’t have to go /to Jerusalem.

You don’t have to go /to Samaria.

It doesn’t matter” (see John 4:20–24).

Here’s the clincher: Jesus said that the Father seeks [those //who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth].

What does that mean?

First of all, that’s amazing.

Why would God seek anything?

We’re supposed to seek God.

Yet Jesus said that the Father seeks those, treasures those, who worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

[The Holy Spirit //who lives inside us, acting on behalf of our human spirits],

helps [us] [preach, love others, understand the Bible, and worship].

Isn’t that an overlooked truth?

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can worship in Spirit—not just with our mouths or brains but with our hearts.

God also wants [us] [to worship in truth]—with total sincerity.

We can’t act.

If we want acting, we can go /to Broadway.

When we worship, we should worship /in Spirit and in truth, bringing God our weaknesses,

thanking Him for His mercy, and adoring Him with sincere love.

When I was a teenager, a family member gave [me] [a Christmas present].

There was a wall between me and this person.

I was a smart aleck from Brooklyn,

and I said, “Love you, thanks.”

I no more loved that person than I love my keychain.

* aleck refers to an annoying person who acts like a know-it-all, makes cheeky remarks, and shows off. 건방진 놈

God wants total sincerity. “I love You, Lord.

From my heart, I praise You with my spirit.

I want to worship You.”

God inhabits those praises.

More and more, as every day comes, let’s learn to become worshipers in Spirit and in truth.

Prayer

God, we love You, we praise You, and we worship You.

Help [us] /today [not only to bring our needs to You, not only to give You thanks for what You’ve done in our lives,

but also to find time in our day to worship and admire You for who You are].

If this encouraged you, you can receive Pastor Cymbala’s weekly blog post /by email here.

For More Encouragement

• Listen to the full message by Pastor Jim Cymbala: “True Worship”
• Enjoy other resources to help you draw closer to God: “Real Worship” and “Worship by Singing, Worship by Listening”
• Visit Pastor Cymbala’s Facebook page