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Reverence — Worship and Holy Living

Bryan Schiele
06/15/25 - Sun Worship

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

Let’s continue our “Cross Training” journey with our discussion on reverence, which comes when we know God, fear him, worship him, and live in holiness. This week, we’ll take a look at two more aspects of reverence — worship and holy living.

Worship (Action)

Bow Before the Almighty Creator

Since the ’70s, L’Oréal commercials have convinced scores of customers to pay more for shampoo and conditioner because, as their spokespeople put it, “You’re worth it.” Haven’t we all thought that before? Maybe not about boutique hair care products, but I’ve convinced myself to spend more money than usual on something because “I’m worth it.” But what if we flipped that thought process and asked what we’d spend on our God, who actually is worth it?

What You Need to Know

When we worship, we respond to God’s grace and greatness by acts that express our reverence and submission to him. Worship expresses worth — think of it as expressing worth-ship. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

One New Testament word often translated “worship” (proskuneo) relates to bowing down (literally or figuratively). It’s a profound act of respect, submission, and reverence. People often bowed before Jesus during his earthly life, worshiping him (Matt. 2:11; 14:33; 28:9). That would be unthinkable and totally inappropriate for any being but God (Rev. 19:9-10; Acts 10:25-26). Beware of letting anything else sneak into your heart as an object of such honor and devotion. We become like what we worship (Ps. 115:8), and we were created to worship only God (Matt. 4:11).

Another word translated as “worship” (latreuo) was often used for priestly service. We present our bodies as a living sacrifice as an act of “spiritual worship” (Rom. 12:1). As his priests, we bring “spiritual sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5) and “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28). Our financial gifts supporting the Lord’s work come before him as “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18; 1 Cor. 16:1-4). Our prayers ascend to God’s presence like the holy incense the priests used to offer in front of the most holy place (Rev. 8:3-4).

Like the early disciples (Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:25) — and the congregation of Israel before them (Ps. 22:22; 107:32) — we fill our lives with God’s praise, worshiping him in private (Matt. 6:5-6) and gathering with others to worship and edify one another (1 Cor. 14:15-26). It’s not important where we worship, but it does matter how we worship, as God seeks “true worshipers” who “worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:20-24). In sincerity and devotion, we lower ourselves in obedient surrender, lifting him up in his way (Matt. 15:9; Col. 2:23).

What You Need to Do

Use your words and your songs. As you see God’s splendor all around you and consider his great acts of creation and deliverance, respond by creating what you can to magnify him. We can speak and write words that proclaim his excellence (1 Peter 2:9-10). We can sing beautiful songs about him to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God ... the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Heb. 13:15). When you “do good and ... share what you have,” God considers it an offering to him, and “such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Heb. 13:16). The Psalms have a lot to teach us about adoring God, placing our full hope in him, and entrusting our lives under his kingship. Make the Psalms a regular part of your life, reading, praying, even singing them.

Don’t neglect gathering together with the saints on the first day of the week to remember Jesus by breaking bread (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-28). In this supper of remembrance and communion (1 Cor. 10:16-17), we draw near to him in reverent gratitude, proclaiming what the Lord did for us in his death (1 Cor. 11:26). It’s a moment with our Lord not to be missed.

Through the Week

• Read — John 4:20-24; Col. 3:14-17; Rom. 12:1-2; Ps. 95:1-6; Mal. 1:6-14
• Reflect — Ask yourself, “What distracts me from my true focus in worship?”
• Request — Pray, “Heavenly Father, may your name be held in reverence” (cf. Matt. 6:9).
• Respond — Bow down in your room and pray a psalm of worship.
• Reach Out — Ask someone “What idols have you dethroned from your heart to keep God at the center?”

Holy Living (Community)

Bow Before the Almighty Creator

When we got married, Sharilyn inherited one of her family’s most prized possessions — a set of fine china. Yet, despite its beauty and sentimental connection, we’ve never once eaten with it. We’ve rarely even touched it since it’s packed away safely in a box in the garage to avoid damage. Well, God has a set of fine dishes set apart for special use too! The difference is, he wants to use us! “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). So how do we live as God’s special people, “set apart as holy”?

What You Need to Know

Though God created humans to enjoy his presence (cf. Gen. 3:8), sin distanced us from God’s holiness (Isaiah 59:2). We see it in the cherubim blocking the Garden gate (Gen. 3:24) and the command not to touch Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:12). We see it in the temple veil that kept people afar, and most all, the “blood of Jesus” that lets us enter “through the curtain” to “draw near” at last (Heb. 10:19-22)!

Holy means different or unique — not in the sense that each person is unique or snowflakes are different — because each person is still a person. Each snowflake is still a lot like every other of its kind. But God is unlike anyone or anything else. “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:2). That’s what we mean when we say God is holy. He is utterly apart, transcendent, and distinct by his very nature. That’s why the heavenly creatures “never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Rev. 4:8; cf. Isaiah 6:3). Full of goodness, righteousness, and creative power, God’s eternal existence depends on no one. So what does God mean when he says for us to be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:16)?

When God separates anyone or anything for himself, he sanctifies them — he makes them holy. What is holy is distinguished — not just from what is unholy — but from what is common (Lev. 10:10). Under the Levitical system, before Christ’s new covenant (Heb. 7:21-24), nothing common was used in God’s service; everything in the temple was set apart by God. He distinguished his priests from regular, righteous Israelites who didn’t have that particular function (Ex. 28:1). The incense, the furnishings, and even the vessels used in the temple were set apart (Num. 4:16-20). That doesn’t mean other vessels were evil; they were fine for common, everyday purposes. But what God sets apart for his service is holy. And we “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9).

Yet when God decides to live in the midst of a special people, they must reflect his character. So, holiness also means moral purity and freedom from sin, through Christ’s perfect sacrifice and our ongoing obedience (1 Peter 1:14-19).

What You Need to Do

Cleanse your heart, your habits, and your house (1 Cor. 5:7). In order to be holy, we must be clean (2 Cor. 6:16-7:1). In the Old Testament, cleanness involved a whole host of ceremonial rules. But in the new covenant, we’re not clean because of what we eat or what we touch, but because of what we think and what we do (Mark 7:18-23). Are there any dirty little secrets in your heart that make you unsuitable to serve before God? “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). Examine the shows you watch, the sites you visit, the music you hear, the words you say, and the way you view people in your life. The Christian life is a continual process of searching ourselves and repenting when we find anything out of alignment with God’s will. He will forgive, but we must repent (Rom. 2:4). Hold your thoughts and behavior to God’s standard, not your own. Remembering the price Christ paid to make us holy, let his grace train you (Titus 2:12) inspiring greater heights of righteousness.

Go into each interaction with the intention of shining God’s light (Matt. 5:14-16). Another word related to holiness is godliness. Godliness is our deep reverence for God that leads to piety and devotion. We make life choices that honor him because we live before a holy God. Instead of filling up the “in-between” bits of your day — the walk from a meeting to your office or the drive home after dropping off the kids — pause to remember that holy God is near. As his temple (1 Cor. 6:19-20), everywhere you go, you stand on “holy ground” (cf. Ex. 3:5). The more we realize and remember that truth, the more our lives will reflect his goodness. Make a habit of praying for people before and after you meet with them (1 Tim. 2:1). “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

Through the Week

• Read — John 17:6-19; Phil. 2:12-18; 2 Tim. 2:15-22; 1 Peter 1:13-2:12; 1 John 3:6-10
• Reflect — Ask yourself, “Have I set myself apart for God’s purposes?”
• Request — Pray, “In your grace, Lord, train me to live a godly life” (cf. Titus 2:12)
• Respond — Walk through your house, looking carefully for any signs of “leaven” that needs cleansed from your life (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7).
• Reach Out — Ask someone “What do you find is the hardest part about being separate from the world while living in the world?”