Enjoy this three-day Easter devotional taken from How to Worship a King Study Guide by Zach Neese.

DAY 1: Who are you?

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. (Psalm 95: 6–7 NIV)

What a perfect picture the psalmist paints for us! We are created to worship our Maker, our Savior—to bow before the One who chose us and who cares for us. Each Easter, we celebrate His death, burial, and resurrection. It’s the focus of our worship.

But what does our worship look like? Worship in our society has, at times, become a shrink-wrapped phenomenon that we can turn on and play videos of whenever we like. There is often a lack of understanding in the Church about what we’re really doing. We need to take worship off the platform because worship isn’t a thing that is performed. Worship is really what we become. Worship is a way we live and the Lord lives with us.

To truly understand worship, we need to understand a central theme of the Bible—our identity. Who you are determines your understanding of what you do. Only a child of God can come into deep intimacy with the Father.

We are shaped like the hand of God. The world can see God’s fingerprints all over us. We’re made out of a handful of earth, but we became living beings when the Father breathed into us. We’re made out of earth, but we’re also made out of spirit. We are created to hold the hand of God and the hand of the earth—to be a living intersection between heaven and earth.

You were born and born again to minister to God and to the world around you—to have a hand in the hand of heaven and a hand in the hand of the earth. You are a walking, breathing meeting place between heaven and earth. You are a priest.

You are a priest because you were born to relate to the earth and born again to relate to God. Revelation 1:6 says, “[Jesus] has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!” (NIV). You are His son or daughter, but you are also a priest—a worshipper who helps others worship their Maker, their King!

Discussion Question:

What do you think would happen if every believing Christian (every priest) realized they are walking, talking meeting places between heaven and earth?

 
DAY 2: What is a priest’s job description?

This Easter, let’s see ourselves as priests—walking, breathing meeting places between heaven and earth. Since this is our identity, what is our job description? Here is a simple version:

At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to stand before the Lord as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day. (Deuteronomy 10:8 NLT)

The priest has three jobs: to carry, to minister, and to bless.

Carry the Presence
The priest’s job is to carry the Ark of the Covenant, which represents the presence and the throne of God on earth. The priest is to be a living throne on which the King is transported.

Second Corinthians 4:7 (NLT) says, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” Some translations say we are like “earthen vessels.” I like to remember this verse when I don’t think I am qualified or holy enough to carry the presence of God. People can relate to our shortcomings—our earthiness. We all have flaws. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. We’re not golden or silver vessels, though both gold and silver come from the earth. All that matters is that we are in God’s hand, and He is the one filling us up. I am a leaky vessel, but God waters the people around me through those leaks.

Minister to God
We get this wrong sometimes. Our primary responsibility is not to minister to people. What you minister to is what you enthrone. If I minister primarily to man, I have enthroned man in my heart, which means his opinion drives me. I want the Lord to be the King, enthroned in my heart. Worship is ministering to God.

Bless the People
“Bless” doesn’t mean to make people happy. God will not submit His truth to the whims of humanity. We must look at things through God’s perspective. When we bless someone, we see them with prophetic eyes—we see what they can become. We have a prophetic heart toward them and love them as if they are already there. Then we speak prophetic words. Likewise, God sees us seated in heavenly places, and He treats us now as we are going to be.

It’s the same with my children. I don’t treat them according to their behavior but according to who they are. I still discipline them, but I use my words, my actions, and my heart to catalyze who they are becoming. Just think what could happen if all the Christians you knew did this!

I leave you with the high priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24–26 (NKJV):
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Discussion Question:

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7. How should you respond when you feel unworthy of your priestly responsibilities?

 
DAY 3: What is worship?

The word worship comes from the old English word worthship, which means “to give worth to something.” We want God to know how much He is worth to us. Therefore, to become true worshippers this Easter season, let’s study what Scripture says about worship.

Shachah
The Hebrew word for worship is shachah. The simple definition of this word is “to bow down.” There is a submission to worship. Our culture is hesitant to submit to authority, but you can’t worship God unless you acknowledge He is King.

Oh come, let us worship [shachah] and bow down [shachah]; Let us kneel [barak] before the Lord our Maker. (Psalm 95:6 NKJV)

Shachah is used for worship and bow down in this verse. This word is almost always repeated in Scripture: “The people bowed down, and they bowed down.” The posture of our bodies should reflect the posture of our heart toward God. I like to remind myself that I am not God, and being on my knees is often the best way to remember that.

Proskuneo
The Greek word proskuneo for worship has three components. The first meaning is “adoration.” Some people don’t like the emotionalism of worship. Yes, God is a God of intellect, but He is also a big-hearted God. Our affections should be set on Him. Because He so loved me, I love Him back.

The second meaning is “to prostrate yourself before God” or to “lie on your face.” And the third meaning is to “kiss toward.” When my children were younger, I would leave for work, and they would run after my car, blowing me kisses. We blow kisses toward someone who is further away than we wish they were. And there’s something in the heart of a worshipper who thinks, God is always a little further away than I wish He was. Can you come closer, God?

The more intimate a relationship is, the more demonstrative and extravagant the expression of love is. I might shake a friend’s hand or hug him. But the way I express my love to my children is more demonstrative. And of course, the most demonstrative expression of my love is with my wife.

However, the deepest, most intimate relationship we will ever have is with our heavenly Father. How demonstrative should our love be toward Him? People will see our worship, but the point is not to be seen or to prove something to anybody. John 4:23 (NLT) says,

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers [proskunaytays]

will worship [proskuneo] the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship [proskuneo] him that way.

Worship is love, lordship, and expression.
Mark 12:30 (NIV) exemplifies this:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

That is how Jesus answers the question, “What is the greatest commandment”? “With all your heart” means all your affections and all your passions. “With all your mind” means all your thoughts and all your imagination. “With all your soul” means all your will, your dreams, and your personality. And “with all your strength” means all your actions.

Jesus says the greatest commandment is worship. This (reaching up to heaven) is the greatest commandment. The second commandment is like it (reaching down to man). A Christian’s greatest responsibility is to worship the Lord and help others worship the Lord—and this is what it looks like. This Easter, let’s truly worship our Maker, our Savior!

Discussion Question:

Explain this statement: “We can use music as a tool to worship God, but music is not worship.”

Copyright © 2020 by Zach Neese

How to Worship a King Study Guide Zach Neese We were born for deep, meaningful intimacy with our Father-King. This study guide is a companion to the video series offered below. $13.99

How to Worship a King Video Series DVD Zach Neese In this video series, Pastor Zach Neese shares powerful biblical truths and practical encouragement to help believers deepen their understanding of and passion for worship. He also offers time-tested wisdom for pastors and worship pastors.  $24.99