Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV)
15Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
As we enter into worship today, I want to direct our attention to six principles for worship that Paul provides in this short verse. Paul writes, “Therefore by [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
Paul teaches us, first, that our worship must be Christological. “By Jesus” he writes, we are to praise God. The only way that human worship can be accepted by God is if it is offered through Christ. No one comes to the Father except through His Son (Jn 14:6), for there is one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). God is too holy to look upon sin – and all our worship is tainted by sin. Hence, it must be cleansed by the sacrificial blood of Jesus; only He can make our worship acceptable to God. Our worship must be Christological.
Second, our worship must be communal. “By Jesus, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God…” Worship is not a solitary activity. We join angels and archangels and all the host of heaven and the saints on earth to praise God. So David longed to be in the tabernacle, the place where God’s people gathered together for worship (Ps 84). And Paul commands us to share this longing, to long to join God’s people as we worship in Jesus’ Name for there is God’s tabernacle, God’s temple, God’s dwelling place. Our worship must be communal.
Third, our worship must be continual. “By Jesus, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God…” Paul wants worship to saturate our lives, he wants us to be in the habit of worship. We are to gather week by week on the Lord’s Day with God’s people – “not forsaking the assembly, as is the habit of some” (Heb 10:25), but exhorting one another daily. For the worship that we enjoy weekly with the people of God is to seep into our homes, our personal lives, and our friendships. Our worship must be continual.
Fourth, our worship must be sacrificial. “By Jesus, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God…” Properly, worship is not a cathartic experience for our own amusement; nor is it a performance for others’ entertainment; it is primarily a sacrificial offering to God. Worship is offered up to God as a pleasing aroma, an offering that brings Him joy and delight. Our worship must be sacrificial.
Fifth, our worship must be vocal. “By Jesus, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips…” As the fruit of our lips, the sacrifice of praise requires our lips to move. We are to sing praises to the Lord. Paul wants us to enter into the presence of the Lord with joyful shouts, celebrating the goodness of the Lord. Our worship must be vocal.
Finally, our worship must be thankful. “By Jesus, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.” Thankfulness is the heartbeat of worship. A man or woman who is not thankful is a man or woman who cannot worship. He might move his lips but his praise just bounces off the ceiling. The resentful, bitter, angry person may grudgingly bow the head and speak the words, but his heart will not utter joyous shouts and so he does not truly worship. Our worship must be thankful.
So hear Paul’s exhortation, “Therefore, by Jesus let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Our worship is to be Christological, communal, continual, sacrificial, vocal, and thankful. So what of you? Have you come here trusting in Jesus that you might join His people in sacrificial praise, expressing thanksgiving to God with your lips? Or have you come self-righteously, treating God with complacency, believing that you’re not really in need of His forgiving grace and not really required to speak His praise in company with His people? If the latter, then let me urge you to repent and to join us all as we confess our sin to God. As you are able, let us kneel together as we confess our sin to God.