Some things just come naturally, like laughing at the end of a good joke. No one has to tell you to laugh; it just happens. In fact, it happens so quickly that you don’t know when you decided to do it. It seems involuntary––forced out of you by the power of humor.

Other human responses are the same; for example, nervous shaking, sorrowful tears, fearful trembling. We don’t really decide to do those things, do we? They occur spontaneously. They just flow out of us.

Worship is supposed to be like that. It is supposed to be a very natural response to a very powerful stimulus. It is a response to God––a response to a work of God, a word from God, or the presence of God. It is supposed to just flow out of us––naturally, joyfully, powerfully.

Worship should be more than a duty or an obligation. It should be both free and spontaneous––a heartfelt human reaction to something divine.

We have many examples of spontaneous worship in the Bible––Noah, for example. He got out of the ark and immediately worshipped God through animal sacrifices. God did not tell him to do it. He wanted to do it. He wanted to thank God for delivering them from the flood. Noah’s worship pleased God so much that God promised never to destroy the earth by flooding again.

Abraham built an altar and worshipped God several times in his life. Each time it seems to be a spontaneous response to something the Lord either said or did. The commentator Derek Kidner is surely right when he says that "tent and altar" epitomize Abraham’s life––"tent and altar."

This worship instinct rubbed off on Abraham’s trusted, old servant. When this servant found Rebekah for Abraham’s son, Isaac, the servant worshipped. The text says, "The man bowed his head and worshipped the Lord and said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master’" (Gn 24:26-27b). When Rebekah’s parents told the servant that Rebekah could go with him and become the wife of Isaac, again the servant worshipped the Lord. The text says that "he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord" (Gn 24:52)

Abraham’s son, Isaac, carried on the pattern established by his father. In Gn 26:24 the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you and make your offspring numerous for my servant Abraham’s sake." What did Isaac do in response to the Lord’s great promises? He worshipped; he built an altar and called on the name of the Lord.

There are more examples, but surely the point is made. Worship is natural, spontaneous. Persons in relationship with God respond to God’s work and word and presence by worshipping God. They bow. They sacrifice. They call on the name of the Lord.

The NT continues that pattern. Why did the wise men want to find the baby Jesus? Matthew is clear. They wanted to worship him, and when they found the baby Jesus that is what they did? Matthew 2:11 says that when "they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary his mother; . . . they fell down and worshipped him."

Please take your Bible and turn to Ax 2:43-47 and follow along as I read. Notice what characterizes the early church. This passage says,

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

I want you to notice two very important elements in these five verses. First, notice in v 46 that "they spent much time together in the temple." The temple was a place of worship, and these early followers of Jesus continued to go there to worship the Father of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Notice that the text says that they spent "much time" there. That means they worshipped a lot.

The second element I want to notice is in v 47. Notice that they were "praising God." They had come to faith in Jesus. They had come to know that he was the Messiah for whom the Jewish nation had waited so long. As a result, they praised; they worshipped their God because he had sent the Messiah, the Christ.

Now become aware of the feel of these verses. These verses recreate an atmosphere of spontaneous, joyful worship; and worship was so natural to this group that in Ax 4 they responded to the intimidation efforts of the Jewish authorities with a big prayer meeting, a spontaneous prayer meeting with powerful effects. Ax 4:31 says, "When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filed with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness." Prayer and worship were, for the earliest Christians, natural ways of responding even to threats and persecution.

Some of my favorite examples of spontaneous worship in the Bible are Paul’s little outbursts of praise. Please turn to Rm 11:33-36. Here Paul has come to the end of a long section in which he has articulated God’s purpose for the Jews and the way God’s purpose is to be achieved. It seems that Paul looked back on all that he had written and is moved by the wonder of God’s plan. Listen to his response. Romans 11:33-36 says,

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Do you hear what Paul is saying? He is saying, ‘Who would have dreamed that this would be the way God would accomplish his will. Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it worthy of praise.’ He thinks it is worthy of praise, and so he does. He praises, he worships God.

In Eph 3:20-21, Paul does the same thing again. There Paul writes,

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Sisters and brothers, I come this morning in an effort to motivate us all to worship spontaneously, joyfully, naturally, and exuberantly. Worship should flow out of us because of the greatness of God’s love, the greatness of God’s power, the greatness of God’s work in Jesus Christ, the greatness of God’s purposes, and the joy of God’s presence. May we spend much time celebrating the glory of our God. May we do so on a daily basis, and may our times of worship as a church family grow in their ability to shake the world. May our worship assemblies grow in their ability to so fill us with God’s power that we, like the earliest Christians, will speak the word of God with boldness.

Brothers and sisters, worship is central to who we are. Pour yourself into it. Draw yourself nearer to your Lord as we worship the One who alone is worthy of our worship and praise.

We want now to prepare for the worship that is central to the eating of the Lord’s Supper. John Leonard is going to lead us in this communion meal, and he is going to begin our preparation for that meal with the song, "Come Let Us Bow Down," a song found inside your worship bulletin. Let’s worship our God and let’s commune with our God as we partake of the Supper of the Lord.