Praising God – Joy In Worship

Stephanie Beth Nickel explains how the resurrection of  Jesus should find us praising God and expressing joy in worship. She reminds us that we need to come to Him in faith for salvation.

Expressing Joy In Worship – praising God!

Worship services are solemn events. We must be reverent and thoughtful. And yet . . . that doesn’t look the same to everyone. And I am fairly certain God doesn’t mind when we express abundant joy in honour of the Saviour’s resurrection. I personally think He likes it.

I heard of one gathering of believers who placed numerous balloons in their worship centre—their sanctuary, as many call it—on Easter Sunday. And why would they do that? Balloons? In church? Well, you see, the church family includes children. For many people—especially children—parties and balloons just go together. And the leaders of that particular fellowship wanted the children to realize that the message of Jesus’ resurrection calls for the biggest celebration ever.

It is awe-inspiring to realize Jesus died in our place. And the method of that death is almost too much to contemplate.  But we must come face to face with these realities. They are worth our solemn, reverent consideration.

God Can’t Stay Dead

But that death alone could not have secured for us a place in heaven. If that was the end of things, Jesus would not have been God; He would not have provided eternal life for all who would believe in Him.

Yesterday I mentioned that some don’t believe God could die. The facts that Jesus is God and that He did die disprove that perception. The truth is God can’t stay dead.

And He didn’t!

And that is the most amazing reason to celebrate we could ever imagine.

John 20:1-10 (ESV) say,

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’  So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.”

In verses 19-22 of John 20 (ESV), we read,

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’”

Christ Appears

Despite the evidence, until the disciples actually saw Jesus, they didn’t understand exactly what had happened. Did they dare hope? But Jesus didn’t make them wait long for an answer. He graciously appeared to them—several times, actually—before ascended into heaven.

I don’t imagine they threw a party with cake and balloons. In fact, it was a lot for them to get their minds around. Their future was still a mystery. And yet, the Master had risen from the dead. He appeared to them personally so they would be convinced and so they would share this incredible news with those who would listen. They would miss having Him with them in person. They would face unbelievable challenges and persecution. But again, their Master, their Saviour, their Lord was alive!

Wonder. Joy. Awe. Peace. Hope.

We can experience all of these as we dwell on the fact that Jesus of Nazareth paid the price for our sin. He took upon Himself the punishment we deserved. And then, He rose again. He will forever be victorious over sin and death. And we, too, can experience that victory if we will come to Him in faith, repent of our sin, and accept the gift of eternal life that He offers.

They all sound like pretty good reasons to me to throw a great big party and be found praising God. Who’s with me?

How do you worship God? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.