The Difference Between Praise And Worship

“Praise and worship” almost seems like one word today. We listen to “praise and worship” music, and many churches refer to the  “praise and worship” part of the service.  So, it’s easy to think we know how to praise and worship God when perhaps we don’t.

The truth is,  there’s a difference between praise and worship. If we want to make sure we know how to praise and worship God, it’s important to examine the two words.

Going to church is not a guaranteed strategy for true worship. Depending on the church we go to, we participate in praising God through singing, listening to a sermon, reading scripture, prayer, or spoken words. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we worship Him.

If you feel like something is missing in your spiritual life, it may be you haven’t learned the difference between praise and worship. Worshiping God with our heart, mind and soul will change  us. True worship brings satisfaction, peace, and purpose to our lives in a way nothing else can.

In our culture, it’s easy to get caught up in praise and not realize that worship is missing.

That’s likely what happened to the crowds who gathered in Jerusalem when Jesus entered the city during Holy Week.

 

PRAISE

Jesus traveled from Jericho to Jerusalem a week before His resurrection. His arrival in the city is referred to as The Triumphal Entry.

In that day, a Roman would likely have laughed at the term. Triumphal entries were reserved for generals who’d won a battle and killed 5000 enemy soldiers. The battle victory was marked with a parade, spoils of war, a march of POWs, and the victorious general in a grand chariot.

Jesus didn’t ride into Jerusalem on a chariot or even on a horse. Instead, He made arrangements  ahead of time to enter Jerusalem on the back of a colt like a peacetime ruler would do. His arrival fulfilled the Scriptures  that predicted a Messiah would come in humility and gentleness.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people expected an uprising because they were anticipating an earthly king.  But Jesus came to defeat sin and death, not to overturn a government.

There was a price on His head (John 11:57), but it didn’t deter Him. He was determined to carry out the will of God regardless of the cost. So, He entered the city and the disciples led the way in honoring Him.

Crowds followed

 

A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

Matthew 21:8

 

Spreading garments on the road and waving small bunches of palm branches were gestures of honor.

But the crowds didn’t stop there.

 

Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee!”

Matthew 21:9-11 (Christian Standard Bible)

 

Hosanna in the highest heaven refers to the Messiah as a gift from God. It means anointed one. The problem is, the people praised Jesus as one who’d been anointed to be their earthly king. They were making Him into what they wanted Him to be.

The crowds were in a frenzy.

The atmosphere was contagious.

And I can relate.

After all, I’ve been to a Mardi Gras parade.

 

Caught up in the excitement

Every single time I go to a Mardi Gras parade, I surprise myself.

First of all, the “throws” are normally plastic beads, moon pies, stuffed animals, wrapped candies, and doubloons (plastic coins). They’re thrown from huge, lavishly decorated floats by happy people with loud party music blaring from speakers.

After every parade, I give away all the throws I catch. Every single one of them.  Obviously, nothing in me wants or needs even one throw.

But every time I attend a parade, something comes over me.

As the music gets louder and the floats get closer, I find myself sizing up the paradegoers beside me. Are they tall enough to snatch the beads that fly over my head? Have they left me enough elbow room to swing my arms back and forth while I yell “Throw me something, Mister!”?

By the time the first float arrives, I’m in full-on Mardi Gras party mode. As strands of beads and moon pies come flying, I nearly break my neck trying to grab them.
I’m not sure if it’s the crowds, the music, or just plain greed. But I’ve never been to a Mardi Gras parade without getting caught up in the frenzy.

That’s what I think happened to the crowds in Jerusalem when Jesus rode up on that little donkey.

Praise when life goes our way

I think they got caught up in the frenzy.

They’d heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. They’d heard about Him healing blind, crippled, and sick folk. Maybe they wanted to rub elbows with someone famous. Or perhaps with all the hype, they were simply having a good time.

In all fairness, there were undoubtedly people who were genuinely convinced Jesus was the Messiah. After all, they’d heard of or even seen miracles, and they were in the presence of the disciples and other firsthand witnesses.

Nevertheless, the crowds weren’t worshiping Jesus. They were praising Him for what they hoped He’d do for them. How do I know? Because their praise was impressive, but it didn’t last. Within days, Jesus’ fans had dissipated. In the end, Jesus endured His trials and crucifixion with a small group of followers.

It’s easy to get excited when life is going our way. That’s when praise comes easily.

But when life doesn’t make sense, we can still praise God if our worship is real. That’s because genuine worship bolsters our faith in hard times.

 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRAISE AND WORSHIP

We can easily get caught up in the excitement and frenzy of praising God and never truly worship Him.

To praise Him means to give Him the thanks and honor He deserves. It means to exalt His name with song, prayer, proclamations, sermons, dance, or other expressions.
We should absolutely praise God because He is worthy of our praise.

But we should also worship Him.

And worship is a matter of the heart.

In Matthew 15:8-9, religious people are admonished for praising God with their words but not worshiping Him in their hearts.

 

“These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God.”

Matthew 15:9, HCSB

 

Praise can come from anyone. “Praise God!” is easy to say. Actually, we can even praise our kids, friends, or co-workers. Praise doesn’t really require anything of us, so it’s not that hard to do.

The difference between praise and worship is that worship is not an outward action. Instead, it’s an inner attitude of the heart. The word comes from shaha, which means to bow low. But it’s not talking about a position of the knee as much as a posture of the heart.

We can get caught up in the frenzy of praising God in public, but true worship will never happen that way. True worship requires bowing the heart, whether you’re alone with God or in a crowd of people. That’s why it’s the position of your heart and not your hands that matters.

When our hearts are right, we can both praise and worship God.

 

ANOTHER DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRAISE AND WORSHIP IS THAT WORSHIP REQUIRES SACRIFICE

 

The Bible says we must worship God in spirit and in truth.

As Christians, we’re actually alive in Christ.  That means the Spirit of God lives in us.

 

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

(Ephesians 2:4-5, HCSB)

 

With the Spirit of God at work in us, our lives begin to show evidence of  the fruit of the Spirit.  Our attitudes change. We use our resources differently. We treat people better.

But that only happens as we give ourselves to Him in worship.

 

Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, HCSB

 

In light of all God has done for us, our only acceptable response is to lay our lives down before Him in an act of worship.

 

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
Rom 12:1, HCSB

 

Outward praise is  easy. Go to church. Sing a song. Listen to a sermon. Even serve.
But worship requires that we give ourselves to God.

That’s when we begin to see the fruit of His Spirit in us.

 

 

 

TRUE WORSHIP REQUIRES A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF JESUS

 

We can’t praise and worship God without honoring Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

…so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 5:23

 

The crowds in Jerusalem praised Jesus as king, but they praised Him for the kind of king they wanted Him to be.  That’s why, within days, they were yelling, “Crucify Him!” In the end, He didn’t live up to the image they’d expected.

If we’re not careful, we can do the same thing. We can create an image of Jesus that’s not who the Bible says He is.

That’s why we must have a correct Biblical perception of Jesus.

The Bible says Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

A King rules.

Is Jesus Christ King of your life?

Then He has a right to rule your life.

And mine.

HOW TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

 

• Get alone with God. You don’t have to be physically alone.  Just go to that “secret place” with Him and spend time in prayer. (If a prayer journal would help you, I’d love to send you mine for free! You can access it right HERE.  Praise and worship Him before you ask anything of Him.

 

• Read your Bible to understand who Jesus is. Commit to spend time in Bible study renewing your mind with the truth of God. It’s easy to begin. The better you know Him, the more you’ll want to worship Him.

 

•  Examine your life to see what areas you need to surrender to God’s authority. Surrender your life daily (even moment-by-moment) to the authority of Jesus Christ. Seek His will in your home, job, and social life. Re-align your priorities with His as an act of worship.

• Try praising Him for who He is and not just for what He’s done.