Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2: Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 3: The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. 4: The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5: The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6: He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7: The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. 8: The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9: The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. 10: The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. 11: The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

Introduction

Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2: Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Here in verses 1-2, David gives us some insights on worshipping God. Three times in these first two verses where it says, "Give unto the LORD." That's what worship is.  It is sad that the attitudes of some who look at a worship service as a time of entertainment. They go to worship service not to give but to receive. They complain: "I didn't get much out of it," or "I'm not getting enough." 

Many so called church leaders and church goers have this low concept of worship. Let me give you an example of what I mean. Listen to Joel Osteen's wife, Victoria Osteen's words from one of her talks at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, "I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I mean, that's one way to look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy. That's the thing that gives Him the greatest joy. So, I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?" (The congregation applauds.) 

We need to understand that worship is not getting but giving. Worship is giving to the Lord. It is giving the glory due to His name. It is giving God glory and strength. But how can you and I possibly give God glory and strength? It doesn’t literally mean that we actually possess any strength or glory that we can give Him. What it means is, ascribing to God His true worth. Worship is humbly giving credit and acknowledgement to God for the attributes and characteristics that already belong to Him. It means that we recognize the qualities of God and then we use those qualities to honor Him in worship.

Today, consider with me the subject of "Worship in the Beauty of Holiness". Looking closely at our text, there are three things for us to take note of, namely, the Command to Worship, the Object of Worship and the Manner of Worship.

I — The Command to Worship

Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2: Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

David begins the Psalm with a command to worship the LORD. Worship is not an option; it is a command. It is our duty. Worship is our highest duty of giving and ascribing glory and reverence unto God. Worship is the highest activity which is possible for us to be involved in.

Our Lord spoke about the importance of worship when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9: And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10: Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Even in the last days, Revelation 15:4 teaches that all will worship the Lord: "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."

In Psalm 29:1, we read this command is directed to the "mighty". And who are the "mighty"?  It is not clear who  they are, but most commentators suggest the "mighty" refers to the holy angels. But why would David be calling for angels to praise God?  Why would David encourage all the angelic creatures to worship God?

The late James Montgomery Boice suggests, "Why does David call on the angels then? As soon as we think of this poetically the reason is obvious. It is because he feels that his praise and that of other human beings is not adequate. David is overwhelmed with the majesty of God revealed in the storm that he has witnessed and is now going to describe. He feels that he needs help praising God properly. To praise God adequately the entire created order must join in, and even then sufficient praise will be lacking."

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2: My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3: O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

David aware of his inability to glorify God adequately, he calls others to join him.

Going back to what our Lord said in Matthew 4:10, "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

When Satan tempted our Lord to bow down and worship to him, our Lord responded that it is His duty to obey the command to worship God. If our Lord Jesus Christ, the very Son of God counts it His duty to obey the command to worship God, then how much more must we count it our duty to obey this command!

II — The Object of Worship

Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2: Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

We are to worship the Lord and Him only! The Lord is to be the One and only object of our worship.

Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

God has the right to be the only object of our worship because He alone is worthy. We are not to worship saints, prophets, statues, idols, angels, or any other false gods. Worship and praise are reserved only for God. Only He is worth of worship.

When King Herod, being a man, received the worship that belongs to God alone, an angel struck him, and worms ate him up and he died. When Paul and Barnabas where in Iconium, the people there wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas because of the ways they demonstrated the power of God. But Paul refused to be worshiped and said unto them, "Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:" (Acts 14:15)

Paul told them not to worship them but instead they should worship only the living God who made the heaven and the earth.

When John the beloved received those awesome visions recorded in the book of Revelation, by the hands of an angel, he fell down at his feet to worship the angel. The angel forbade him asking him to ‘worship God’, not an angel, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2: Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

We are to worship God and God alone. Worship the LORD. The LORD means Jehovah, the eternal self-existent One. And this God is a Triune God. One God in three persons. Give due honor to each person. Worship the Father through His Son, and in the Spirit.

III — The Manner of Worship

Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2: Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

We are told to "worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness". This phrase occurs more than once in the Bible. We read in …

1 Chronicles 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

2 Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

What does it mean to worship in the beauty of holiness?

There is nothing more beautiful than holiness. But the beauty of holiness is not in the building. It would be nice to have a building, but it is not essential. The beauty of holiness is not in the attire, we must come with proper attire when we worship, but beauty of holiness is not so much in what we wear. The beauty of holiness is not in the furniture nor in the musical instruments we use. The beauty of holiness refers to the holiness of God. The Scripture abundantly and clearly declares that God is holy. 

Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

The word "holy" means, primarily, "to be separate", "to be set apart", "to be different". So, when the Bible says, God is holy, it is first of all saying that God is different from us. He is separated from us. He is not like us. He is unique, unapproachable and incomprehensible. He is supremely majestic above us. He is sovereign over us. God is absolutely different or distinct from all His creatures, and is exalted above them in infinite majesty. He is high and lifted up.

The beauty of the Lord is not in His physical appearance but in His holiness. The beauty of the Lord is His holy character. The beauty of the Lord lies in God possessing everything in His character that is desirable. Love is beautiful; mercy is beautiful; wisdom is beautiful; truth is beautiful. But, over and above, there is a beauty in holiness.

If God is holy, it follows then that we who seek to worship Him must conform to the very character of God. In the Old Testament, especially in Leviticus, we read often of this command: "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God is holy."

The holiness of God demands that we be holy.

1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

We are not called to be powerful as God is nor to be wise as God is, but we are called to be holy.

To truly worship God, we must have a revelation of the holiness of God and must be in pursuit of holiness in our personal lives. 

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

There must be purity of heart and life before God. A man's moral condition determines his ability to worship. Now this is not true with many other things we do in life. Like watching a baseball game. A person's moral condition has nothing to do with his ability to enjoy a baseball game. He may have lived a life of sin, i.e. drink, cursed, steal, and womanized and yet he can watch a ballgame and enjoy it. The condition of his heart and his life before God has nothing to do with his ability to enjoy a baseball game.

But that's not true when it comes to worship. If we are to enjoy God, for that is what worship is, our moral condition will determine whether we can truly enjoy God and our worship. There is a direct connection between the moral condition of the worshiper and whether God will accept his worship.

David thought about this; how he can approach the King of glory.

Psalm 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

Psalm 24:7 Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8: Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9: Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10: Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Who is worthy to be go into the presence of God? Who is able to stand before the presence of the King of glory, the LORD strong and mighty? 

Herein lies the answer in ...

Psalm 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 

The only people whom God will admit as acceptable worshipers are those who are pure in heart and those who conform their lives to the holy character of God. 

Closing Thoughts

Worship is directly related to the life of the worshipper. If that is true and it is, that presents a serious problem, for by nature we are all sinners separated from God.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Habakkuk 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

But I have good news to deliver this morning. God has made a way that we might be pure positionally and that we might be pure practically. In the Lord Jesus Christ and in the shedding of His blood, there has been a a complete and perfect sacrifice, man may now come to God, confident that sin is blotted out.

To worship God in the beauty of holiness starts by humbling ourselves before Him and approach Him as well as serve Him with the fear of reverence and awe.

Psalm 113:4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5: Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6: Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

This great and glorious and holy God who above all, who is incomparable, who is without sin, humbled Himself by coming to us, taking a human form, dwelt among us, made sin for us who knew no sin, to redeem sinners like you and me. 

How about it? Come to Jesus. Come as you are, confessing and believing and trusting. Why not now? Why not come to Jesus now? Come! Come believing and trusting who Christ is and what He has done on the cross of Calvary is sufficient to forgive and to cleanse and to save and to make you holy. 

AMEN!