God’s Commandments – “Worship God!”

1. Read: Revelation 22:9 – “Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’”

2. About the Text:

1) While writing the book of Revelation, John encountered many spiritual beings.

2) One of these beings was an angel who spoke directly to him.

3) Evidently, his presence was very overwhelming, and John fell down to worship.

4) The angel rebuked John telling him to “Worship God.”

3. Bible Commands

1) One of the ways that God communicates to us is through commandments.

2) A commandment is an order, an action given to another that is mandatory.

3) Commandments usually come from superiors to inferiors.

4) An inferior usually sustains such a relationship with a superior that it behooves him to obey the commandment.

5) There are usually negative consequences to not obeying the commandment of a superior.

6) In the case of Bible commandments, God is the superior and humanity is the inferior.

7) God has given us commandments and we are to follow those commandments.

8) This will be a series of lessons designed to look at various different commandments in the Bible.

9) Sometimes these commandments come directly from God, like the 10 commandments.

10) Sometimes these commandments come through God’s authorized agents.

11) They are all still God’s commandments.

4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Defined

1) Literally the greek word (proskuneo) means “kissing toward one in reverence.”

2) “The reverent love and allegience accorded a diety.” American Heritage Dictionary

3) “To honor or reverence a divine being .“ Webster’s Dictionary.

4) “Make obeisance to the gods or their images” Liddel and Scott Classic Greek Lexicon

5) In the New Testament, those sole actions in which the Christian engages so as to specifically show reverence, obeisance, and honor unto God and his Son Jesus the Christ.

2. Exemplified

1) “saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’”

2) “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’” (Matthew 8:2).

3. Wrong Worship vs. True Worship

1) Satan asked Jesus to worship him – “And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:9).

2) “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).

3) “As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, ‘Stand up; I myself am also a man.’” (Acts 10:25-26).

4) Worship must be true – “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

1. The object of worship is not ourselves.

1) Some view worship as Pop Psychology. Many today comfort themselves with thoughts of guardian angels and such thinking that God takes care of them this way. Col. 2:18 “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,”

2) Some view worship as a form of personal entertainment. The psalmist writes, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.” Psalm 96:9. Holy worship is worship that is sanctified and set apart for the express object of God.

3) Some view worship as a form of self expression. God does not need us to express ourselves in worship. Acts 17:23-25 “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;”

2. The object of worship is not our fellow man.

1) Some actually exalt and worship men falsely. 2 Thess.2:4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

2) Some view worship as a way to keep peace in the family. Psalm 22:27 “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.”

3) Some view worship as a big social club thinking that they make the rules and regulations thereof. Matthew 15:9 “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

4) Some view worship as merely a way to help others with earthly problems. Then why do the angels worship God? “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” Heb.1:6.

3. The object of Worship IS God.

1) He is deserving of worship because he is holy. Psalm 99:5 “Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”

2) Nothing else is deserving of worship. Matt.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.”

3) Not even angels are worthy of worship. Rev.22:8,9 “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

4) Hear the words of King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 3:28 “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”

1. Idols are things that are most precious to us.

2. These are different for different people, but let’s look at some of the most popular ones.

3. The idol of consumption / gluttony.

1) “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” (Phil.3:19).

2) “Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (2 Tim.3:4).

3) Titus 1:12 “slow bellies”.

4. The idol of sexuality.

1) Read 1 Thess.4:3-8

2) 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

5. The idol of materialism.

1) “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col.3:5).

2) “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

6. The idol of self.

1) 2 Timothy 3:2-5 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

2) “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Phil.2:21).

1. To worship God we must . . .

1) Understand Worship

2) Acknowledge that God is the Object of True Worship

3) Put Away Idols that Compete with Worshipping God

2. Invitation