“The WHO of Worship – Part 2” (Ready to Worship S11E2)

January 31, 2020

Ready to Worship Season 11, Episode 2 for Friday, January 31, 2020

This season on Ready to Worship, we are considering the basic questions of worship – who, what, when, where, why, and how. In this podcast, we are again considering the WHO of worship. In the last podcast, we noticed that we are not to worship Mary, Peter, men, or angels. In this podcast, we are going to notice that we are not to worship the earth, the heavens, or the things in them. Let me say up front that I believe that we should take care of the planet. After all, we are supposed to be good stewards of what God has given us. However, in my judgment, some of the modern initiatives and policies relative to the planet border on false worship. Through Moses, God warned about worshipping the earth, the heavens, and the things in them. We read, “Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven” (Deut. 4:15-19). In spite of this very clear warning, the children of Israel did these very things, and God gave them over to them” (Acts 7:42). Interestingly, the Gentiles were given up for the same things. Of them, Paul wrote, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (creation) more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom. 1:25). Rather than worshipping the heaven or the earth, or the things in them, we should worship the one who made them. John wrote, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev. 14:6-7). As we get ready to worship this week, let’s make sure that we look beyond the earth, the heavens, and the things in them. Let’s look to the God who made all of them. He is the only One worthy of worship.