Worship Him -1       

Opening Hymn 6       

Responsive reading 696      

Closing Hymn  "Can the World see Jesus in You?"   



Today I want to begin a journey that will take us through the
rest of the summer.  It is a journey that I hope will result in
a healthier church, and happier church members.  I hope that it
is journey that will bring us closer to God.  It is a journey
that deals with the very essence of being a Christian, and will
prepare us for eternity in Heaven.  

As we look at the scenes that we see in the book of Revelation,
we find one picture over and over.  That picture is of God's
creation worshipping Him.  We also find a counter-theme in
Revelation.  That theme is the existance of a being who works to
divert the worship that is due God and appropriate it for
Himself.  That being will use everything that he has available
to receive that worship, for he wants to take the place of God,
not only on this planet, but in the universe.

If this is true, and  I believe that I will be able to support
it from the Word, then the issue of worship is one of the most
important that we face as Christians.  We as Seventh-day
Adventists have concluded that there is a special day that God
has set aside as a time dedicated to worship.  That is not to
say that we should not spend time in worship every day of the
week.  Our lives should be consistantly worshipful.  Yet God has
made a special place in time for worshipping Him.

That is not the issue that I want to look at today.  Adventists
early on attached siginficance to a series messages given by
flying angels in the book of Revelation.  We particularly focus
on  what we refer to as the 3 angels messages.  Now if you want
to coun tthe number of angels bearing messages in Revelation,
you will find more than 3.  But in Revelation 14 we find  3 in
close succession that have messages that seem to sum up the end 
time issues.  We will begin to look at the first one of those
messages today.

Turn with me to Revelation 14:6:  Then I saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach to those who dwell on the earth; to every nation, tribe,
tongue, and people;

7  saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him,
for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made
heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."

Let's break it down.  There is an angel.  What are angels? 
(messengers) Where is he? (in the midst of heaven)  What is he
doing?  (carrying the gospel to the whole world)  What is the
gospel?  (Fear God, give glory to Him, and worship Him.  Why? 
(Judgment time is here)  When?  (Now-has come)

Taking this all into consideration, what is the heart of the
message?  I believe that it is the call to worship.  

Now let's just take a brief look at worship in the book of
Revelation.  Revlation 4 is perhaps the most sublime scene of
worship in the Bible.  Here in this chapter,  we have  presented
what is confirmed in the rest of the Bible.  Worship has to do
with the worthiness of the one being worshipped.  In the case of
the Godhead,  worship has to do with two things particularly. 
First the creative acts of God, and secondly the redemptive acts
of God.  Incidentally the ten commandments reminds us of both of
those acts of God.  

In Revelation 9:20 we find a picture of those who refuse to
worship God even with the plagues taking their lives.  

In Revelation 11:1 those who are worshipping are judged
(measured).  

In Revelation 13:12 and 15, an evil power attempts to force the
world to worship Satan's emissaries on earth.  

In Revelation 15:4 all nations come to worship before God.  

In Revelation 19:10, and  22:8,9 the holy angel that is guiding
John, refuses to accept worship, but points him to God instead.

Perhaps from this we begin to get a view of the importance of
worship.  As we go through this study, we need to keep one thing
in mind.  Let us not argue about  worship.  Instead let us
worship.  The way we worship is neither right or wrong based on
what we always have done.  So let us seek a Biblical
understanding of what worship is and how to do it.  

As we begin working with our text, I just want to briefly talk
of  the angel.  Angels are messengers.  In Revelation 1:20  "The
mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and
the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are
the seven churches.

In Revelation almost all angels are carrying messages.  But in
chapters 2 and 3,  angels are receiving messages.  As we look at
the context there, the angels in those verses are the leaders of
the churches.  So I believe that in Revelation at least, the
concept of a physical being carrying a message is frequently the
same as the message itself.

So I believe that the messages of the angels in Revelation 14
are the same as the angels.  I hope that makes sense to you.

If that is true, then the message can be and will be carried by
God's people who understand the message and teach it.  

With that said, we need to look at the message again.  

Revelation 14:6  Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who
dwell on the earth; to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people;

7  saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him,
for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made
heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."

The message is called the Gospel.  Now you know Gospel means
Good News.  And this is good news for all of humanity.  This
good  news is so good that is brings us to worship God, give 
glory to Him, and reverance (fear) Him.  

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for
it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

The gospel is the good news that we, without merit, without
strength, without righteousness, receive all of that through the
life and death of Jesus Christ.  We receive the treatment He
deserved because He received the treatment that we so richly
deserve.  

What more glorious reason to worship can we have?  

 Yet besides that, we were created by Him.  We are sustained by
Him.  He proviiides our food, air, and water.  

So worship is a proper response for our very existance.

Now I know the next thought that is going to go through some of
your minds.  It will  probably be some form of the question,
"How are we supposed to worship?"

To answer this we should go to the scriptures and find examples
of worship by God's children.

The first indication of worship in the Bible is found in 
Genesis 3:8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in
the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of
the garden.

Evidently, before sin it was God's custom to come and visit face
to face with His children in the evenings.  In my mind I can
imagine some of the conversations that went on.  God showing our
parents the wonders of His creation.  Then answering the
questions that they might have had.  Or perhaps just sitting in
silence with their backs against a huge redwood watching the sun
go down.

Whatever may have happened, it brought them closer together.

Then sin came.  Instead of personal conversations face to face
with God, the system of sacrifices became a way of
communication.  

Let's move down to the time of the Exodus.  The Isrealites have
gathered around Sinai.  They have been instructed that they were
going to see God's glory the next day.  They were told to clean
their houses, and their bodies for the contact with their God.  

On the appointed day, the mountain was surrounded by a fence to
keep the people off of it.  God appeared in lightning, peals of
thunder, and a loud voice.  The people were terrified.  "Moses,
make him stop." they cried out.

You remember how Moses then went up into the mountain to receive
the laws of God.  When God sent him back down after telling him
what was going on, Moses found  the Isrealites partying  around
a golden calf.  Ex 32:6  Then they rose early on the next day,
offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the
people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

17  And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they
shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp."

18  But he said: "It is not the noise of the shout of victory,
Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I
hear."

19  So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the
calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast
the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the
mountain.

Contrast the two scenes.  A confrontation with God literally put
fear in them. So they devise their own worship.  It involved
offerings, and peace offerings.... not bad. And a meal.... 
still not bad.  Then after the meal they rose up to play, sang
loudly, and dance.  If they were following the common practices
of many types of pagan worship, this probably involved sexual
activities, also.

They made a god that they could worship in ways that they wanted
to worship.

Next, go with me to Mt. Carmel.  Once again we have a contrasts
of worship types.  Elijah is having the showdown of the century
with the priests of Baal.  Baal was supposed to be able to bring
rain, and nourish the earth.  But he had been strangly absent
for 3 1/2 years.  No rain.  Nothing green left in the
countryside.  Baal had failed.  

Elijah gives the priests a last chance to get in touch with
their god.  They build an altar and began worshipping their god.
 They dance around the altar and shout and cut themselves.  But
Baal is asleep.  Elijah cries out to them,  "Shout a little
louder, he may be in his bathroom and can't hear you."  The
priests go into a frenzy.  At the end of the day, hoarse,
bleeding, tired, Elijah tells them that they have had their
turn.  Now he will pray to Jehovah.  He arranges the altar and
sacrifice.  He pours barrels of water over it.  Then he kneels
and quietly prays that God will reveal himself to this
hardhearted people.

Fire comes down out of heaven and devours the sacrifice, the
wood, the stones of the altar, and the water around the altar.

Again, two styles of worship contrasted. 

What other examples of worship do we find in scripture?

Here's where it gets interesting.

David danced before the Lord.  And  the Lord approved.

Deuteronomy 12:12 Gods people were instructed to rejoice before
the Lord.

They were instructed to eat before the Lord from time to time.

In their worship they were to read the words of the scriptures.

Isrealites were to bring sacrifices (offerings) when they came
before the Lord on many occasions 

Next time we will look at styles and practices of worship, and I
promise, I will make most of you uncomfortable.

But to the point of our study today:  Christian life is about
worship.  It is not about a few hours a week in church following
rituals.  It is not about the type of song, or the way we sing. 
Worship is about a heart so in tune and so grateful to God for
being Who He is that  we are compelled out of our heart to honor
Him in every way possible in our life.  

True worship does not happen just on Sabbath morning, but it is
a lifestyle of the converted heart.  And that conversion will be
reflected in our worship together each week.

1.  Do I understand what true worship is?



2.  I am so thankful for God's goodness that joy flows from my
life in response?



3.  It is my desire to glorify God in every area of my life?