I know this is the new year but this article is the culmination of a consistent 52 weeks of Bible perspective blog articles*. I started the 2023’s blog effort offering explanations of how I became a born-again Christian and then spent the rest of the year attempting to point out the reality of the “narrow gate” and the Gospel as explained by the Bible.
Everyone’s path is different (though ladened with some key similarities) but the “walk” should lead to the same objective as a Christian. I hope that just maybe, someone out there is closer to God and has come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
I’m working on a talk about a Christian subject and what has burned in my heart for about 20 years. It’s related to two of my friends from church who committed suicide. I have a grievance with what was the focus of the church in which I was a congregant and how the leadership of the church restrained the full acceptance of the Bible as God’s inspired word. I don’t know if my friends had a saving faith in Christ because digging deep into the Scripture and treating it as objective truth was not promoted in that branch of religious idolatry.
This is one of the reasons I continue to post weekly spiritual insights focused on the narrow way (Matthew 7), for all the people who God desires to be saved. God is holy, righteous, just and our Creator and the judge over our souls, but God is also truth and love. I believe it is the love of God through Christ that would keep people from taking their own lives if they found themselves in the hell of believing life was futile.
The futility comes from trusting those many people, things or ideals we use as surrogates which are not worthy of our highest reverence and worship. That leads me to this week’s subject to develop a better understanding of how worship is integral to human nature.
Worship
One of the attributes of being a human being is we have an enormous propensity to worship.
It’s clear from a Biblical standpoint since God created man in His image that the deepest human desires can only be fulfilled by a proper relationship to the Creator.
In everyday practice, however, the world being what it is, people are drawn to worship virtually anything. We are wired to worship.
First Mention of “Worship“
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. – Genesis 22:4-6.
I found the first use of the word worship in the Bible comes from the story of Abraham and Isaac, when God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience.
I’m glad that I found this because it saves a lot of my own meandering trying explain what worship should be and what are important parts.
Abraham is the model for a man who has faith in God. He is tested in obedience to God’s instructions to sacrifice his only son. Abraham was not part of a big church congregation with heretical teachers telling him what to do and what to think.
He communicated directly with God and you as a believer in Christ can also supplicate directly to God. You also have the advantage of the Bible and its contents of over 1600 years of preserved insights and prophecy that were all inspired by God which includes Abraham’s story.
Now that sounds like a pretty terrible precedent, having to sacrifice ones son, I get that, but keep in mind, it was not God’s desire or will to sacrifice Abraham’s son. God tested Abraham’s faith. Abraham was also saved by faith. Nevertheless, one can say that Abraham had to very much understand the consequences of NOT following the will of God and that fear was such that whatever he must do, it was to ultimately fulfill God’s will and plan.
Wow! Talk about a clear channel of communication with God. Not only was God’s voice clear to Abraham, but if that last order to stop the sacrifice didn’t come Johnny-on-the-spot…
11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. Genesis 22:11-13
Nevertheless, this remains a stark example of how obedience to God needs to be of the highest order, without any other of our worldly things, people or ideals being raised to the same level or higher. The consequences of not adhering to this rule is idolatry, the breaking of the 1st of the Ten Commandments if not the 1st and 2nd Commandments (thou shall have no other gods before me and thou shall not worship or bow down to any created things aka graven images).
Is it possible that we can suffer lapses in judgment and break the Commandments? Of course. Abraham did himself. Yet there is a difference between the decisions made by someone who is repentant and takes God’s instructions seriously and those who do not consider God’s will at all or worse yet, in spite of God’s will.
In order to know what God’s will is, one needs to study Scripture with an intent to be obedient and that can only happen if, before anything else, one comes to Christ as Lord and Savior. I’ve written this many times in different ways, but let me try to add more color to this ideal of worship in the context of some popular icons of my generation’s American culture.
We Worship Who (or What) We Glorify
Forgive me for these manly cultural specific examples but here it goes…
(image source: portraitsofbadassery.blogspot.com)
How about Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry? Why did we attribute glory and worship to a character like Harry Callahan (or whichever Eastwood character)? “This is a 44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world. It will blow your head clean off…”
Why did we as young men growing up in the 1970s dig on that? That character had power, so much power we might want to emulate a man of power, if not glorify him. Callahan was a strong independent character with a clear sense of moral justice, and an utter disdain for bureaucracy. We revere and FEAR a man, especially one who expertly wields power with deadly accuracy.
How about someone who is a less a threat to your person, but a glory to young men of our generation?
Paul LeMat as John Milner in American Graffiti. I hardly know any guy of my generation that doesn’t venerate John Milner. Why? He was another strong good guy and on the edge of dangerous. You never know when the guy is going to pull a prank by pulling down your pants, slapping you by surprise instead of shaking your hand, risk getting in trouble with the law like no one else, but at the same time he’s loyal. He’s able and willing to defend his friends when they are getting beat up. Plus, he owned one of the most venerated cars in motion picture history, the “piss yellow” 1932 Ford 5 window coupe. None of us would ever admit feeling more like Toad than John, but that is why we glorify and worship a character like John Milner and his 32 Ford coupe.
One more peace time character that will touch home with a lot of you – Ronnie Lott the All Pro Safety of the San Francisco 49ers who played during Joe Montana’s turn as QB. Why pick Ronnie lot instead of Joe Montana for this example? Defensive players are more unrestrained when it comes to delivering physical punishment and Lott had all the attributes of a fearsome defender: smart, quick, and most importantly, he hit HARD. Opponents would fear passing the ball near him, even running near him. So we revere, glorify and worship fearsome men who can deliver punishment, especially when it’s on a football field.
The NFL is an example how people are wired for worship. The NFL in general understands this and hypes everything and anything including theatrical special effects used to mimic a small shadow of heavenly power and glory like when players come out the field and anything else to help play to the fans’ desire to worship. Underneath it all is victory and defeat that occurs after amazing athletic performances of players despite the ever present threat of punishment.
Is the NFL evidence of how the human mind would prefer to practice worship? Everything from packing tens of thousands of people into a stadium full of raging noise to having the memorabilia at every corner so that no one can deny your fan dedication. Your fan identity will inspire ridicule from those of opposing teams’ fans, however, the conflict rarely gets violent, unless you are a SF Giant’s fan in LA Dodger’s parking lot.
It’s much more difficult to conceptualize the One who speaks creation and kingdoms into existence, judges all, and has the ability to destroy it all with one word.
I think you guys are getting it, maybe. I’ll try one more though I know are a multitude of people who we revere, glorify and consequently worship. Remember, glorification goes hand-in-hand with worship. I know many of the Airborne and Special Ops guys have their own favorites, I’m a submariner so I have to pick the one submariner who is ranks among the most revered in the submarine world.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a legendary person who served his country with distinction, fought courageously and lost his life in combat. Dudley Walker “Mush” Morton captain of the USS Wahoo (SS-238) was a US Navy submarine officer in the early part of World War II. Not only did he carry a larger than life persona, but importantly, he was the first submarine skipper to use innovative tactics which substantially improved submarine target-approach efficiency contributing greatly to the lethality of the Silent Service in WWII.
Despite his shortened career, Morton and the sailors of the Wahoo are credited with sinking 19 ships for about 55,000 tons.
His Executive Officer, Richard Hetherington “Dick” O’Kane, who became the skipper of the USS Tang (SS-306), adopted the operational tactics he learned from Morton and further refined them. O’Kane and the sailors of the Tang set a record sinking 33 ships totaling 116,454 tons.
It was a commonly held view that the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet submarine force was the critical factor in shortening the war with Imperial Japan.
Morton’s initiative produced a paradigm shift in the Pacific War. Not only was he deadly as a submarine commander, but he had an aggressive I don’t give a lick attitude towards the enemy who had the United States on its heals. He broke the mold of the pre-WWII submarine captains and outdated tactics. Morton’s hatred for and aggressiveness against the enemy resonated with the nation’s need for victory and a hero to glorify.
Decades after he helped turn the tide of the war in the Pacific in WWII, we, as submariners, revere, glorify and worship this man who would be the forerunner of many aggressively successful US Navy submarine skippers in WWII and a heritage to the Silent Service.
Glorify, Worship, and Fear God
It is easy for us to worship and glorify who we can see, but it is not so easy to give reverence to the invisible God, the Creator or Heaven and Earth who was able to bring Creation into existence by His speaking.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus – 1 Timothy 2:3-5
God is so serious about sin, 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 6:23
God was also serious about sending a Savior and to be known by man.
He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? – John 14:9. This is only one verse but there are several verses where Jesus explained that He only does what the Father (God) wills. Therefore, we are to get our best glimpse of who God is through Jesus in addition to all the references to God throughout Scripture.
The Bible is the manual that prepares one to understand the God whose force-of-will keeps everything together. The laws of physics were part of creation and the moral law is also a reflection of God’s goodness and righteousness. God desires you, who was made in God’s image, to get a handle on the relationship between your sinfulness and God’s offer to redeem your sins through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible is replete with warnings about the necessity of taking the humble, obedient, and reverent approach to the overwhelmingly (way off the charts) powerful creator God and how merciful such a gift of Grace He extends through Christ. With some commentating, here are selected passages from the Bible related to the English word “Fear” (which could use a broader understanding) and our relation to God’s and His will.
4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” – Jesus teaches, Luke 12:4-5. Yes, the fact is, the most dangerous entity you need to be concerned about is God. The Bible is replete with warnings and exhortations.
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.– Hebrews 10:30-31. After death in this life, there is the judgment and a second death for those who show to court without being redeemed through Christ, or in some cases the likes of innocent fetuses, infants or children deemed worthy of God’s love and mercy.
27 “Then He saw wisdom and declared it;
He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
28 And to man He said,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” – Job 28:27-28. Academic knowledge only doesn’t cut it, one needs to be obedient to God’s will.
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant. – Psalm 25:14. Truth will be revealed to those who have faith in God and are obedient.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever. – Psalm 111:10. Unless you fear the Lord, the Scriptures and the world in general will not make much sense and you are likely creating your own god, an idol of your imagination and breaking the 1st and 2nd Commandments.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:7. The ultimate and potentially tragic “I told you so” waiting to happen.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate. – Proverbs 8:13. Self-righteousness and self-glorification warning, God is going to beat it with an ugly stick.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death. – Proverbs 14:26-27. God will provide, and you also need to take the long view of eternity. The long view is indispensable and the hope we rest in.
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. – Isaiah 11:1-2. This is a prophecy of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Rod) via the blood line (the stem) of David through lineage to Mary and of Kingship through David’s lineage to Joseph.
“Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God. – Isaiah 50:10. The Spirit sees all the sinful generations moving in darkness and calls on those who will receive God’s gift of grace. The phone is ringing, are you answering the call?
21 ‘Hear this now, O foolish people,
Without understanding,
Who have eyes and see not,
And who have ears and hear not:
22 Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.
‘Will you not tremble at My presence,
Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea,
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?
And though its waves toss to and fro,
Yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
23 But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;
They have revolted and departed. – Jeremiah 5:21-23. A note for posterity sake to the obstinate Israelites of Judah who God warned multiple times prior to the judgment against them. Much like the “northern” kingdom of Israel taken captive by the Assyrians about a 100 years before (approx. 700 B.C.), Judah was the “southern” kingdom that became steeped in pagan idolatry and self-righteousness having neglected their covenant relationship and miraculous blessings of the Lord. God used the Babylonians to execute His judgment by conquering Judah and taking them captive out of their homeland approx. 600 B.C. for about 70 years).
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GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR WORSHIP
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. – Hebrews 9:26-28. There is no second death for those who place their entire trust in the Lord. There is certainty.
ABOVE ALL, GOD IS WORTHY OF ALL GLORY AND WORSHIP
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For a detailed explanation of who Jesus Christ is from the Bible’s perspective go to the video in this website , “Who is Jesus Christ?”
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
CKY
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Note: *Because I started the 2nd week of January 2023, 52 weekly articles end the 1st week of the new year. Such is life. The first week will be the last of the previous year’s articles.
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