You Shall Worship the Lord Your God (Matthew 4:8-10)
Introduction:
1. This morning we showed how "God will help when we are tempted." 2. On this occasion Jesus showed how hiding God's Word in the heart will help us to face temptation successfully (Psalm 119:11). 3. In our lesson we are concentrating on Scriptures that relate to the Lord's instruction to worship the Lord your God. Discussion:
I. THE SCRIPTURES EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF "WORSHIP"
A. Worship: to prostrate oneself, to bow down before, to pay reverence to, to adore B. This definition of worship is illustrated in Psalm 95:6. II. ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, WORSHIP IS ONLY TO BE DIRECTED TO GOD
A. Worship is not to be directed to: 1. Satan (Matthew 4:8-10) 2. man (Acts 10:25-26) 3. idols and images (Acts 17:29) 4. angels (Revelation 22:8-9). B. Worship is only to be directed to the Father (John 4:23-24).
III. THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL THE LORD'S REQUIREMENTS FOR WORSHIP
A. God is to be worshipped "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24). 1. "In spirit": to worship from the heart, to be sincere, to have the proper attitude and disposition 2. "In truth": according to God's will as it is revealed in the New Testament. 3. These guidelines are extremely important because it is possible for a person: a. to put his heart into his worship without following God's will b. to participate in the right acts without having his heart in what he does. 4. To illustrate how God can be worshipped incorrectly,: a. Cain did not offer true worship to God (Genesis 4:3-5; Hebrews 11:4) b. Nadab and Abihu did not offer true worship to God (Leviticus 10:1-3) c. the Jews in Malachi's day did not offer true worship to God through the animals they offered (Deuteronomy 17:1; Malachi 1:12-14) d. some of the Jews who lived during the Lord's ministry did not offer true worship to God (Matthew 15:7-9). 5. Acceptable worship is offered to God "in spirit"and"in truth." B. Concerning the acts of Christian worship, the New Testament Scriptures authorize: 1. "praying" (1 Corinthians 14:15) 2. "giving" (1 Corinthians 16:1-2) 3. "eating the Lord's Supper" (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 20:7) 4. "teaching the Scriptures" (Acts 20:7; 2:42) 5. "singing" (1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). C. Concerning the time for worship, the church is to assemble "on the first day of the week." 1. Christians are to participate in all the acts of worship on the Lord's Day. 2. The Bible specifically teaches Christians to eat the Lord's Supper and to give on the Lord's Day. 3. However, the church may assemble daily to participate in the other acts of worship (Acts 2:46). 4. Worship assemblies are not to be forsaken (Hebrews 10:24-25). Conclusion:
1. Thanksgiving is a good time for us to be reminded that God provides "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). 2. Worship is one of the many special blessings that God provides. 3. Let us remember the Lord's statement in Matthew 4:10 -- "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."