THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP

Our focus this month of our 30 days Fast is on worship; we want to explore the limits and the depths of the power of worship. Knowing who we worship and how we worship him is very crucial. In John 4:22, Jesus said to the woman of Samaria, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” Jesus was speaking to a woman from Samaria, a people who according to 2 Kings 17:41, practiced syncretism at a time.

WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT YOU, BUT ABOUT GOD We easily get obsessed with ourselves, our needs and our personal desires during worship that we tend to lose sight of what worship is about. Worship is not about us, but about God. He is the object of our worship. The worship of God requires strict focus and attention on the Almighty. In Revelation 4:9-11 and 5:8-10, the Lamb of God was the object and focus of worship by the celestial beings. Only the Lamb of God who died on the cross for humanity deserves our worship. In a similar vein, Isaiah’s worship was to the King who was sitted on the throne (Isaiah 6:1-5).

Our text in 2 Kings 17:41 says of Israel that, “they feared the LORD, yet they served their own gods.” That is typical of many of us. We consciously or unconsciously indulge in syncretism as they did in Israel in verses 33,41. In 2 Kings 17:36-37, Israel was told who they were to worship, “But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, him you shall fear, him you shall worship, and to him you shall offer sacrifice. And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which he wrote to you, you shall be careful to observe forever, you shall not fear other gods.” This means that worship must be to a specific deity.

WORSHIP IS TO WHOM IT IS DUE, THE LAMB OF GOD Some come to church, but they still worship other images, which is syncretism. It must be stated clearly that we worship the only one true God, who died on the cross and now sits on the throne in heaven. We do not worship God through any medium, but through the Holy Spirit alone. We do not worship any angels, saints, shrines, relics or religious personages. We do not worship God through any prophets or so called seers. When John wanted to worship and angel of God, the angel told him not to worship him, but to worship God (Revelations 19:10; 22:8, 9). Our allegiance and worship is to God alone; our God is sufficient for us.

The Psalmist says, “For this God is our God, for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to death” (Psalm 48:14 KJV). The true God who died on the cross of Calvary is the only one we worship. Our God is a jealous God and will not have us bow down or pay allegiance to another God (Exodus 20:4, 5).

HOW WE WORSHIP: we worship God in the Spirit. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

We worship God in sincerity of heart and purpose (John 4:24).

We worship God in holiness (Leviticus 10:1-3).

We worship God in hymns and songs and melody (Ephesians 5:18, 19).

We worship God in prayer and fasting (Acts 13:1-3; Luke 2:36-38 NLT).

We worship God through his word (1 Corinthians 15:1-3).

We worship God by partaking in the Holy Communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

We worship God by honoring him, in reverence, and holy fear. (Revelation 4:8-11).

We worship with our tithes, thanksgiving offerings and sacrifices (Psalm 20:3).

We worship the one God who manifests himself as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Our object of worship is sufficient, capable and worthy of all our honour and praise. We worship him because of who he is.  We worship him for what he has done for us at Calvary and because of all his wonders in creation. He is more than sufficient for us, no other deity is worth our worship.