THE FEAR OF GOD AND WORSHIP

by Jim Carnes

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters." - Revelation 14:6-7

And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED." - Revelation 15:3-4

And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. - Revelation 19:5-6

Who are We to Worship?

From these three passages from the revelation of Jesus Christ the answer is:

How Are We To Exalt Him?

Why The Emphasis On The Fear Of God?

When I read these three passages I am struck with their emphasis on the fear of God and its relationship to worship. When I consider the characteristics of God that are mentioned I understand why. Why should we worship Him with fear?

  1. Because He is the Judge of all the earth. The Scriptures remind us that He has fixed [Matt 10:15] a day in which [Ps 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42] He will judge [Matt 24:14; Acts 17:6] the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has [Luke 22:22] appointed, having furnished proof to all men by [Acts 2:24] raising Him from the dead. He is an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Judge. There is nothing about you and me that escapes His notice; there is no where that we can go to escape His judgment; and He is able to judge us in accordance with His wisdom and power. Therefore we should worship Him with awe and reverence.
  2. Because He is the Creator, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters; whose works are great and marvelous. Paul speaks so eloquently in his warning about those who do not worship the Creator (Romans 1:20-25). 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. Why should we worship the Creator with fear? Because idolatry is so easy. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
  3. Because He is the Lord, the Lord our God, the Almighty. It is no idol that we worship, no imagination of the depraved minds of humanity. The One whom we worship is the Lord our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is omnipotent - the Almighty, who is called righteous and true, who is designated the King of the nations; who alone is holy, the one who reigns over all. He is a jealous God who will be worshipped according to His own standards. Remember the stories of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1-2), of Saul and Samuel (1 Sam. 15:18-26), of David and Uzza (1 Chr. 13:5-15). Remember the worship of God by His angels in the book of Isaiah: Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. Remember their worship in Revelation 4:31-33: Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God, the Almighty, Who was and who is and who is to come. The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him (Hab. 2:20). When you reflect on this revelation of God Himself the only right response is doxology, but doxology with awe and reverence. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth (Ps. 96:9). Fear God, and give Him glory. - Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? - Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.

The writer of the Proverbs reminds us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7). Also, the fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility (Prov. 15:33). May the Lord bless this brief meditation to lead you from growth in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ to humble adoration and worship with fear of the Lord our God. Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth for ever and ever! Soli Deo gloria

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