Heavenly Worship

The Apostle Peter tells us of a day “in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul continues this train of thought. “Now if anyone builds on this foundation [Jesus Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

What kinds of works will be consumed by the fire and what kind will be purified through the fire? John succinctly tells us. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

So then it becomes apparent that we are encouraged – even commanded – to keep a loose grip on the things of this world. But why? In reading the book of Revelation, one cannot help but see that the atmosphere of heaven is one of continual praise and worship. God is so worthy of our praise! Worship is how we are called to live our lives. Again, it is not merely a song or a tune so much as it is to be a lifestyle. Without question, it will be our way of life for all of eternity, so should we not give God all the glory both now and forevermore?

While it is true that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10,11; cf. Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11), not every soul will do it out of joy. When confronted with the glory of the Lord, we will be able to do nothing but bow down in adoration of the Maker of Heaven and Earth. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). That fear need not be fright so much as reverence.

In His last prayer with His disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed in part, “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). We are given the opportunity to be with Jesus right now and to behold His glory. Azariah prophesied, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). Seek the Lord now, and it will pay dividends throughout all of eternity!

True Worship

Who doesn’t want to live in the will of God for their life? In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus reveals the kind of worshipers whom God is seeking. So how do we worship God in spirit and truth?

The answer to this question ties in with Hebrews 13:16 where the author, after urging believers to offer the sacrifice of praise to God, reminds us to “not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” James wrote that “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

Through the prophet Hosea, God said, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). Matthew records Jesus’ use of this verse twice when responding to questions from the Pharisees (Matthew 9:13, 12:7). The Pharisees were some of the outwardly most pious men ever to walk the face of the earth. But their righteousness was simply a veneer to cover up their own iniquities. They did all of the right things to be righteous by the standards of the law but, as Paul wrote to the Romans, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

Don’t be as the congregation of Jerusalem, of whom God said, “these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts from Me” (Isaiah 29:13). “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him,” (2 Chronicles 16:9). We should be making our very best effort to please Him in everything that we do so that He will show Himself strong on our behalf!