LEARNING DAILY

 

Revelation 22:8-9, Now I, John, saw and heard these things.  And when I heard and saw, I fell at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.  Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that.  For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.” (The emphasis is mine.)

 

Dr. Ed Newton, the Lead Pastor at Community Bible Church, finished his sermon series on The Revelation this weekend. The series has been very good. Yesterday, he was talking about heaven; two different portions of Scripture jumped off the page of my Bible at me.

 

Notice in the verses above John was so overwhelmed at what he was hearing and seeing about the New Jerusalem and what heaven was like that he once again bowed to worship the angel.  The angel, again, would have none of the worship John wanted to give him.  The angel told him he was also included in all “of those who keep the words of this book”.  That would include you and me! There are those who would try to lift up angels and worship them; they do not want that. John must have confused the messenger who was showing and telling him The Revelation with the One who had sent the message and his immediate response was to worship.

 

The angel told John to worship God. If we stop and take time to consider what He has done for us worship has to be our response.  Mankind always wants to worship something and history has shown that takes the form of something that can be seen.  During the exodus, the people made a golden calf to worship.  The people of Israel throughout the Old Testament brought the wrath of God upon them because they made idols of stone and wood and worshipped them. Today, people still worship people and things before they worship God.

 

The Revelation is about those events that are still to come.  Paul said Jesus was going to come soon in Philippians 4:5. Obviously “soon” is not our time schedule.  Dr. Newton has said many times in this teaching series, “If we stay ready (for when He returns), we won’t have to get ready.”  I like that!  The question is how do we stay ready?  The answer is found in the verse we are examining – Worship God! I go back to Romans 12:1-2 to find out the answer to how we do this. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to god which is your reasonable service (worship). And do be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  We do this by submitting to God and living the way He commands us to live.  My favorite way of explaining this is to walk on the narrow way that leads to His kingdom and eternal life.  God wants us to worship Him alone and to serve Him as best we can.  Worshipping Him is the way you and I are to live our lives. It is staying ready for His return. 

 

I wish I could tell you when the Lord was coming back for His Church.  Until He does worship Him with the way you live your life.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  That is “your reasonable service (worship)” and “that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”