Sunday Sermon - Prince - Worship God
Worship God
We live in culture where different things capture us and we begin to worship and idolize them. We loose sight of God. John
Verse: Revelation 19:10
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters[a] who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus
John in his experience was awed and lost sight of God. He fell down to worship the angel. And the angel directed him back to worshiping God.
There are several things that misguide us..... This could be worship of nature or another person or even ourselves.
Worship of Nature worship
Verse: Romans 1:23
23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
Worship of Man
Verse: 2 Timothy 3:2
2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
There are three kinds of worship that misguides us
- Ashtereth
- Chemosh
- Molech
Verse: 1 Kings 11:33
33 For Solomon has[a] abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight. He has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as David his father did.
Ashtoreth
This god in the past represented the worship of lust/sexual sins and the worship of war. We don't call this behavior - Ashtoreth.... but this is very evident in our culture today.
God wants us to remove all this
Verse: Exodus 34:13
13 Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles
This removal is important because it will bring destruction through seduction.... Like Jezebel in Ahab's life.
Verse: 1 Kings 16:33
33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.
Seduction involves manipulation like she took over Naboth's vineyard. She manipulated Ahab and caused him to do this grave evil.
Chemosh
Chemosh means destroyer or subduer. He was the god of the Moabites. The spirit to dominate and subdue people by oppression. But our God gives power to the powerless.
Verse: Isaiah 40:29
29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
The source of our power may come from our success, skills, and experience just like Moab
Verse: Jeremiah 48:7
7 Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!
God wants us to be confident in Him. Look at David who was the King of Israel.... He had all the power and wealth. this is his prayer
Verse: Psalm 131
1 Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—now and always.
Molech
Children were sacrificed to this God. If we as parents do not see that our culture is targeting our children, we are blind. Please open your eyes and pray for your children.
Verse: Jeremiah 32:35
35 They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!
If we are not intentional about directing our children to love God, then we are figuratively speaking ..... we are sacrificing them to the evil culture of the world.