"Come And Worship”

“Come and Worship”

January 19, 2020

Luke 4:1-8

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

Deuteronomy 6:3-18

Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.”

This morning I want to talk about something you are very familiar with. It is something you probably have done most of your life. It is something that people all over the world are doing. It is worshipping.

Now, you probably think you know all about this subject – but the Jewish people didn’t. The followers of Jesus’ day didn’t. I think most people in our day do not have a correct understanding of the subject either. Our hymnals are called “Praise and Worship”. Most churches call this period of time on Sunday morning, the “Worship Service”. But I fear many – even most – get it all wrong. So I want to take a look at this familiar subject and see what God has to say about it.

First of all, you need to understand that is a command; it is a requirement. Jesus, when the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness was tempted by Satan to worship the wrong thing. Listen,

“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:5-8

Last week I used this Scripture as an illustration of ‘looking ahead’. This morning I want to use it in a different context. I want you to see Jesus’ response. “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

He was quoting Duet 6:13. It says, “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only…”