UNITY IN WORSHIP Lesson 11 for December 15, 2018

God is worshipped by heavenly beings, and He is eager for our worship from Earth too. To worship God means to acknowledge His greatness and majesty, to understand that He is the Creator and we are His creatures, and to admit our own unworthiness, helplessness and dependency on Him. It also involves accepting God’s control on our lives. A call to worship: Worship in Heaven Worship on Earth False worship United in worship: Studying the Scriptures Communion and prayer

WORSHIP IN HEAVEN “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) To worship the Lord is to give Him the glory and honor He deserves. Heavenly worship is an act of gratitude for everything God has done: “for You created all things […] and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Rev. 4:11; 5:9 NIV). The sacrifice of Jesus is the heart of worship. The heavenly beings worship God because He has redeemed us. We should also worship Him and give Him thanks for our redemption! In worship we give to God adoration, reverence, praise, love, and obedience because we believe that He is worthy to receive them.

WORSHIP ON EARTH The last message from God to mankind has two parts: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (Revelation 14:7) The last message from God to mankind has two parts: Those who have not accept the eternal Gospel will fear this message Those who have accepted the Gospel will admire and respect God. We will “have boldness in the day of judgment” (1 John 4:17) Fear God, because He judges the world This is an allusion to the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) The final crisis will revolve around worship: worship either God or the dragon Worship the Creator

FALSE WORSHIP “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’” (Revelation 13:4) Satan has wanted to be worshipped like god since his rebellion (Isaiah 14:13). He tempted Jesus to worship him as the prince of this world (Matthew 4:8-9). In the End Time, Satan will try to force everyone to worship him through the beast and its image, under death penalty (Revelation 13:14-15).

FALSE WORSHIP (REVELATION 13-14) “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’” (Revelation 13:4) We can compare the false adoration in the End Time to the experience of Daniel’s friends. TRUE WORSHIP (DANIEL 3) FALSE WORSHIP (REVELATION 13-14) “We do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” “who worship the beast and his image.” “Then [they] were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” “[They] shall be tormented with fire and brimstone.” “[God] delivered His servants who trusted in Him.” “and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image.”

STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) We may worship God in private, but worship is mainly a community action. Our voices join in songs of worship like the angels’. We also worship God when we study His Word together. By studying the Bible, we learn about what God has done for us, how we should live from now on and the Second Coming of Jesus. The more we study the Scriptures, the more encouraged we are to worship our Creator and Redeemer together.

COMMUNION AND PRAYER “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) The Church is united in one doctrine, and we must spend time together, encouraging one another and remembering the teachings of Jesus. Then our unity is strengthened in Christ. Praying together is another important aspect of Church. What should we pray for together? To worship God (Acts 4:24) For receiving power (Acts 4:30) For solving our issues (Acts 12:12) For other’s wellbeing (1Tim. 2:1) For the preaching of the Gospel (Eph. 6:19)

“The church of God below is one with the church of God above “The church of God below is one with the church of God above. Believers on the earth and the beings in heaven who have never fallen constitute one church. Every heavenly intelligence is interested in the assemblies of the saints who on earth meet to worship God. In the inner court of heaven they listen to the testimony of the witnesses for Christ in the outer court on earth, and the praise and thanksgiving from the worshipers below is taken up in the heavenly anthem, and praise and rejoicing sound through the heavenly courts because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam.” E.G.W. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, cp. 44, p. 366)