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Truth Rightly Divided| Worship God The Father!

Rarely do we hear a message, worship service, or prayer where someone is not giving all honor and praise to Jesus the Son and rarely God the Father. Now, don't misunderstand.

For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 2 Peter 1:17

The Father gave Jesus honor and glory. The Father gave these because of what Christ did for us. Did Jesus ASK for glory, honor, or praise for himself? Let's see who we should be praising according to scripture.

Jesus Tells Us To Worship The Father

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. Matthew 4:10 ESV

Jesus told Satan to worship the Father. So why do we worship Jesus? I know. You might be thinking I'm speaking something contrary or devilish. Am I not showing you scripture?

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:21-23 ESV

Again, Jesus says the true worshippers will worship the Father, not the Son. This might be a stretch for some, but Son Worship may stem from the ancient Sun Worship. Remember, Jesus did not come so we would worship him, but to ransom us through the sacrifice of himself.

Jesus always points us to the Father. If Heaven's intent is for us to give and receive everything to and from Jesus, why would Jesus even mention the Father? We often talk and worship as though the Father (and the Holy Spirit for that matter) is an afterthought. “Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit and our salvation. That's all we need”.

This is incorrect. It is the Father who sent the Holy Spirit. AND it is the Father who sent Jesus!

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!Luke 11:13 ESV

When Jesus said “I will send you another comforter…”, he meant the Father would send the Holy Spirit, but in his name. So many people chanting, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…” seeking the Holy Spirit when the Word is clear. Ask the Father and He will send the Comforter (John 14:26)!

Jesus did not come to do his own thing, establish his ministry, build his fame, magnify his own name. He came to do his Father's will.

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” John 4:34 ESV

Jesus Came To Return Us To The Father

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

Christ's mission was to return humanity to the Father. Everything Jesus did was to this end. Even the words of Jesus was the Father's. Again…

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” John 4:34 ESV

And…

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” John 14:10

Even The Apostles Understood

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5 ESV

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6

The Apostles understood that all things are done for and by the Father. For this reason, they knew to worship the Father and that the Father gave them the power to do the works of Christ in Christ's name.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 3:14

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Ephesians 5:20

In The Name Of Jesus

This might need its own article. Still, I will mention it here. Most believers treat the name of Jesus as though it is a magic word. ‘In Jesus name' is not an incantation that summons powers from another dimension.

When a representative from Washington visits another country, its in the name of the President. They don't walk in proclaiming “In the name of President …” It is understood who they represent. As believers in Christ, the Father and the powers of Darkness know who we represent.

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. Acts 4:18

Do you think the Apostles said “In the name of Jesus…” every time they spake to multitudes? Or did the rulers know and understand in whose name they spoke? And again…

And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. Acts 9:29

Did they boldly say “In the name of Jesus!” or did they speak boldly as his representative? Remember the sons of Sceva?

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? Acts 19:13-15

Of course, the spirits knew Jesus. They knew Paul, not because Paul said “In the name of Jesus” every time he preached or prayed for someone. It is because Paul was a true representative of Christ. So everything Paul did for the kingdom of God was in Jesus' name!

The sons of Sceva thought by calling the name of Jesus, they could do the same works. If you continue to read Acts 19, you'll see this is not how it works.

The True Worshippers

The true worshippers will not be worshippers of Christ, but the Father. Many might take offense at this statement because we have always been lead to worship Jesus. Yet this practice cannot be found anywhere in scripture!

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10

Jesus does not feel slighted in any way by this. Remember, he TELLS US to worship the Father! To deny this is to deny the very words of Jesus!

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24

Man's Traditions or God's Word

Beloved of God, the issue is this. Would you rather follow man's traditions or obey The Word? Many things are done today because of traditions brought in by men who crept in.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:4

“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” And he said unto them, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:7-9

We have only a few centuries of truth compared to over a thousand centuries of error during the Middle Ages. No matter what we are taught, we have a commandment from God to study, lest we are made ashamed. Not before men today, but before all of Creation at the end of days.