My Lord and My God #2

Welcome to The Truth Pulpit with Don Green, Founding Pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hello again, I'm Bill Wright. It is our joy to continue our commitment to teaching God's people God's Word. Today Don is continuing with the second part of a message we started last time.

So let's get right to it. Open your Bible as we join Don now in The Truth Pulpit. Now, one final point for this whole series, and the series went longer than I expected it to when I started. And as it often happens when I finish a book of the Bible, when I'm about to finish a lengthy series, there's a bittersweet aspect to my heart right now as we enter into this final point. It's a blessing to contemplate the glory of our Lord, isn't it? For every true believer in Christ, to contemplate the glory of Christ is the highest exercise of our human faculties. And so to contemplate finishing it and moving on to other important matters of faith in the days to come, still it's a little bit wistful to stop here, but we stop at the pinnacle.

We've climbed to the top of Mt. Everest in our contemplation of the Lordship of Christ now. In light of everything that we've said over the course of these weeks, this is the obvious and only conclusion, and you see it exercised in Scripture as well. If Jesus is God, eternal God in human flesh, then He is entitled to our worship. To ascribe to Him, to bow to Him in worship, in adoration, in submission, ascribing the highest place of all.

Point number seven here in the series, establishing the Lordship and Deity of Christ, it's number seven. Jesus receives divine worship. He receives divine worship. He receives worship that is ascribed to God Himself. Now, the Bible has a highly defined concept of worship, and worship is to be given exclusively to God and to God alone. It's one of the Ten Commandments that we studied a year or two ago. In Exodus chapter 20, verses three and five, we read this.

God, commanding the people of Israel in the moment, but setting down terms of the moral law that apply to all men everywhere at all times, says this. He says, you shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not worship them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. Okay, this is found foundational to the moral law that God alone is to be worshiped. We are to worship God. We are to worship only God. We are to worship no one else. And God says, I'm jealous about this. I defend this with my power. The name of God, the person of God, the essence of God is sanctified.

It is set apart. So that there are no competing claimants to our worship and our devotion. God says, don't have anyone else in that place. Don't worship anyone else. Don't serve anyone else. I'm a jealous God.

I take this seriously. Now, when you read in the New Testament, you find something very interesting here. I'm going to give you three different examples of it. Whenever someone is wrongly ascribing worship to the wrong being, they are immediately rebuked and told, stop that.

Do not do that. I want to take you to the three passages, two in the book of Acts, one in the book of Revelation. Turn to Acts chapter 10 with me. Remember, our overarching point here is that Jesus receives divine worship. God says, don't worship anyone else but me.

And in the New Testament, you see that wrong worship is immediately rebuked. Acts chapter 10. Let's start in verse 24. I want you to preach to a man named Cornelius. And it says in verse 24, on the following day, they entered Caesarea.

And Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. Verse 25, when Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. He ascribed a glory to Peter. And what did Peter do? Verse 26, Peter lifted him up saying, stand up. I too am a man. In other words, Peter says, don't do that. I am not an object of worship.

I'm a man just like you. I'll fulfill what the Lord sent me here to do, but you are not to worship. You are to worship me.

That is a wrong ascription of worship. Peter stopped him in his tracks as soon as it began to happen. Look at Acts chapter 14. It happened to Peter. It happened to Paul. You could say the two leading apostles in the book of Acts.

Look at the full context so you can see where people would go astray here. Verse 8, Acts chapter 14. Now at Lystra, there was a man sitting who could not use his feet.

He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, stand upright on your feet.

And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowd saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices saying in Lyconian, the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men. They were ascribing deity to Paul because of the miracle that they had just witnessed.

And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of Zeus.

We are men of like nature with you. And we bring you good news that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. Stop this worship. It's misdirected. Don't do this. Don't engage in false worship.

We're men just like you. They refused. For the worship to take place. The apostle John in Revelation 22.

Same thing. Revelation 22. Here, John is the one offering the misdirected worship. In verse 8 of Revelation 22, the apostle at the conclusion of all of his revelation and visions and the record of it all says in verse 8, I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. He was in the presence of a supernatural being. And he fell down to worship an angel.

But the angel said to him, verse 9, you must not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers, the prophets and those who keep the words of this book. Don't worship me.

Yes, I'm an angel. We're of a different order, but we're just servants of the living God together. Don't worship me.

Worship God. In perfect keeping with Exodus chapter 20, he corrects John who by this time was thoroughly exhausted by all of the revelation and fantastic visions that he had seen. It was all overwhelming to him.

He had to have been somewhat disoriented in it all. The angel says, stand up. Don't worship me. We worship God alone. And so we see again and again and again, wrong worship is immediately rebuked, immediately corrected, and those who are on the receiving end of it are appalled at the thought and stop it in its tracks. This is what happens when wrong worship takes place. It's immediately rebuked.

Now, beloved, that leads us naturally into this kind of concluding question for our time together in this study. What happens when worship is directed to Jesus? When men worship Jesus, how does Jesus respond? Well, he accepts the worship. He accepts the worship, and the Bible affirms it as being a proper response to the person of Christ. The same Bible that says you shall have no other gods before me, you shall not worship them or serve them, the same Bible that says that describes worship being directed to Jesus and doesn't correct it. Indeed, it affirms it.

That could only be right. That could only be proper if Jesus Christ is God himself. After the resurrection of Christ, the disciples worshiped him. Look at Matthew 28. We read about the resurrection of Christ in the first 10 verses of Matthew 28. The Jews try to concoct a story to deny it in verses 11 to 15.

Now we go to verse 16 in Matthew 28, and we read this, Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. What's Jesus' response to that? Does he rebuke them like Peter did, like Paul did, like the angel did?

Nothing of the sort, beloved. If ever there was a time for Jesus to rebuke his disciples, it would certainly be when they worshiped him if he was not God in human flesh. If he's God in human flesh, then their worship is perfectly correct and proper. Jesus responds to the worship and says to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Yes, you worship me correctly.

I have all authority. And based on my authority, verse 19, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name, singular name, one name of God in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons, three conscious persons, all sharing in the single name, the single essence, the single glory of God. Teaching them to observe, verse 20, all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. They worshiped him, and he expanded on the propriety of their worship.

He didn't rebuke them. Look at Luke chapter 24. Again, after the resurrection, Luke 24. Let's start in verse 44, because this will kind of bring us full circle to where we started on this as we talked about how the Old Testament laid the foundation for our understanding of the lordship of Christ. Then he said to them, then Christ said to his disciples, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

Now watch what happens here in verse 45. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He supernaturally illumined their minds to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures to which he had just been referring. So there was a soup.

Oh, this is so important. He opened their minds. What happened next is the question. When God opens someone's mind to the truth of Scripture, what do they do? Verse 46, he said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things, and behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

He opened their minds. He reiterated the gospel to them that the Christ would suffer and be raised on the third day. And in response to that sacrificial penal atonement that he accomplished for his people at the cross, he would go out and preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all the nations. This is a colossal moment in redemptive history. Christ is risen from the dead. His disciples are in front of them. He supernaturally opens their minds and places in them, so to speak, the fullness and a summary of the very gospel itself. And with that fullness of mind, he says, you go out into all of the nations starting right here in Jerusalem. I mean, this is, I mean, this is utterly colossal. This is cosmic in its significance. You're witnesses that I've just supernaturally equipped.

Go out and do it now. And what happens? Verse 50. He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And while he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

Now, beloved, what comes next comes from those whose minds had been opened to understand the scripture. Christ had deposited understanding in their minds and told them, you are witnesses to go out into all of the nations and to proclaim this eternal gospel. And they watched as he ascended into heaven.

What did they do? What was their response to that? Verse 52, they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. These men, chosen by Christ, witnesses of Christ, illumined by Christ, their minds supernaturally opened, and with those supernaturally enabled minds, they didn't make any mistake. They worshiped Christ. Jesus receives divine worship. Now, that's the disciples collectively.

We've looked at this several times over the course of this series. One last time, let's go to John chapter 20. John chapter 20, you see it in Matthew, you see it in Luke, you see it in John. Verse 24, I won't apologize for reading this yet again, because we have here, illustrated in the life of Thomas, what saving faith looks like. Could we ever talk about the elements of saving faith too much? Could we ever talk about the glory of Christ too much?

Could we ever talk about the appropriate response of worship to him too much? John 20, verse 24, Thomas, one of the twelve, called the twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord, but he said to them, Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here, and see my hands.

Put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Christ presented himself to Thomas in his resurrection.

He said, Thomas, I'm right here for your personal verification. And he commands him, Do not disbelieve, but believe. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, Acts 4-12 says. Actually, Acts 16-31. And what does Thomas do in response to a direct command from Christ who is in his immediate presence, and who is obviously leading him out of unbelief into belief? How does Thomas respond? Verse 28, Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God. He worshiped him. He places Christ in the throne of his heart and bows down and worships him. Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me?

Blessed are those who have not seen and have yet believed. Jesus, in other words, here's what Thomas says. He affirms Thomas's belief, and, beloved, Jesus Christ accepts the worship that Thomas ascribes to him. Thomas said to Jesus, You are my Lord and my God. Jesus does not rebuke him like Peter, like Paul, like the angel. He affirms it.

He accepts it. Only God could rightly accept worship like that. How can Jesus do that? He's eternal God in human flesh. Beloved, what we've seen over the course of these weeks, we've seen not simply that Jesus is Lord, but we've seen such an extensive statement from Scripture of the grounds by which we make that confession. You need to know these things for yourself.

You need to be able to rehearse these things in your mind for yourself. You need a faith that is grounded not in emotion. You need a faith that is grounded not in some kind of silly experience. You need a faith that is not grounded simply in what your parents taught you or teach you.

You need a faith that is grounded in Scripture itself and the abundance of testimony that Scripture makes to these things. Beloved, because when Scripture speaks to us in these things, something is happening. The Spirit of God is doing something in our hearts. It is imparting true faith to us. The Spirit of God is revealing Christ to us and calling us to believe in Him in a saving, submissive way that yields ourself entirely to Him in a wholehearted response of lifetime worship, because that's what you do in the presence of eternal God in human flesh.

Romans 10 17 says, Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Only God can save. Only one with the attributes and power and authority and essence of God can save a sinner who's rebelled against God Himself. And Scripture calls on us to believe Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. And the promise of Scripture is you respond to Christ like that, you will be saved.

Beloved, do you believe? Have you called on Christ like that for your own salvation from sin? May the Spirit of God help you to precisely that point. Let's pray together. Lord, we bow before you. With Thomas, we say, My Lord and my God, others can deny your deity, Father, if they must. Lord Jesus, others can deny that you are one with the Father, if they must. We stand apart from them. We separate ourselves from them.

We will not go with the idolatrous crowd. Your Spirit has led us to the truth, the truth that you are eternal God in human flesh. We bow in worship. We pray that you might open the eyes of the hearts of those who, like Thomas, have not yet believed. Father, lead them and command them through your word. Stop disbelieving.

Stop your unrepentant ways. Oh, Spirit of God, work in their hearts and call them with an internal, irresistible call that says, Now it is time for you to believe and draw them to the Son whom you glorify. Father, continue to lead us and continue to build in us a Christian mind.

There is a God. Scripture is true and Jesus is Lord. May those unshakable, foundational truths set the course and trajectory for the remainder of our lives under the influence of your Holy Spirit, we pray.

In Jesus' name, amen. That's Don Green here on The Truth Pulpit. And here's Don again with some closing thoughts.

Well, thank you, Bill. And my friend, I want to let you know of a special ministry that we have at thetruthpulpit.com that's very near to my heart. We have a ministry to those who are in prison.

And in the nature of life, sometimes we have loved ones that go astray and find themselves behind bars and spending significant time in incarceration. Well, we have a ministry to them. We send them transcripts of messages that I've preached from The Pulpit of Truth Community Church. We do it on a weekly basis.

They get mail every week. If you have a loved one in prison that you would like to have us reach out to in that way, do me a favor. Go to our website, thetruthpulpit.com. That's thetruthpulpit.com. Click on the link that says About, and you'll see a dropdown menu that will take you to our prison ministry. You can fill out the form and we'll be happy to respond and then join in with you in ministering to that one who is outside the normal course of society. So that's thetruthpulpit.com, the About link for our prison ministry.

That will do it for today. We'll see you next time on The Truth Pulpit. That's Don Green, founding pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thank you so much for listening to The Truth Pulpit. Join us next time for more as we continue teaching God's people God's word.