Torch, Spring 1992

are totally dependent. We see that He alone can meet our ultimate needs. Christ taught us to pray: "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). The provision of food is only one way by which God meets our daily needs. As creatures made in His image, only He can fill our emotional, psychological, mental, and social voids. We cannot live apart from Him. In genuine adoration, we confess Him to be our sufficiency. The Psalmist encouraged the people: "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker" (Psalm 95:6). The apostle Paul declared that Christ should have the preeminence in all things because He is both our creator and redeemer (Colossians 1:15-18). When Christ calmed the stormy wind and the turbulent sea, the apostles "worshiped him, saying, ' Of a truth thou art the Son of God '" (Matthew 14:33). Awareness of God as creator produces awe and wonder in His creatures. We often fail to worship God properly because we have lost our sense of awe. We are not impressed when we see the grass grow, when we smell the fragrance of a rose, or when we hear the chirps of robins. We fail to relate these phenomena to God. We take them for granted, and in so doing we take Him for granted. We are more impressed with modern technology than we are with photosynthesis. We take pride in the inanimate conveniences of life which we have developed. But only God is the source of life-both physical and spiritual. We have procreated life, received from our parents and derived from the first human pair created directly by God. We have spiritual life when we are birthed into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12). In true worship, we praise His creative power and wisdom. 5 . In true worship we exalt the triumphant Christ. John next saw a seven-sealed scroll, a document which probably symbolized the right to rule as earth's king. The apostle then heard an angel questioning: "Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" (Revelation 5:2). No angel or man was deemed worthy to do so. In his grief, John began to weep. Just imagine a future without hope, a world in which right would never overcome the wrong. However, one of the elders told John to stop weeping. There was one, and only one, who was worthy. That one was Jesus Christ, the promised "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David" (Revelation 5:5, cf. Genesis 49:8-10, Isaiah 11 :1-2). He prevailed, overcame, gained the victory. He conquered the evil powers of darkness led by Satan. By His substitutionary death on the cross and His resurrection, He has made possible the removal of the effects of sin within the human race and the created environment. God gave to humanity, namely to Adam, dominion over the planet. However, we lost that total dominion through sin (Genesis 1:26-27). We have polluted the air, land, and water which God graciously provided. We have fractured our human relationships through abuse, murder, and divorce. We live in mortal, corruptible bodies subject to disease and death. We presently live in a way God did not intend us to live. In true worship, we extol Him who alone has the right and power to set things right, to bring order out of moral chaos, and to fill our lives with dignity and purpose. We thank Him for restoring us to personal wholeness and for liberating us from the sinful tyranny of self. In true worship, we focus our attention on the heavenly throne and on the Victor (Hebrews 2:5-8). He is our hope, our confidence, our future. In true worship, we praise Him because we will one day have immortal, incorruptible bodies. We sing His worth because we will live with Him forever in a world of righteousness and love. 6• In true worship we confess Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and we see ourselves as redeemed sinners. When Christ took the sealed scroll, all heaven erupted into an anthem of praise. The redeemed rejoiced: "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10). In true worship, we focus on Him-who He is; and on the cross-what He has done for us. We praise Him for His death in our behalf. We understand that He satisfied totally the righteous demands of God for our sin. We recognize that He suffered torment that we might be rescued out of the jaws of Hell. In true worship, we affirm our oneness in Christ. All racial and ethnic groups are among the redeemed. In true worship, there can be no racial or ethnic prejudice. Black and white believers are equally accepted in the Beloved. Chinese, Mexican, and English are equally justified by divine grace through faith . The apostle Paul testified: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). In true worship, we glory in the Savior, not in self. We glory in what He has done, not in what we are doing. We are impressed with the Savior whom we worship, not with our service of worship. In true worship, we can sing with the heavenly choirs: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12). God is seeking true worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Will He find you in that group? May we all bow before Him in true worship. May we all taste that heavenly experience. Dr. Robert Gromacki, professor of Bible and Greek and chairman of the Department of Biblical Education, is completing his 32nd year at Cedarville College. He has authored 13 books and writes the column, "Bible Questions Answered," in Confident Living magazine. -~,_,..