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Well, good morning. Please stand for the reading of God's word. What a privilege it is to come into our assembly with the express intention of worshiping the Lord. I want to call to your mind a few verses on worship. Exodus twenty beginning in verse one. Then God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above, or on earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

Now I want to read to you an excerpt from John chapter 4. John chapter 4, beginning in verse 19. The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when neither in 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 an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

For such people, the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Let's bow. Heavenly Father, we do come before you, worshiping you, bowing before you. Father, it is our desire to worship you in both spirit and in truth.

We know that you are spirit, and that we must worship you from our spirit in the spiritual realm, and that this will show up in everything we do and say and manifest itself in the physical realm. But, Father, we know you desire truth in the inward parts. You desire truth in our confession, truth in our sincerity.

Father, we must worship you because you truly are the only one who. Who is worthy of worship. And so we come before you today, bowing our hearts, confessing and repenting of our sins. Father, knowing that such is not an expression of worship to you. But Father, we do recognize that even repentance is worshiping you.

And so we come before you, confessing you as God and King, whose standard is right and true, who has made a way for us to come into your presence, even though we are sinners and in need of forgiveness. So, Father, it's in the name of Jesus that we come before you today, and we want to exalt you to the highest place.

We want you to have the dominion over our lives. We want you to have the seat of the highest devotion and the seat of the highest affection. And, Father, that is something that comes from you. It's not something that comes from us. It's something that you grant through your Spirit.

And so, we ask for that this morning. Thank you for all those who are assembled here. May we grow in being true worshipers this morning for your glory, for your grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Once again, good morning. Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 22. We are thoroughly in the thick.

Of the conclusion. Revelation chapter 22, I want to read to you verses 8 and 9. Revelation 22, verse 8. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

But he said to me, Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren, the prophets, and of those who heed the words of this book, worship God. Question. But I want each of you to ask yourself right now: who is it that holds the highest seat of devotion and affection in your life?

Who is it? Honestly, who or what is it that holds the highest seat of devotion and affection in your life? Well, Scripture is very clear. If there's one thing that's clear in Scripture, it's that all of us were created to worship God and to worship Him alone. No other gods before Him.

No one is to have no other gods before Him or her. That's life 101. How are you doing? All of us were created to worship God and Him alone, and this means that without a doubt, God deserves the place of the highest devotion and the highest affection of every human heart in this room, every human heart in our community, every human heart in our country and globe, earth.

This is the standard for every one of us. Every person, past, present, and future. This is their purpose. You were born to worship him. But you have to be reborn to do it. And the Bible gives us this account of how God restored the worship of himself in humanity.

We're looking at this little mini-section here between verses 6 and 9. Let me just read verse 6 to you. And he said to me, This is the angel speaking after giving John two tours: the tour of the great harlot and her destruction, and Babylon the Great, and how.

It would meet its demise, and also a tour of showing John the wife of the Lamb, the bride. And he said to me in verse 6, These words are faithful and true, and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his bondservants the things which must soon take place.

Everything written in Revelation is being referenced here, and all of it is written to his bondservants, written to bondservants, so that bondservants will do what bondservants do, and that is, be good stewards of them. Steward the words. And then in verse 7, we looked at the last couple of times.

And behold, I am quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book. How are we to be good stewards of God's words that he has given to us in Revelation? Well, number one, we are to live expectantly of Christ's return. We've looked at that.

Second, we are to heed the words of Revelation. And third, we are to worship God. We are to worship God. And that is what the book of Revelation has much to say about. The book of Revelation is a wonderful book on what true worship is about. Perhaps next to the Psalms, it's one of the Most insightful books about true worship and what true worshipers are to be doing.

Who they are to worship, how they are to worship. But it also completes John's theology of worship. John has much to say about worship. In fact, you remember, and I read it a few moments ago, in John chapter 4, John began to articulate his theology of worship. He recorded a significant dialogue between a woman there at a well in Samaria and Jesus about worship.

And in that dialogue, Jesus made two things very clear that day. Number one, God wants to be worshipped. He is not indifferent on this matter. God wants your worship. And he doesn't want it because he's some egocentric maniac. He wants it because it is right and it is good.

It is good for you. And he's not indifferent on this matter at all. Second thing Jesus made clear that day is that God is actively seeking true worshipers. Not only does he want to be worshiped, he's actively seeking those who will be his worship. True worshipers. You remember John 4:23, Jesus said this, but an hour is coming, and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

For such people, the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. God, the Father, He's the seeker. He is the one who wants to be worshipped in spirit. He is spirit. His essence is of a spiritual nature and not a physical nature.

And therefore, those who worship Him must bow down to Him in spirit. And this is more than just a feeling of adoration or a warm feeling. It is the idea of worship is bowing down with the intent to kiss the feet. It's the highest expression of regard, the highest expression of greatest respect.

And so when you worship, when we're thinking about worship, just simply think it is bowing down before. That's a good, simple understanding. It's bowing down. And so those, because God is spirit, those who worship him must worship him in spirit. They must bow before him in their spirit, in their heart, in the innermost part of their being.

We must worship him in the realm of spirits. And such a worshiper will manifest a bowing and a yielding to God in the physical realm. But it begins in the spiritual realm of bowing. And what God is looking for is a worshiper who truly bows before him in heart in every circumstance that that person may find himself or herself in.

That's what he's looking for. This condition of the heart is what a true worshiper is all about. It's about bowing before God in all circumstances. This is what he is looking for: a true worshiper, one who will, no matter where he or she is, will yield up an appropriate expression of worship.

Whether that's here or someplace else, it's always appropriate. But there's another realm that Jesus made it clear: that we must worship him. We must worship him not only in spirit, but also in truth. Not only is God to be worshipped in the spiritual realm, he is to be worshipped in the truth realm.

And what this means, he needs to be. Worshiped according to reality without pretension, without doubting. And worship, true worship, can only be given to one who is truly worthy of worship in truth. There is no one else on planet earth or in the heavens or on the earth or under the earth or anywhere at any time that is worthy of worship save God alone.

And so those who must worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John also made it very clear that the one born of God fundamentally overcomes the world. He says this quite explicitly in 1 John 5:4. He says, Whatever is born of God overcomes the world.

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. Why is that? Because whoever is born of God worships God. This reconstitution of God's throne in man's heart means that God Himself is the highest. And whoever is born of God naturally overcomes the world because such bow to God and not the gods of this world.

You've heard of Star Wars? Let me tell you what we're caught up in: worship wars. This is what human existence is all about: worship wars. This is what you are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Worship wars. But whoever is born of God will overcome the world because they worship God.

And what do they overcome? What do we are to overcome in the world? We are to overcome all external pressures and all internal temptations to elevate something else to the highest seat of our devotion and highest seat of our affection. That's what the world is going to throw at you.

Outside pressures, internal temptations to elevate someone or something else above God. Worship wars. And bowing down to God shows up in the full spectrum of life. True worshipers are always worshiping. And when they fail to worship, Worship, guess what they do? They're convicted and they repent, which is also an expression of worship.

They ask for forgiveness, which is also an expression of worship. This is the disposition of a true worshipper, and this is what God is seeking. I can't help but address some of our worship leaders, our music team, this morning. And I plan on doing that just because this is where the text is, and so much of our lives are centered around our corporate worship assemblies.

And so I'm going to make a lot of statements in this category today. But it's certainly by way of direct application, but also by way of indirect application, even if you have no place, or if you're not on the platform or part of the leading the worship service, yet there's still very much application here.

But if you're not a true worshiper in your daily life, guess what? You cannot lead true worship. Coming up on a platform doesn't make you a true worshiper, doesn't make you a true worshiper anymore. More than crossing an ocean makes you a missionary. You've got to be a missionary before you cross the ocean if you're going to be a missionary across the ocean.

You've got to be a true worshiper before you come up on the platform if you're going to be a true worshiper upon the platform. And of course, this points to me as well. A true worshipper is always worshiping. And every once in a while they step up onto the platform.

And this is what we need here in our church. We need true worshipers. God is seeking true worshipers. We need true worshipers leading God's people in true worship. Revelation is a wonderful book about worship. John's theology of worship is greatly expanded. There's many more specifics, many more details given, and it completes the picture of worshiping.

And our text this morning that we already read gives us a nice vantage point to survey this completed picture of Revelation, this completed picture of true worship in John's theology. So, this morning, I want you to see who we are not to worship. I want you to see who we are to worship, and then I want you to see how we are to express our worship.

But the command is very clear: worship God. Worship God. Look back at verse 8. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. So, here again, John is bowing down to worship the angel.

He's so overwhelmed, just like he was back in chapter 19 and verse 10, he's so overwhelmed by what he heard and saw that he threw him down in a posture of worship to worship this glorious angelic being who revealed all of this to him. We'll look at the angel's response here in just a moment, but let's pause for a moment and look at who we are not to worship.

Already, at this point in Revelation, there have been clear instructions on who and what people are not to worship. We're not to worship demons. Revelation 9:20 says this, The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons.

And the idols of gold and silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. So, not only did we not worship demons or the work of our hands, we're not to worship the beast, or the inhabitants at the time are not to worship the beast.

Revelation 14:19 says this. Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast in his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

You get the message: humanity is not to worship the beast or the dragon or the demons or the works of their hands or gold or silver. Why not? They're not worthy of it. Simple truth. You must worship in spirit and in truth. None of these are worthy of worship.

We cannot worship anyone else. No one else is worthy of being worshipped. Neither man or created thing. You know why? Because all owe their existence to a greater one. All of creation and everything in creation, every created being owes its existence to one greater. So we cannot worship someone who is not worthy.

Plain and simple, that's not right. None of these entities are worthy to be worshipped. And this truth applies to one more category. It's in our text this morning. Fellow servants. We're not to worship fellow servants. We know we're not to worship demons, not to worship the work of our hands, we're not to worship ourselves, we're not to worship those in government, nor the beast, nor any other entity.

We're not to worship any of these. And specifically in our text, we're not to worship fellow servants. Look at the angel's response. Verse 9. But he said to me, Do not do that. See to it, very, very aggressive, see to it that you do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours.

Of your brethren, the prophets, and of those who heed the words of this book, worship God. Don't do that. Two observations about the angel's response I find fascinating. First of all, notice what mighty fellow servants we have. Here is this angel, this mighty one that came out of the temple, a few remember.

This is one of those angels in the closest proximity. He is one with that bowl, judgment, maybe the seventh bowl. This is an awesome figure, an awesome being. The powers of hell could not stand against such as these. This is a mighty, mighty angel. And yet he refers to himself, I am a fellow servant.

I am a fellow slave with you. Add that to your angelology. These angels are fellow slaves with us, giving glory to God and serving his people. They too are in the same enterprise as we are. And we have different capacities and different stations. But a same purpose. These, what mighty servants, comrades God has given to us.

Rejoice. Admire them. Be thankful for them, but do not worship them. Second observation that I find fascinating about the angel's response is this great temptation that there is to worship fellow servants, especially the high-profile ones. There is a great temptation. Even John the Apostle is bowing down, and not only once, but twice.

This is the second time he has done this. This may be one of the greatest threats to a healthy church, and that is the worshiping of fellow servants. One of the greatest threats may be that we, among the church, there might be those who grow accustomed to receiving worship, and there might be those who are accustomed to worshiping.

I say this because you think about this. John didn't bow to the pressures and temptations of his. Time. Think about what John didn't bow to in his lifetime. He didn't bow to his industry, to his job. He gave that up to follow Christ. He didn't bow to the religious establishment of his day that rejected Christ.

He followed Jesus to the cross, to Jerusalem. He didn't retire. He didn't bow to the God of ease, but kept on ministering in his old age. And he didn't bow to the civil authorities who were pressuring him to deny Christ. He remained faithful to Christ and imprisoned. That's why he's writing this and where he is.

He didn't bow. He didn't, and as church tradition says, boiled in oil for a point in his great persecution. He didn't bow to any of these, and yet here he is bowing down to a fellow servant. This indeed may be one of the greatest threats to a healthy church.

The angel was simply doing what he was commissioned to do. And then John began to worship him for it. And the angel couldn't have. Couldn't avoid the situation. He had to do his job, show John these things. However, the angel could confront the situation, and which he did.

You see, the angel had no desires for the affections of Christ's bride, and neither should you or I. And neither will any true worshipers. We don't want the worship, we don't want the affections of the bride. The friend of the bridegroom doesn't want to marry the bride. The best man is happy to see the bridegroom be married to the bride.

He doesn't step in and want the affections of the bride. It's unthinkable. It's unthinkable in a human realm. It's unthinkable in the angelic realm. The angel came to serve the bride, not to marry her. We must do likewise. If we are going to be a church that is going to avoid this temptation of worshiping fellow servants, two things must happen.

Number one, there must be those who refuse to be worshipped, even in the slightest degree. It's not about your way, not about my way. It's about his way. It's not about us being seen. It's about him being seen. It's not about our wisdom, but his. It's not about our skill, but his.

So there must be those who refuse to be worshiped simply because we're not worthy of it. Second, there must be a reluctance to worship. And it's easy. I'm looking at John and how he bowed again at one of this majestic, high-profile fellow servant of his. Do not think that God is going to bless a church where people are worshiping someone else other than him.

Friends, this is real. I've seen this in my own heart. It's easy to get among the club and to start really esteeming other great servants. And all of a sudden, if you're not careful, you could begin to worship them. And they can start taking the seat of your highest affection and devotion.

Now, this does not mean that we can't compliment one another. It doesn't mean that we can't show appreciation for one another. And we should. It doesn't mean we can't express gratitude. But all such expressions must recognize that God is in the work. We are thankful for the comrades.

We are thankful for angelic beings. We are thankful that God has given us a wonderful army of comrades in the faith. And we should express gratitude for them and encourage them, but it should never spill over into worship. A true bondservant does not want to be the center of intention.

A true bondservant, a true worshipper, a true leader of worship wants Christ to be. You see, being a bondservant isn't about our station in servants, it's about our devotion and our affection. Let me say that again: being a bondservant isn't about our station in the service, but our devotion and our affection.

I hope you do not want to marry Christ's bride. I hope you do not want the affections of Christ's bride, but I hope that you will help her express her affections to her true husband, the one who is truly worthy. Worthy of worship. Worship is not about our station in life.

Worship is about our devotion and affection for God. So we have a we understand who we are not to worship. The angel also makes it very clear who we are to worship. Look at the end of verse 9: Worship God. You worship God. You put God into a state of worship.

You put God into that state of admiration, into that highest seat of devotion. That's where God belongs, and that's what the angel is telling John. You put God in that highest seat of your devotion and affection and your awe and your amazement and your gratitude and your reverence.

The command's explicit. Set God as the object of your worship. That's what we are to do. Nothing else, no one else. Simple command. And it doesn't mean we don't honor those that God has placed over us, but we do so out of a greater. Honor because of who God is.

We are to never, I love that. You know, you say you never say never. I can say this. Something you're never to do. You are never to put yourself into a state of worshiping anything or anyone else other than God Himself. Friend, this makes life easy, by the way.

Simple, anyway. Maybe not always easy, but simple. So you're never to put yourself into a state of worshiping anyone or anything else other than God. You are also to never let anyone else put you or pressure you into such a place either. We are not to allow ourselves to be put in the state of worshiping somebody else or something else because of external pressure or because of internal temptation.

Look, you are called to worship the true God. And this means giving him dominion over everything. This includes your pet sins, or as the world might call them addictions. They are too foul. This is life 101. Exodus 23, you shall have no other gods before me. This is what God wants.

Exodus 20, verse 5, you shall not worship them or serve them. You are to worship God. This is what the angel says: Worship God. Who is God? The one sitting upon the throne and his Lamb, who is there with him. Both receive worship from the heavenly hosts, and both are to worship or to receive worship from the humanly hosts.

Revelation chapter 4 and chapter 5, as we're coming to an end of Revelation, we're looking at these kind of vistas where we've been and this key concept of worship that is developed throughout the Bible and clearly brought to an ending point here in the book of Revelation. But chapter 4 and chapter 5 are two key chapters about worship.

They clearly define who is to be worshipped and why. Revelation 4:9, let me read a few of these verses. And when the living creatures, beginning in verse 9, and when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, to him who lives for Forever and ever, the 24 elders will fall down before him who sits on the throne and will worship him.

Who? Father God. Why? And they will cast their crowns before him, saying, Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created. Who is to be worshipped? The one who sits on the throne, Father God.

Why? Because he is the creator of all things. Everything owns their existence to him. Revelation 5:8 says this. Also, when he had taken the book, speaking of the Lamb, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Not only do these living beings and the 24 elders fall down before the one who is sitting upon the throne, but also the Lamb who is there in the midst, the Lamb who looks like he was slain.

They bow before him, and they say this in verse 9 of chapter 5. And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom of priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne. And the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

Who is to be worshipped? God the Son, Jesus Christ. Why? Because He is the Redeemer. God is the Creator. He is the Redeemer and co-creator. He makes them, those He redeemed, into a kingdom of priests. It was God who created, it is God who redeemed. Both are worthy of worship because they are things that only God can do.

And therefore, God alone is to be worshipped. Worship God. So, what does worship from the heart actually look like? In other words, how are we to express our worship? Well, that's what we want to look at next. Revelation tells us who we are not to worship. Revelation tells us who we are to worship.

And Revelation tells us how we are to express our worship. I want to read to you Revelation 5:13. Summation of those two great chapters of chapter 4 and chapter 5, those two great chapters of worship. Revelation 5, 13 says this: And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and all the sea and all things in them, that encompasses our realm wherever we may be.

All things in them. I heard saying to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion. Blessing, honor, glory, and dominion. This is how we are to express our worship. Notice again the object: to him who sits on the throne and to his Lamb.

Four ways true worship expresses itself. Four ways true worshipers will go about worshiping God in all of their circumstances. Blessing, honor, glory, and dominion. You see, we are to be blessing God. We are to bless God in all circumstances. We are to eulogize. That's the word, eulogize him.

We are to speak well of him. We are to. Praise Him. We are to yield expressions of esteem. Why? Because He's worthy of it. We're not. Life is about blessing God. Second, we are to honor God, complete reverence. We are to honor Him, give tribute to Him. Think about it.

If you go to a birthday party, it's like a party given to, we had a Sweet 16 party recently, and people brought a token, a gift. Some did. A token of honor. That's what it is. A tribute to the person. When you come to a birthday party or some kind of party like that, you often will bring a tribute, an honor, a token of your appreciation for that person or celebration of that person.

So we are to bless God. We are to honor God in all circumstances. We are also to give Him glory. Give Him glory. He is the one that should be showcased, not us. That's what glory means. Letting him be the one to be showcased. Let him give him the place of fame.

Give him the place where people will direct their attention to him. That's what true worship looks like. Yielding honor and glory, letting him be seen. You think about what do we do like with a graduation ceremony? We'll be celebrating graduation. I think people are probably in town or will certainly be coming into town to celebrate their son or daughter graduating.

What is a graduation ceremony about? Well, it's about acknowledgement and giving glory to an individual for showcasing them, magnifying them for their accomplishment. That's the idea of glory. Well, what worship is about, what true worshipers do, is true worshipers give glory to God. They want Him showcased by the things they say, by the words they say, by the things they do.

They want God to be showcased, magnified. So life is about blessing God, honoring Him, glorifying Him, and yielding dominion to Him. Verse, look at that, well, again, dominion. The idea, we are to gladly welcome his reign and rule over us in all circumstances. To welcome his kingship, his rulership.

And this is unique in humanity. This is because humanity has rejected his rulership. It's only through the work of Christ and the redemption that he brings about is the throne of God restored to the heart of mankind. Only through his work is God put into the seat of the highest devotion and the highest affection.

That's what it means to be a kingdom of priests. We welcome his rule. That's what true worshipers do. They worship, they bless God, they honor God, they glorify God, and they give him dominion. Not just at high points in life, but this is who they are. And they're growing in these expressions.

How are you doing? Who are you worshiping in these worship wars that are all around us? I can tell you what. You're born to do. It's to worship Him. And you worship Him by blessing Him, by giving honor to Him, by glorifying Him, and welcoming His dominion over you, no matter where you are, forever and forever, forever and ever, for all time and in all circumstances, throughout time.

That's what a true worshipper is. That's what God is seeking. True worshipers. So, how should these truths impact our lives here at Emmanuel? Well, individually, this should impact us, and I hope that you have enough to understand how this should impact our ways, our life as individuals. I hope we will all be people individually who bless God, honor Him, glorify Him, and yield to Him in all things and at all times.

And when we don't, we ask for forgiveness and again get back and keep going. But I want to spend the next few moments, time that are remaining, applying these principles specifically to our worship services here. Our worship services. We refer to our Lord's Day gatherings as worship services, don't we?

Therefore, think about what we're saying. This is a worship service. This is an assembly. We've come out from the community. We've gathered here to worship, to provide a worship service. Therefore, stands to reason, doesn't it? That this ought to be a worship service, a kind of worship service that God is looking for.

Everything that ought to go on in our gathering this morning needs to be an expression of true worship from true worshipers. Think about the importance of this worship service, not just for this local body, but throughout the centuries. It has been the Lord's Day services that have been key, critical to the life of the church.

We gather the first day of the week. Why? To celebrate our Lord's resurrection. New covenant, better sacrifice. One who has made it through the curse. We meet to remember. We meet to celebrate. We meet to edify one another. We meet to promote the worship of the true God upon earth.

That is what we are doing. There isn't another entity that's commissioned to do this. This worship service is fundamental to the life of the church. And if we do not get this right, I can assure you we won't get anything else right. There'll be a trickle-down effect. We need to give attention to what we're doing here this morning in our worship service and other services.

Think about our church gathering this morning as an assembly of true worshipers. That's what God is seeking. That is really what we say we're doing. So, how do we better do this? Well, I want to talk to you about three levels of worshipers who play a role here this morning.

Three levels of true worshipers. There's, first of all, the servants, participants. You're participating this morning. This is everyone. You who are part of the audience, you are to come ready to worship. You should already be worshiping, but you should come ready to worship. You should come ready to bless God, to honor Him, to give Him glory, and to welcome His rule in greater measure.

So, no matter who you are, this is the purpose of coming to a true worship service. So, come ready. To participate, come rested, both spiritually and physically. Listen, I think your preparation for the Lord's Day should start the day before. Don't stay out till 2 a.m. and then show up here and think somehow you're honoring the Lord.

It's more, no, give thought to. Be rested physically so that you're giving this time the best time. Come rested spiritually upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. Let your anxieties go. Call out to Him. Trust that He will answer and meet every need. He knows He's got this.

Come rested spiritually, physically. Come in the right spirit. Come with the posture of a disciple. Bring your Bibles. Dress. Let the way you dress be a tribute of honor to Him and the gravity of the situation. Greet our guests. Show hospitality. Greet your fellow servants. Encourage your fellow servants.

Be mindful of your fellow servants and be mindful of how God might use you to encourage them. This is how you come ready to worship. Make sure your guests, our guests and fellow servants, have a seat. Make sure they have a parking place. Wave to them. Be glad to see them.

This is an assembly that is meeting to worship. Leave behind the cares and concerns of the world and come. Take a holiday, a holy day. Let the Lord's Day be a holy day where you take off, leave the cares, come and worship God. So be a true worshiper as you participate in our worship service.

All of us are service participants. There's another category of people I want to talk to you about, and those are service organizers. And these are all of those who play a role in preparing for a service. There's a lot of planning that goes into it, by the way.

The program, what's going to happen, speakers, the music arrangements, song selection, the bulletins, the announcements, technology, the platform presentation, the aesthetics, the cleaning. It's nice that we have people that give thought to cleaning. Maintenance. You see, when people walk, there's a lot of Thought that goes into it.

And when people walk in, they ought to be greeted with the sights and sounds of a place of worship and an assembly of people who love the Lord and are here to worship Him. You know, we said we've had a whether it's a birthday party or a graduation party or engagement party, we've had several things that we celebrate.

But I can tell you, whether it's a baby shower, a birthday, a wedding, a lot of thought goes into making sure the place is right for the occasion. And there are those who give thought, who organize our services, and they play a critical role in how our worship time will go.

So, friends, I thank you for all of you who play a role, and there are many. But recognize you are a true worshiper, even as you're preparing. So, be a true worshiper as you arrange our worship service. And then, of course, there are those service leaders, service leaders.

Talking about this third category. This is all of those who play a live role in a service, whether it's morning or evening. And this would include the greeters. Everyone who, for a moment, think about if you're approaching this heavenly scene in Revelation 4 and Revelation 5, and all the worship and the assembly, and you're approaching this scene, what kinds of facial expressions might you expect to see?

Or what kind of greetings might you expect along the way? I would love for more true worshipers to be on our howdy team, greeting people. And look, if we've already got these posts here, then let's set up a whole nother set of posts way out there. We can never have too many posts where people are greeting and welcoming, praying for, expressing gladness that a person is here.

True worshipers. Wow, what an important role. Make sure people have a place. Wow, that's an important place of worship and a worship service. But it also includes the sound people. Thank you for what you do. Come ready to worship as you serve us. It goes from musicians, musicians.

Wow, thank you for the worship this morning, leading us in music. Pray that you will be true worshipers. That as you stand up here, you will give expression as one who understands the great privilege it is to stand and lead the earthly hosts in worshiping Him. What a high calling.

Be a true worshiper as you lead, as you relate to other musicians. Think about the security people. I think about the nursery workers. I think about the speakers. I think about the maintenance people and everyone else who is, their presence is necessary to ensure that our worship gathering blesses God by bringing Him glory and honor and welcoming His dominion.

You be a show and tell, you service leaders. You be a living example of this kind of worship. You know, I think about how in the worship services, the angelic masses in Revelation chapter 4 and chapter 5, they needed clear signals from the living beings, from the 24 elders.

They needed clear signals of what they should. Say, and when they should take off the crowns, and when they should bow down, there is clear signals given because it wasn't just the living beings and the 24 elders who were worshiping, it was the whole heavenly host. Wow. Be a true worshiper in the way you lead services.

As I said earlier, when we celebrate a wedding, much thought goes into setting up the space so everything is right for the big moment. Guests come dressed, bearing gifts. They come ready to honor the couple. Songs are chosen. Flowers are presented or made up. Music, timing, all of it, and all the details, procession and recession, are all arranged to honor and to showcase the bride and the groom.

Listen, friends, we do that for all kinds of celebrations. But I can tell you with the authority of Scripture: every Lord's Day we celebrate something far more profound than a birthday, a wedding, or a graduation that's taking place. And I want you and me, all of us, to play a greater role in this being an assembly of true worshipers gathered.

For the purpose of giving true worship to the true God who is worthy of it all. So, whether you are a servant leader, service leader, an organizer, or a participant, let us all make our worship services an assembly of true worshipers. So, we've looked at who we are not to worship.

We've looked at who we are to worship. We've looked at how we are to express our worship this morning. We looked at this because I want us to leave here better worshipers. This is an enterprise that we grow in. Let us choose this side, whose side we're going to be on in these worship wars.

And this is how we're going to be good stewards of God's Word, good stewards of the words of Revelation, we need to live expectantly of Christ's return. We need to heed the words of Revelation, and we need to worship God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we know this morning you are looking for true worshipers who will worship in this setting.

Father, we recognize that this afternoon you are looking for true worshipers. Worshipers in our homes, in the settings of our homes. We know that you are looking for true worshipers that will occupy the workplace setting tomorrow. We know that you want true worshipers in all facets of life as we go back to our places of residence and our places of service and the stations in life that you have called us.

We know that you are seeking true worshipers. Father, I pray that our services here will be just that, that we would encourage, it will be an expression of true worship, and it will encourage true worshipers as they leave here to go and be greater worshipers. For we know such is what you seek.

Father, please convict us now of where we have offended you. Help us, Father, to walk in the way, to be true worshipers, to bless you, to honor you, to glorify you, Father, and to yield to your dominion in all things. Convict us and help us in those areas where we have failed in the past.

May they become areas of strength now because of your great grace. In Jesus' name, amen.