Who did the Messiah and Apostles Worship? Should We Worship The Messiah Part 1

Should We Worship The Messiah (Part 1)

Let’s look at the question, “should we worship the Messiah?” This is very important as it has diverse implications.

Satan’s very intent is that we get it wrong. He will use his greatest tool, deception, to get us to worship whom we should not.

So we will begin this short series entitled: “Should We Worship the Messiah?” We will kick off this Part 1 (which is just to warm up) by looking at who the Messiah and the Apostles worshiped.

 

Meaning of the Word “Worship”

First of all, the English language meaning of “worship.” This is what we mean when we say we worship Yahushua the Messiah, the son of YHWH:

Worship: the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. (Oxford Dictionary).

So in worshiping Yahushua, we are worshiping him as “an elohiym (god)” or as “Elohiym (The Most High).” Is this biblically correct? This we hope to prove by the time this series is over.

 

Whom Did The Messiah Worship?

But let’s see what the true Messiah of the Bible did. Whom did he worship? Remember, we are called to be like the Messiah, we are to follow him in what he said and did.

We must be aware that doing what he DID NOT command makes us guilty of following another gospel, for which Apostle Sha’ul said: “let them be accursed.” See Galations 1:8-9.

Indeed Yahuchanon said:

1 John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

So according to 1 John 2:6 above, we must worship whom he worshiped and whom he said we should worship. So let us see whom he worshiped and told us to worship.

 

Wilderness Temptation

Mat 4:8 — Mat 4:11
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Yahushua unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship YHWH thy ELOHIYM (God), and him only shalt thou serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

The Messiah said we should worship YHWH and serve him ALONE. Then, significantly, the devil had to depart because that sealed everything. The devil wants our worship and if we worship YHWH the Father, we resist the devil.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to YHWH. resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The Woman at the Well

The woman at the well was not told that the time will come when we will worship the Messiah (as is done in much of Christendom today). Instead:

Jn 4:21
Yahushua saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

John 4:23
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.

He was speaking of the new covenant…the same covenant that we are in.

 

Whom Did the Apostles Worship?

This is a very important question! Why?

There is a school of thought that now that the Messiah is gone, and he is seated on the right hand of the Father and all power has been given to to him, he is “God” (YHWH) and therefore he is the one who should be worshiped.

In effect, the Most High Father is replaced…toppled by his son in our hearts and minds.

We therefore have to hear from the same persons who told us all those things about Yahushua the Messiah. Did anything change for them after the Messiah’s resurrection and ascension?

Did they begin to worship the Messiah as YHWH, now that they realized that all things have been given into Yahushua’s hands?

 

Whom Did Sha’ul (Paul) Worship?

It is only fitting that we begin with Sha’ul’s confession as to whom he worshiped.

Based on the 1769 King James Version, Sha’ul wrote a total of 50,190 words out of a total of 179,011 words in the New Testament. So Sha’ul wrote 50190/179011 or 28% of the NT. That is over a quarter of its content. So let’s hear from him.

Act 24:14
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohiym (God) of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

The Elohiym of his Fathers is the Most High: the Elohiym of Abraham, Yitschaq and Ya’aqov: YHWH Tseva’oth.

Please note: he never said he worshiped the Messiah. Moreover, he said he believed everything that was written in the law and the prophets. What’s the significance of that for us?

Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: YHWH our Elohiym is one YHWH:

YHWH is one and as we just saw in Matthew 4:10, while being tempted in the wilderness, the Messiah said him (YHWH) alone shall we serve .

This is called the Shema, written in Torah (the law) which Sha’ul said he believed. It is the core of the faith of the children of Israel to this day. Israel considered it idolatry (punishable by death) to give worship to any other.

Moreover Yahushua stated it as the first (greatest) of all commandments.

Mar 12:29
And Yahushua answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; YHWH our Elohiym is one YHWH:

Sha’ul’s confession is therefore a confirmation of Shema, that he worships YHWH and YHWH alone.

Here he confirms whom he worships in a declaration to the Philippians:

Phi 3:3
For we are the circumcision, which worship YHWH in the spirit, and rejoice in HaMashiach Yahushua, and have no confidence in the flesh.

He worshiped YHWH and rejoiced in the Messiah. YHWH was worshiped, the Messiah was heralded…praised.

 

Whom Did Yahuchanon (John) Worship?

In the Book of Revelation, when Yahuchanon attempted to worship the malakim (angel), who was he told to worship?

Rev 19:10
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 Yahushua: worship YHWH: for the testimony of Yahushua is the spirit of prophecy.

Worship YHWH (God)…not the Messiah.

 

Whom Did The Messiah & Apostles Worship?

It is obvious the Messiah and the Apostles worshiped the Father (YHWH) and told us to worship the Father.

They never worshiped the Messiah as we shall see when we examine the Hebrew and Greek words for “worship” that is found in the Bible. As the Apostle Sha’ul said:

1 Cor 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Messiah.

If we then follow the Messiah and his Apostles, we cannot go wrong. They worshiped the Almighty Father YHWH Tseva’oth (of Hosts).

 

Conclusion

Now all this may sound as easy and as obvious as “ABC.” However, it is meant to lay a foundation for the series. Sometimes the truth is hidden in the obvious, right before our eyes.

The point is, religion has led us to worship the Messiah even though it is obvious whom the Apostles worshiped. They still worshiped the Father even after the Messiah’s death and ascension into the heavens.

In Part 2 we will go one step further and look at worship from a Hebraic mindset. Don’t forget that the Bible is the account of and from the Hebrews. It makes a world of difference when the word is looked at from a Hebrew mindset.

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