Worship as Spiritual Warfare
Worship Review
Two Greek words translated as worship in our English Bibles.
Proskuneo – to bow, fall on your knees, make a request
Example: Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship (proskuneo) him.”
Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped (proskuneo) him.
While bowing is an outward act of submission and honor, I’d like to suggest that the other words in the NT for worship is a higher form of worship.
Letreuo – to serve, to sacrifice
Example: Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (letreuo).
Both worship words are found in one verse – Matthew 4:8-10 – 8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship (proskuneo) me.”
“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus told him. “For it is written: ‘Worship (proskuneo) the Lord your God and serve (Letreuo) Him only.’”
We can distinguish between these 2 types of worship by determining their motivation:
- bowing worship – fear
- serving worship – love
If you appeared before your king, whom you didn’t know, you would bow in fear because you know that he can determine if you will live or die. So, you bow in fear. But if you are the king’s servant, you know him and want to please him and bring joy to him. So, you serve in love.
Today’s message, Worship as Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:10-17 – 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Worship is our greatest weapon in this conflict, but it’s much more than just singing.
4 Weapons of Spiritual Warfare
- Scripture (Word of God) -Matthew 4:1-6
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
The devil will often tempt us, and Jesus shows us here the best defense against temptation. GOD’s WORD.
- Prayer and Fasting – (Daniel) – Daniel 10:10-14
A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
The man in the vision said Daniel’s prayer was heard immediately, but the answer to Daniel’s prayer was delayed because of a war in the heavenlies between the forces of good and evil. (Michael the Archangel and the Prince of Persia)
What does this mean for us today? We don’t persist in prayer long enough.
- Singing – II Chronicles 20:15-22
“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” 18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
Worship is the tip of the spear – the worshipers were at the Head of the Army
There is not much that causes the Devil to tremble more than God’s Children praising him in song – Especially, when we sing together in corporate worship, like we do here when we gather to worship the Lord
4. Word of our Testimony – Revelation 12:7-11
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
Application
Reading Scripture, Praying and Fasting, Singing, and Proclaiming the Word of our Testimony are ways we worship our way through the battles we face.
What is the biggest battle (greatest temptation) you face?
Women: Jealousy, Anger, Sex, Self-Worth, Food, Comparison
Men: Money, Sex, Pride, Envy, Lust (pornography)
Do you know what your most powerful weapon is? Is it God’s Word, Prayer and Fasting, Singing, or the Word of your Testimony?
Do you use all the Spiritual Warfare Weapons?