Bow Your Knees

Intro

It’s Christmas week! We’re here! It’s kinda hard to believe and it’s not. We’ve spent this season considering how we Come to Worship Jesus. Different postures that we need to take to worship him. In the first week we talked about lifting our hands. The second week we talked about bringing our gifts to him. Then last week we spoke about pouring out our hearts in worship to God. If you can’t tell…this is all about relationship. Getting close to our Heavenly Father. A closeness that maybe you’ve not experienced with God. Seek after him.

We spoke about exalting God, about giving to him, about pouring ourselves out before him and this week it’s about who’s in control. Today…we bow our knees in surrender and worship.

Let’s start today with a portion of the Christmas Story in Matthew 2. I’m going to read from the NIV here…The Wise Men have made their trek to the place where the star had been guiding them. Let’s look at verses 10-11 (ON SCREEN)

The New International Version Chapter 2

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

What did they do when they saw Jesus and his mom? THEY BOWED DOWN. This is something that I had not thought of. I have said this in years’ past…but for some of you, this may be the first time you’ve heard this. I hate to bust up the nativity scenes that are in your house today (and you don’t really have to do that), but the Wise Men didn’t come and see Jesus when he was a baby. If you notice here in Matthew 2…it states that the Wise Men entered the HOUSE…not the stable.

Most biblical scholars believe that Jesus was very likely about 2 years old when the Wise Men came and worshipped him.

They travelled 900 miles to get to him…and Jesus was probably two years old. A two year old. That kinda changes the story, doesn’t it?

If we were live today, I’d ask for those of you that currently parent a two year old to raise your hands. Then, I’d ask everyone to pray for you and the exhaustion that I can see in your eyes. Then…I’d ask how many of you have been around a two year old...

Two year olds are interesting creatures, aren’t they? They keep going and going and going and going…you think they will eventually stop, but NO…they keep going. They push boundaries…you try to stand strong and discipline, but eventually they wear you down, right? Mommy, mommy, mommy, daaady, daaaady, daaady....and eventually after you feel as though you’ve tried everything you give in and say okay…if you’ll just be quiet for the next 30 minutes I’ll buy you the candy, the toy, the Tesla, the Xbox, a dog, a cat…just 30 MINUTES OF QUIET!

…and Jesus was this age. Two years old…and these Wise Men…sages from another land…BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP! Jesus was a REAL two year old. He may have been different in the way he obeyed…but he was two years old, nonetheless.

Let’s talk about kneeling in the presence of God. In reality, most of you watching today aren’t going to kneel right now where you are. The only chance is if you were raised in a more liturgical tradition (Catholic, etc) you will be kneeling a lot if you ever attended a church service. But for most of us…we don’t kneel. In fact, if your ‘Merican, you don’t kneel for anyone but at the cross.

Guys…let’s be real…the only time we’ve knelt is when we asked our wives to marry us, or when we had a sports team picture taken. Maybe you pulled a Tebow when you scored a touchdown or something.

Girls…I don’t know if you kneel. You do that leg pop thing when you’re excited…then a hip thing on Instagram…IDK. Most of us don’t go around kneeling.

BUT…when you look at God’s Word, people are bowing down all the time. (next verse ON SCREEN)

English Standard Version Psalm 95

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

7  For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

Let us bow down and worship. Kneel before the LORD.

In fact, the Hebrew word for worship here is used 172 times in the Bible…the word is Shachah…and it means to worship…but it’s more than that. It means to bow down low, to kneel in worship. It’s a POSTURE of worship.

One of the biggest reasons that we don’t bow in our culture is because we are truly about ourselves and what we want. We have elevated our expectations about life to be all about my glory and my good. We don’t fully understand or comprehend the greatness and the holiness of God. God is SO HOLY that no man or woman can look upon him and live.

When Moses would go to see God…in fact Moses even said he wanted to see him, the only thing Moses could see was God’s back…Moses had to cover his face as God himself passed by otherwise he would've died right there on the spot.

No one was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle or in the Temple because that was where the very presence of God resided. Only the priest could enter one time per year to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel…and that took a LOT of preparation!

God is THAT holy…that perfect. When you begin to understand who God is…his glory, his holiness…the creator…it just stands to reason that you would kneel down before him…when you REALLY understand.

Something I didn’t realize, though…God never tells us to bow down before him. The writers of Scripture say it all the time, but God himself never says it. It’s almost as like God just assumes that this will happen because of who he is. The only thing God says is to not bow down to anyone or anything else.

Come, let us worship and bow down…let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker.

Why should you bow?

My hope for you this Christmas season is that you understand more and more that the worship of God is not confined to the walls of the building I’m standing in right now. It’s not confined to the hour we spend together online. It’s not confined to a “religious” service or a community group meeting. Worship of our great God happens EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK in your heart. It can be in your house…with your family…as you

lift your hands

bring your gifts

pour out your heart

bend your knee

You get down on your knees and maybe even your face and you declare that God…you are worth more! You are what I’m living for. I worship you. I want more of you and less of me. The position of power in your life is when you get as low as you can as fast as you can before God.

3 reasons why you might want to bow...

Kneel before him in PURSUIT

Let’s turn to Mark 10:17. I’m only going to have this verse on the screen and I’ll expound some. Let’s read it here (ON SCREEN)

English Standard Version Chapter 10

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

I’ve taught this passage many times over the years…but I’m not sure I ever really saw what his posture was. I’ve talked about how we focus on following God and not our possessions…but I didn’t see his posture. This guy was truly wanting the truth. He was pursuing God. He was desperate. He knew he had what everyone else wanted, but he was still missing what everyone needs.

Some of you may be in that place of desperation today. You aren’t a committed follower of God and you know it . You may believe in God, but he isn’t really what you are pursuing. You are pursuing other things…other gods. Some of you may not even know what you believe…if there even is a God…how does Jesus fit into all of this…I hope you will find this a place to get questions answered.

If that’s where you are…here’s what you could do…bow down…bend your knee…and cry out to God. God…if you’re really there, show me. Reveal yourself to me. God…I haven’t heard from you in a long time because I’ve been pursuing other things. I’ve had other loves. I’ve shut you out. I want to hear you again…and so I bow my knee.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Kneel before him in REPENTANCE

You’re a follower of Jesus and it’s time for you to repent. To turn away from the things that you’ve been doing that hurt God’s heart. See…life begins to happen and you do things that really break the heart of God and hurt your life or the lives of others. This idea that you’re only hurting yourself when you make decisions is bunk. You are ALWAYS effecting those around you when you make poor decisions…especially when we break God’s heart.

Christmas seems to make the good times really good and the bad times really bad. If you’ve hurt someone, if you’ve sinned against God…if you’re living in a way that you KNOW God would say is wrong…bow your knee.

There’s a great example of repentance in Luke 5:1-8 (PUT VERSE 8 ON SCREEN WHEN I READ IT)

English Standard Version Chapter 5

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

What is his response when he realizes who Jesus is? He doesn’t say wow! Can I have more fish? I worship you! He’s hit with his sin…and he repents IMMEDIATELY. (Back to slide…DO NOT fire SUBMISSION until next direction in notes)

You want to know is so great about this encounter with Jesus? He doesn’t turn Simon away. Jesus never turns away a sinner with a repentant heart. NEVER. You might say, the church would fall down if I ever when there…but you’re wrong. You would be WELCOME. It doesn’t matter how bad you are, what you’ve done…what you’re doing…when you come to God with a heart that wants him and you are asking for forgiveness of your sin and you want to live for him…he will NEVER turn you away. Peter came to him knowing he was a bad dude…and Jesus made him a fisher of men.

The Bible teaches us that when we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness. O Holy Night has a verse in is that says, FALL ON YOUR KNEES…YES!!! Fall on your knees! God, I’ve sinned. I have never followed you before but I’m done doing things my way. I want you. I need forgiveness. I can’t live this way anymore. I want you.

OR…I used to follow you, Jesus, but I ran away from you. I’ve been sinning and I don’t want that way anymore. Forgive me, GOD!

And you stay on your knees to worship the one who has saved you!

Kneel before him in SUBMISSION

How many of you have ever seen a UFC fighting match. I haven’t seen many matches…but I have seen a few. These guys beat each other up. One of the ways that a competitor wins a UFC match is through submission. One fighter gets the other in a hold of some sort and the losing fighter can stop the match and submit by tapping out. They tap the mat and the match is over.

Some of you watching today are right in that place with God. There’s some area of your life that you are hanging onto that you simply just like. You make all kinds of excuses for it…you know God loves you, but you aren’t living totally for God. God has been reaching out to you for years and you just simply hang onto this area of your life. Your plan for you is better than God’s plan for you in this area of life.

It’s time for you to kneel…tap out…surrender.

I don’t know if you realize this or not…but this is EXACTLY what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was born to die. Born to become sin FOR US so that we could be forgiven. God the Father sustained him through EVERYTHING he faced. 40 days without food. Ridicule. People deserting him because of truth. Religious leaders persecuting him.

Then he came to the Garden. He knew what was to come. He was going to have to die. It was his Father’s plan. He would die in the place of those he loved…in order to provide a payment for the sins of the world. BUT…Jesus had to tap out…to surrender. (Luke 22:41-42 VERSE ON SCREEN)

English Standard Version Chapter 22

And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

Jesus got on his knees and prayed. He prayed a prayer of surrender. Of submission.

That’s what some of you need to do today. In your living room, at your bedside. Get on your knees and submit to God. Tap out. Give him ALL of you…not just part of you.

BOTTOM LINE: You will bow NOW or you will bow LATER.

The reality here is that that everyone has a choice as to WHEN they will bow…not IF they will bow. You can choose to kneel in pursuit and repentance and submission now…or you will kneel then…because this is what God’s Word tells us: (Philippians 2:8-11)

English Standard Version Chapter 2

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God never asked us to bow before him because he knew that once we figured out who he was…we would FALL on our knees. That’s the only reasonable response before our God. This Christmas…bow down and worship him. Come…let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker.