There is a CERTAIN PROTOCOL that we should adhere to when it comes to our King! There is a CERTAIN CONDUCT and PROCEDURE that He requires of us!
Because HE is HOLY!!!
Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!!!
Isa 6:1-4 - In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two, they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.
The most common meaning of protocol is "a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations." Since there are specific protocols for earthly kings, queens, leaders, and high-ranking dignitaries, there most certainly has to be one for the God of Israel, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob!
Before the actual audience takes their place before God, you would be escorted into a room where a Palace official will explain the correct procedure and protocol for several minutes. He would probably say: I am here as a Kingdom Ambassador/official to explain the proper procedure and protocol when it comes to appearing before our King! For He is the King of ALL Kings! He's the Lord of ALL Lords!! He's the God of ALL Gods!!
God told Moses - take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground!
You have to be clean. Your heart must be pure. You have to be Holy. For without holiness, no man can see a Holy, Extraordinary, Terrifying yet Loving God who is abounding in steadfast love toward us.
Psalms 51:7 - Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Revelation 21:27 - And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
God is righteous and abounding in compassion and love, patience, kindness, and longsuffering towards us!!
HE IS TO BE HONORED!
Malachi 1:6 - "'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, So, how do we honor God? We honor Him by obeying His commands and following His Instructions. If you don't know his Word, you won't know his commandments. You must be a student and doer of His Word! The only way you will learn of His ways and characteristics is to READ and STUDY HIS WORD! We're to give him our best in ALL that we do!! The Bible tells us that you honor with your lips only, but your hearts are far from me!
We cannot treat God in any way that we please. We cannot just talk to Him in any old way. He is to be honored, feared, respected, and reverenced!
1 Samuel 2:30 - I am the LORD, the God of Israel. I promised to always let your family serve me as priests, but now I tell you that I cannot do this any longer! I honor anyone who honors me, but I put a curse on anyone who hates me.
Hebrews 12:28-29 - Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
There is a certain protocol that we need to follow when it comes to our KING!
PROTOCOL TOWARD THE KING!!
HE IS TO BE FEARED!
Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom! Proverbs 31:30- Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
This type of fear refers to reverence for Him. When you fear God, you stand in awe of Him and respect Him. When you have that reverential fear for Him, you do ALL within your powers to walk in His ways, serve Him, and love Him with every fiber of your being. You do whatever is humanly possible to please Him. We live a life free of sin when we truly fear and love Him because sin becomes less appealing as we seek to honor the one true and living God.
HE DESERVES THANKSGIVING
Psalms 100 - Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise! Be grateful until Him and bless His Holy Name!
We make a joyful noise to Him through songs of praise and worship. Psalm 95:1-3 says: Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods.
HE IS TO BE GLORIFIED!
We glorify God when we demonstrate through words or actions, His glorious character or deeds. Modeling the character of Jesus is a good way to glorify God because we are showcasing His attributes. We also praise God when we repent of our sins and embrace and practice true religion. When we glorify God, we bring Him honor.
HE IS TO BE REVERENCED AND PRAISED
What does it mean to revere GOD? It means to delight in Him, glorify, regard, or treat with deep respect, high regard, and high esteem!
Psalm 22:22-23 - I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly, I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
Jesus said if we keep quiet, the stones will cry out!
Luke 19 37-40 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
We Serve our King
In service to God, our King, we must do whatever He tells us to do!
WE OBEY OUR KING
True obedience is required of all who claim to love God. John 14:21 - Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
In John 2: 1-5, On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
WE LOVE OUR KING
Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 records, "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes."
Mark 12: 29 - Jesus replied, "This is the most important: 'Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord, 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Thou shalt have no other God before HIM! Love him with your whole heart!
Psalm 148 calls all creation in heaven and earth to worship Yahweh. God is Lord over all, and as such, even the heavens declare the glory of God. The angelic beings, the sun, moon, and stars are all called to honor this Holy God because he is our worthy Creator. Next, the earthly things are called upon to praise God, every mountain and hill, fruitful trees and cedars, beasts, birds, kings and common people, men, women, and children. God is worthy of our praise, and his name alone shall be exalted.
You cannot play with a Holy God because you will be judged for it! It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).
In the Old Testament, God taught the Israelites how to show proper reverence by giving them hundreds of laws related to holiness and worship. His presence dwelt in Ark of the Covenant, and the Israelites could not touch it. Otherwise, they would be struck dead if they dishonored the holiness of God. Similarly, the Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle also required the highest level of reverence. Those who disobeyed God's command about entering this holy place died instantly. (Leviticus 22:9, Numbers 4:20) The purpose of this experience was to show the Israelites and us today that God deserves reverence and He must not be trifled with.
WHO IS THIS GOD?
He is the self-existent one! He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omipresent! He is Sovereign! He is Creator and Sustainer of all things in heaven and in the earth. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! God is unchanging, and He is faithful. God is love! He is Elohim, El Shaddai, and Yahweh! He is the Shepherd, the Husbandman, and a Refuge! God is all-sufficient, and He is God all by Himself! And so much more. We cannot help but worship, honor, and reverence the one true God of the universe and Possessor over heaven, earth and beneath the earth!
Rev 7: 11-12 - All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
