Matthew 2:10-11 (NLT), “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”
LIFEPOINT: Kneeling to pray helps give you the strength you need to stand in life’s most difficult battles.
In Matthew 2, we find the story of the wise men who came to visit Jesus shortly after His birth. When they arrived at their destination, Matthew says, “they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” Their first response was to bow their knees in the presence of their Savior. Now for most of us, there is something extremely humbling about bowing down. It requires us to humble ourselves. It means that we have to come to grips with the fact that we are unworthy to even try and approach a holy God in our own strength or goodness. However, these men did not worry about how it looked or who was watching. When they saw their Lord, they fell down and worshiped! These were men whose hearts were set on worship.
From this story we learn an important truth: For God’s people, worship should never be casual. It was never meant to be half-hearted. A willingness to bow down in worship is one of the signs of a heart rightly related to God!
In His Service,
Pastor Steve
Matthew 2:10-11 (NLT), “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”
Psalm 95:6-7 (NLT), “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.”
Isaiah 6:1-5 (NLT), “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.” 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Revelation 7:11 (NLT), “And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.”
In the Bible, every time someone experiences the direct presence of God they fall on their faces, humbled by His holiness, and overwhelmed by His grace and mercy.
Three things are symbolized when we kneel before God:
1) We Kneel in Pursuit.
Mark 10:17 (NLT), “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
John 3:1-6 (NLT), “There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT), “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
2) We Kneel in Repentance.
Luke 5:4-8 (NLT), “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”
3) We Kneel in Submission.
Luke 22:39-44 (NLT), “Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” 41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 40 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”
LIFEPOINT: Kneeling to pray helps give you the strength you need to stand in life’s most difficult battles.
Philippians 2:8-11 (NLT), “When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
