1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) "God was manifested in the flesh,"
Revelation 14:7 "Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
Isaiah 25:9 "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us...."
The Bible is full of examples of individuals and situations in which Christ was worshipped. The idea that Christ is not to be worshipped as God is contrary to what the Bible teaches!
Exodus 3:4 "And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God."
Joshua 5:14 "And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."
Matthew 2:11 "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
Matthew 8:2 "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."
Matthew 9:18 "While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live."
John 9:36 "He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him."
Matthew 14:30 "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
Mark 5:5 "And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,"
Matthew 28:9 "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."
Luke 24:51 "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:"
Revelation 14:7 "Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
Isaiah 25:9 "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 21:6 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
The burning bush, in which Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God. The symbol chosen for the representation of the Deity was a lowly shrub, that seemingly had no attractions. This enshrined the Infinite. The all-merciful God shrouded His glory in a most humble type, that Moses could look upon it and live. So in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, God communicated with Israel, revealing to men His will, and imparting to them His grace. God’s glory was subdued, and His majesty veiled, that the weak vision of finite men might behold it. So Christ was to come in “the body of our humiliation” (Philippians 3:21, R. V.), “in the likeness of men.” In the eyes of the world He possessed no beauty that they should desire Him; yet He was the incarnate God, the light of heaven and earth. His glory was veiled, His greatness and majesty were hidden, that He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men. {DA 23.2}
Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humility in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh. When we approach this subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). {1SM 244.1}
In delivering the children of Israel from their four hundred years of bondage, God was seeking to make known His holiness, His grace and His love to the idolatrous Egyptians. Christ, the Light of the world, was revealed to Moses in the burning bush, and Moses was appointed to make known the superiority of Jehovah over every false deity. {Ms20-1895.2}
Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the Source and Sustainer of all, is alone entitled to supreme reverence and worship. Man is forbidden to give to any other object the first place in his affections or his service. Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service due Him, of that do we make a god. { PP 305.4}
Jehovah is the name given to Christ. “Behold, God is my salvation,” writes the prophet Isaiah; “I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. {PP 305.4} The heavenly gates are again to be lifted up, and with ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy ones, our Saviour will come forth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Jehovah Immanuel “shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.” {MB 108.2} Christ is over all the works of His creation. In the pillar of fire He guided the children of Israel, His eyes seeing past, present, and future. He is to be recognized and honored by all who love God. His commandments are to be reverenced and cherished and obeyed. They are to be the controlling power in the lives of His people. {Ms92-1904.5}
The world was made by him, “and without him was not anything made that was made.” If Christ made all things, he existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. {RH April 5, 1906, par. 6}
Look, O look to Jesus and live. You can but be charmed with the matchless attractions of the Son of God. Christ was God manifest in the flesh, the mystery hidden for ages, and in our acceptance or rejection of the Saviour of the world are involved eternal interests. { RH November 17, 1891, par. 10 } To save the transgressor of God’s law, Christ, the one equal with the Father, came to live heaven before men, that they might learn to know what it is to have heaven in the heart. He illustrated what man must be to be worthy of the precious boon of the life that measures with the life of God. { RH November 17, 1891, par. 11 }
Christ came to earth as God in the guise of humanity. He ascended to heaven as the King of saints. His ascension was worthy of His exalted character. He went as one mighty in battle, a conqueror, leading captivity captive. He was attended by the heavenly host, amid shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song. {Ms134-1897.2}
Christ was God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the tokens of divinity, which had commanded the homage of angels and called forth the adoration of the universe of God. He made Himself of no reputation, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. {ST January 5, 1915, par. 6}
The strong denunciation of the Pharisees against Jesus was, “Thou, being a man, makest thyself God;” and for this reason they sought to stone him. Christ did not apologize for this supposed assumption on his part. {YI September 16, 1897, par. 9} He did not say to his accusers, “You misunderstand me; I am not God.” He was manifesting God in humanity. Yet he was the humblest of all the prophets; and he exemplified in his life the truth that the more perfect the character of human beings, the more simple and humble they will be. He has given to men a pattern of what they may be in their humanity, through becoming partakers of the divine nature. {YI September 16, 1897, par. 10}
"Jesus is coming, but not as at His first advent, a babe in Bethlehem; not as He rode into Jerusalem, when the disciples praised God with a loud voice and cried, “Hosanna”; but in the glory of the Father and with all the retinue of holy angels to escort Him on His way to earth. All heaven will be emptied of the angels, while the waiting saints will be looking for Him and gazing into heaven, as were the men of Galilee when He ascended from the Mount of Olivet. Then only those who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern, will with rapturous joy exclaim as they behold Him, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.” And they will be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump”—that trump which wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, and shouting, “Victory! Victory over death and the grave!” The changed saints are then caught up together with the angels to meet the Lord in the air, never more to be separated from the object of their love." {EW 110.1}
"“Get ready,” is the word sounded in my ears. “Get ready, get ready. He that is to come, will come and will not tarry. Tell my people that unless they improve the sacred opportunities given them, unless they do the work I have given them, Satan will come upon them with the stealthy tread of a thief, to deceive and allure them.” God wants us to be wide awake, that when he shall come, we shall be ready to say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.” He is coming to us by his Holy Spirit today. Let us recognize him now; then we shall recognize him when he comes in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. God calls upon you to get ready to meet him in peace." {GCB April 23, 1901, Art. C, par. 8}
"Not in self-confidence, not in self-exaltation, are we to pass the time of our sojourning, but in fear working with Christ for the salvation of others. We are to live as on holy ground, and when the Master shall appear in glory, we can say, “This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.” {RH August 18, 1891, par. 14}
"Let every professed Christian search his heart diligently, and put away from him everything that is unlike Christ. Let him remember that he has been bought with a price, even the blood of the Son of God, and that in thought, word, and deed he is to honor his Redeemer. Remembering this, he will guard against pride and self-indulgence. Constantly he will endeavor so to live that he can meet the Saviour in peace. He will resist every suggestion of the enemy to do that which would grieve the heart of Christ. If he is faithful in this life, he will be ready to welcome the Saviour when he comes in the clouds of heaven. With joy he will say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.” {RH September 3, 1903, par. 13}
"Are we preparing to meet the Saviour in peace, or are we absorbed in worldly business and pleasure? Shall we not strive to be among the number who will welcome Christ with the words, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord; ‘we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation”?" {ST April 17, 1901, par. 21}
"As the saints in the kingdom of God are accepted in the beloved, they hear: “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” [Matthew 25:34.] And then the golden harps are touched, and the music flows all through the heavenly host, and they fall down and worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." {Ms139-1906.32}
And He who gave His life for you was delivered for your offenses, has been raised for your justification, and is waiting to receive your homage. “How much owest thou unto my Lord?” Compute this you cannot. Is there any part of your being that He has not redeemed, or anything in your possession that is not already His? {Ms124-1898}
When we make redemption the subject of our meditation, and try to comprehend the vastness of the plan of salvation, and to realize the unutterable love of Him who has died for us, our hearts will be subdued and softened, and we shall yield them wholly to our Saviour. We shall fall at his feet in adoration, exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!”
We need to have a broader view of the Saviour as “Lord and Christ.” “All power” is given to Him to give to those who claim to believe in His name. We do not half acknowledge His right to our homage and obedience and to our increasing faith in Him. {Lt318-1907}