What then is worship? The term comes to us in our modern speech from the Anglo-Saxon “weorth-scipe,” which later developed into “worship,” meaning “to attribute worth to an object.” Worship is the “worthship” of the one you worship. To worship Jesus Christ is to attribute worth to him.
As Revelation is, above all other books, the key to worship of Jesus Christ, we must consider Revelation 4:10-11:
The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
Here is true worship, and the order is significant. The first thing in verse 10 is that the twenty-four fall down “before Him who sits on the throne.” That is first, and that is always first. The falling down speaks of submission to the One worshiped, for here we find that they “fall down… and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne.” It is imperative that we observe that there is first the submission and second the casting of their crowns before the throne.
In the days when Revelation was written, when a king was conquered by Roman legions, either he was brought to Rome to prostrate himself at the emperor’s feet or a massive image of Caesar was placed before him, and he was required to fall down, casting his crown at its feet. This was his act of total submission, of abdication to the emperor. So John the apostle, in Revelation 4, is revealing the first two essentials of worship. The first is the falling down, the submission to the One worshiped. The second is the casting of the crown at the feet of the One worshiped.
Now, what is the purpose of the crown? It is to draw attention to the one wearing it. It exalts the wearer. The true worshiper of Christ, in casting his crown at his Lord’s feet, is saying, “I want You alone to be exalted, You alone to be glorified.” The second requirement, then, is the desire to live for the glory of Christ and Christ alone.