Palm Sunday, Good Friday, & Easter Sunday. The whole week is dedicated to remembering the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. He is the only man who deserves our praise because He alone paid the price for our sins and lived the perfect life on your behalf because he knew that you would miserably fail. But our worship and praises to Christ shouldn’t just be around this time of year. We should be worshipping Jesus all year round. We see this being displayed in the gospel accounts all through the Savior’s life:
The wisemen – Matthew 2:11 “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”
The disciples – Matthew 14:33 “And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The healed blindman – John 9:38 “Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him (Jesus).”
Mary and the other women – Matthew 28:9 “And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.”
The angels – Hebrews 1:6 “He (the Father) says “Let all God’s angels worship him (Jesus).”
Jesus constantly received worship in the past, he continually is receiving worship today, and will eternally receive worship in the future. Yet in Luke 4:8, we read: “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
If we are only supposed to worship God, as Jesus stated…why doesn’t Jesus ever rebuke anyone for worshipping Him? Why didn’t he ever say, “Stop worshipping me. It is only right for you to worship God!” Instead, we see him accepting all of these instances of worship.
- Revelation 5:13-14 “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
Here we read that at some point in the future, every single creature will worship both the one who sits on the throne and the lamb. This is referring to the Father and the Son. They will both be worshipped equally. Keeping in mind that only God alone should be worshipped, this only makes sense if both the Father and the Son are equally God…different persons of the same God. (For a more detailed explanation of the Trinity, check out this article: Is The Trinity Biblical or Manmade? https://jllds.org/2023/12/15/is-the-trinity-biblical-or-man-made/
But the LDS Church leaders and Scriptures teach that the Father deserves a much higher level of worship than Jesus:
D&C 20:19 “And gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship.”
- This verse is referring to God the Father, which is why apostle Bruce R McConkie stated, “We worship the Father and him only and no one else. We do not worship the Son and we do not worship the Holy Ghost…Worship in the true and saving sense is reserved for God the first, the Creator.”
Beginning with the doctrine that Jesus is just our elder spirit brother who we can eventually become just like, I can see where they are coming from. But this is a very incorrect starting point and assumption. In the Bible, we read that even God the Father addresses Jesus as His God and Lord:
Hebrews 1:8-11 “But about the Son he (the Father) says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom…He (the Father) also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain;”
Throughout the Bible, we see how Jesus and the Father both address each other as God. Yet they also both agree that it is God alone who should be praised and worshipped. How can this be? Because they are both the same God…the 1 and only God who has ever existed and ever will exist. This is why praises are equally due to both the Father and the Son:
Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”
Psalm 117:1-2 ““Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
If any religion or church sings praises to any man other than Jesus Christ, that is an obvious sign that you should get out of there ASAP. Unfortunately, this is exactly what we have seen in the LDS Church.
During their time of worship and singing praises to God, they will occasionally sing a song called: “Praise to the Man.” What man are they singing praises to? It’s not Jesus. Sadly, they are singing praises in their church buildings to Joseph Smith. Below are some of the lyrics to this hymn:
“Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah…Kings shall extol him, the nations revere.”
“Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr; Honored and blest be his ever great name! Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heav’n while the earth lauds his fame.”
- Praising the “great name” of Joseph Smith. There is only one great name that deserves this kind of praise. Philippians 2:10 “So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”
“Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven…Death cannot conquer the hero again.”
- There is only one hero who should ever be sung about and praised in church: Jesus.
“Great is his glory and endless his priesthood. Ever and ever the keys he will hold.”
- This song attributes an endless priesthood to Joseph Smith while God’s Word attributes an endless priesthood only to one man: Christ alone. Hebrews 7:24 “because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.”
“Earth must atone for the blood of that man…Millions shall know ‘Brother Joseph’ again.”
- There is only the blood of one man that should ever be mentioned in a song of praise: the precious blood of Christ.
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Latter Day Saints will often attempt to downplay this song by saying, “We don’t worship Joseph Smith. This is just our way of honoring and revering him.” Here is the thing: the name of this song is, “Praise to the Man.” Latter Day Saints are literally singing praises to Joseph Smith when Jesus is the only man who rightfully deserves our praise. Below are a few songs by Christian artists that sing praises of Jesus that I encourage you to look up, listen to, and meditate on:
Your Great Name – Natalie Grant
Lost are saved, find their way, at the sound of Your great name
All condemned, feel no shame, at the sound of Your great name
Jesus, worthy is the lamb that was slain for us, son of God and man
You are high and lifted up, that all the world will praise Your great name
My Living Hope – Phil Wickman (my personal favorite)
Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free. Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain. There’s salvation in your name. Jesus Christ, my living hope.
What Can Wash Away My Sin – Roberty Lowry
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can my sin erase – Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of works, ’tis all of grace — Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
This is all my hope and peace — Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
This is all my righteousness — Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Hero – Abandon (perfect song for Easter)
His touch could heal the sick, but He was called a hypocrite
Laid behind the stone, his death was shortly mourned, He left the curtain torn
There He goes, a hero, a savior to the world, Here He stands with scars in His hands
With love He gave His life so we could be free, The savior of the world
He chose to take the cross, shed tears for the lost
The broken and the needy, forgiving those who were and will be
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This Easter, I pray that just one Latter Day Saint will wake up to how blasphemously sinful “Praise To The Man” is and never utter the words of that hymn again. If you are a Latter Day Saint, I invite you to repent, never sing this song again, and leave it at the foot of the cross where you can find peace and forgiveness for every single sin in your life. (To learn more about what it means to know Jesus as your personal mediator, check out this article: Who is Your Personal Mediator? Who Is Your Personal Mediator? – JLLDS Ministries)
Let this be the day when you decide to make a personal covenant with God, promising to never sing praises to another man other than the one who gave His life for you: the great God and savior, Jesus Christ.
JLLDS Ministries 