Series: Biblical Cities- Jerusalem [#1]
JERUSALEM- A HOLY BEGINNING
Matthew 23:37
Introduction:
We are continuing in our Series about some of the most mentioned Cities in the Bible. Tonight, we are going to study the city that is 1st on the list- Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned 811 times in the Bible. Currently, there are 3 different Religions that consider Jerusalem to be a holy site- Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
In our study tonight, we are going to look at the 1st time we find Jerusalem in Scripture. In our verses, we are going to look at someone from Salem- Most scholars believe that this was Jerusalem.
Matthew 23:37
There seems to never be enough time for anything spiritual anymore. We are too busy to go to Church. We are too busy to read our Bibles. We are too busy to pray. We have to stop with the excuses and make time to worship the Savior.
Genesis 14:17
Abram had been busy battling evil and taking back what had been stolen from him; but now it was time for him to stop and worship God.
Genesis 14:18-20
We worship God through…
1. Praising Him.
The word “praise” means "price" or "value". To praise simply means to acknowledge value and worth. There are so many reasons that God deserves our praise. He is our Creator, our Savior, our Protector, our Provider, etc… There are many ways that we can show praise to God. We can praise Him through music, testimony, physical movement- Such as dancing, the raising of hands, bowing down, etc…; prayer, preaching, etc…
We not only have the privilege of praising God, but we have the duty to praise Him. If you don’t praise God, you are robbing glory from Him. With that in mind, join with me as we sing.
We worship God through…
2. Remembering what He has done.
Melchizedek is what we call an Old Testament type of Jesus Christ. The Book of Hebrews tells us about Melchizedek and Jesus.
Hebrews 7:1-3
Hebrews 7:11-28
Genesis 14:20b
We worship God through…
3. Giving to Him.
Abram gave 10% of all he had, which is a tithe. All that we have is from God and what God ask of us is to give 10% back. Our presenting our tithe to God is an act of worship. It shows that we trust God to take care of our needs even when it doesn’t add up. Malachi says that not tithing is act of robbery from God. Jesus told us that we are to give the government their part (taxes) and God His part (tithe).
Genesis 14:21-24
We worship God through…
4. Living for Him.
Abram did not want to do anything that would hurt his witness. Taking the plunder would have caused Abram to break his oath with God and rob God of the victory. We don’t need what the world has to offer. What we need to be victorious is God.
Romans 12:1
Conclusion:
Christians, don’t forget to stop and give God praise.
