ABRAHAM’S ATTIDUDE OF WORSHIP
GENESIS 22. 1 - 14
One of the things that I believe is desperately missing in the church today is an attitude of worship. In almost every church that I have been in, I see less than worship. I see many churches that are programmed, that are systematic, that are routine. Change something, and they will either throw you out or quit the church. Part of the problem comes from a lack of attitude. We do not have the right attitude about worship in our churches today. We come asking God what He is going to do for us instead of coming seeking what we can do for Him. I believe that one of the best attitudes toward worship can be found in this text. It is Abraham’s attitude toward and of worship.
1. COMPLIANT IN HIS WORSHIP. HE WAS OBEDIENT TO GOD.
„³ God’s directive was clear - go, worship, and sacrifice your son.
„³ Abraham was unwavering. The Bible says he rose up early in the morning and went.
„³ He didn’t complain about having too much to do, about the temperature, about the preacher, about the Sunday School, about this or that, about the request of God, about not being able to do this or that, He simply went.
„³ A lot of folks say that they don’t come to the worship services because they are too long, because they are too loud, or to quiet, because they are too much of this or that.
„³ Obedience says that if God says to go worship, I’m going to worship. God has said go worship. If we are to be obedient, we will go worship.
„³ When it came time to worship, Abraham was obedient. He was obedient to the commands and requests of God.
„³ Abraham didn’t have to go. It wasn’t something that he had to do. God didn’t say do this or die. God was testing Abraham. Testing his obedience.
„³ It is true that you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. Nowhere can I find in the Bible that salvation is a direct result of going to church. No where does it say that if you don’t go to church that you can’t be saved. But, I do believe that the Bible supports the following statement - if you are a Christian, you will go to church. You can’t help it. It is born within you the day you are born again to gather together and worship God in Spirit and in truth.
„³ You cannot worship God, you cannot be saved, you cannot please God if you are not obedient to what He tells you to do.
2. CONSISTENT IN HIS WORSHIP. HE WORSHIPPED IN GOOD TIMES AS WELL AS BAD
„³ Abraham had just finished a worship service at Beersheeba (21.33). times were good for Abraham. He had received the well of an oath, he was living prosperously. Several years before that, Abraham was worshipping at the birth of Isaac, the son of promise, the seed that will be the everlasting name of Abraham, the seed by which Abraham would be the father of many nations.
„³ When times were good, Abraham worshipped. He praised God, he lifted up his hands, made sacrifices to God, built altars, planted groves, prayed, and worshipped.
„³ Christians are like that sometimes. When things are okay, we want to worship. The world is quite the opposite. When things are okay, they see no need for God, they see no need to come into His presence. Only when situations are not so good, do they want to refer to God in an holy and reverent fashion. They talk of prayer when times are bad, when tragedy strikes, when disease plagues them. It’s hard to talk to someone you are not on speaking terms with.
„³ at this point in Abraham’s life, things got a little rough. God started to not make sense. Was God reneging on His promise? God had promised that in Isaac (not any other) Abraham’s seed would be called. God had given Abraham this son by promise, and made a promise through this son.
„³ Now, God had called on Abraham to go and kill his son. Not as a martyr, not as a criminal, not as a liar, not as a disobedient child, not as a stubborn son, not as a rebel against God, not as an idolater, but as a sacrifice. Abraham might have felt justified if it were for other reasons, but just as a sacrifice. Seems contradictory to God’s promise.
„³ What did Abraham do - he rose up early and went.
„³ Too many Christians are looking for an excuse not to worship - you let something be said that offends them, something be done that they don’t agree with, someone be noticed that they don’t like, something be changed that they don’t like, and they disappear -
„³ we should take Abraham’s example - no matter what the situation or circumstance - we should worship God - not necessarily because we are happy about what is going on, but because He is our God, and He deserves to be worshipped.
3. CAREFUL IN HIS WORSHIP. HE PUT ASIDE WORlDlY CARES.
„³ Vs. 5 - y¡¦all stay here - we are going to worship - you stay here and tend to the worldly things - I and the lad are going to worship -
„³ Matthew Henry - "it is our wisdom and duty, when we are going to worship God, to lay aside all those thoughts and cares which may divert us from the service, leave them at the bottom of the hill, that we may attend on the Lord without distraction."
„³ When Abraham got to the bottom of the hill, he was ready to worship - when he started up that hill, he was ready to worship - everything worldly was left at the bottom of the hill - when we come into the church to worship - we should be ready to worship - all the cares of the world should be left outside - all the things that will keep us from serving God the way that we should already be taken care of -
„³ church is not the place to catch up on gossip - not the place to take care of manicures, not the place to fix our hair, show off our new dress or suit, it is a place of worship - when we come in all of those things should be out of our minds - all of those things should be taken care of - we should come ready to worship
„³ Psalms tells us to _________ into His gates with thanksgiving.
4. CHARITABLE IN HIS WORSHIP. HE BROUGHT A SACRIFICE
„³ God told Him to bring His son, his only son Isaac, whom he loved and sacrifice Him. Abraham’s obedience kept Him from bringing a lamb just in case God changed His mind. As they walked up the hill - Isaac began to ask a question - he knew they were going to worship with a sacrifice - he saw the wood and the fire - but there was no lamb -
„³ Abraham answered him with a faithful reply - he said that God would provide a lamb.
„³ God had provided Isaac to him. It was a gift. And he was willing to give it back to God.
„³ How many of us would be willing to give back to God what God has given to us - one of the problems in the church today is that we do not realize that everything we have is a gift from God. We don’t recognize that all that we have belongs to God anyway.
„³ The question that Isaac asked is a teaching question to us - when we go to worship God we should consider if we have everything ready - especially a lamb for the burnt offering. The fire is ready - in the form of the Holy Spirit. The wood is ready in the form of ordinances designed to kindle our affection, but where is the lamb? Where is our heart? Is it ready to be offered up to God, to ascend as a burnt offering?
5. CONFIDENT IN HIS WORSHIP. HE EXPECTED A MIRACLE
„³ one of the greatest statements of faith in the Bible. I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
„³ Abraham was so convinced that God would keep His promise that he was sure that he would return with his son Isaac. Now, no one had ever been raised from the dead before.
„³ If we flash forward to the sacrificial offering - Abraham was standing with the knife back ready to kill Isaac - showing true obedience to God. Abraham was sure that even if he had to offer Isaac as the sacrifice that God could raise Him from the dead. If God did not provide a substitute, he would provide a miracle.
„³ When Abraham went to worship - he was expecting a miracle - either a substitute or a resurrection - either way, he trusted that God would provide the miracle.
„³ We need to enter into God’s house looking for a miracle in our own lives - we need to be expecting God to send a miracle each and every time we come - if we don’t we shouldn’t be surprised if God doesn’t send a miracle.
