Worship 3 Series

Since our series on Redemption was interrupted by a number of events, I thought is good to go ahead and look as some areas that are needful. One of those areas was "Worship".

In our brief and incomplete study of worship, we saw that true worship always brings change to the life of the one worshiping, to be more like the One being worshiped. There are many areas of our lives in which true worship brings change. We’ve look at four of those areas:

(1) Authentic worship will produce a proper attitude about GOD

(2) Authentic worship will produce a proper attitude about OURSELVES

(3) Authentic worship will produce a proper attitude about OUR DAILY LIVES

(4) Authentic worship will produce a proper attitude about Service

True Biblical worship and true Biblical service go hand in hand, and both are vital parts of the redemptive program of God for mankind. In continuing our examination of Biblical service, we want to look briefly at the life of two of those included in the "Hall of Faith", listed in Hebrews 11 .

Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Neither of these two great men of faith are mention by name in Hebrews 11 , but are included in the "package" of great people called the "prophets". We want to examine these two Biblical personalities by looking at their attitudes and actions, as they participated in Spiritual service.

Please look again at a partial list of "services" preformed by those mentioned in the above verses. Reading this list and comparing it to our service, is very revealing, as to the true nature of Biblical service.

(1) Subdued Kingdoms

(2) Worked righteousness

(3) Obtained promises

(4) Stopped the mouths of lions

(5) Quenched the violence of fire

(6) Escaped the edge of the sword

(7) Became strong and valiant

(8) Turned to flight the armies of the aliens

(9) Etc.

Numbers 2 & 3 are aspects of Biblical service that must be true of all who serve God. The other aspects of service mention, are specialty areas, engaged by only a few.

(2) Worked righteousness

(3) Obtained promises

Worked is "active". However, obtained is "passive"

Worked = (Greek) To toil as an occupation

Obtained = (Greek) To attain because one chanced upon it

Looking at the first part of Hebrew 11 will show how the Holy Spirit "sets" the stage for what is to follow. As always, the Holy Spirit did not "stick" in a bunch of extra words to fill up space, so there would be 66 books in the Bible. What is presented in this introduction to chapter 11, is very revealing as to HOW and WHY these "greats" gave themselves in service.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, "and was not found because God had translated him"; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

To do justice to these first seven verses, we should have at least a month of lessons, and then the blessed truths, presented here, would not be exhausted. For this lesson, we will concentrate on two factors presented in verse 6.

We must truly believer that GOD IS.

That God IS, is a "given" for most Believers. However, there is much more involved in this statement than just that God exists. We must believe that God is all that He says He is. In this series, we will not spend a great deal of time examining what God said He is, because that is the subject of our study of the Essence of God.