Worship Part1

Now I'm interested to try to think with you about the subject of worship. Last fall there was a conference at Sault Ste. Marie, and Stu Thompson and I were asked to lead Bible readings on the subject of worship.

And he was asked to take up words of worship, and I was asked to take up acts of worship. And this passage, Genesis 22, was one of the passages suggested. And I'll be perfectly honest, when this passage was suggested, I kind of inwardly groaned.

Not because I don't like the passage, but because a feeling came over me. What more can you possibly say about Genesis 22? But I would have to say that in looking at this subject and meditating a little in this passage, it has been refreshing for me. It has been a real benefit to me personally, and so I trust it will be of some help to you as well.

Now, the chapter begins, and as we read it, I'm going to have to ask you to try to pay attention to what you're reading. I find in familiar passages, I have the tendency to start missing, because I'm assuming that I already know what's here. And we run into that problem with familiar portions of the Word of God.

So, let's try to enter into it as we read it together. Chapter 22, verse 1. And get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering, upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son.

And clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then, on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and they went, both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father.

And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went, both of them together.

And they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God.

Seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns.

And Abraham went, and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place, Jehovah-Jireh. As it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven a second time. And said, By myself have I sworn saith the Lord. For because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.

That in blessing I will bless thee. And in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven. And as the sand which is upon the seashore.

And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Now let's read together in Hebrews chapter 11. The comment that we have in this book upon this incident. Hebrews chapter 11.

We could start at verse 17. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. And he that had received the promises, offered up his only begotten son.

Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. From whence also he received him in a figure.

Now this chapter is the first occurrence of the word worship. In our English Bible. The term in Hebrew actually occurs back in chapter 18.

Where Abraham receives the three heavenly visitors. And it says that Abraham bowed himself. Before them or unto them.

And that expression of bowing down before. Is really the essence of the meaning of the word to worship. And the term in the New Testament is basically the same.

And so there is a fundamental idea in worship. Of an acknowledgement of someone that is greater than myself. A bowing before and an acknowledgement of the greatness of that person.

Of that being. Now in this chapter, Genesis 22. You've probably already heard this many times.

That this is the first time the word love is used in the Bible. So it's very interesting that you would have the subject of worship. Being emphasized here and the subject of love also.

Now. I'm going to try to go through. A series of principles that I see.

That are. Implied in this passage. Now if I can quote.

A dear older preacher who has passed away just recently. Mr. Arnold Adams. I don't know if he originated this statement or not.

But he's the one that I heard it from a number of times. And it has become very precious to me. It means a lot to me.

And the expression that he used was. Trust is pure worship. Trust is pure worship.

And one of the things that impressed me. I would think the most in looking at this subject recently. Is the recognition.

That God. Receives from his people. The purest worship.

In our trials. And. Basically what I want to take up tonight is.

Is the. Decision of two men. And I'm going to concentrate primarily on Abraham.

But hopefully to refer a little bit at least as well to Job. Two men. Who.

Made the decision to worship. God under extreme trial. And.

That expression trust is pure worship. Really involves the idea that. When we are being.

Tempted or tested. We are being tried in some way. Going through some hardship.

As we trust God. We are letting him know how much he means to us. And how much we are willing to lose and still believe in him.

Still trust him. Still obey him. So trust.

Really tells God what we think of him. And. And that basically is what worship is.

Letting him know what we think of him. Of course the word worship in the from the English language. Is the.

Comes from the old English of worth ship. And so it is that. Valuing that recognition of the worth of the greatness.

Of God in this case. Now when we look at this example. There is some unique things about it.

Evidently it is. You might call the pinnacle of Abraham's experience of faith. This is not God's introduction.

To Abraham. He has heard the voice of God. On different occasions.

He has learned to trust God. In different ways. This is the.

The final refining point. The supreme test. And you notice as the chapter begins it says.

And it came to pass after these things. Now after what things. Well if you go back into the last chapter.

You have the incident of Ishmael. And Hagar being cast out of the home. Now that may have taken place almost 20 years before.

So there is a fair bit of time involved in the chapter. But Abraham has already gone through this kind of experience. In a son that he loved.

Being removed from him. Why did he go along with it? In chapter 21. Why did he let Ishmael go? Well it was in order.

That God's promise. Concerning Isaac. Might be unchallenged.

So there you have. A very heavy duty test of faith. And that involves.

Letting. The natural goal. For the sake of the spiritual.

And I would. Suppose that many of us as Christians. Maybe never.

Really achieve. That kind of level. Of worship of God.

That we will. Obey him. We will serve him.

Even if. It means the loss. Of what is very precious naturally.

But that only heightens. The enormity of the trial. Now.

In that. God is going to take now. The only son.

That he has left. Whom his love. Has now.

Been focused on for these years. And in whom. His whole relationship to God.

Sort of centers in Isaac. So it involves. Not only the natural love.

Of a father for his son. And only son. As God points out to him.

Three times in the passage. Your son. Your only son.

But the spiritual. As well. So it is.

It is in a sense. An extreme. And enormous.

Test. That is almost unique. Now.

The other thing that is. Important to notice. When you have this.

That God did. Tempt or test. Abraham.

Is that. This is. A direct.

Trial. A direct. Test from God.

In contrast. To Job. Now.

I would hate to call. Job's experience. Normal.

But. It's more. Normal.

In the sense. That. These events.

Came into. Job's life. And.

He was left to. To cope with it. That's more.

As it happens. In our experience. Whereas.

This is something. Where there is no. Intermediate.

Causes. God. Says to Abraham.

I want you. To take. Your son.

And I want you. To offer him. For a burnt offering.

And so. Abraham. Not only.

Is being. Directly. Challenged by God.

Requested by God. But he himself. Has to.

Be the instrument. Of carrying out. What God is demanding.

And so. There is. Such a. Directness.

It is. A direct. Test.

From God. Himself. Now.

Abraham had a choice. Didn't he? He didn't have to get up early. The next morning.

He could have. Rationalized. That.

This is totally. Unreasonable. It doesn't fit.

With anything. That I know. Of God.

I'm not going to do this. I must have. Had a bad.

Bad. Dream. And so.

One of the things. That I think. We need to.

Grasp. In this concept of. Worship.

As it relates to ourselves. As it comes to us. Is that.

It must be. Founded. On a divine revelation.

Abraham. Had to know. Without.

Any shadow. Of doubt. That that was God.

Speaking to him. Commanding him. To do this thing.

So. True worship. Is.

Founded upon. Divine. Revelation.

Now. That's taught very clearly. In the New Testament.

The Lord Jesus. Speaking to the. Woman of Samaria.

In John chapter four. Makes that abundantly clear. It's not just.

You have your way. We have our way. We're all worshiping the same God.

Kind of idea. He says. You worship.

You know not what. We know what we worship. For salvation is of the Jews.

Then he goes on to say. They that worship God. Must.

Worship him. In. Spirit.

And. In truth. In other words.

How I respond to God. And worship is a response to God. It must.

Correspond. To what he has revealed. Of himself.

In other words. I could be worshiping God. According to my imagination.

Of what God is. And it would be a false worship. But a true worship.

That he will accept. Is a worship. That recognizes.

What he is. And responds to it. In.

Acknowledgement. In adoration. So.

It must be founded upon. Divine. Revelation.

And. Then what is also. Very.

Clearly seen. In this passage. Is that.

Faith. Responds. In.

Obedience. And. In trust.

And if there's one thing. That seems. Very.

Clear. As you go down. Through.

These. Little. Incidents.

That are part of the story. Every time. Abraham.

Acts. Or. Says anything.

It is. In obedience to God. Do you think you would have gotten up early that morning? The only way I could understand getting up early is if I didn't sleep all night anyway.

That isn't why Abraham got up early. I mean. Maybe he didn't sleep.

I don't know. But he got up early. To obey.

He rose up early. In obedience. Now.

Every time. Every once in a while. You get.

Speculative. Thoughts. Imaginings.

In situations like this. And. I wonder.

What. Did. Sarah.

Think. About this. And.

I have this. Little. Suspicion.

In my mind. That Abraham. Didn't.

Tell. Sarah. Everything.

Or. He probably wouldn't have gotten out of the house. At least.

Not with Isaac. What did he tell. The young men.

Because. I mean. These young men.

Probably could have overpowered. Abraham. Fairly well.

And. Prevented. The old man's.

Insane act. As they would have looked at it as. He said.

We're going to go yonder. And. Worship.

And. Return again to you. That's all he told them.

You see. This seems to be. Uniquely.

Abraham's. Trial. You know.

I'm sure. In. Your.

Life. Experience. Whenever.

You are going through. Something. Very.

Severe. One of the things. You long.

For. Almost more than anything. Anything else.

Is somebody. With you. To.

Enter into it. And to go. With you.

Through it. Very hard. To go through something.

Entirely. Yourself. And.

I can only speculate. As to what. Sarah knew.

Or didn't know. But. She doesn't seem to be.

Involved. In this. In any.

Way. That we can detect. Even in.

Hebrews chapter 11. But. As you go through this.

You see that. He keeps. Responding.

To what he. Already. Understood.

And knew. Of God. And.

There is that. Implicit. Obedience.

And trust. Then. A third principle.

That. Seems significant. In this passage.

Is the idea. Of the cost. In worship.

You know. Abraham. Was already.

A worshipper of God. If I had read the. Verses.

Just before this chapter. It says that he planted. A grove.

Or. A tree. A tamarisk tree.

In Beersheba. He called there. In the name of the Lord.

The everlasting God. And so on. He had been.

A worshipper of God. For. A long time.

But. In this. Case.

God seems to be. Asking. The impossible.

Doesn't he? He seems to be. Asking. Everything.

That Abraham. Would. Cling.

To. Everything. That would be.

Close to Abraham. Is. Being.

Demanded. By God. A tremendous cost.

To. Acknowledge. God.

In this way. Now. Is there always a cost.

To worship? Does it. Always. Cost.

Us. Something. To worship.

I think the answer is. Yes. Although.

When we gather together. And. We are.

You know. Singing. The hymns.

And. We are. Praying.

And. And. And.

So on. It doesn't seem like. We're sacrificing anything.

It doesn't seem like. There's a cost. And yet.

What are we doing? We are giving. God. Priority.

That's what we're doing. In our hearts. In our minds.

We are. Devoting. Ourselves.

To. The. Acknowledgement.

Of. God. And.

Responding. To. His.

To. His. Grace.

To. His. Goodness.

To. His. Majesty.

And. So on. And.

In. That. Measure.

We are. We are. Sacrificing.

Our minds. Our hearts. To.

What. They. Could.

Be. Occupied. With.

Whether. Ourselves. Or.

To. Work. Or.

Pleasure. Or. Whatever.

It. May. Be.

So. There. Is.

Probably. Always. That.

Element. And. And.

But. This. Is.

I'm. Saying. That.

In. Trial. Where.

There. Is. The.

Greatest. Cost. Is.

Possibly. Where. God.

Receives. The. Purest.

Worship. From. Us.

Now. What. I. Want.

To. Draw. Expression.

The. Cost. Is.

To. Think. With.

You. About. What.

God. Weaves. Into.

The. Request. He.

Says. Take. Now.

My. Son. My.

Son. My. Only.

Son. Isaac. Down.

In. Verse. Twelve.

He. Says. Now.

I. Know. That. You.

Fear. God. Seeing.

You. Have. Not.

Withheld. Your. Son.

Your. Only. Son.

And. Then. Again.

In. Verse. Sixteen.

Because. Done. This.

Thing. And. Have.

Not. Withheld. Your.

Son. Your. Only.

Son. See. How.

Many. Times. The.

Lord. Pinpoints. This.

Aspect. Now. I. Think.

There. Is. A. Tremendous.

Amount. But. First.

Of. All. It.

Highlights. The. Enormity.

Of. What. God.

Is. Really. Asking.

Of. Him. By.

This. Test. He.

Is. Testing. His.

Faith. And. That's.

What. Hebrews. Chapter.

11. Picks. Up.

By. Faith. Abraham.

When. He. Was.

Tried. Offered. Up.

What. Did. He.

Offer. Up. Who.

Did. He. Offer.

Up. His. Only.

Begotten. Son. Now.

You're. Probably. Familiar.

With. This. As.

Well. But. It's.

Worth. At. Least.

Touching. On. It.

Again. What. Does.

The. Only. Begotten.

Mean. Well. It.

Literally. Means. The.

Only. One. Begotten.

Of. The. Father.

But. It. Is.

An. Expression. From.

The. Greek. Language.

That. Has. The.

Impact. Of. Being.

The. One. And.

Only. The. One.

Maybe. Of. Verses.

And. We. Find.

This. Expression. That.

Is. Here. Which.

Links. With. It.

Psalm. 22. And.

Verse. 20. Deliver.

My. Soul. From.

The. Sword. My.

Darling. From. The.

Power. Of. The.

Dog. Now. I don't know if you've ever wondered about that expression.

And. Why. It.

Is. Used. In.

That. Sense. It's.

One. Thing. To.

Call. Someone. Else.

My. Darling. And.

When. We. We.

We. At. Least.

If. We. Have.

Any. Common. Sense.

We. Will. Use.

It. In. An.

Exclusive. Sense. That.

Term. Is. Intended.

To. Be. Used.

For. A. And. Only.

Because. That's. What.

It. Means. My.

Only. One. Why.

Then. And. This.

Is. In. The.

Words. Of. The.

Lord. Jesus. On.

The. Cross. Why.

Would. He. Be.

Speaking. To. God.

And. Say. Deliver.

My. Soul. From.

The. Sword. My.

Darling. Well. I. Remember.

A. Couple. Of. Years.

Ago. At. A. Conference.

Brother. Dave. Oliver.

Gave. A. Explanation. Of.

This. That. To.

Me. Is. Very.

Beautiful. And. Helpful.

He. Suggested. Just.

Put. That. In.

Quotation. Marks. And.

You'll. Have. The.

Answer. He. Is.

Taking. The. Language.

That. He. Was.

Used. To. Hearing.

From. The. Father.

These. This. Is.

What. The. Father.

Called. His. Son.

My. Darling. My.

Only. One. And.

He. Is. Taking.

That. And. Saying.

The. One. That.

You. Call. My.

Darling. Save. Him.

Deliver. Him. What.

An. Appeal. And.

He. Can. Only.

Faintly. Imagine. What.

An. Impact. That.

Would. Have. Upon.

The. Father. In.

Heaven. That. Is.

The. Meaning. The.

Intended. Meaning. Of.

It. Here. In.

This. Passage. As.

Well. And. I'm.

Sure. That. We.

Can. See. That.

As. God. Is.

Is. Zeroing. In.

On. This. Unique.

Relationship. That. He.

Is. Emphasizing. Of.

Abraham. And. His.

Son. What. Is.

God. Really. Doing.

Well. He's. Highlighting.

What. He. Demanding.

Which. Is. You.

Might. Say. I'm.

Asking. You. To.

Give. Your. Heart.

Up. But. It.

Is. Also. Drawing.

Us. Into. The.

Whole. Plan. Of.

Redemption. And. The.

Reality. That. The.

Promised. Seed. And.

Blessing. Of. Mankind.

Is. Going. To.

Come. Through. The.

Actual. Giving. Of.

The. Darling. One.

The. Only. Begotten.

Of. The. Father.

In. Heaven. And.

So. In. Looking.

At. This. He.

Is. Recognizing. Acknowledging.

To. Abraham. That.

What. He. Is.

Asking. Is. Naturally.

Totally. Unreasonable. And.

He. Is. Asking.

Him. To. Give.

Up. The. One.

Who. Is. His.

Only. Son. Whom.

Thou. Lovest. And.

That's. The. Emphasis.

That. He. That.

He. Gives. Now.

When. We. When.

We. Go. Down.

Through. The. Passage.

Again. Abraham. Says.

To. The. Young.

Men. Remain. Here.

I. And. The. Lad.

Will. Go. Yonder.

And. Worship. And.

Come. Again. To.

You. Then. Isaac.

Speaks. To. Him.

And. I've. Wondered.

At. Times. How.

Did. Abraham. Come.

Up. With. That.

Response. As. Isaac.

Draws. Attention. To.

This. This. Gaping.

Hole. In. The.

In. What. Is.

Normal. We're. Going.

Up. To. That.

High. Mountain. To.

Offer. A. Sacrifice. We're.

Carting. All. This.

Wood. Up. There.

We've. Got. The.

Fire. With. Us.

We've. Got. The.

Knife. But. What.

Are. We. Really.

Doing. Here. And.

Abraham. Responds. My.

Son. And. It.

Just. Struck. Me.

Recently. That. I. Wonder.

If. The. Spirit.

Of. God. Gave.

Abraham. Those. Words.

To. In. That.

Moment. When. Probably.

Hardly. Knew. What.

To. Say. My.

Son. God. Will.

Provide. Himself. A. Lamb.

For. A. Burnt. Offering.

And. Again. We.

Can. See. A. Foreshadowing.

What. Is. Intended.

By. God. In.

The. Testament. Of.

The. One. Who.

Would. Be. God.

Himself. And. Who.

Would. Be. The.

Lamb. That. Mystery.

Of. The. Divine.

Sacrifice. Now. What.

Wanted. To. Emphasize.

In. Looking. At.

All. Of. Those.

Is. Simply. This.

Every. Time. Abraham.

Speaks. Responds. He.

Is. Evidencing. He.

Is. Showing. That.

His. Thinking. His.

Reasoning. Was. Controlled.

By. The. Word.

Of. God. And.

By. The. Character.

Of. God. That.

He. Had. Embraced.

And. Again. That.

Is. Emphasized. In.

The. Word. God.

And. Again. Is.

Emphasized. In. The.

God. Who. Has.

Power. Over. Death.

To. Whom. Death.

Is. No. Barrier.

For. His. Purposes.

And. Are. To.

Worship. And. Acknowledge.

Him. As. The.

One. Who. Is.

Himself. Beyond. The.

Reach. Of. Death.

And. Whose. Power.

To. Bless. Us.

Is. Also. Beyond.

What. Death. Can.

Ever. Do. So.

We. Come. To.

This. Point. Of.

Crisis. Then. Where.

Abraham. Has. Isaac.

On. The. Altar.

And. He. Is.

Stretching. Out. And.

Grabbing. The. Life.

Does. God. Seem.

Rather. Cruel. Here.

Why. Didn't. He.

Tell. Him. At.

The. Foot. Of.

The. Mountain. Now.

Abraham. Calm. Down.

This. Is. Going.

To. Turn. Up.

Differently. Than. You.

Dread. It's. Going.

Be. All. Right.

He. Lets. Abraham.

Come. To. This.

Point. Where. He.

Is. Committed. To.

The. Act. Of.

Taking. His. Own.

Son's. Life. In.

Obedience. To. God.

I. Would. Have. To.

Think. That. That.

Would. Be. The.

Greatest. Trial. That.

Anyone. Could. Experience.

To. Take. The.

Life. Of. Someone.

That. You. Love.

So. Deeply. Out.

Of. Obedience. To.

God's. Command. And.

Definitely. God. Credits.

Him. With. Having.

Offered. Isaac. So.

What. Did. God.

Really. Want. What.

Did. He. Really.

Want. If. Didn't.

Want. Isaac's. Life.

What. Did. He.

Want. Well. I. Guess.

We. Could. Say.

That. He. Wanted.

Abraham's. Heart. In.

A. Final. And. Complete.

Way. But. Involved.

Within. Idea. Of.

Worship. Is. Linked.

The. Term. Fear.

Of. God. And.

This. Was. Again.

Something. That. That.

You. Know. I. Probably.

Should. Have. Known.

Long. Before. This.

But. It. Really.

Comes. Out. Forcibly.

In. The. Experience.

Of. Abraham. And.

Also. In. The.

Experience. Of. Job.

The. Prominence. The.

Emphasis. On. Fearing.

God. With. Worship.

Now. Let. Me.

Just. Take. You.

To. Another. Passage.

Remember. In. The.

Temptation. In. The.

Wilderness. Where. The.

Lord. Jesus. Is.

Being. Offered. The.

Kingdoms. Of. The.

World. In. Exchange.

For. Just. One.

Thing. And. One.

Thing. Is. Worship.

That's. Another. Passage.

That. I. Have. Been.

Studying. And. Working.

On. In. Another.

Subject. Altogether. Over.

The. Last. Couple.

Of. Years. And.

It. Has. Struck.

Me. In. Relation.

To. That. That.

Really. Tells. Us.

That. Worship. Is.

The. Ultimate. Prize.

In. The. Universe.

This. Is. The.

Ultimate. Issue. Of.

Everything. Who. Gets.

Your. Worship. Satan.

Was. Willing. To.

Offer. To. Christ.

Everything. Else. If.

He. Would. Give.

To. Him. That.

Place. Of. Worship.

So. What. Is.

Involved. In. It.

Well. Found. It.

Very. Interesting. That.

In. The. Lord's.

Response. To. Him.

The. Lord. Jesus.

Said. Thou. Shalt.

Worship. The. Lord.

By. God. And.

Him. Only. Shalt.

Thou. Serve. Now.

Know. That. Every.

Time. The. Lord.

Spoke. In. The.

Temptation. He. Was.

Quoting. From. Deuteronomy.

But. If. You.

Go. Back. To.

Deuteronomy. And. Try.

To. Find. What.

Do. Find. In.

Deuteronomy. Well. There's.

Two. Possible. Sources.

Of. That. Quotation.

And. In. Each.

Case. The. Word.

Worship. Is. Not.

Used. But. The.

Word. Fear. Used.

Thou. Shalt. Fear.

The. Lord. Thy.

God. And. Him.

Only. Shalt. Thou.

Serve. So. In.

Other. Words. To.

Fear. God. And.

To. Worship. God.

Are. Virtually. Synonymous.

And. This. Passage.

Really. Teaches. That.

Where. The. Lord.

Says. You. Know.

Don't. Do. Anything.

To. The. Lad.

For. Now. I. Know.

That. Thou. Fearest.

God. Seeing. Thou.

Hast. Not. Withheld.

Thy. Son. Thine.

Only. Son. From.

Me. So. This.

Really. Brings. Together.

What. Worship. Is.

And. What. The.

Fear. Of. God.

Is. And. Worship.

As. We. Find.

Here. Is. The.

Giving. To. God.

Of. The. Place.

Of. Absolute. Preeminence.

Over. Every. Other.

Right. And. Claim.

Every. Other. Relationship.

That. I. Have. What.

Was. Abraham. Doing.

This. Act. Of.

Giving. His. Son.

Back. To. God.

What. Was. He.

Doing. He. Was.

Acknowledging. That. God.

Had. The. Right.

To. Command. Him.

To. Do. This.

It. The. Acknowledgement.

Of. God's. Supreme.

Right. Over. Abraham.

But. Was. Also.

The. Acknowledgement. Of.

God's. Supreme. Right.

Over. Isaac. And.

Of. All. Relationship.

Concerning. Isaac. In other words.

Isaac. My. Son.

But. God. Has.

First. Claim. Upon.

Isaac. Now. That.

Is. An. Extremely.

Important. Thing. For.

Us. To. Appreciate.

And. To. Live.

With. As. We.

Go. Through. Life.

Whatever. Relationships. You.

Have. Whatever. Whether.

Naturally. Or. Spiritually.

Is. Precious. And.

Meaningful. To. You.

To. Recognize. That.

God. Has. The.

Prior. Claim. Upon.

You. In. Relation.

To. Around. You.

And. Upon. Everything.

Else. Around. You.

As. It. Affects.

You. And. That.

Is. So. Close.

To. What. It.

Means. To. Fear.

God. That. It's.

Pretty. Well. Possible.

To. Distinguish. And.

So. Worship. Then.

Is. That. Acknowledgement.

That. God. Is.

First. And. Has.

First. Claim. Over.

My. Life. Over.

My. Wife. My.

Children. Over. Everything.

That. Can. Look.

At. As. Being.

Mine. Or. Having.

A. Right. To. Or.

The. Enjoyment. Of.

Is. All. Subject.

To. God. And.

His. Rights. And.

His. Will. And.

Purposes. But. Now.

Does. That. Mean.

That. We. Should.

Be. Resentful. Of.

God. Well. I. Think.

What. We. See.

Here. Is. That.

Whatever. Is. For.

God's. Glory. Whatever.

Is. An. Acknowledgement.

Of. God. As.

Worship. Results. In.

Blessing. From. Him.

To. Us. And.

So. I. Want. To.

Think. With. You.

Of. Of. What.

Is. The. Outcome.

Of. This. As.

Go. Down. Through.

The. Last. Part.

Of. This. Section.

Verse. Fifteen. Down.

The. Angel. Of.

The. Lord. Called.

To. Abraham. Out.

Of. Heaven. A. Second.

Time. And. Says.

By. Myself. Have.

I. Sworn. Says. The.

Lord. For. Because.

Thou. Hast. Done.

This. Thing. And.

Has. Not. Withheld.

Thy. Son. Thine.

Only. Son. And.

Yielded. To. Me.

Everything. You. Given.

To. Me. That.

Supreme. Place. In.

Your. Heart. In.

Your. Faith. In.

Everything. Here's. What.

I'm. Going. To.

Do. For. You.

In. Blessing. I. Bless.

You. Now. God.

Has. A. Tremendous. Capacity.

To. Bless. Doesn't.

He. And. He.

Is. Saying. That.

In. All. That.

I. Do. In. Blessing.

I'm. Going. To.

You. In. Multiplying.

I'm. To. Multiply.

Your. Seed. Here.

Was. The. Promised.

Seed. Isaac. Who.

He. Was. Now.

Being. Willing. To.

Yield. Back. To.

God. For. God.

To. Do. With.

Whatever. He. Chooses.

All. His. Hopes.

For. The. Future.

Are. Bound. Up.

In. This. Child.

He. Says. Now.

I'm. Going. To.

Take. Isaac. And.

I'm. Going. Multiply.

Him. A. Billion. Times.

In. Other. Words.

I'm. Going. To.

Give. Back. To.

You. A. Multiplication. Of.

What. You. Have.

Yielded. To. Me.

The. World. Dies.

It. Brings. Forth.

Much. Fruit. And.

There. Is. That.

Definite. Principle. Of.

Life. Now. Some.

Somebody. Not. Too.

Long. Ago. I'm.

Not. Sure. Whether.

I. Was. Was. I. Was.

I. I. Was. I. Was. I. Was.

I. Was. I. Was. I. I. Was.

I. I. Was. I. Was. I. I. Any limitations that we could ever conceive of in what we could receive from him and through him now Finally he says in verse 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth Be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice now a tremendous Reality that God in his redemptive purpose to all of mankind Was going to use this seed of Abraham through which to bless the world now There's something more related to this and I've only been hinting at it in in referring to the only begotten Son and so on Again in thinking about this question, what did God really want to accomplish with Abraham? There's an expression that we find three times It's not always given identically, but it's the idea is three times in the Bible and it is this idea that Abraham Is called by God my friend Isaiah 41 and 8 the Lord says Abraham my friend I Think it's Jehoshaphat in 2nd Chronicles chapter 20.

I believe it is Where he in intercession to God? says Abraham your friend and James in James chapter 2 as he recounts this experience as the outcome of the experience he says and He was called a friend of God. So what is a friend? What does a friend is someone that you bring into your confidence? That you reveal your heart to and you share the intimate secrets with and It seems that what God was really longing to be able to do was to be able to open up the heart of this dear man, Abraham and Expressed to him what he was treasuring up in his own heart that he was going to give his only begotten Son I think John chapter 8 Where the Lord Jesus was being challenged by the Jews and he made reference to Abraham seeing his day Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad I Think that gives us a little hint That as an outcome of this experience God unveiled to Abraham the wonder that his plan involved the actual Providing of his own son as the Redeemer So you have you could say a father in heaven Opening up the mind and heart of an anguished father on earth and letting him know the real reason Why he had brought him to such an extremity in his experience spiritually One of the things that should teach us is not to be afraid of God Nor of anything that crosses our pathway that God permits to touch our lives Whether what he directly does or what he permits to come in our experience as we find in the experience of Job And I think it also would at least Give me this incentive that worship leads to intimacy with God as We devote ourselves to seek him to know him to acknowledge him he will respond to us and open up his heart his mind and Fill our our beings with what is of himself and I don't know What you think about having a name a title? That would summarize your life as being a friend of God God's friend, I think that's Something that would be worth craving to be known by God in that way And let me just go briefly to the book of Job for a few comments on what is connected here The emphasis in Abraham is my friend the emphasis in Job is my servant and It's mentioned at numerous times as you go through chapter 1 and chapter 2 particularly this combination of terms as Job is being one that feared God and eschewed or eschewed evil Now verse 8 and the Lord said unto Satan has thou considered My servant Job But there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that fear of God and The word escheweth means to depart from evil. Well, what's Satan's answer? Well, he says sure Does Job fear God for not or for nothing? Has not thou made a hedge about him and about his house about all that he has on every side That was blessed the work of his hands his substance is increased in the land But put forth thine hand now and touch all that he has and he will curse thee to thy face Now Satan acknowledges something here That It is characteristic of God That he blesses those who fear him It is to be normally expected that if someone serves God God rewards that person with honor blessing Prosperity and so on that is what is what is taken for granted here that is why his friends went so far astray and trying to explain the situation because It didn't match up with what they assumed to be generally true God does bless his people God does reward faithfulness Sincerity The fear of God he honors that but what we have here is a test that is indirect Abraham was tested directly by God without any intermediate causes Here it is Satan who in all his hatred of God and of this man Who was so devoted to God? He wanted to destroy this man and destroy his confidence and obedience to God and God had such confidence in Job That he was willing to say he's in your hand Now most of us wouldn't want to be Job But again, what is very Striking about Job is that when all of this transpired and the hedge is taken away protective the protection around him and all that he had and enjoyed from God and as these messengers come in it just seems like it's the impression is given that it's just You know 15 minutes apart Basically, they're just coming one after another into his presence with these devastating news and Job's response in verse 20 Job arose rent his mantle shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and Worshipped now, I don't know if that's what you would be thinking or I would be thinking in in that circumstance We see the very first thing that he does is he relates it to God and this is one of the primary things that marks the Integrity of Job, which is another beautiful subject to look at and that is that Job was conscious of God in every detail of his life and He didn't learn this truth that he expresses here after his trial or because of his trial He learned this he knew this in the time of his blessing and prosperity He had already thought through this and here's his acknowledgment of God Naked came I out of my mother's womb and Naked shall I return thither? He acknowledged that he came into this world with nothing And that he would leave Everything that he was enjoying he would leave it behind He had already come to terms with that He'd come to terms with the reality that everything that he had to enjoy Was something bestowed upon him by the Lord the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away Without knowing that it was the enemy who was Directing this assault against him.

He takes it right back to the Lord and acknowledges the Lord in it The Lord has taken away blessed Be the name of the Lord See, this is where the fear of God and the worship of God again are so intertwined that you really couldn't separate their meaning and that continues into the next chapter as well and So as we as we look at this then Job's experience was different from Abraham's This is not something that was over with Everything back to normal This is something that's going to go on and on And it was going to get worse and Job was going to be ground into the dirt you might say And he still clings to this this this reality of God himself now as you go through Job you have to acknowledge that he was he was brought to the edge and and no doubt I'm sure I would have been over the edge long before But he was clinging to this of God as is expressed. I think it's about chapter 16 or so Though he slay me yet will I trust him now that is clinging to God Despite the loss of absolutely everything and that that acknowledgment of God that supreme acknowledgment of God Is the purest worship that could ever be expressed and that is why getting back again to mr. Adams statement that Trust is really pure worship and the purest worship that We will ever be capable of expressing here upon earth so my time is gone and What impressed me in looking at this subject in this aspect of it is this is not Sunday morning enjoying The Lord is as we often think as worship, but in the most difficult Circumstances the most tremendous pressure and grief How we respond? tells God the most Accurately what we truly think of him so may God help us To count him worthy of our trust of our worship Whatever it may cost