Welcome to Bible Baptist Church Ballincollig, Cork Celebrating 12 Years Today is the Lord’s Day Sunday, 24 th of September, 2006

September’s Memory Verse God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

Announcements  Church Tonight at 7pm – beginning Hymnspiration, Why We Sing What We Sing!  Wednesday evening Prayer meeting at 7pm - NO Bible Study – Every Christian HERE!  Agata Swiatek heads back to Poland this week – we will miss her!

True Worshippers Abraham and Isaac Genesis 22

Review – Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth  This is a study series looking at True Worship, and True Worshippers  So Far, we have looked at the Wrong Ways to Worship, and then the Right Ways to Worship God  Today, we begin to look at HOW God’s people worshipped God – starting with Abraham and his son Isaac in Genesis 22

Worship … What is it?  To show someone’s worth-ship!  An act of ascribing worth/value to a person  To honour – extol, lift-up, praise  To please  To bless  To love with all the heart  To glorify – put all the attention on  To serve gladly and whole-heartedly  When a person worship’s God, these things are all active!

Background (Genesis 21:33,34; 22:1)  Abraham lived to worship God, no matter the cost!  That determination was going to be tested in this chapter  Abraham had seen some serious failures in his own life - Lack of faith  Abraham had also seen God do some great things in his life  Abraham had been learning how to worship God, but in Genesis 22, he will learn thoroughly, and God will show us perfectly

Biblical Example of Worshipping God Abraham (Genesis 22:1-19)  God’s Test of Worship  Abraham’s Response  Abraham’s Faith  Abraham’s Worship  God’s Pleasure  Abraham’s Change – he will never be the same

God’s Test of Worship (Genesis 22:2)  What is the most important thing to you? Your Problems? Your Past? Your Friends? Your Lack of Money? Your Prestige and Position in people’s eyes? All of the above get in the way of our worship that is due unto God  For the rich young ruler money was most important  For Peter, it was the Messianic kingdom  For Paul, the Jewish religion was most important  For Abraham, Isaac was most important

Abraham’s Response (Genesis 22:3) PPatient Obedience PPrepared Obedience SSilent Obedience

Abraham’s Faith (Genesis 22:4,5)  He saw the end from the start  He leaned only on his God to carry him  He went all this way “to worship”  He was NOT sure of what was going to happen  He just knew God would bring BOTH Abraham AND Isaac back down the mount, and then back home

Abraham’s Worship (Genesis 22:5-10)  It Was a Burden  It Was a Picture (John 8:56)  It Was a Sacrifice There is no worship without a Sacrifice There is no worship without a Cost – a high cost! There is no worship without Faith - he had to trust There is no worship without Obedience There is no worship without an Altar There is no worship without Detail

God’s Pleasure (Genesis 22:11-18; Rev 4:11)  Is in our obedience – not in what we give (1Samuel 15:22)  Is in supplying the Sacrifice that we truly need – Himself the Lamb!  Is in showing Himself – we learn most of God in the fiery trials of our afflictions (Daniel 3:23-25)  Is in blessing us (Genesis 22:15-18)

Abraham’s Change (Genesis 22:19)  An unshakeable joy  A new address  A readiness for anything now  All because Abraham learned how to truly worship his God

Conclusion  What is the most important thing to you?  How easy do you find it to obey when things are rough, and God’s will is hard?  Worship is an act of faith  How Determined are we to PLEASE GOD with our Worship, instead of please ourselves?  True Worship Will Change You  Begins with the new birth, and will follow through a testing – are you now better ready for that test – ready to worship? No matter the cost?