Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. We want to continue in our series on altars. And last week we talked about The altars of Abraham.
We talked about first that his first altar was the relationship altar. Then we talked about the retirement altar. And then he... went in the wrong direction and then we find him building the return altar. And then God in His goodness allowed Abraham to build.
A renewing altar. But this last one is the requirement alter.
So today we want to talk about The worship. Alter. You say, well, preacher, how is it a requirement altar and a worship altar? True worship. requires something.
We live in a day where everybody thinks they're worshiping. Every activity they do at church, they call it worship nowadays. I mean, not exclusive. Genesis chapter 22. There is a hermeneutical principle.
Some of you are like, wow. Hermeneutical, you want to say, God bless you. And um, That is actually a Biblical study word. When I have more time, I'll explain it. But there is a hermeneutical principle called the principle of first mention.
You've heard me talk about it over and over and over again here at Kirtland. But I want to explain it a little bit better today. This principle teaches that the first mention of a word Or of a doctrine in the Bible determines. that word's meaning through the rest of scripture.
So, the first time something is mentioned, the context of that. tells us what that will mean. throughout the rest of God's word. For instance, In Genesis chapter 12, here in Abraham's life, we find again, in Genesis chapter 12 and verse 10. You don't need to turn there, but...
we find the first mention of Egypt. You say, well, why is this important?
Well, because Abraham left where God wanted him to be. And because he feared a famine, he ran to Egypt. And we know because of that that Egypt is presented. in a negative light because Abraham suffered spiritual loss. Abraham damaged his testimony.
Abraham rebelled against God during this time.
So, all through scripture, Egypt will always be a picture of something negative. The reason this is a worship altar is because in the passage we're going to read today. This is the first biblical mention of the word worship.
Now, I believe that worship had already been going on in the Bible. We're not saying that. We're saying that this is the first time in God's word. that the word worship is mentioned, and so we learned principles. About worship in this passage that will be the same throughout the rest.
of the Word of God. I believe in Genesis chapter 4. The Bible says then Began men to call upon the name of the Lord. I believe worship started all the way back in Genesis 4. Genesis 5 says Enoch walked with God.
Genesis 6 says that Noah walked with God. But this is simply the first time that the word worship is used.
So we cannot deal with this passage. without dealing with this word. You see, this word worship here in the Hebrew means to. Bow down. To submit yourself.
before a superior to humble yourself. before God. And Abraham uses this word in the most difficult time of his life. Abraham was in the deepest valley he'd ever been in, as they just sang about. And he saw that whole experience.
As worship.
So let's dig into it this morning. See what God has to tell us. Sure do love you, and I'm so thankful that you're here this morning. Number one, we want to see the start of worship. The start.
Where does worship? even start. I mean, we find here this mention of worship. You're going to see it here in just a minute. But if we're going to learn principles about worship, we have to know where it starts.
Notice verse 1 of Genesis 22. And it came to pass, and the verses are on the screen if you don't have your Bible this morning. And it came to pass after these things, notice that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him. God speaks.
Now, notice here, Abraham. And what happened? Abraham said, and he said. Behold, Here I am. Worship always begins With a word from God.
Yeah. Do you understand? Say amen. Let me get a little bit further. We find here the process of worship begins with God speaking and Abraham responding.
Worship is not just about you saying what you have to say about God. Worship is God speaking and us responding. You see, worship always begins as a response to something that God has said. Abraham's worship in these verses was based very clear from the Lord. God said in verse one, God said, and then in verse one, Abraham said.
It's a response, the start of this whole worship experience. Was Abraham responding to something that God had said. True worship is always guided by the Word of God. True worship is always a response to a revelation. God tells Abraham here, take now thy son.
God tells Abraham here, get to a mountain there at Moriah. God tells him what to do. God tells him where to go. And Abraham simply responds to God. Worship always starts with us responding to what God has said.
If in the whole worship experience there is nothing about what God has said, that's not worship. That is man. Not God. You see, preacher, I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding. Following the traditions and customs of men is simply not worship.
Genuine biblical worship is all that I am. Responding to all that God is. as he has revealed himself to me. Through what he said. Yeah, right.
How many of you know God's word is what he said? You have here, hopefully you have. What God has said.
So worship, that's why the Bible says if we worship God, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. You see, worship is done with our spirit. Not our mind. Not even our emotions. It's done with our spirit.
It's a combination of all of them. And so to worship God. We have to respond with our spirit to the truth. that God has given.
So to worship God, we must worship Him in spirit, which is us, and truth, which is Him. If you if you got it so far, say amen.
So half of you didn't get it so far. In other words. The Bible says God loves me. The Bible says God sent His Son to die for me. And I must respond to what he said.
If you're here this morning and you don't know you're saved, I'm here to tell you: the Bible says Jesus loves you. The Bible says he died for you, the Bible says he wants to save you. The Bible says he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Now, worship starts when you respond. to what he said. My Bible says that his grace is sufficient for me.
So when trials come in my life, the way I worship in trials is responding to what God has said. I might not like my trial and I might not like my affliction, but if I'm going to make that a worship experience, it means I find something that God has said. You said you never leave me nor forsake me. God, you said you never put more on me that I could bear. God, you said that you would always be there.
You said that you love me. You said that you'll never leave me. And that means worship is me saying, God, I don't like when I'm in, but I am responding to what you've promised. You see, when I understand who God is and what He has done for me, I worship Him when I respond to that revelation with humility and gratitude and reverence. Number two.
Worship always starts. With a response. to something God has said. Number two, I want you to see the submission. of worship.
You see, this passage is going to tell us exactly what worship is. Look at verse 2. And he, meaning God, said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest. God saying, I know exactly how you feel, Abraham. 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.
So God hasn't even given him the specifics yet. Verse 3. And Abraham rose up early. In the morning. He saddled his donkey.
Took two of his young men with him and Isaac. He got the wood for the burnt offering and noticed this at the end, and rose up and went. Get this. God said How did Abraham respond? God said Take thy son.
Offer him. Go to this mountain. Notice, and Abraham rose up. and went unto the place God had told him.
Now listen to me this morning. It doesn't say Abraham rose up and questioned. It says he rose up and went. It doesn't say Abraham rose up and complained. What do you mean?
You promised me a seed. My wife in past childbearing years, you give a miraculous child in Isaac, so now I finally have this seed, and now you're asking me to go kill him? Abraham rose up. And went. It doesn't say he rose up and argued.
You see, true worship. always involves you and I. Submitting. To God's word.
Now look at me. Get this so far. What is the start of worship? It's me responding to what God had said.
So what is the submission of worship? Not only hearing what God said. But obeying it. Listen, if you're not obeying anything, you're not worshiping. If you're just standing and singing, that doesn't mean you're worshiping.
Hey, what do you do after you get done singing on Sunday? What do you do for the rest of the week? Hey, singing a song isn't worship, folks. I don't know what you've been told, but you've been lied to. True biblical worship has to have God's word and it has to have obedience to God's word.
You see, it's one thing to hear what God has said. It's another thing to do it. Phew. Yes, sir. That's good.
Not only does worship start with what God says, worship solidifies by obeying. what God has said. Anyone who does not obey the word of God. cannot be a true worshiper. Number three.
I want you to see the separation of worship. You say, all right, preacher, now it's 10.30. You've got to get going.
Okay, I know. Number three, the separation of worship. Verse 4. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, You stay here.
And I and the lad, Isaac, will go yonder and worship. and come again unto you.
Now look at me. Why did Abraham tell his servants to stay there? Because the moment Abraham ties up Isaac and puts Isaac on that altar, those servants are going to think Grandpa has flipped. Grandpa has turned. He's gone crazy.
And those servants would have interfered. with what God had asked him to do. Are you with me? Say amen. Do you know true worship always involves you and I separating from what will distract us from worship?
There is nothing wrong with servants. But they just couldn't be part of the worship. You and I live in a day where everybody wants to argue what sin is. Does the Bible really say it's wrong? No, can I ask you something?
Is it interfering with your worship? That's good. That's good. Has it become such a part of your life that Now it's the preference over something that God has asked. Nothing wrong with what God's giving you and enjoyed, but does it keep you from God's house?
Yeah, we'll go. Then that's good. Maybe there's some things you and I need to separate from. if we're going to worship. Boy, there's a lot I'd like to say to that.
And I had some really good stuff written down. May I just say this? Anything that distracts your mind. or is a hindrance. to genuine biblical worship is a problem.
And you're gonna have to leave it. To go higher. Number four. The surrender of worship. Verse 6 says, and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering.
And he laid it upon Isaac. Boy, isn't that nice? Isaac's the one that's going to get sacrificed. Abraham makes him carry the wood up. That sounds like a dad, doesn't it, to his son?
Done it? I'm sure my son Hudson over there is just thinking, yeah. And our family Hudson's always been my helper. Hudson has always been the one, whatever I'm doing. If I need something done, I'll say, Hudson, can you help me?
Sure. He's always been my helper, and how many of you know the helper ends up getting the work? But how many of you know the ones that do the work end up getting? The reward. Notice this.
He laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand and a knife.
Well, he's got everything he needs. And they went both of them together.
So now he's separated from what would keep him from what God has asked him to do. And now he takes this step. He fully surrenders. He gets the wood. The knife.
His son. God showed him exactly which mountain now and.
Now he surrenders. I want you to notice very importantly. the substance of worship.
Now we're getting down to what is really, really involved. and worship. Verse 7, and Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said, Okay. My father. And it'd been like dad.
And he said, Here am I, my son. He said, Behold the fire. In the wood, but where is the lamb? for the burnt offering.
Well where's the sacrifice? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide. himself a lamb. For a burnt offering.
So they went both of them together. Are you listening? Faith. is the substance. Of worship.
Abraham said, Isaac, I don't know a lot of things. But one thing I know God wants a sacrifice today. And God will provide that. I don't understand in Abraham's mind why God's asked it this way, why he's given the instructions he's given. It doesn't make sense, and I don't understand it.
But as far as you, my son, the only thing you need to know is that God can be trusted. Yeah, that's right. You don't need to know why we're doing it. You don't even need to know what God said to me. All you need to know as a young man is that God.
can be trusted. You see, Abraham believed by faith somehow, some way. This whole thing was going to work out. Because he believed God.
Now look at verse 5. This is not on the screen, but I just want to show you the faith that he showed in verse 5. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again unto you. You see, Abraham and his mind didn't know. Listen, God's asked me to kill Isaac and sacrifice him.
But Abraham believed in his heart that somehow him and Isaac were coming down off that mountain. He believed enough that he told the servants, we'll be back. Either God's going to make me kill him and God will raise him from the dead, or God will stop me, God will do something. But I believe with all my heart, God's promised a seed, and Isaac is the only seed.
So I believe God will do what God said he would do. Abraham never asked for an explanation. He arose and went. He just knew that God could be trusted. Hebrews 11.
Verse 1 says this.
Now faith is the substance. of things hoped for. Be evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:6 says this, but without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.
and that he is a rewarder. Of them that just, even when you can't see it, even when you don't understand it, you gotta believe it. You can't please God. Without faith. Verse 4 of Hebrews 11 says, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice.
Verse 5. By faith, Enoch was translated. Verse 7. By faith, Noah prepared an ark. Verse saying, by faith, Abraham.
When he was called to go out into a place. He arose. And went. Verse 9, by faith. He sojourned In the land of Promise.
Faith. Verse 11. Through faith also Sarah Herself received strength. to conceive seed. And that's where Isaac came from.
Verse 13, what does the Bible say? These all died in faith. Not having received the promises but having seen them afar off. Yeah, I can't fit it. I don't know how God's doing this.
I don't know why he's done it. He told me to go, so I came. And I know you got questions, Isaac, and I don't have all the answers. But the only thing you need to know is that God can be trusted. You can't worship?
Without faith. Yeah. Number six, we're almost done. The sacrifice. of worship.
Verse 9. And they came to the place of which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there. and laid the wood in order. and bound Isaac his son. Can you imagine this scene?
and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife. to slay his son. This is the hardest altar. that Abraham had built.
Here we see. A picture. of Christ. Notice this on the screens, if you would. Isaac was the promised seed.
Jesus is the promised Savior. Isaac was the only son. Jesus was the only begotten Son. Father Abraham would offer his son, God the Father, would offer his son. Isaac would be confined on the altar.
Jesus would be crucified on the cross. Isaac was willing to lay on the altar. We don't ever find him arguing here. Jesus willingly lay down his life on the cross. Isaac would be replaced.
Buy a lamb. Jesus would take our place. As the Lamb of God. which taketh away the sins of the world. Isaac We'd come down alive.
Jesus would come out. Yeah, yeah. Worship. Always require sacrifice. We live in a day and time where worship in churches require no sacrifice.
We don't have to change our life. We don't have to clean up our life. We don't have to follow rules. All we got to do is sing a few songs. Get a little emotional and now we've worshiped.
But what have you sacrificed? We come to church the way we were. We leave the way we were. We live the week the way we always lived. But what have we sacrificed?
This is the first mention of worship in the Bible.
So we know the rest of the way what worship means, and worship always involves. Sacrifice. God Was not going to make Abraham do. Would God With all The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally.
Would you take a moment to hear this to-day? Every man is born with a sin nature. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, We're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven.
Because of that sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life for the through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's gift salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept Him as our Savior.
Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. All you have to do is receive Christ. by faith as your Saviour. Romans 10.9 says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Verse 13 continues, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way. and calling upon his name. Bible says whosoever that's anyone can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior?
There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Saviour? If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at Crowin Baptist Church. Dot com. or visits that person at one of our three service times.
We hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless you. Mm-hmm.
