8 Feb 2009 LIVING THE LIFE OF WORSHIP                        
Ps Tommy Pangkatan

Worship brings pleasure to God, it is more than music ( one of the way), includes offering our body as a living sacrifice, and it is for God’s benefit. It is for God to evaluate and not us to judge. Worship is not part of our life but should constitute our whole life, not limited to corporate worship - singing slow songs or fast songs to praise God. Worship put a smile on the face of God.

Genesis 22:1-14

Abraham Tested

 ¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
      "Here I am," he replied.

 ² Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

 ³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

 ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
      "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
      "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

 ⁸ Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

 ⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
      "Here I am," he replied.

 ¹² "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

 ¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram ^[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Test of faith

Abraham is the father of faith- his first test was to leave the house and move  to a new place, his failure is exemplified in Ismeth bearing a maid’s child , his courage is shown when he rescued Lot from the 5 Kings. Perhaps the greatest test is that of Issac. His life has been ups and downs like a cycle- but he talked to God, and keep talking and communicating with God- such is the relationship. A life of worship is test after test. For example, Moses in the desert for 40 years, not by choice, but as God ‘s testing. We go through family test, fellowship test, fight test, fortune test..etc Difficulty can become opportunity.  

Costs of faith

The life of worship always come with a cost. Gen 4:2-7

We are to give our best to God – do the best  for God now-  in our use of time, out talents, in our relationship, our pastimes and possessions, business and body, worldly pleasure and earthly treasures.

Prize of faith

The life of worship is secured by his sight-sacrifice without  reservation and keep trusting. God sees i.e Moriah – Forseen of Jehovah. 2^nd Corinthians 16:9

The life of worship is ordered by obedience and fuel by faith

CLICK TO TOP