Worship is Costly | Week One | Worship Series

²⁴ However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ~ 2 Samuel 24:24 NASB1995

¹ Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ² He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. ⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” ⁶ Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. ⁷ Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. ⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹² He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” ¹³ Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” ~ Genesis 22:1-14 NASB1995

The Law Of First Mention: The first occurrence of a word in the Bible often sets the pattern for its usage throughout Scripture. “Love” (v.2) and “worship” (v.5) are first found here.

² He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”  ~ Genesis 22:2 NASB1995

⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”   ~ Genesis 22:5 NASB1995

¹ Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ~ Genesis 22:1 NASB1995

God tested Abraham with worship

Worship doesn’t deepen your walk; it exposes your walk.

• Worship exposes our motives. (Matthew 15:8-9)
• Worship exposes your priorities. (Mark 12:30)
• Worship exposes what your trust is in.
• Worship exposes our obedience to God’s Word (John 14:15)
• Worship exposes unity

Worship requires:

• an immediate response (Genesis 22:1)
• trusting the promiser more than the promise. (Genesis 22:2)
• preparation (Genesis 22:3)
• trust that the solution has already been provided (Genesis 22:5)

Thankfulness is a response to the good God does.

Worship is a response to the good He is.

¹⁵ Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. ¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. ~ Hebrews 13:15-16 NASB

Words Of Knowledge:

• We believe the Lord wants to heal people suffering with chronic joint pain.
• We believe the Lord wants to heal someone who is suffering with a knee injury. We believe we heard the Lord saying He wants to heal someone with a broken kneecap, someone with a torn patella, and someone with an injured meniscus.
• We believe the Lord wants to heal someone’s memory center, specifically Alzheimer’s.
• We believe we heard the Lord say that He wants to heal someone suffering with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS).
• We believe we heard the Lord say that He wants to heal someone with diphtheria.
• We believe the Lord wants to heal people suffering with rheumatoid arthritis.
• We believe the Lord wants to bring freedom and healing to people suffering with mental disorders, specifically bipolar disorder.