you don't feel like. In fact, there are most times you don't feel like Not because things are well, that is why we worship. We worship in spite of our circumstances. In spite of what is going on, we are called to worship. So, There is an invitation to come and worship. Not because your bank account is full or your health is at the top gear, but you are invited to the place of worship. The psalmist went on in that verse, in that chapter, between verse three to seven, and he says, for the Lord is a great God, a great king above all gods, in his hand at the depth of the earth. The height of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands form the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down let us kneel before the lord god our maker for he is our god and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand the psalmist was related what he knows about god in verse three to seven he says he is a great god So, the person we are coming to worship, the personality which we are coming to give our worship to is a great god and he is a king above all other gods. The Bible have always recognized that they are gods. and we need to recognize that this morning. either they are made in shrine form, or they are made as a tabernacle, or they are made in our hearts, or they are made in the things we devote our time to, they are gods. I remember a lady telling me, she says, I worship gold. I love gold. When you see me, I love to drip gold. And I was wondering, what's the difference between you and the golden calf? So there are gods. There are gods. But the psalmist is making us to know that this god, Jehovah, which we had come to worship, is a great god, is the king above all gods. And this is a very important knowledge, if we have that knowledge. It's a blessed knowledge. that their gods people devote their time, people devote their activity to. Especially in the 21st century, people devote their time to the worship of new age religion, science, politics, wellness and fitness. These are the 21st century gods, media and hearts. if possible, pornography. They are gods. But Jehovah, which we talk about with the Psalmist, speaking about here, is not in their level. He's the creator of the heaven and earth. He's the one whom we are called to worship, and is the one that deserves our worship. Verse seven goes on to say, today, if you hear his voice, in the place of worship, God speaks, but those other gods don't speak. God speaks in the place of worship. Our God speak. Our God is a speaking God. He says, if you hear his voice, verse 7C, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in Meribah and as in the day in Massa in the wilderness, just the same place, both Meribah and Massa, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to proof that they have seen my work. So the people who went astray because they didn't listen to God, they didn't listen to his voice, calling them to worship him as the true and living God only. So they are gods. But the Psalmist is encouraging us this morning that we should worship our worship Our bowing down, our devotion should be to only the true and the living God. So, it is not an exaggeration to say we are created to worship. Will I be exaggerating to say that? We are created to worship. If we look into the book of Genesis in the beginning, While he created man, gave him dominion over all things, he comes to fellowship with him in the cool of a day. We are created to worship. That's what we are created for. We are people that worship. God has created a space in our hearts, in our mind, for the worship of his name. Isaiah 43 verse seven says, everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory, whom I formed and whom I made. So we are beings that are created to worship. It's not an exaggeration to say that we are created to worship. That is the utmost intent from the beginning. we are created for worship. We are created to worship. And that's what God desires of us. So if we are created to worship a man's story that rings a bell so well this morning, which I'll be using for analogy is the story of Abraham. Abraham's faith was put on display through worship. Abraham, the father of faith, which we all know about, which we've read in the scripture, his faith was put on display through worship. Abraham's story is the story of salvation, is the story which every one of us that have been saved by God can relate to it. We saw God's grace in his life. We saw God calling him apart from the idols of his father's house and taking him to a new place. We saw Abraham responding to God's call by faith like everyone that is saved, we respond to that call by faith. We saw God grant Abraham righteousness. Bible says that righteousness was granted unto Abraham. Just like we who are believers, righteousness is granted unto us because of what Christ has done for us. We saw Abraham obey God's covenant through circumcision. God made a covenant with him. and that covenant was established in the place of circumcision. We saw God pruning and working on Abraham to grow his faith and to trust in him just as the way he keeps pruning us with his word so that we can trust in him and our faith in him might grow daily and we may learn more. So Abraham's story is a story of salvation. So, his faith was put in display through worship. So, we're going to look into the story of Abraham this morning on how his faith was put in display to worship. But alas, I told you that it's not an exaggeration to say that we are made to worship. But seeing made man to fall. Verse 21 to 23, let's read the scriptures together. Romans chapter one, if you have a Bible with you, let's read the scriptures together. Romans one, verses 21 to 22. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God. or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and in their foolish acts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creepy things. When man fell from the place of worship of God, this was where we fell to. Following images, following things, following pleasures are times that we put up there as God, which we worship. So, failing to worship God is a grievous sin, brothers and sisters. sin. Failing to worship God. It's a grievous sin. It's not something that God just overlook. It's a sin. If you don't worship God, you are not a believer. Or if you are a believer, perhaps your spiritual life needs a reviver. The worship of God for a believer is not a circumstantial thing is not an emotional thing. That's why oftentimes when we feel like we ask people, did you take anything from church today? He says, no, I didn't take anything. It's not about you. It's about God. And that's why most times people come with this attitude to church had come to receive, had come to be blessed, had come to take this, to take that. The church is not a taking place. Oftentimes when we gather like this, we had come to worship the true and living God. So if you are not worshiping God, perhaps you are not a believer. or if you are a believer, your life needs spiritual revival. So let's go back to the story of Abraham again. Let's go back to the story of Abraham. When God asked Abraham for something, God asked him for his son. Not just any son, but his only son. Let's ask ourselves some questions. What kind of worship involves murder? Because Isaac was to be killed. So what kind of worship involves murder? That's a costly worship. Is killing his only child not going to be wrong? How could God ask him for such a costly thing in the name of worship? How could God ask him for such a costly thing in the name of worship? And I know we sit here and could ask ourselves such a question. Would God ever ask something like that of me that is so costly in the place of worship? So God asked Abraham, sacrifice your only son. Worship. Abraham told his servant, he said, stay here while I go yonder with my son, and we go and worship. So Abraham was killing his son as an act of worship. But the story goes on. We're going somewhere. Brothers and sisters, worship is where the whole thing is added. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 28 said, when all things are subjected to him, then the son himself will also be subjected to him, who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. all our lives, all our dwellings, everything, we are heading towards worship. When the book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of what the saints will be doing in heaven, we will be worshiping. So we are all heading to worship. We are all going towards worship. That's all the game plan. That's where it's pointing to. It's pointing, it's adding to worship. So when Abraham was killing, trying to kill his son for worship, to sacrifice him to the true and living God, maybe he had an understanding of this. And may I say this, that we read of Abraham, but today it's not only Abraham that perhaps has sacrificed or attempt to sacrifice his son for God. I was reading through a study two days ago, and I think two days ago, yesterday, we've had Matias sacrifice their lives for God. We've had people leave their children on the mission field to go to the mission field so that we had people say that they'd rather be jailed and cry and tortured as a form of worship. So when we come and limit worship to just the songs that we sing, the praise that we offer, the singing or the drums that we beat, the symphony, the harmony, the melody under it, we believe to worship. And perhaps we are not getting the understanding of what the worship of God is. Yes, that could be part of it, but that's not the whole. So, in the place of worship, I'll be highlighting some few points. There is the preparation of the believer in the place of worship. There is a preparation of a believer. God didn't just appear to Abraham and ask him for his son. It's a relationship of 27 years. God had promised him a son. God has promised him Isaac. God has protected him while bringing him from Egypt. God has promised him that Sarah is his wife even in the old age would have a son. God had told him to send away Ishmael so as to create a place for Isaac. God has So this is the story of Abraham here. It wasn't just a sudden thing. He was prepared for that period of sacrifice. So there's a place for the preparation of the believer. There's a place for the preparation of a believer. Secondly, there is a worship. that is acceptable unto God. And there is a worship that is not acceptable unto God. Not all worship are acceptable unto God. Worship is not about giving God what you want. It's about God and what he wants. It's not about giving God what we want. If we look into the book of Leviticus, where he was telling the Israelites how to worship him, it was very definite. What they kill, how they kill it, when they kill it, what they wear, even the timing of the worship. So God is always specific about his worship. So, there is an acceptable worship and there's worship that is not acceptable. An acceptable worship is worshiping God in the right way. That is a worship that is acceptable unto God. When you worship God in the right way, it is the worship that is acceptable unto God. And there's a worship that is not acceptable unto other small gods here and there that take our time, that people devote their lives, their attention, and their purposes. And there's also an unacceptable worship of hypocrisy. When we worship the true God in the wrong way, it's hypocrisy. It's unacceptable unto God. God rejects idolatry, and God also rejects hypocrisy. God wants a worship that is acceptable unto him. How do we know about a worship that is acceptable unto God? The book of Romans highlights that. I think it's Romans chapter twelve. Romans I appeal to you, dear four brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifice, only and acceptable unto God, which is your spiritual worship. Verse two, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the You may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. So there is an acceptable worship to God. There is an acceptable worship to God. Not all worship are acceptable. There is an acceptable worship unto God. So there is an acceptable worship. There is a worship that is not acceptable. And God also want us to worship without grumbling. He wants us to worship without grumbling. He wants us to come to a place of worship without grumbling, while he's giving us the specific of what he wants from us. When I'm saying what he wants from us, please, don't let your mind go towards tight and offering. It goes beyond that. For Abraham, God was specific about his son. For James and John, he told them to leave their father. For the rich young ruler, he told him to leave his wealth and follow me. For the woman caught in adultery, he told her to leave her sin and follow him. For Paul the lawyer, he had to leave his career, and he had to suffer his reputation. He asked Matthew to leave his job. Even Zacchaeus the tax collector had to leave and even had to make restitutions. So how do you come to the place of meeting God at a specific of demand in a place of worship without grumbling? Without meeting the things he's asking of you. Without meeting the things he's asking of you. If you will not grumble, and if you want to come to a place of worship with God, on his own terms and not on our terms, we will need to know God like Abraham did. Abraham knew the God that had called him. Abraham knew the god that had saved him. Do you know the god that has saved you? Abraham was cautious about the god that had protected him all this while. Abraham was cautious about the god that had blessed him. The god that had revealed himself to him. to a place of worshiping God, to a place of faith, to the extent that he's willing to sacrifice his son to worship God. And let's go back a little bit and ask ourselves some questions. Do you think God was asking too much of Abraham to sacrifice his son? Let's ask another question. Is there anything that God was asking from Abraham that he didn't give him? Even a son? Is it the wife? God gave him. Is it the land? God gave him. Is there anything God is asking us in a place of worship that he didn't give us? So, to worship God like Abraham, we need to know him as God. The fifth point, the provision for the worshiper, God provides for the worshiper. God provides for the worshiper. I asked you a question. We asked ourselves a question earlier. Is there anything God is asking for us in the place of worship that God didn't provide for us? None. He's asking from what he gave us. So God provides for the worship. And the highlight of all my stories since is always to point to verse 12. Genesis 22 verse 12 He said, Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now, I know that you fear God, seeing you have not without your son, your only son, from me. If you look into the original scripture there, the word fear there means worship. That's what God had always looked for. It wasn't about Isaac. What does God wants to do with the sacrifice of his son? God was looking towards Abraham's heart. I was looking, if he hears it. And a pointer there says, I know with this action of yours, I know you fear me. I know you have a reverential fear for me. So the term there is the term used for worship. It is the reverential fear of the Lord that is worship. The reverential fear of the Lord during the week is worship. The reverential fear of the Lord in your class is worship. The reverential fear of the Lord at your place of work is worship. Brothers and sisters, it's beyond the music. It's beyond the giving of our tithes and our offering. Do we have doubts by the actions of Abraham if he loves God? No, we don't have any doubts. Do we have doubt if Abraham has an idol in his heart? No, God had said it. With this, your action, I know that you fear me. So, all what God wanted, all what he wanted, what was important to him is his heart. This morning, as you think take your eyes away from the bull's eye. The bull's eye is your heart. It is the reverential fear of the lord. That is worship. The reverential fear of the lord is through worship. And let's end with our scripture from John chapter four verses twenty-three to twenty-four. Jesus told her, he said, you've married five husbands earlier. The one whom you are with is not your husband. You worship a God you don't know. And there was an argument between Jesus and the woman, a conversation. Where is the place of worship? Where is the true place? Is it Jerusalem? Is it about where the Samaritans worship? Where is the true place of worship? and Jesus said, the hour come and this is the time. Where the people, the true worshipers, would worship God in spirit and in truth. If you worship God in spirit, it indicates that you have a desire to do it. You have a longing to do it and you have a longing to submit to God. And if you worship God in truth, it means that you are willing to do it in God's way. You are not willing to do it on your own terms. So, what Abraham did was worship. He worshiped God in and he showed that he fears the Lord. He has a reverential fear for the Lord. And that's what God is calling us to do this morning. In our lives, as families, in our place of work, in our career, God is asking for people who would worship him in spirit and in truth, in the reverential fear I know the very funnest part of this scripture at the Mount Moriah where Abraham was to sacrifice the son was also the mount Solomon had to erect the tabernacle. So, it's about worship brothers and sisters. It's all had to worship and to eternity. When we see him to face to face, we shall be worshiping him, bowing down and giving him a worship in spirit and in thoughts. Let us bow down to him. Our father, we bow down in honor and reverence of your name. We pay obeisance to you that you are God. And we know that there's nothing you've asked of us in the place of worship, which you have not given us. Lord, we are mindful that what you desire of us is to worship you in spirit and in thought. to have a reverential fear of you in our lives as we join you on this part of eternity. We ask that your fear, your true reverential fear, even when no one is with us, will be our watchword. We pray for so many people who may be watching online or who are in this assembly, who don't know what it is to have a reverential fear for you. We ask that you reveal yourself to them. We ask that you draw them closer, that they may come to a place of bowing down also and the worship of your holy name. In Jesus' precious name, we are prayed.