Fact-Checking Your Worship - Part A

Jesus said that there is only really 1 Appropriate Way to worship God. He said the father is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth.

Everybody worships you likely deal about connect with Skip today as she shares what you can cultivate more authentic and flourishing like a worship to the Lord right now want to tell you about a resource that will help nourish your faith is growing God's trip, a recent study to the cultural research center, Christians are almost just as likely to reject the idea of absolute moral truth of the article, except for American adults believe in absolute moral truth is eroding across all age groups and political ideologies with other church or unchurched. What that means is that over 75% of Christ followers are those who purport to be Christ followers are saying that nothing can be known for certain. There is no absolute truth about you.

We want to help you understand the nature trip to you to pursue God's trip and apply your life to brand-new booklets, but*why truth matters in God and suicide if you fall under that category. What you do with the claims of Christ Jesus, that I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the father except through me. These booklets are our thanks for your gift of $35 or more today.

They'll keep this ministry on the air, connecting more people to God's word to give. Call 800-922-1888, and securely connectwithskip.com/offer. Skip today's teacher in Hebrews chapter 11 I can remember back to earlier sermons that I made the go and I remember reading illustrations and books and then saying those because I believe they were accurate because after all, if it's in the book Scott to be true. That's how I thought so. I found it I quoted. I would tell these stories and great stories then the era of the Internet came and you could fact check things and not many of them, but there's a few of them that I had a sort of real back in and never use again because, come to find out the sortable wives tale you see fact checking will do that for you will it'll give you a reality check to see if what you said or what you believe in, or how you act it is appropriate if it's right. If it is factual and that's the same when it comes to worship because not all worship is true worship. Not all worship is acceptable worship. It might be acceptable to us but is not always acceptable to God. Let me give you a premise and become a sort of base everything on this premise as we go through this study tonight. The worship that God accepts is the worship the God prescribes once again the worship of God accepts is the worship that God prescribes you. Remember that our Lord Jesus had a conversation with a woman at the well in Samaria and she was bringing up the difference in worship between the Samaritans and the Jews. You Jews worship in Jerusalem.

We Samaritan's worship at Mount Garrett, Azeem here. We have our own style of doing things, and Jesus said that there's only really 1 Appropriate Way to worship God.

He said the father is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth. A lot of people say, well, my idea of God is this, I think of God in these terms, and I worship God in this manner, and my idea of worshiping God is being out in the words are saying these things are for having these statues or Durwood doing it a certain way. But if you fact check your worship. You may find that it's true or you may find that it's false.

It could be authentic worship or it could in fact be idolatry is in the book of Proverbs in two places.

Proverbs 14 and Proverbs 16 it says there is a way that seems right unto every man but the end thereof is the way of death. Just because you feel it's good doesn't necessarily make it good. I was raised in a religious home. I had a belief in God.

I had a certain kind of faith. I thought that I was good enough.

The way I was practicing my little religion once a week or once a month later on when I was about 18 years of age. I learned the facts. I fact checked my faith and the reader the way I fact checker was with the Bible. The Bible has an amazing way of checking one's presumptions. The truth has an amazing way to fact check what you assume to be correct so it comes to worship. We understand the Bible is literally dominated by the theme of worship worshiping God over 400 times the word is mentioned in the pages of Scripture. So it's a very important theme. Everything from true worship false worship. The worship of bail. The worship of false gods of Canaan.

The true worship of the God of Israel, and often times the worship. The Bible describes is false worship Charles Haddon Spurgeon whom I'm fond of quoting frequently said, I believe, a very large majority of churchgoers are merely on thinking slumbering worshipers of an on known that God not just let that sink in a little bit. Not everybody that goes to church or believes in God or even believes in Jesus may be approaching him the way he has prescribed. That brings us to our verse tonight to story of a man by the name of Abel and his brother Cain, who murdered him in the story. Both of them came to worship God.

One's worship was acceptable once worship is not acceptable. One warships by faith. The other worships by feeling one worship is right. The other worship is wrong.

Now Cain the guy who did it wrong. The guy who killed his brother Abel Kane should've taken the time to fact check his worship, that God gave him an opportunity got appeals to him personally to do now were in Hebrews 11, but you should know that Hebrews 11 the least in part, is based on Hebrews 10 verse 38 and Hebrews 10 verse 38, quoting from the Old Testament book of Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14, verse four says the just shall live by faith. That's the premise the just shall live by faith. So that's quoted in chapter 10, the just shall live by faith. Then in chapter 11.

The author comes up with a list of those just people who lived by faith and first on the list of examples is able why why Abel because Abel is the first person who lived by faith in the biblical record supporting these. The first one would buy what about Adam and Eve know they didn't live by faith. They live by site number how the Bible says, for we live by faith, we walk by faith not by sight.

Abel was the first one to live by faith Adam and Eve's parents didn't live by faith. They live by sight for the fall, Adam and Eve walked with God talked with God. God spoke to them verbally. They had a glory manifestation of God the Shekinah glory in the garden of Eden where is able and his brother Cain were conceived after the fall.

They were conceived outside the garden of Eden born outside the garden of Eden. There was no manifestation of the invisible God for them.

Their parents told them about God, but it was not like the garden of Eden. So Abel is the first person in the biblical record to live by faith. Cain and Abel were brothers and Cain and Abel were human, number three in human number four in the lineup of humanity, Adam and Eve wanted to and then Cain and Abel number three and four. It says in Hebrews 11 verse four. There's one verse with a really drill down on the compare with Genesis 4 by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts and true it he being dead still speaks. He being dead still speaks. Now we know the Cain and Abel were brothers and they probably had a sibling rivalry. Most brothers and sisters do you guys have brothers and sisters have a sibling rivalry with them was ever competition that you guys have with them. Yeah, I had three older brothers are you kidding we were always competing, and it seems a Cain and Abel.

Since they are post-fall. There conceived in sin already. They had their own sibling rivalry, and it even shows up in worship and what they offer to God.

Now I've always of the story about the two brothers were camping and they got up in the morning and are leaning by the tenant having coffee in one of the brothers spots in the background. A grizzly bear coming at them full gallop, so he quickly reaches out to put his shoes on shows his brothers back and put the shoes on brothers is what you think you can out run a grizzly bear etc. not outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you right so here we have a Cain and Abel one trying to out run the other when it comes to pleasing God. It is the second generation of humans from creation to get this there already starting one of the Middle East already starting to depart from the faith. Second generation after creation already. There's an apostasy taking place and what we see and Cain and Abel is the difference between self styled worship and spirit styled worship spirit styled worship that's able self styled worship that is Cain were considering verse four Abel's faith enables faith produced three things according to this verse. It produced a right sacrifice. It produced a righteous standing, and it produced a repeating sermon.

That's all. In this verse. The first thing his faith produced is a right standing by faith. Verse four Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.

Now, the verse takes us back to the story and the stories on the book of Genesis chapter 4, so I should mark your Bible sabbatical.

Turn to Genesis chapter 4 and let sort of unfold the story so we can get at the heart of Hebrews 11. Now, Genesis chapter 4 think that goes back pretty far me Genesis chapter 1 is the beginning of everything that's the beginning of the universe. Genesis chapter 2 is the beginning of the human race. Genesis chapter 3 is the beginning of sin in Genesis chapter 4 is the beginning of the fallout of sin. We feel that today. The fallout begins to be felt and seen in Genesis chapter 4. If you remember the little outline the Paul gives in Romans five reset by one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and then death spread to all men, and then death reigned right so it it entered it.

It spread and then it rained this is now in chapter 4 death spreading and raining over God's creation.

Chapter 3 of Genesis is the root of sin. That's the fall.

Genesis 4 is the fruit of sin. This is what happens when sin enters and spreads so Genesis chapter 4 verse one introduces us to the story. Now, Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bore Cain and said I have acquired a man from the Lord. The word Cain is a word that means acquired, or to get or to receive or to obtain one translation says he is here, so he is born and she goes he's here and we wonder will. Who is he referring who was she referring to. He is here and acquired or gotten what is it she's been looking for that she might get. Probably she was thinking of a promise back in chapter 3 verse 15 God made a promise and he said the seed of the woman will come and crush the head of the serpent is he after the fall of mankind. God gave a promise that one day a child is to be born in this child. The seed of the woman. This male child is going to rise up and undo all the damage done.

Chapter 3. The curse of creation is going to be a recovery there's going to be a reconciliation that was the promise that was given to Adam and Eve and probably, he thought, he's here. I've gotten him. I've obtained the promise. This is the deliverer.

This is the seed of course she couldn't be more wrong. She was holding in her arms. A baby murder. The first murder. I've gotten the deliverer, she is the one. No, no, he's not. He's going to prove how bad sin really is so this is the first human pregnancy. Eve is pregnant with pain and she delivers him. I can just see Adam's amazement, week by week, month by month. They never seen anything like this before. He's looking at her and she's getting a little bit bigger every week and says to her, you know, Eve, sweetheart. You seem to be putting on more weight and what's with all these little stockings at your your knitting all the time and will what you mean you want pickles and ice cream and all those new things that pregnancies bring Adam is like this the first time ever, not only for him but for everyone. Verse two continues the story, she bore again. So this is a second child she bore again and this time his brother Abel.

Now Abel was a keeper of the sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. The word able comes from the root word vapor or breath. And what a fitting name because his life was cut short was just no says in James R. Life is but a vapor. His life certainly was a vapor he lived for a temporary time. As it turns up at his life was cut short because he becomes the first homicide victim in history that these guys were different.

These brothers were different as most siblings are in their different in their occupation were introduced of occupation. In verse two, Cain becomes a farmer. He tells the ground. Abel becomes a shepherd he's involved in animal husbandry, both born after the fall. Both born outside the Garden of Eden both of them are under the curse of sin. So Adam and Eve have two boys, the story continues to unfold in verse three. In the process of time, we are told, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but the Lord did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell know you'll notice in verse three it says in the process of time. Note that little phrase literally that phrase could be translated at the end of days at the end of days. What this shows us is there was a certain time, God had prescribed for worship today place for an offering to be made and at the end of those days whether was the end of the week of the end of a month or the end of several months.

We don't know, but at the end of that time there was a proper certain time got a prescribed and it it even seems that there was a certain place that God had prescribed forces in the process of time it came to pass, Cain brought an offering. The fruit of the ground to the Lord. So he must've understood that I bring something to a certain place and we can be certain, but I'm guessing I'm inferring just from what I know of the biblical record and since it was outside of the garden of Eden outside of Paradise. And remember, outsider paradise, or was stationed one on either side with a flaming sword to angels to cherry up so could be that there at that place where there were two cherry of him, and a flaming sword that was a place where they were to bring a sacrifice that's what I'm guessing it's like this was the first mercy seat number the tabernacle, the mercy seat in the two cherubim that that covered that emblematic probably of the Garden of Eden is the first time in the first place. The God required a sacrifice. Not only was there a certain place in a certain time, but there was a certain style a certain manner.

Certain prescribed manner that that God wanted be worship a certain way to do it and it would seem that God had revealed what that way was what the requirements were probably to Adam and Eve, so that the parents instructed the children. Let me explain. You remember this in Genesis chapter 3. After the fall. After after sin entered the world through the fall of Adam and Eve.

You remember what Adam and Eve did because they suddenly realize they were naked the base.

They sewed fig leaves together. They took some of the fruit of the ground tree leaves and they cover themselves with an that didn't work out very well because what the Bible tells us is that God made tunics of skin that required the death of an animal.

He made tunics of skin and he covered them so. Animals were killed, and the fruit of the killing of these animals. The substitution for them dying Adam and Eve dying was was these two animals.

They were killed, and the skins were placed to cover their nakedness.

So what did Adam and Eve learn in their approach to God in their worship of God. They learn three things we discover in Genesis chapter 3, number one man needs a covering percent. Suddenly one day they realize hey I'm naked your naked, to cover ourselves up, they were immediately aware of their vulnerability sin because that so they discover number one I need a covering for my sin. They discover number two that God will not accept their own garments or garments of their own making.

You can't come to God on your own terms.

They discovered that in number three. The covering for sin comes only to the death of an innocent substitute blood must be shed. Remember that little premise. We began with the worship God accepts is the worship God prescribes.

So Cain and Abel come at the certain time at the certain place to bring their offering to the Lord.

Cain left out two important elements of worship that Abel included in his sacrifice. Number one the kind of offering number two. The quality of offer the kind in the quality Abel brought a certain kind of offering. Abel brought a different kind of offer. Abel brought blood sacrifice.

Like his parents learned the death of the substitute animal was shed or do killed, slain, and blood was shed. Cain did not come with the shedding of blood. Cain came with the fruit of his own labor.

What he had produced and grown from sewing and working in the ground. He came with his own works. That's what he felt like bringing to the Lord like his parents once tried with fig leaves. He grows it and he offers it to the Lord. Now I'm sure was beautiful, really was a beautiful bundle of leaves and flowers and grains that you look at wow what a great spread is only one problem.

There was no blood, no blood, no blood was shed now for a moment think of all of the beautiful things people offer to God because they think. I think this is beautiful, God will think it's beautiful. Think of all the beautiful buildings that people make to worship and think of all the beautiful programs people put together anything. God will be pleased with it. Beautiful talents, beautiful music, insightful sermons great enthusiasm. All of that's great, but if you leave the blood out of any of that. You have no power. You have no gospel you have not the way of God or the way of able. You have the way of Cain you are coming with your own righteousness that this series Baxter want to share about a special opportunity you have to take your knowledge of the Bible to a deeper level you looking to pursue biblical studies beyond church and personal Bible study teacher learning and your life's purpose to the next level with Calvary college registration for the 2021 spring term is open now and the curriculum features both online classes and on-site classes at Calvary church Albuquerque. Classes include biblical studies like spiritual foundations and the history of authenticity of the Bible plus classes and peoples of the Bible, like Daniel, Romans and Revelation with video content from world renowned biblical scholars Skip Heitzig Calvary college partners with Veritas international University and Calvary Chapel University so you can earn an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree or simply increase your knowledge of biblical studies. The deadline to get your application in for the 2021 semester is December 4.

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