Weekly Reflection 2/19/24

Hebrews 11 part 6: Worship Reflects the Heart

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” Hebrews‬ 11‬:4‬ ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Acceptable worship starts with the BLOOD, requires the BEST, is shown by BEHAVIOR, and results in our BLESSING.

Starts with the BLOOD.

• There is no acceptable worship apart from the blood of Jesus.
• We must come with a humble heart, recognizing we are sinners in need of a Savior, that it’s only by the blood of Jesus that we can come into the presence of God and worship Him.

Requires the best.

• Worship is all about reflecting the worth or value of God.
• I take it as a given that worship, whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively, is a magnifying of God. 
• Worship is an act that shows how magnificent God is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious God is. 
• “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;” (Proverbs‬ 3‬:9‬ ESV‬‬)
• If we honor the Lord with our wealth and the best that we produce…doesn’t it stand to reason that we dishonor Him when we give less than the best? 
• The dictionary defines honor as: “high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.”
• So, it stands to reason that if we don’t give God the first, the best of everything we have, then we are not giving Him the highest respect, we are not honoring Him, we are not exalting Him like He deserves.
• “And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,” Genesis‬ 4‬:4‬ ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
• The firstborn, which God afterwards demanded (Exodus 13:12), and the fat portions. 
• The Hebrew word for fat (cheleb) is used metaphorically to denote the best and abundance.
• “All the best (cheleb) of the oil and all the best (cheleb) of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the Lord, I give to you.” Numbers‬ 18‬:12‬ ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
• “But he would feed you with the finest (cheleb) of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” (Psalm‬ 81‬:16‬ ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬)
• Abel didn’t give God junk and leftovers.
• When we give God our first and our best, not our leftovers, it shows that we trust Him and value Him above all else.
• Malachi 1:6-14 is an example of how not giving your best dishonors God.
• In Mark 12:41-44 we see what it looks like to give our best.
• In offering the best Abel is revealing his heart; demonstrating faith, trust that God will provide, trusting that it is worth giving up the best.
• So, what is your best?
• I believe that is determined every time you are offering worship. Your best in one offering may not be your best in the next. That’s why we need to seek Him and ask Him every time. 
• The best is not a set amount or a set action, it’s whatever He says, whenever He says, and however He says.
• Our best is obedience. Giving whatever God has asked us to give, going wherever God has asked us to go, and doing whatever God has asked us to do.

Is shown by BEHAVIOR.

How do we know that Abel’s worship was by faith? We know because of his behavior. We know because of actions that he did, his obedience to God shows or displays his faith. That’s the idea James is getting across when he says: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James‬ 2‬:17‬-18‬ ESV‬‬)

Abel brought the firstborn, the best, and he sacrificed it. This didn’t just happen by chance. That took thought, preparation, and action. He didn’t just think, “God I know all this is yours, and I know you know my heart, you know I really want to give my best”, then throw a three-legged old ewe on the alter.

Our behavior proves our heart. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans‬ 12‬:1‬ ESV)‬‬ Our lifestyle displays who or what we have faith in, who or what we love, who or what we really trust.

“But for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis‬ 4‬:5‬-7‬ ESV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Notice what God says to Cain, “If you do well.” If you do what is right, if you worship the way I require, if you “do” or behave like you trust Me, like you believe Me, like you’re a sinner in need of a Savior, then you will be accepted. Obedience is not meant to be duty it’s meant to be worship. Worship is a lifestyle, it’s not just a Sunday morning thing, it’s not just a singing thing, or a church function thing. Throughout the Bible worship is depicted as a way of life that is God centered, God glorifying, a life of service that puts Jesus on display, loving and and serving others the way Jesus loves and serves us.

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” Hebrews‬ 11‬:4‬ ESV‬‬

• “By faith Abel offered to God…”  Notice it does not say, “Because Abel felt like it he offered to God…” It’s amazing how many times in Scripture we are commanded to worship—and not just if we feel like it. We’re commanded to do these things whether or not we feel like it because worship is a choice. In worship, we choose to live in a God honoring way, by faith, in a reality that God declares to be true. Sometimes that choice aligns with our feelings, and sometimes that choice defies our feelings.
• “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans‬ 12‬:1‬ ESV)‬‬ Notice that our will (“I appeal to you”)is meant to control our body (“present your bodies”), not our bodies dictating what we do. 
• Worship is not always a reflection of how we feel; it’s a reflection of what we know to be true and what God has promised in his Word.  It’s a declaration of what God is worthy of. Worship is not a depiction of our feelings, but a declaration of our faith.  It’s a declaration that “My life is not what circumstances may make it look like it is. What God says is true is true, and I am going to act like it.” Worshiping despite our feelings is a fight, but it is a godly fight. And it is a fight for joy.