 Hello everyone, welcome back. Let's just continue from where we left off. Let's do a quick recap of the first session. We very briefly try to understand what is worship and what is ministry, and then worship ministry together, what it really means. And then we got into the life of Abraham and how God calls him out of his place, asks him to get out and he goes out. And then we begin to learn about the altars that he built. In the first altar, we are calling it as the altar of obedience, because it kind of signifies that he obeyed. It was by faith, as Hebrews chapter 11 verse 8 says, it was by faith that Abraham obeyed. And then there he built an altar with the Lord where God speaks to him, a shechem. Okay, now let's go on. Let's be in Genesis chapter 12 for a while. It's been a book of Genesis for a while. So the first altar that he built is mentioned in the place of Shechem. That's from verse 6 onwards. Abraham passed through the land to a place of Shechem as far as the Terebinth tree of Moray, and the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to your descendants, I will give this land. And there he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. So when God appeared to him and spoke with Abraham and he makes the covenant again, he tells him to your descendants, I will give this land. Here God is saying, okay, this is the land and I'm going to give this to your descendants. You see all these people, the Canaanites living in this land, the land that they are in. Later, which we get to know is that the land of milk and honey is given to the descendants of Abraham. And so Abraham, his response is he built the altar. And then what he does after that is kind of significant or if I was there, I would ask him why is that he moves. That's what it says in verse 12, verse 8, sorry, chapter 12 verse 8 says, and he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel. I don't know why, okay. Because if God appeared to me and said, okay, this is the land, you're going to be here. I'm like, all right, great. Let's put on a firm foundation and build myself a mansion. Because this is the land you're going to give me and my descendants. But not Abraham, he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel. When you look at the map, you see where Bethel is, right? It's not too far off Shechem. It's just further down south from Shechem. Okay. And then to the mountain east of Bethel. And he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and I on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Now here, this is the second altar that he's building. God had not appeared to him. He had not reassured the promise or done anything like that. Abraham moves from Shechem. He comes down to Bethel and then he builds another altar to the Lord. And he calls on the name of the Lord. Okay. Now that is an act of worship. Calling on the name of the Lord is an act of worship. Now this is the very first act of worship where people call on the name of the Lord is found in Genesis chapter 4. Let's go to Genesis chapter 4 and the last verse in Genesis chapter 4 verse 26. Genesis 4 verse 26. It shouldn't be hard to find. The chapter is pretty sad. It's pretty tragic. It's a story between Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel and then Adam and Eve are sad about it. And then later, 100 years later, Adam and Eve begot Seth. Verse 25, that's what it says. And Adam knew his wife again and she bore a son and named him Seth. Which means for God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel. Who Cain killed? Verse 26, it says. And as for Seth, to him also a son was born and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. It's amazing, isn't it? So he's blessed with a child and then men. We don't know how many people, you know, we just don't know if it's just one family or an entire town or city or a village. It says the men began to call on the name of the Lord. That's just a simple act of worship. And that's exactly what we see Abraham doing in verse 12, chapter 12, in verse 8. He says he moved down from Shekin, he came down for the south to Bethel. He pitched his tent over there and he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Now this second altar, we are going to title it as the altar of intimacy and of the pilgrim walk. An altar of intimacy and of the pilgrim walk. So what does that mean is that as this Abraham has been going on on this journey, his familiarity with God has increased and that has resulted in his growth and intimacy of who this God is. He's growing in this intimacy. It's like this walk of faith, right? As we call it, it's like in this Christian walk, from the time we started and as we've been walking in this Christian walk of faith, our relationship with God has increased, isn't it? Is there anyone of you who can say that you are still the same as how you were in day one as a Christian? On day one you encounter Jesus, you give your life to him and then your life, your relationship with Jesus has only gotten deeper and intimate in your walk as a Christian, isn't it? And that same thing kind of signifies in Abraham's life, Abraham's life is that he grew in intimacy and that's why in the second altar he doesn't say that God appeared to him, God spoke to him, God reassured his promises, God is renewing his covenant, nothing of that sort. In the previous place, God tells him, I'll give you this land, he moves from there, Abraham moves from there and then maybe he's encountered something of the Lord and just builds an altar and he worships him there. Okay, and this kind of again signifies in parallel in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 9. Hebrews 11 verse 9, can someone read for us please? Hebrews 11 verse 9. And can someone else be ready with Acts chapter 7 verse 5 please? Right, Hebrews 11 verse 9. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 9, I fight he's urgent in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob and the heirs with him on the same promise. Thank you. Okay, so here it says, even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith. Like he was like a foreigner living in tents, that's what it says. Right, so he like I said that when God tells him that this is the place, this is the land I'm going to give you descendants. He didn't build a mansion for himself, but he continued to live in tents. Now, the temporary nature of the tent is that he was willing to not have his roots in this world, that he was constantly looking for a city, for a land that he would, for a city that was eternal and we learn about it more, you know, in the different chapters as we go on. But so, and that's why we're calling it is this altar as land, as the altar of intimacy and of the pilgrim walk, that Abraham was constantly living his life as a pilgrim. He was not willing to, you know, build his root into the world or he was not easily swayed by what he saw. Okay, and so it's also encouraging us that we as a children of God is that we don't get too caught up in the things of this world or, you know, where we build treasures for ourselves where moth and everything else kind of destroys it. But we are constantly encouraged to fix our eyes on eternity, you know, on the things above as Christians. And so that's another encouragement that we can take off. And there's a very wonderful poem by Thomas R. Taylor. It says, I am but a stranger here. Heaven is my home. Earth is the desert deer. Heaven is my home. Danger and sorrow stand around me on every hand. Heaven is my Fatherland. Heaven is my home. And so it's just like a pilgrim's progress kind of a poem that we are constantly encouraged to live as pilgrims in this world. Okay, so that's the second altar that Abraham built. Let's come down and go on. Let's go on this journey just a little bit more. So verse nine it says verse eight, let's just read verse eight one more time. And so he moved there to the mountain east of Bethel and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and I on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. This is the second altar, right? Verse nine it says, so Abraham journeyed going on still toward the south. He continues to, you know, he pitched his tent, he removed his tent, he packed his tent and then he kept going south. Verse 10 says, now there was famine in the land and Abraham went down to Egypt to dwell there for the famine was severe in the land. Okay, so let's stop there. And now we know that again, let's look at the map. Now he look at where Shechem and Bethel is. And verse nine says he came further down south. We don't really know where exactly. It could be Hebron, it could be Bershiba, you know, or sure somewhere down south. But then wherever he pitched his tent, there was severe famine in the land and so he decides to go further down south all the way to Egypt. Now from verse 11 to verse 20 is the story of what happens in Egypt. We don't want to go into the details of what happens, everything that you know what happens in Egypt. So that's the story of Abraham in Egypt from verse 11 to verse 20 of chapter 12 in Genesis. Okay, if you're interested, you can read about it later. Now let's come down to chapter 13. Chapter 13 verse one says then Abram went up. It's amazing how Bible gives directions, isn't it? Up is north. So then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had and lot with him to the south. Abram look at this verse to Abraham was very rich in livestock in silver and in gold. Now, when Abram was coming out of Egypt, he came out with two headaches, right? He became very rich. Something happened in Egypt that he flourished and then he was very rich. We read, you know, and then we also know that Hagar came along with him. How do we know that? Because in Genesis chapter 16 verse one, Genesis 16 verse one it says, now Sarai, Abram's wife had born him no children and she had an Egyptian maid servant whose name was Hagar. An Egyptian maid servant. That means it doesn't clearly say that, you know, okay, she was there before there. These are the details or Easter eggs kind of thing that the Bible gives us and then, you know, let's mix this thing and you have to. And so, but simply says that Hagar must have joined him on this journey from Egypt. And so when Abram came out of Egypt, he became very rich and he came with Hagar. Okay, so we all know where the story ends. Let's go on. Verse 13, sorry, Genesis chapter 13 verse three, everybody's alive, right? Everybody doing well. Okay, I hope so. Verse three, it says, and he went on his journey from the south as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and AI. So he's saying, from Egypt, he went up to Bethel where he had first built an altar. Okay, so you remember he built, he pitches the tent and he builds an altar there. His Bible is saying that's where he went back to the place of the altar which he had made there at first, verse four. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. So he's going back to that same altar where he built in Bethel and there he remembers everything. Okay, Lord, I went to Egypt, I did all these things and I'm back here and I'm reminded of your promises. And so I'm going to worship you again at this place. It's almost like maybe he's saying, okay, Lord, I'm sorry I left in the first place because that's the place where God tells him, okay, this is the land. I'm going to give you a descendants and Abram practice tent and he moved on. Okay, now verse five, Lot also who went with Abram had flocks and herds and tents. That means Lot also became rich. Verse six, now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together for their possessions was so great that they could not dwell together. Notice those words, okay, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. Okay, because there's so many, there's so many things are happening in here. Subashish, I see you raised your hand. Do you have a question? Do you have a question, Subashish? Okay. All right, if you're speaking, your mic is muted. If you have a question, feel free to unmute and speak because I see that you've raised your hand. I guess that was a mistake. Now, just continue to notice with me here. Abram and his nephew Lot, they were in Egypt for a while. And when they're coming out of Egypt, they're coming out as rich people, right? Very rich people with a lot of possession. Now let's come to chapter 15 Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15 verse 13. Then he, God said to Abram, No, certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and will serve them and they will afflict them 400 years. Now what is what's happening here? God is prophesying to Abram about the time the Israelites will be in the land of Egypt. Okay. God is prophesying 400 years ahead of time. He's saying, No, certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a strange land and they will serve them. They will serve the people that, you know, in the land that they are in, that is the Egyptians and they will afflict them 400 years. That means the Egyptians will afflict the Israelites for 400 years. Verse 14. And also the nation whom they serve, I will judge. Afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. What is he saying? When Israelites come out of Egypt, they will come out with great possessions. Okay. So, this Bible is packed with mysteries like this. You know, it's like Abraham's life is almost showing, prophesying, is living a life that his descendants will live. So, he will go to Egypt. But when he comes out of Egypt, he comes very rich. Right. And so, same thing, what God is telling Abraham in chapter 15 verse 13 and 14 is saying, Okay, your descendants is going to be, they're going to be in Egypt. They're going to be strangers in a strange land, but they will come out. They're going to come out with a lot of possessions. They're going to come out with a lot of gold and silver and whatnot. Right. Because that's the gold and silver they used to build the golden calf and later the tabernacle and whatnot. Okay. So, it's like his life is kind of projecting what's going to happen, kind of prophesying. He's just brilliant. Okay. What's happening in the life of Abraham. Now, and we know that there is, let's continue reading. I hope you all are with me. Verse six, it says, verse five, let's read verse five. Genesis chapter 13 verse five. Lot also who went with Abraham had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together for their possessions was so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canonites and the Peresizites then dwelt in the land. So Abraham said to Lot, please let there be no strife between you and me and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. Now, one of the things what we need to learn or know about this, what when Abraham is saying, if you go to the left or to the right, the patriarchs of those days always used north as their main direction to tell which side they wanted to go. And so what Abraham is saying is pointing towards the north. That's because that's what the patriarchs of those days and the people of those days did is keeping north as the reference. What Abraham is saying is if you go to the east, I will go to the west. If you go to the west, I will go to the east. That's basically what's happening there. Okay. Verse 10. Now, here's the difference between Lot and Abraham. Verse 10, it says the Lot and Lot lifted his eyes and so all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Now, what Lot is looking at is the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go towards Zohar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan and Lot journeyed and Lot journeyed east and they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. Okay. So let's pause there and then come down all the way to... Actually, let's read, continue reading from verse 14. Genesis chapter 13 verse 14. It says, and the Lord said to Abram, after Lord had separated from him, lift your eyes now and look from where... Look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward and westward. For all the land which you see, I give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width for I give it to you. And then Abram moved his tent and went and dwelt with the terrible trees by Mamre which are in Hebron and built an altar there to the Lord. Huh. Okay. So what is happening here from Genesis chapter 13, we see Abram is back from Egypt. He goes to Bethel to the place where he originally had built an altar. And it's his... And he again is worshiping there. He almost like saying he's reassuring his commitment to the Lord. You know, it's like signifying or symbolizing his... Or the restoration of his former commitment to the Lord in that first altar that he built in Bethel. And then because of the strife between Abram and Lot, Lot goes different place towards east and then Abram stays in the land. And then he builds an altar in verse 18 of chapter 13 near the Terebinth tree. I know again, you know, it's... Is anybody there in Hebrews chapter 11? Okay. Because that is corresponding to Hebrews... This altar that he builds in chapter 13 verse 8 corresponds to what Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10 has to say. So can someone read Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10, please? Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10. For he looked for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God. Okay. Thank you, Japhina. So now while Lot had looked, you know, he looked at all the planes of, you know, the Sodom and Gomorrah and all these beautiful lands that was like the Garden of the Lord. That's what it says, isn't it? Lot looked with his eyes. All that is pleasing. Now if Lot saw all these lands, I'm sure even Abram could see what Lot saw. Now Abram could have easily said, Hey, I brought you out. You wouldn't bring me out. Like I'm the leader here. You know, you will get the land which I tell you to take. Abram could have easily said all of that, but then Abram doesn't do that. He says, Lot, you choose. You take the land, whichever you want. And then the Bible says, Lot saw and it was everything was, and he picked a land that was flourishing, that looked amazing. But Abram, as it says in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10, he was confidently and constantly looking forward to a city with eternal foundations. Going back to the second altar where he lived a life of pilgrim. He knew that he did not want to have his roots down in this world. And his journey and his walk with God came so intimate that he knew that there is something eternal. That he was constantly looking for a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. This is the book of Hebrews talking about Abraham and how he was living. It's kind of supporting everything what Genesis chapter 12 and 13 has to say. Are you with me? Any questions? Any thoughts so far? Because that is the third altar. The third altar we're calling it as the altar of commitment and separation. Why are we calling it the altar of commitment? Because he comes back from Egypt to the place Bethel where he had first built the altar. And you see he's recommitting himself. It's like, Lord, I have, it's almost like I've gone away from you. I'm committing, I'm coming in, you know, restore the relationship with you. And then he decides to separate himself from the things of the world. He says, Lord, you go your way. But, you know, I'm going to live where God wants me to live. And he was constantly looking for a city that was whose maker and the builder was God. Right? So that was the third altar. And finally, we come to the fourth altar, which we all are aware of. And we're calling it the altar of sacrifice. Okay, so let's just pause you for a second and sorry for being redundant. But is everybody following what's happening? You know what we're learning so far? Yes, pastor. Okay, thank you. I just want to make sure that I'm not losing you guys. Now let's look at the fourth altar, which is the altar of sacrifice. Genesis chapter 22. Let's go to Genesis chapter 22. Genesis chapter 22. I've mentioned only verse nine in the notes, but I want to read the chapter from the top. Genesis 22 verse one says, And now it came to pass after these things that got tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am. Then he said, Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love 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. And so Abraham arose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son. And he split the wood for burnt offering and arose and went to a place of which God had told him. Then on the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. Verse five says, And Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey. The lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you. So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham's father and said, My father. And he said, Here I am, my son. Then he said, Look, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So the two of them went together. Then they came to a place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order. And he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham, Abraham. So he said, Here I am. And he said, Do not lay your hand on the lamb or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. Okay. That's enough reading, right? Wow. You can never get tired or bored of reading this chapter. The language that is used, the word, the choice of words is just outstanding and just so beautiful. Okay. So we all know the story. God tests Abraham. He tells Abraham, Take your son, your only son. Does those choice of words remind you of another verse? Yeah, John 3 16. My only son. This is my son, my only son. Forgot to love the world that he gave his only son, right? He says, It's amazing. Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering. And verse three, it says, And so Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took off again. There is no mention of a question here or even a thought that, Okay, Abraham thought this, Abraham thought that. What's interesting is that there is no mention of Sarah anywhere in the scene. Now imagine, imagine what would have happened now. So Abraham wakes up and says, Yeah, you know, this son that we had to wait for a hundred odd years or so. Yeah, God wants me to sacrifice him. I'm sure Sarah would have sacrificed Abraham there, right? But just think about we need to put ourselves in Abraham's shoes, isn't it? From the time that he got to know about this, when God tells him to take Isaac and go and that he has to sacrifice him. He must have gone through so many chains of thoughts. You know, he needs to be dying himself inside, you know, every second he must have died because it says it was not till the third day that they reached the place. So there was a three day journey. And again, the third day signifies something. Okay, and so for three days, it's almost like Abraham was dying on the inside, but he was still obedient. He was still obedient to what God told him to do when he was doing all of that. He took Isaac and then some of the Bible scholars and the historians claim that Isaac was a teenager by then, like an 18 year old. Now an 18 year old versus a hundred year old who will win the battle. And a teenager, a strong teenager could easily overpower a very old man and could have ran away somewhere along the way Isaac also realizes it. Okay. I don't know what Abraham was going through. I don't know what Isaac was going through because it says they reached the place Abraham built the altar. And Abraham bound Isaac. And through it all, Isaac asks a question. They're saying, Father, there's the wood is here, the knife is there, but where's the lamb for the sacrifice? And only God's wisdom could have helped Abraham to respond in the manner that he did. He says, don't worry about it, son, the Lord himself will provide a lamb for himself. All of this is pointing towards the cross. If you haven't realized it, everything, this whole chapter is pointing for us to the cross. What's going to happen? The Lord himself will provide for himself a lamb. God will provide for himself a lamb. That's where we get the God's covenant name, Jehovah Jireh, that he is God, my provider. He, God will, verse eight, that is in chapter 22, God will provide for himself a lamb of burnt offering. So the two of them went together. And then they came to a place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and all of that. Okay. Now, in all of this, we know really that, why are we calling it the altar of sacrifice when he did not kill his son? Because sacrifice didn't really happen there. But the story or the moral of the story, so to say, is that God really didn't want Isaac. He wanted Abraham's heart, right? He wanted Abraham because it was Abraham who was actually upon the altar from day one. Because Abraham was surrendering his will. Abraham was surrendering, laying down everything at the altar from day one until day three, until they reached the place. So throughout the journey, it was actually Abraham who was on the altar, right? Now, can we go to Hebrews chapter 11? Hebrews chapter 11, I'll read for us, was 17 to 19. Hebrews chapter 11 was 17 to 19. It says, it was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Now, Abraham knows that God says, he will bless my descendants. He'll give this land to my descendants. And my descendants are going to be like the sand, the number of grains in the sand or the stars in the sky. He knows and he remembers all of these promises that God has told him. And he has seen so many things being fulfilled. And so, although Abraham was dying and he knew that, okay, even if Isaac dies, this God that I have gotten to know in this journey is more than able enough to raise him from the dead, right? And so, verse 18, it says, continues to say that even though God had told him, Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. Verse 19, Abraham, the reason that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life and that in a sense Abraham did not receive his son back from the dead. It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Okay, so that is the fourth altar of Abraham that he builds. The last one is the altar of sacrifice. Now, from the first one, we see that the first altar, we call it as the altar of obedience from Hebrews chapter 12, verse 6 and 7. And then we see that the second altar is the altar of intimacy and of the pilgrim's walk. And then the third altar is the altar of commitment and separation that he was looking for a city that was eternal, whose foundations was eternal and whose builder was God himself. And then finally, we see that the fourth altar is the altar of sacrifice where he was willing to offer his son as a sacrifice simply because God told him and he was willing to do that by faith and knowing that God was powerful and able enough to raise him again from the dead. And all of this, he was aware of. But what I want to leave us with learning and why I thought it was necessary for us to learn about the altars of Abraham was can someone read Romans chapter 12, verse 1? Actually, I'll read it for us. It says in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, this is Paul, right? Apostle Paul says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Right? I beseech you. That means you sing, I beg you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Now, just like Abraham, we are called to be a people who would build altars unto the Lord, who will constantly remember everything what God has done, and he will constantly be thankful to everything that he has done. But we will constantly offer up sacrifices for everything that he has done and that he does in our lives because he is worthy. So there are two things here. One is that we are called to be men and women who build altars. But in conclusion, when Paul says in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, offer yourself as living sacrifice, that means God is not only asking us to build altars, God is asking us to be on the altar. Are you with me? That he is not only asking us to build altars of worship where divinity would meet with humanity, where there would be a divine exchange that would happen. He is not just saying build the altar, and lay yourself on the altar that you have built as a living sacrifice. This lovely poem there by Alicia Hoffman. It says, Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the spirit control. You can only be blessed and have peace and sweet rest as you yield him your body and soul. So if there's anything that you can learn from the life of Abraham is the life of surrender. It's the life of laying down our all. That's really what worship is all about is laying down your 100% and obeying God for what he says and trusting the trustworthy one, trusting the one who is trustworthy. That's basically what we will learn from the life of Abraham. I hope everybody is still alive, everybody is doing well. That's the end of the session for today. We'll pause here. Thank you for joining and we'll continue again the next week. Alright, thanks guys, thanks for joining. God bless you all. Thank you.