As a pastor and as a preacher of the Word of God, I often fear that, if we are not very careful, our “worship” of God will become mere habit. We can become mechanical in our worship - prayer, song, announcements, song, prayer, offering, song, message, song, prayer . . . GO HOME! We should not “come to church” to be put in the mood to worship, but when we come to church we are to bring our worship with us and offer it to God. In the Old Testament the Jews did not come to the temple to “get a lamb” to sacrifice, but they were instructed to “bring” their sacrifice for worship. Sadly, some figured out they could make money selling “sacrifices” and even set up shop in the Temple, but Jesus took care of them. That same attitude is present today when people believe their mere presence and a few dollars in the offering plate is a substitute for their heartfelt worship of God. And in many cases and in many places today the “worship service” is merely a spectator event. (We have hired - or elected - a “church staff,” and we come to watch them do their jobs.) People come to sit and watch the musicians, the song leader, and the choir “perform.” Then it is time for the preacher to “do his thing,” and it better be short, and sweet, and not offend anyone. But these things are not true worship. True worship comes from the heart first and affects us not just while we are in the church service but throughout the week. True worship is “all that I am (mind, body, and spirit) responding to all that God is.” True worship is “whole heart” worship that seeks to please God and do His will in our lives. Listen to what the psalmist said: 1) Psalm 111:1: “Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” 2) Psalm 9:1: “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.” 3) Psalm 119:10: “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” If people truly love God, you will not have to plead with them to come to church on Sunday. They will want to be present. And one thing (among others) that will increase, and add to our worship is the subject of today's message, ABSOLUTE SURRENDER -- of our hearts, minds, and lives to God. In this 22nd chapter of Genesis we find one of the clearest pictures of the coming sacrifice of Jesus Christ that there is in the Old Testament. In this event we see a portrait of God’s heart as He gave His only begotten Son to die for mankind’s sin and in the place of the one who was condemned. This is usually how this passage is viewed, but there is another dimension to this text. Let’s look at it from Abraham’s perspective. He was called upon to make a great sacrifice. He was instructed to take the child of promise that God had given him and give him back to God. By the way, the greatest thing a parent can do is to give their child to God for His service. Yet, in Abraham, we do not see the heart of a broken, devastated man. Instead, we see the heart of the worshipper, who acts in complete obedience to God. In life, various demands will be made of us, and some of these will come from God. They may call for personal sacrifices on our part. From a human standpoint, we may not want to face them or even participate in them. However, God’s requirement for our lives is absolute, total obedience to His perfect will. Remember what Samuel said to King Saul in I Samuel 15:22: “. . . Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Even though we know these things, a part of us still wants to rebel against the commands of God for our lives. In this message we will see what is required if we, like Abraham, are to worship God with absolute surrender.

I. IT REQUIRES OUR PERCEPTION -- VV. 1-2.

II. IT INVOLVES PREPARATIONS -- VV. 3-5.

III. IT INVOLVES PARTICIPATION -- VV. 6-14.