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Advent Productions

Benjamin Ng

Fear God

Father in heaven, thank you so much for this time.

Thank you that we can come and study together.

And I just ask for your leading, ask for your guidance.

I can definitely not be a blessing because you are the source of all blessings And so unless your presence goes with us right now Lord we dare not move forward, please Pour out your spirit upon us Grace us with Thy presence.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior.

What is our responsibility during this time of MCO?

What is our responsibility during this time of pandemic?

And I ended with this 1 simple conclusion, we got to preach.

I was glad to see 1 of our young people share the gospel this morning on Facebook.

Oh, it touched my heart and it was so wonderful to see that.

I just hope and pray that more of us would just jump online and preach.

But here's the question that I have for you this morning that is somewhat of a continuation from what we studied last week.

And if you're a good Seventh-day Adventist and if you've been attending church for long enough, you'll know what text I'm going to go to.

It's called the first, second, and third angels messages.

Revelation 14 verse 6 the Bible says this, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation kindred tongue and people saying with a loud voice fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come and worship Him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters." Friends, this is the first angel's message.

Wherever we should start, I believe we should start right here, friends.

We are told that this gospel is the everlasting gospel and it goes to the whole world to every nation kindred tongue and people this is the gospel that we got to preach to everybody in Matthew 24 14 and then Jesus Christ will come but friends I want to focus specifically this hour on what it means to fear God.

The first part of the first angel's message.

Where do we see fear God mentioned in the Bible?

But where do we see fear God first mentioned in the Bible?

Let's turn our Bible to Genesis chapter 22.

Let's turn our Bibles there to Genesis chapter 22.

But this is the story where it's first mentioned about fearing God.

God comes to Abraham and asks him to sacrifice his son.

Genesis 22 verse 1, the Bible says, Do you know inspiration tells us in the spirit of prophecy that that voice that came to him that that was God and that voice that came to him to give him the instruction to go sacrifice his son it only came to him once and it never came back again not until Abraham was on the mountain ready to sacrifice his son We're told that he actually went back to that tree where he met the 3 visitors, the 2 that went on to Sodom to tell them it was gonna be destroyed.

He went back to that tree and waited, and No 1 came.

The voice was silent from the time it came to him that morning.

And Abraham, without hesitation, he could have said, oh maybe I've gone a bit crazy, maybe I've gone senile, maybe he could have just stayed there and waited for God to come back to him, but he didn't.

Abraham rose up early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took 2 of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and claimed the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place which God had told him.

He had a few days to think about this command.

And I think, you know, sometimes for us, the longer we have, the less likely we're going to obey.

But Abraham, he had a few days to think about this command.

But Abraham, he had a few days to consider this command.

Go sacrifice your son, your only son whom you love.

Offer him for an offering on an altar that I'm going to show you on.

Abraham he had a few days to think about this.

Verse 4, on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.

And Abraham said to the young man, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.

So the 2 of them, Abraham and Isaac, they're going up the mountain.

And when he gets there, he finally tells his son Isaac, Son, lie down.

It just goes to the good sort of home training that Abraham had with his whole family because his son willingly lay down, allowed his dad to bind his arms.

He was over a hundred years old by this time.

He was an old man, weak, and his son could have easily overpowered him and run home and said, I'm telling mom.

His son lays down and he willingly allows his father to go ahead with the process of which he said God had told him.

So he ties his son up, puts him on the altar, And look at this, verse 10.

The Bible says, And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

And the angel of the Lord called out unto him, and said, Abraham, Abraham.

Plunge that knife down into his chest, slit his throat, whatever he was ready to do.

It was only at that point that God calls out from heaven and He says, Abraham, stop.

And Abraham says, here I am, and He says what?

Verse 12, Lay not thine hand upon the land, neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God.

Seeing thou has not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

God says it is now that I know that you fear me.

And Abraham was not pressured into doing this because he was afraid of God.

He did this because he loved God above his son, above his wife, above his possessions, above anything.

And Isaac really was his cherished son, his most prized possession, if you could call him that on this earth.

Abraham was willing to obey, even when he didn't understand the reason why.

Friends, look, did Abraham understand the command of God when God came to him?

Did Abraham understand what God wanted him to do?

Go offer your son Isaac as a sacrifice on an altar that I'm going to show you, on a mountain I'm going to show you.

He understood the command but did he understand why?

If he had understood the reason why he would not have gone to the tree that Ellen White speaks of and waited for the 3 strangers that he had met before, the 3 visitors.

If Abraham understood why, he would not have gone there to try to get an explanation.

The explanation that Abraham needed was not, what should I do God?

If he had not understood it, God would have come and said, yes Abraham, I offer your son as a sacrifice.

God, why do you want me to sacrifice my son?

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