Opening Activity

• Worship means celebrating God to show Him our love.
• Today we will learn how Abraham obeyed God when he was asked to do something very hard. Obeying God is one way to show Him our love and worship Him.
• Our story about Abraham will teach us the importance of worshipping God through obedience.

Bible Story

• Abraham and God were such good friends that Abraham could always recognize God’s voice. When God spoke to him one night, Abraham
  immediately knew who was talking; and he quickly answered. What did God say? Abraham sacrifice Isaac

• Abraham was shocked. Could he have been dreaming? No. He knew God’s voice. But how could he possibly do what God was asking? Quietly he got up and went outside. When he looked up at the stars, he remembered God’s promise that through Isaac he would become the father of many nations.

• Abraham went over and looked at Sarah. He didn’t dare tell her what God had said. Next, he went to Isaac, who was sleeping soundly. Oh, how Satan was tempting him to not do what God had just told him to do! Maybe Satan said, “God wouldn’t tell you to break His rule that says not to kill!” But Abraham knew exactly what God had said. Gently, he spoke, “Isaac, get up. We are going to offer a very special sacrifice, and we need to leave right away.”

• Isaac had gone before with his father to offer sacrifices, so he wasn’t surprised.

• Abraham called two servants. Quickly they packed everything that they would need: food, water, wood, a knife, and a little container with a fire in it that they could keep burning as they travelled. They loaded a donkey, and they were soon on their way

• Those were three terrible days for Abraham. His heart was so heavy, he couldn’t talk much. He couldn’t yet bear to tell Isaac what God had told him to do.

•  As he and Isaac climbed the last part of the mountain, Isaac asked the question that Abraham had been dreading. What was it, and how did Abraham answer? Isaac asked where was the animal they were going to sacrifice and Abraham answered that God would provide.

• Abraham just couldn’t tell Isaac yet. Maybe he was hoping with all his heart that God would do something so that Isaac wouldn’t be killed as a sacrifice.

• When Abraham and Isaac reached the top of the mountain, Isaac helped his father build the altar.

• Now Abraham had to tell him what God had asked him to do. Can you imagine how shocked Isaac was? By now he was a strong young man, he could have easily pushed his father away and gone back home. But Isaac had learned to trust God, too. “Do whatever God told you to do, Father,” he said.

• They gave each other one last, long hug. Then Isaac laid down on the altar, and Abraham carefully tied him. Tears were streaming down Abraham’s face. His hands trembled as he picked up the knife and raised it.

• Suddenly, a voice stopped him. The knife dropped from Abraham’s hand to the ground. Oh, how thankful Abraham and Isaac were! This time, there were tears of joy as Isaac and Abraham hugged each other again.

•  Then, they both heard a sound. Baaa. Baaa. What was it? A ram. God did provide the sacrifice. Once again He had proven that Abraham truly trusted and obeyed Him.

• Abraham obeyed God even when it was hard. And because Abraham trusted and loved God, his obedience was an act of worship.

• We can worship God when we obey Him too! When we chose what’s right and have a heart that wants to please God, then we show God that we love Him.

Questions

1. What does God tell Abraham to do? (Sacrifice his son, Isaac.)
2. Why does God do this? (To see if Abraham will obey Him.)
3. What question does Isaac ask Abraham? (“Where is the lamb for the offering?”)
4. How does Abraham respond? (He tells Isaac, “God will provide the offering.”)
5. What happens right before Abraham sacrifices Isaac? Why? (An angel tells him not to hurt Isaac because Abraham showed he was willing to obey God no matter what.)
6. What did God provide for the offering instead? (A ram.)
7. What promise does God make to Abraham because of his obedience (That He would bless Abraham, give him many descendants, and bless the entire world through His family.)
   8. So how is obedience a way to worship God? (Because when we obey God, especially when it is hard to obey Him, we show Him our trust and love.)