Summary: - first things are important - Seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) - Mark 7:1-16 - what the Bible teaches about worship? - man needs to realize that God is the object of man's worship (John 4:24) - worship which God rejects - ignorant worship (Acts 17:23) - vain worship (Matt. 15:9) - acceptable worship - public (Acts 4:23, Heb. 10:25, John 4:24) - private (Phil.2:16, Rom. 13:1-7) - seeming "good" deeds can have bad motives. It's possible to do the "right" thing for the wrong reason. Jesus warned of it. (Mark 7:7) - they didn't murder; but they did hate (Matt. 5:21-22, 43:44) - they didn't commit adultery, but they did lust (Matt. 5:27-28) - they gave to the poor, but they did so to look good (Matt. 6:1-2) - the God who looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7, Matt. 22:37-40) - the greatest treason is "to do the right thing for the wrong reason," wrote T.S. Elliot - according to Jesus, love is the remedy - the case of Cain and Abel: - the record of Cain's rejected sacrifice reads: Gen. 4:3-7 - the differences between their offerings: - one was of produce, the other was a blood-bearing sacrifice (Heb.11:4) - the opposite of faith is by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) - Cain worshipped according to "sight" - according to what his own senses and wisdom dictated would be an honorable gift unto the Lord. - faith is the result of hearing God's word, submitting the mind and body to its dominion, and acting in accordance to what the Lord has instructed. - "To believe God, and not obey him, is to not believe him." Or as James wrote, "faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26) - Paul defines the source of faith that is well-pleasing to God (Rom. 10:17) - Abel offered his sacrifice by faith (Heb. 11:4) - but faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17) - the way of Cain is the way of presumption (Ps. 19:13)
