Sacrifices that Costs
Text: 2 Samuel 24:24 – “But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver”.
Introduction:. A man forgot his wife birthday, he finds a flower on the side of the road. “It’s not much but I hope you like it”. What do you think ladies? David a man of God felt responsible for the death of 70,000 men in Israel because of a plague among several things that David. He was sent to Araunah’s place to offer a sacrifice. Araunah was going to supply what David needed for free, but David felt that he needed to pay for the offering stating: “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” Sacrifices are not sacrifices if it doesn’t cost you anything. David didn’t want to offer to God a sacrifice that didn’t cost him anything. It would not be called a sacrifice. Among all the sacrifices we can mention for a Christian I will indicate 3 of them in my lesson. God does want from you something that didn’t cost anything. We are called to take our cross, and follow Him. “I gave my life for thee”
Sacrifice of Forgiveness
Compassion for one another – Just like Jesus had compassion for the souls around Him. For the bible say: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25-26). There are consequences for not forgiving.
It’s hard to forgive sometimes – Why is it? According to experts for some people personal justice weighs more forgiving. When you see an injustice done to your own person it’s harder for you to forgive the offender. But we are not like this, Brothers and Sisters. Right? Jesus’ personal justice was violated when they spat on His face; when they placed a thorn crown on His head, when the crowd yelled out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” When all he would say from the Cross, “Father forgive them, because they don’t know what they do”. If we are to be like Jesus, when we learn to be forgiving. Philippians 2:5-8 reads: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross”. Don’t let “Personal justice” be stronger than your forgiveness. By learning to be like Jesus we will learn to forgive.
Learn to forgive before presenting your gift to the Lord – “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).
Sacrifice of Fellowship
Sacrificial Love – Once again Jesus said that “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). We demonstrate our love to God if we love our neighbor.
Doing Good is to care for the needs of others. Everywhere we go we must do good. In Romans 12:20 reads: “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” This is consider a sacrifice because the tendency of a worldly person is to cause harm to his fellow human being, to his family. They get out of bed in the morning to see what harm they can do for that day. But we are not like that my brothers and sisters. The next verse in Romans 12 say Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)
Spock Quote: Like one famous science fiction character said once: “The needs of many outweighs the needs of the few or the one”. We must look out for the needs of others instead of our own.
Show example of our dear young brother Austin Dill. This is going his to be his home for the next 3 months; I’m sure it’s a great sacrifice for him. Not anyone could do this. I’m sure that we would rather have him in the comfort of his parent’s home in Debary but he chose to “Do Good to others” in Panama. Isn’t that GREAT!
Sacrifice of Frugality Self Control, Abstinence, and Self –denial – Abstain from Evil. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thes. 5:22-23)
Self-Control and abstinence – Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. – 1 Corinthians 9:24
State of Mind – Think and be like Christ and to be a living Sacrifice – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2)
Conclusion: It’s costly but it’s worth it. Are you willing to pay the price of your sacrifice to the Lord? I’m sure that there’s a struggle to do good or evil before God. I’m sure you are saying: “Lord, there is still a great conflict in me. Between opposite sides of my faith. There is a selfish self that does not give you another and me who want to obey. I know it’s a struggle inside of you. Is this happening to you? The Lord wants to help. The Lord wants to take that load. Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Let the Holy Spirit take control of that struggle. Sacrifice yourself and submit to Christ as the Lord and King of your life. You can accomplish this by meeting Christ at the waters, and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Act 2:38). Sin is weighing you down, put that Extra weight in the hands of Jesus. It’s costly but it’s worth it. Then you can start a new life of Sacrifice, to forgive, to do good and to Love God and to LOVE each other.
A small piece of bread and a thimble full
of grape juice doesn’t sound like a great big meal but for those who are
Christians has much more meaning than a satisfying meal. This has been of great
significance for Christians though out the centuries until today, especially
when we come together in fellowship. In the Old Testament celebrate the
Passover as a commemoration of how God saved his people from the slavery of
Egypt. In a typical Jewish home as they celebrate the Passover, the
child asks
why we do this. And the father responds because God has freed us from the hand
of Pharaoh and brought us to the Land of Milk and Honey and we must remember
this. Why do we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Because God has freed us from the
slavery of sin and He has rescued us from the power of
darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians
1:13) Let’s break the bread and fellowship together.
According to Hebrews
9:22 - without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. The Blood
of Christ represented in this little cup is more precious than gold and silver.
It has done more than to just make us wealthy. It has rescued us from our
futile ways and gave us hope. It reads in 1 Peter 1:18-19, You know that you
were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with
perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious
blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.