This past weekend I went to Centre Street Church and Pastor Henry Schorr preached a sermon that really convicted me. (Listen to his sermon's here: http://www.cschurch.ca/resources/media/ )
I've outlined the sermon below. Please, only read it if you want to be challenged and grow in your faith.
20 While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22 David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.”
23 Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”
24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
1 Chronicles 21:20-24
In this story David refused to give to God something that cost him nothing.
In the book of Malachi God says:
“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty.
“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.
“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
7 “By offering defiled food on my altar.
“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’
“By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.
9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the LORD Almighty.
10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.
Malachi 1: 6-10
In other words God is offended when His people give Him worthless things! In the book of Malachi God tells the people that He would rather that they stopped making sacrifices altogether than to continue giving Him lame sacrifices.
When I think about my life now and I think about a person who is really important to me I would never dream of giving them something old that I found lying around the house as a birthday gift.
When I truly want to show someone that I love them I take time to find out what they like and then I take care in picking out a gift that suits them. This shows the person that I care about them and I want to honour them.
It’s the same with God.
Why would I only give him five minutes at the end of the day before I fall asleep to learn what He has to say through His Word?
Or why would I only speak to Him for about thirty seconds before eating a meal and then fail to communicate with Him throughout the rest of the day?
When I give God what I do not need, what’s left over, what costs me nothing, that is NOT true worship.
True worship is costly, but that is the only kind of worship that God wants.
Do not get me wrong I am not saying that you need to buy or earn salvation; salvation is a gift of grace. But, when God ransomed you from sin and death through Jesus Christ He bought and paid for your whole life and your whole heart. And that is what God is interested in having; He wants your whole life and your whole heart. HE DOES NOT WANT YOUR LEFT OVERS! GOD DOES NOT WANT WORTHLESS THINGS!
He would do anything for you!
Why would you give Him any less than your very best?
Please be warned there are graphic scenes in the video below.
