Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
PAYING THE PRICE
2 Samuel 24:18-25, "And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, to buy the threshing floor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.”
David had sinned a great sin by numbering the people of Israel and God had sent the death angel that had already destroyed 70,000 men before David could find a place to build an altar of repentance.
The sin was not in the counting of the people, but it was in David’s disobedient heart. First, the death angel was sent to bring judgment for disobeying God’s command to not number the people and, secondly, because David had more faith in his army than in God to deliver Israel.
I have often wondered just what blessings I have missed or how much trouble I have brought upon myself because I failed to hear and obey God.
God, would my children be living different if we had spent more time in prayer or daily family devotions? Would I be walking a different path than I am right now? What would be different had I learned early to obey your voice? How much time have I wasted? How much money have I wasted on frivolity?
We can’t go back and correct the past, but we can do what is right from now on. Yes, we can repent and make things right with God but we will forever suffer the consequences of making some bad decisions.
Just as David did when he realized the price for his failure, we must also stop and count the cost of what has happened already and see where God wants us to go now.
David began to search for a place to build an altar and God told him where to build it. I believe that God is always pointing us to the place of our altar. His Spirit is drawing and seeking those who would serve Him and repent, then turn and follow His leading.
In the first place, you can build an altar anywhere that you are. You can stop anywhere, anytime and begin to pray but unless the Spirit of God is there with you your words are for nothing. We can’t conjure up that Spirit! We can’t force God to move! God moves in His own time and in His own way.
God, show us where to build that altar of prayer and sacrifice of our own lives in service to you. Show us where we have failed that we may repent.
Then we must realize that if we are to serve God, there is a price to pay! Jesus bought our salvation. Our part is to repent believe, and receive!
But, there is much more! We must also desire to become more like Christ each day. We must learn to let the world see Jesus through us.
There is a daily walk of sanctification, prayer, communion with God and faithfulness that must begin to happen. The process of changing is a lifelong job. The scripture says that we are to grow line upon line and precept upon precept until we come into the fullness of the maturity of being in Christ and being like Him in every way.
Are we willing to pray? Are we willing to Study the Word of God? Are we willing to submit to the leadership of the Church under Christ? Are we willing to set aside our own little petty personal goals and take on the vision that God gives to us? Are we willing to take the step of faith and trust God? Are we willing to witness for Him? Are we willing to be persecuted or ridiculed for His sake?
King David desired to build an altar to sacrifice unto the Lord so that God might forgive him for the sin of rebellion and disobedience. God brought David to the threshing floor on the top of a high hill on the outskirts of the city of Jerusalem.
The place where God brought him, according to history, was called Mount Moriah.
This was the same place, according to the teaching of Jewish history, that Cain and Abel had come to offer their sacrifices.
God accepted Abel’s offering of a lamb from the flock. That offering cost Abel dearly for it was a mark of wealth to have a large flock. Abel had spent many hours and days raising and protecting that lamb. It was a perfect lamb and a valuable possession that could not be easily replaced. Abel knew that a sacrifice of blood was needed to please God so He brought God the best that he had to offer.
Cain’s offering was from the earth. It was made and formed or grew because of His own efforts. He had put effort into tilling and growing the crops but there was no blood sacrifice and his offering was only a small part of the entire crop.
Mount Moriah was also the same place where Abraham brought his son, Isaac, to be offered as a sacrifice to God. That was no cheap offering that Abraham bought for sure. God still required a sacrifice of blood for Abraham and sent a ram caught in the thicket. God provided His own blood sacrifice for Abraham just as He does for us.
You can come to God and offer your sacrifices but unless those sacrifices have been covered in the Blood of the Lamb, they are in vain. God will not accept anything less than your best as an offering of sacrifice unto Him.
Praise and worship without having your heart and mind upon the Lord is nothing more than lip service. Working in the church with a resentful attitude because no one else is there to help is not an acceptable sacrifice. Preaching or teaching without preparation time and prayer is an unacceptable sacrifice. God wants our best and nothing else.
If I am going to stand behind the pulpit, I must spend time in prayer, study, research and listen to what God wants to say and do. There are too many dead sermons, preached by dead preachers, to dead congregations that go to dead churches! I want some life in our church and that life only comes through bringing an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.
David would not offer sacrifice upon an altar that cost him nothing. Araunah had not failed God. David was the one who owed God a debt of repentance. David knew that he must pay the price for his own failure.
In our churches, it’s hard to find anyone who will confess that they are at fault for the troubles around them. We love to point fingers at everyone else. It’s the preacher’s fault if our church isn’t growing! It’s the worship leader’s fault if the praise isn’t excited! It’s the teacher’s fault if I don’t like the lesson! It’s never our fault for having a bad attitude or an unrepentant heart before God.
One other interesting point about Mount Moriah is that it became the actual site of the new Temple that Solomon was build and is the same site where the temple will be built again in Jerusalem in the end times. The Muslim temple called the “Dome of the Rock” right now occupies that exact location.
David built his altar, paid the price for his sacrifices, and God stayed the judgment of the death angel as a result.
Do you feel like the death angel is living next door? Is there a foreboding feeling as though there is no joy, no peace, and no victory in life anymore?
Maybe now is the time to pay the price for our failures, search for the altar and offer your sacrifice to God so that God can stay the plague that is come against us. We can come to God through the Blood of Jesus Christ and offer our sacrifice of praise unto Him. We can come to the Father through the Blood of the Lamb and allow Him to establish His temple within our hearts.
Where ever you build your altar – that’s where God will begin to build your temple and establish His presence in your life. Without an altar and an obedient heart there will not be a Temple of the Holy Ghost.
There is a price to pay if we want God’s best. There is a price to pay if we want Him to dwell in us. There is a price to pay before we can experience deliverance.
That price is still called Repentance, Believing in the Lord and Trusting in Him, and then Accepting His will instead of our own. There is no other way. God has said in His word that obedience is better than sacrifice.
Pay the price of obedience – build your altar before the Lord – make your sacrifice of praise, worship and allow God to build His temple in your heart!
