Sacrifice | Pastor Alvin Keng

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

Today.

Why am I gonna share about I'm just gonna go

straight into it. I got two titles, okay, so up

to you. If you write notes or don't write nose,

I can remember, I can remember. You can choose whichever

title you want.

Okay.

I got a short tight and the long title. The

short tighter is sacrifice. Okay, the long title, don't worry,

it's not tungke tiaster is. I will not offer to

God that which costs me nothing. Get us the long title.

So after you wish on you on right down, I

can write down either one and uh, please turn your

Bibles to First Chronicles, chapter twenty one. First Chronicles, Chapter

twenty one. We're gonna study a little bit about the

life of King David. Okay, the life of King David.

And I hope as we study, you will receive something

from the Lord this afternoon. Okay, right, So I'm gonna read,

but before I read, I'm gonna give you a bit

of a background story because it's a little bit complicated

and not as complicated as Corindra, but still complicated enough. Actually,

if you want to you're interested in drama, read the Bible,

read kings read read it's very interesting or a okay,

very very interesting.

So I will start with verse one and explain more.

So he says he now Satan stood up against Israel

and moved David to number Israel.

Okay, so a lot of contexts.

But as I was reading this the last time I

appreciate messages, I didn't notice this line because we are

talking about King David with and and basically what did

King David do?

King David basically.

Took a census, not censora, but a census.

Census is c e n.

Sus what we're doing, like some English linkeding today a census.

And if you're Malaysian you will probably heard this word

before bungie you rememberjie or not people come not your door?

Then ask you how many people stay here? Of course,

nowa this is West Camela, you know there was I

just wanted to get text like, oh, don't open your door,

as someone will anyway. So they want to take a census. Basically,

they want to count the number of people. Count how

many peop people are in the land, you know. Uh,

And that's what King David wanted to do. However, However,

if you are a scholar of the Bible, Okay, if

you are, I hope some of you here are, if

you go deeper, actually you just go on Google.

You kind of know it.

You cannot simply take census on the people of Israel.

One.

There's only one reason why a census is allowed is

when they want to sort of like, uh wait, let

me let me go into here. Okay, why why would

they take census? Okay, okay, anyway, we'll go to that. Basically,

King David was going against the law.

La.

Okay, there's only one reason why they will take a census,

and he shouldn't. And and when I read the scripture,

it says here now Satan stood up against Israel and

moved David to number Israel.

Okay, so let me give you a bit of some

background story.

King David right was called by God as a man

after his own heart. Do you think that's a big deal.

I think that's a big deal. God himself said, this

guy knows what I want. This guy is a guy

after my own heart. And many somebody comes up to you,

you know, some big tycoon or whatever, come and say

you know Joel is a man after my own Then

you know what, They're close, they know each other. This

King David, Now God himself said this after a man

after my own heart. And then I'm reading in scripture

now Satan stood up against Israel and move David.

Huh, you mean a man.

After God's own heart can be moved by Satan? Follow

me a how you are following me here? You mean

a person that is can can according to Bible Canna,

he's written here plainer's day. Why is this significant to us? Well,

I would say that King David is significant because he's

a man. He's just like us, being just like us, right,

being a person on this earth, being a flawed right,

you can see that King David is pure in his

heart when it comes to God. Yet he is also

a man that's vollyble. Yet he has also made many,

many mistakes. You know, one of the worst thing that

he's done is that the whole Bethsheva gate sting everything's good, okay,

design is more like the roof bead shiva roof no

gat okay bed roof thing.

Okay.

Anyway, if you didn't know, he basically this guy, this

guy a man of the god.

Oh no, you know he did. He was very free.

One day he decided to go in his roof and

then he started looking.

You know.

Of course, the kings stay in a very high place,

can see everybody's roof. And I don't know why. Maybe

last time, I don't know, maybe the men were away. Basically,

some women were baiting on the roof flower and King

David noticed, right so much sure that he had to

call her. Come, let's not go into detail. But then

he got her husband killed to cover his egg, and

then he married her. Kind of messed up, right, These

guys still guys after gods. O friends, Okay, why is

it so important that we studied the life of David?

Let me try and make it a bit relevant for us.

Don't raise up your hands, but ask you some questions.

Have you ever not made a mistake before? You're perfect?

You have never made a mistake, you have never lied,

you've never seen, you've never had an evil thought. Anyone here,

let's say, don't raise your hand. We all know we're

not perfect, right, we all know we come short of

the glory of God. Me myself, right when I was

young and not so smart, I've done mistakes, and I

still make mistakes, right, I still out of good intentions

make mistakes right. But yet God can still acknowledge David.

And this is one of the stories that we need

to understand.

Right.

As messy as life is for us, as much as

we think we know, or we think we don't know,

or we that we are not good enough, the relationship

that David had God was special and it's also a

relationship that all of us here can have. So the

title sacrifice, we're gonna talk about sacrifice, but let's do

some vibe study and then we'll go into sacrifice.

Right, Okay, so let's read that.

So what happened was David took a census and then

he asked his nephew Joe app right, he's basically the

commander of the Lord's army. He asked his nephew Will say, hey,

I want to do a census. Can you please go

and do it?

Right?

Because say then moved him. Okay, of course, Joeb. Thank god,

he was smart enough. He disagreed with his uncle, but

because his uncle was the king, kind of no choice,

have to do it, lad, So he did it. If

you read further, he did it, but he didn't do

it properly, right, he because he was an abomination to

the Lord. See, everybody knew it was not the right

thing to do, but yet the king asked for it. Okay, census.

What's so big here about census?

Okay, later we'll learn.

And then what happened was that the Lord was angrilla. Basically,

you got got angrila. Okay, you did something you didn't do. Okay,

father's in the house. Your kid did something you didn't do,

or you'll be happy about it. Of course not right

then what happened punishment? No, co punishment, no, no, you

have to learn that. So God said, true Gad said

he gave David three options. So get g a d

Gadd is a prophet. So you got a few characters

that are King David, Joe ab Gad. Okay, so get

the prophet right, speak for God and say, King David,

you've done this and this bad. You should have done it. Now,

God gave you choice. Isn't that like the father?

You know? Like I mean, I'm a dad.

Okay, I've got two kids. Something I would like to

give my kids. Choice up, So you choose which you want,

right right?

Right?

You choose I give you a choice, whish one you won,

and that's what God gave David. He said, Okay, I

give you three options, and all in multiples of three. Okay,

you either have three years of famine or three years

where your enemies right will win over you right, or

three days plague.

That means the sort of the lord. Okay. Of course,

something we're thinking like, wow, which is worser? Right?

And of course King David he chose the three days

of plague. Why is it because it's shortter, No, It's

because that was God's hand, because he said, I chose

this because I rather be punished by you, and I

think play is worse than than all three. Okay, play

is probably the worst lue. Okay, he chose the worst

punishment because I rather be punished by you than be

punished by man. I rather fall under your hand than

man's hand. That's what happened. Okay, that's the context of it.

And of course after that, you know, then unfortunately seventy

people died. Lah because King David decided to do a census.

It was wrong, and then seventy people like they said, sorry,

seventeen seventy thousand people died. Sound, I had a few

more zero seventy thousand people died out of the plague.

And then what happened was God saw and God asked

the Angel that sort of the Lord to stop, right

a Lord drama, okay, stop. And then of course King David,

you know, repented, and then the Angel of the Lord

true Gad gave him instructions on what to do. And

that's where we're gonna read, Okay, so we read now

from verse eighteen to thirty. Therefore, the Angel of the

Lord commanded get to say to David that David should

go and erect an alter to the Lord on the

threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebo side. If you read Samuel,

this story is also accounted in Samuel and Ornan.

His other name was Arauna. Don't ask me why.

Maybe got different translation or whatever, or they got different

like bad names for each other. But it's the same guy, okay.

But he here is Ornan the Jebu side, Okay, right,

And what is so? David went up at the word

of the Word of God, which he had spoken in

the name of the Lord. Now Ornan turned and saw

the Angel, and his four sons who were with him

hid themselves but Ornan continued to trash the continue treshing beat.

This guy has God's men. He saw the angel holding

the sword, the sun all ran away. He continued working.

Wh Today's happy Father's Day. Right, this guy is real.

How many of you here would see that and go like,

let's just go Okay? I mean, I don't know, I

don't know how I will react, but this guy's a

big deal.

Okay, this guy's a big deal.

So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David,

and he went out from the threshing floor and bowed

before David with his face to the ground.

Okay, what do you do that? Because well, Ornan was

his subject, right, he was his subject? Right?

Then David said to Ornan, grant me the place for

this threshing flow, that I may build and alter on

it to the Lord. You shall grunt it to me

at full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from

the people. Right, So there has to be some form

of uh, well, uh.

I don't know.

I don't know whether the word reparation nor reputation like

some Basically, he needs to redeem himself like okay, read

some form the redemntion. No okay, and Ornan say the

daby take it to yourself and let my lord the

king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I

also give you the axident faubund offerings, the thrashing implements

for wood and the weed for the grain offering. I

get all, okay, how many of you again, don't lift

up your hands. I'm just asking questions so they can

reflect by this timer when or Nan actually did that. Now,

and if you're a king, daby, you'll go, thank you

God for the provision. Thank you so much God. You

asked me to do this, and I do it, and

then you provide it for me. How many of you

will come to their stage think about it. How many

of us as believers will go, thank you so much

for the God for providing. You asked me to do,

and I do, and then you provide it for me

through someone.

And is it wrong?

Well, technically it is not wrong, because Ornan is his

my logic or NANEI is the subject the king asked

or something, and the king is offering to pay full price.

But you let you know, you say, go out take everything.

I don't need you to pay, and I don't know,

maybe he was rich, maybe he was being nice.

I don't know.

He didn't force the issue. But that was the response

to Ornan. But look at King David's response, right, he said,

I give it all. Then King David said to Ornan,

and you got to remember the scripture. No, but I

will surely buy it for the full price. For I

will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor

offer burnt offerings with that which.

Costs me nothing. We're powerful, man, very powerful. You know.

When I read this, I'm like, whoa, hey, but Christian

war should give discount, right doing, but offerings some more war,

not just this coount is free of charge? No, sorry, yeah,

my own logic. No, I will not receive it from

you because this is something that God asked me to do.

I'm not gonna do it and it cost me nothing.

Whose relationship is at stake here or none?

Or David?

Think about it, friends, just think about it. Think about

the response of King David. Why did God say this

is a guy after my own heart? Is it because

he's perfect in all that he does? Or is it

because the way he treats God, the way he treats God,

the way he treats the thing of things of God.

No, it's amazing.

So David gave ornand six hundred shekels of gold by

weight for the place. If you read Samuel, because technically

the instruction to David was Bill and Alto on the

treashing flourer. Okay, And if you're do not, thrashing floor

is is basically a place that they will, you know,

separate the weight from the grain and stuff like that.

It is a place that they worked. But that place

was very significantly. I'll explain to you why was that

place itself significant? Right, that's why the Angel of the

Lord appeared there and stuff like that. Right, and and

and he gave him six hundred shekels. If you read Samuel,

you only read that he only gave fifty shekels. And

then like, hey, why I got difference or no Bible

do not account?

Is it? Well?

I give you a bit more context. Fifty shekels was

for the threshing floor. So let's take the thrashing floor

as this hall. So this hall is the threashing floor.

So King David actually gave fifty shekels for the thrashing floor.

But the six hundred shekels, which is inclusive with the

fifty shekels is actually for the whole summit. So he

actually didn't just buy the threshing floor. He bought the

whole place. He bought the whole building. Why did he

bring the buy the whole building, Well, we will find out, Okay,

that's why six hundred shekels of gold. And David build

there an altar to the Lord and offered burn offerings

and peace of rings, and called on the Lord, and

he answered him from heaven by fire on the altar

of the burn offering. The last time I read something

about fire from heaven, is which experience you remember? Not?

For those said thirty five one you can remember which

profit called down fire from heaven?

Elijah. There was a while back. This is the second Hidigate.

So God answered by fire from heaven.

Amazing, ah, quite a lot of wonderful things happening. Okay,

So the Lord commanded the angel and he returned.

He sought to his sheep.

At that time, when David saw that the Lord has

answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebocide,

he sacrificed there. So David started using that altar to

sacrifice to the Lord for the Tibernacle of the Lord

and the altar of the burn offering, which Moses had

made in the wilderness, were at that time at the

high Place in Gibeon. So the actual place the actually

was an a place, the place they are normally sacrificed

in another place. They can't see me sacrifice anyway, want

no right, So David started using that. But why did

David started using that place because it's also set here.

But David could not go before before it to inquire

of God, for he was afraid of the sword of

the Angel of the Lord.

So he was still fearful.

He still had reverence for God even though he really

did the right thing. And he's still like, I better

not go there. You look at this guy's heart. This

guy's heart is amazing. He's not perfect, you know, he's

met so many nonsense mistakes, no right, and he was

called but yet he's called a man off the God's

own heart. It's amazing when I read about the life

of King David. Right, Okay, so let's do be a

review what we just read. So a few characters, okay,

first is King David, let's remember him. Then Joe, nephew

of King David and the commander of his army. They're

after we have this guy called Ghat. He's a prophet

of that time, right, and then of course you have

or none. Right, he's a jeboside and his owner of

the land and David subject. So what happened?

Okay? God was his fleace I.

Mentioned just now with King david desision to number the

people because it was done without necessity.

How many of us here have done things without necessity?

Don't you do? We're going to do one going, Charlie Pasal.

That's the term. You go and find problems. Problem, now

find you?

You go and find problems yourself, and after that you

get in trouble and then you start blaming God. Sorry,

if you don't do it, I do it all the time.

So I'm talking about myself. Okay, don't go Chardy, don't

go and find problems.

Right.

It was done without necessity, but it was done out

of curiosity.

Oh, how many people I have? Why you need to

know he's the king? Minds you know what?

Why he's the king? But he was still under God's rule. No,

if you if you, if you rewind a little bit more,

can I tell you god'sht. God never wanted to have

a king. No, why did the people want to have

a king? Because everybody else have one? So we also

want to be the cool kids, and we also want

a king. And God say, I really or king?

Not enough? I got a pillow of fire and cloud.

Not enough?

No, not enough, God, We need a man because we

cannot see you. So we need a man with a crown.

And then God said you sure or not the moment

I put the man there, or what you want, he's

gonna make yourself.

No, we don't care if we still need one. Kella,

you got what you asked for.

And demonstrated a misplaced trust in human strength rather than

divine power. If you study the Bible, you will study

that every time that israelies one over their enemies, it's

not because of the man people they have. It is

always God's power. God has always demonstrated his power. Of course,

it is very scary when that happens. That's why we

need faith. Do we see that there's relevance even to

our world today? What are we trusting today? Are we

trusting God's power or are we trusting our resources?

Right? And God always mess with theeminal so many examples.

The Wall of Jericho, Gideon right, cut down enough, cut

down some, cut down some more.

Wha you shure? Not God right.

But we're human beings. We trust what we see. It's

very hard to trust that we don't see. But it's

good to reflect on this.

Okay.

So David did not follow the procedures outlined in the

law Moses for a census. Why because a census was

ultimately used to incite a period of judgment over Israel.

So you only do the census, and God only asks

for census when he want to do judgment.

So think about it.

It's quite yes, don't you think it's really here going

Jerry Passal and sell the thousand people died just at it.

Don't you think God was right to say your king

is gonna feel downfall. We don't want God, We still

want this. A lot of things can reflect on our

own lives, right, a lot of things can reflect This

also tells me that God has a way to work.

There is a way to work, and this sign is

like totally another message. Okay, but I'll just give you

this top process. Today's age. Right, there's a lot of

argument about right and wrong. What's true? And a lot

of people steer towards feelings and emotions and how I am,

and they disregard what is the argument is natural law

and all these different things? Right, what governs your life?

Friends?

Is it the market? Is it what your friends say?

Is it what the majority these says? Or is it

the word of God? It's very clear when you read Genesis,

It's very clear, right, what is the formation of a family.

And then when we go out of our way to

adopt different thought process and all then find ourselves in trouble,

and then we question why that is my my, my, well,

I guess my my caution to all of us here, right,

It's tough to accept sometimes because like, oh, why so strict?

But there is a way that the Lord has intended

how our life should be lived on this earth, whether

we like it or not, whether we be living or not,

there is a way, and if we follow that way,

although it may be difficult, we will find fulfillment in life,

and we will find a.

Purpose in life.

But the moment we come out of that and we

find ourselves in trouble and we chase after other things

that we shouldn't chase for, then that's why we get

ourselves in trouble and we don't understand why we're in.

Such a situation.

And then if we don't have full understanding, we blame

Godla yula, it's all you why he got there. Friends,

there is a way, there is a way of the

Lord that we need to follow. We've got to remember

that there's a way of the Lord that we need

to follow. And if we follow that way of the Lord,

whatever it is, we will be prosperous, we will be blessed.

If we don't follow.

The way of the Lord, I don't even talk about

what's gonna happen. Right, So God gave David Tree options

for punishment, and David chose God's sought. In this scripture,

I see why David is a man after God's own heart,

because he say, God, I ready, you punish me.

Then someone else punished me.

The second is he fears got enough to go, like, Okay,

I know, I really like you know, made amends, but

I think I better still stay here until God asked

me otherwise. Right, because he knows the authority of God.

He made a mistake. He admit his mistake, but he

continued to well, I wouldn't say a tone for it

by continue to be fearful, because he at least had

got God's the fear of God in his life.

Right.

So despite all these things, David's relationship with God is clear.

That's why God called him a man after his own heart.

Because although David did a few mistakes, he did more

than a few friends. Major He's still honored God no

matter what. Isn't that true different from how King Saul

approached God. So let's talk a little bit about King Saul.

We got direct comparison, and King Saul was the first

king the king. God said, hello, if you appoint this

guy and his follyble, you're gonna get in trouble. And

you see the way King Saw was appointed and the

waking David was very different. King Saw was tall and

talented and handsome, and everybody saw that he was a king,

and everybody is happy, and God was also, you know,

but David was forgettable. His father, even his own father,

didn't invite him to the party. How crazy is that

his own father didn't border colleague to come for the party.

That you got your father the youngest the care of Shitnima.

So that that also tells us how men sees and

how God sees are we here in a place where

we feel forgotten, where we feel like our boss or

our leader or whoever, or the person in charge of

our lives is not not noticing us, and we're doing

our best friends, I can encourage you go encouragement.

God sees. God sees we.

Have this saying that promotion comes from the Lord, and

we believe it. Why because it happens, right, so God sees,

So don't need to chase after the the you know,

the the acknowledgment of men.

Don't don't need to.

I think as long as we learn to chase after

the anouny on, God will be fine, right, because God

is the one that promote you.

Right.

So let's studying King Sault. So first Samuel, chapter fifteen,

verse twenty two. Too, entree, I'm gonna read and given

him some context. So Samuel said, has the Lord as

great delight in burn offerings and sacrifices. Okay, so reverse

a little bit. So what happened was King Saul was

asked to go and kill King Agag. Okay, go and

take the land, and the Lord commanded and King Saul

he went, but he didn't complete the job.

He kept the king, He kept.

The livestock right, and basically God said, go and clear

the land. Basically, you know, everybody, okay, clear, there's definitely

a reason why I'm not gonna go into that. But

he gave an instruction, but the instruction was not followed

by the king. Instead, the king decided to keep certain

things because he saw that it was good. He made

his own judgment. Think about it, God asked you do something.

You say, God, maybe not let me do this for

your sake. Let me do something else beyond what you

asked me to do for your sake, because then I

can offer you the secret. That's why he said, offer

you the sacrifices. Ma, I'm doing you a favor. God,

I'm doing you a favor. That's walking salty. Know why

we're skate man, you're.

Talking about God.

No imagine going to you know it's like, how let

me change it a little bit.

That's here.

You gave an instruction, so you hear, are leaders. You

gave your stuff an instruction, a clear instruction to do

a and then your stuff come back and say, uh,

you know, I was considering about your instruction to do

a and I I think I've got a better idea. Right,

I think I've got a better idea, and I think

I will do B and C and maybe a little

bit of A because I think it is better for

you and for me and for everything else. And then

you go like, huh, shouldn't you follow the instruction exactly

as much as you can?

Right?

I think there will be an expectation, right, Let's reader,

So Samuel said, has the Lord as great the light

in burn offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice

of the Lord, the whole famous scripture.

To obey it's better than the sacrifice.

To obey, it's better than sacrifice, right, and to heed

than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the

sin of witchcraft or very strong man rebellion Okay, to

witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you

have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also

rejected you from being king. Okay, let me draw some comparisons.

King Saul didn't listen to God. Strike one question by Samuel.

You know, his answer was I'm doing God a favor.

Strike two.

Didn't repent, didn't say sorry, basically defend that he's standing,

you know, because he's the king.

Ma You see the difference.

King Davey is a king, but he said, I'm not

gonna offer God and versus this is like I'm KINGA

got me made king ma an Tila.

God said, I regretted.

Making this guy the king, so yeah, this guy is

a grafter my own heart versus I regretted making this

guy king. And just to let you know, King saw

even after that incident and he was king for still

quite a long time now, but he didn't have God's favor.

In fact, he was constantly bordered by evil spirit, tormented

by your spirit, right, and who had to come and

you know, a peace king David Okay, anyway, David La,

I'm not king yet. A lot of things happening, but

we can learn from this. Why is obedient better than sacrifice?

Friends? Can I give you this.

Thought process because as I'm studying this scripture and I'm

sharing you about sacrifice, my encouragement is that we will

need to sacrifice. But if we are sacrificing without obedience,

you better obey us. Don't be offering things and sacrificing

things that actually God never even asked you to do it.

Now you know how you know, it's like, let me

try and draw some parallelsa with we've churched that, then

we can you know, be relevant, you know, like we

we sacrifice something or we give up something and God

didn't even ask us do it?

Right? I think that that? Isn't that like this obedience?

Like God, I sacrifice this for you. I did this

for you, Joe, I did this for.

You and you didn't even ask for you actually don't

need it.

Isn't it a waste when that happens?

But very easily we can come to a place where

we we justify our sacrifices. See, none of us here

can judge what's in the heart, you know, but that's

very dangerous. That's why when it comes to this scripture,

you look at Salt, so I sacrifice what I sacrifice,

but we all can clearly see what's on his heart,

and Sami saying hello, obey better stop offering the burn

offering sacrificer.

I kept all the lambs to sacrifice to the Lord God.

Don't need that. God didn't ask for that. God didn't

ask for that. Why do you do something God didn't

ask for? Is it to justify your righteousness? Right, King

Sault versus King David, where he sacrificed, but he obeyed God.

So King David purchased the land for six hundred sheeckers

of God. By wait, okay, why is he so significant?

So I love reading the Bible because it's all connected

on it's all connected on the land that King David.

So I'm meaning myself. Hey, why he didn't just buy

like this room, he buy the whole building? Because later

on King Solomon, his son built the Temple of the

Lord on the mountain which is called Mount Moriah.

On the Temple Mount.

Which is the place that King David got from or none,

So where Ornan was trashing the weed was called Mount Moriah.

It's one of the mountains in Moriah. Right, it's significant.

Why is it significant? And then later on it was

called the Temple mount because the demos build that up. Okay,

why else was it significant? Well, because it was also

the same mountain where Abraham was instructed by God to

sacrifice his son Isaac. And that scripture is important because

it's the first time in the Bible that talks about worship.

You'll see how it's all connected. What was David doing

when he offered burns offerings to the Lord.

He was worshiping Lord. So you change it a little bit.

I'm not gonna offer God any other worship unless it

comes from me, because someone else cannot worship on my behalf.

The worship team cannot worship on my behalf because I

have to worship God.

Your cash there not. It's very significant.

No, I'm like, why is all the connection so complicated

like our drama? And I'm like, ohh wow, right, that's

a descripture, okay. Second Chronicles three one. Now Solomon began

to build the House of the Lord at Jerusalem on

Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David,

at the place that David had prepared on the threshing

floor of Ornan, the jebulside. Second Chronicles three one Solomon. Okay,

let me reverse a little bit and tell you why

why was it that King Solomon can build the temple

and then King David cannot build the temple? Remember I said,

God is a god of order. You know, he cannot

see me. Just he won't see me, just do things.

King David could not build a temple because he was

a man of war. He had blurren on his hands.

You'll see the difference. King Solomon was not a man

of war by that time. God, Lord of peace, really

so the temple had to be built pure. So only

King Solomon who have done it. And King Solomon did

it because God wanted to steal honor King David at

least through your lineage. At least through your lineage. The

significance of it all, right, the significance of it all.

Genesis twenty two two says, then he said, tak now

your son, your only son, whom you love, and go

to the land of Moriah and offer him there as

a burn offering on one of the mountains of which

I shall tell you burn offering worship. Why is Genesis

too too significant to us? Well, it is a foreshadowing

on what God did when he gave his only begotten

son to die for since amazing, ah, amazing, how God

works are right, Let me tell you where this message

came from, so that I hope you guys will catch

something out of it. During homes we learn that worship

is sacrifice. Okay, if you go to homes you will

have learning. We're going through the book. It's very good, right,

and one of my homies. He is, he's actually not local,

he's he's from Nigeria. New homie, we actually planted new homes.

So the new homes is just me and my family

and then another leader, and then it was some students

because we want to reach out students from UM so

I said, hey, you're going to do it.

I can I tell you my own homes.

You're very comfortable, very comfortable my own homes, okay, because

I passed someone. I just go and sit and do nothing, right, huh,

then just do word once in a while. You know,

these homes are because me and my wife planner. You know,

the we are just playing music, a chess, who's doing work,

who's doing worship, who's doing food?

Just music, jazz within me, Jess and Michelle.

And of course you think other things right like x

TV and no choice on my kids dolla. You know

we do starmy, you do the XTV no choice Okay.

Every time homes I a bit more stressed now because

I oh, no, we have to prepare. And my homie

recently he shed he said he's very amazed at us. Okay,

I must tell you that my homes is in PJ.

I stay in Sharalam. But I've been doing this for

thirteen years. Ready, I know feeling Really it's very normal.

And I must tell you I'm from Klang clean people

can travel one Traveling to Kla for one hour is normal, Okay,

I know something you hear like you're from East Malasia, MIRI,

You're like, you know I heard before that if you're

in kk or Maria, if the gem is half an hour,

you'll talk about it for a week.

If the jam is one hour, you talk about it

for a month. Okay.

For people staying kl one hour for the five niece

is normal. Okay, So to me it's normal, right, And

he was very amazed that me and my family would

travel all the way from our house in Boogetima somewhere

in cold morning to come over to PJ for home.

He is very amazed, right, And as we were talking

about sacrifice, right, we all understood that when we want

to worship God, we'll true sacrifice. But he was very

interesting because he's like he's so amazed now because to

him it's like I just like basically church and where

he stays is like can walk five minutes and that's far. Ready,

there is sacrifice to the lord and then he like

basically cannot brain like yours. And it's very interesting because

you know, you're sitting here because you're doing you're so

used to doing it, and you're like, no, least nothing

that right, because I have colleagues and I have friends

that you know, have to go all the way to

so many you know, you know, Passonson still goes to Nila,

you know, do you know? And Lila is a different

state for homes. He actually had to go and you know,

buy a house there. So I'm like, you know, like

they all want next level, you know, and I remember

like passe les Rus, passe Les Rus last time to

go to Exportsona. He traveled four hours every week, our

friends every week, and I'm like, i want our only

nothing lah. But this guy was so amazed. He basically said,

and I'm not saying this to Boster. I'm just I'm

just reading AMusA at our level of you know, sacrifice,

and to him, it's like I will never do it.

I will never be able to do it.

And I want to honor that, right, And I'm like

I'm just AMusA, like, oh okay, thank you, you know,

but nothing like it's like every weekday normal already, right,

and he said this is sacrificed to him. Right, and

then I start thinking about it, friends, if you think

about it, and let's reflect a little bit about maybe

this service. Right, A lot of things took sacrifice to

bad food.

Right, A lot of things took sacrifice to bad food. Right,

if you think about it.

It took someone giving up something ConA. If not, it

wouldn't have been created or even the way it is now.

Let me start from the big picture, then go down

to the details. First one, our faith itself, God sacrifice

his son. He gave his his son Jesus for us.

If Jesus didn't do what he did, If Jesus was

not sacrificed on the cross, if Jesus didn't willingly go

to the cross, we wouldn't be here. Friends, there will

be no way for us, because believe us, we only

believe in one way. There's no multiple way. No Jesus,

very clear, I'm the way, the truth in life. Right,

he's got no Jesus. Right, we wouldn't be here. I

wouldn't be here, You wouldn't be here, right. We'll probably

believe in our religion. I mean, I don't know you know,

God sacrifice. Parents sacrifice to care for your children. However

good or beat your parents are, they will have certain

levels of sacrifice. Okay, I didn't grow up in an

awesome functional home, but as this functions as my home words,

I know that my parents sacrifice for us, and I

try my best to honor follow the Bible, say honor.

My parents were still leaving with whatever that I cannot. Okay,

I don't compare as you never do.

There now, I don't know. I don't do that. I

follow God's word.

Right, They sacrifice, right, parents, you're here, You're sacrificing for

the sale of your children.

Right maybe you you know, I don't know.

You go watch those drama Chinese drama, right, and then

maybe they don't have not money. And then they are

ordered dining table, and then the mom cooked something for

the child, fried fish, and then trust it there and

then the child asked them, mom, mammy, how about you

have you eaten?

Oh?

I ate really, but actually that's the only fish that

they have in the family. Then got some music at

the side there, and then I wonder how many of

us here experienced that has given up something? Right, even

the planting and running of the church and homesick. Second,

you know something we don't think about things like this. Now,

this whole took sacrifice. The worship thing, coming here, preparing

took secrivice. Okay, maybe they don't have to wake at

six am. Law, maybe they don't have to la, but

technically they're sacrificing.

They're sleeping timer now.

Right, right, things took sacrifice to start homes, to sacrifice,

someone had to sacrifice opening up their house.

Right. They might not see it as sacrifice, but it

is sacrifice. Now, after a while you do it, it

kind of becomes normal, ready, right, But it takes sacrifice.

Do we realize that to build this church it took sacrifice?

You know, I'm just thinking out loud. You know when

Pasakena and Alkenya and another brother Ryan, three of them,

would they have imagined that God will bring us to

this place when they were three people for six months?

They know who gave offering and they still practice stuff

that they believe in.

How many of us were given up by Dan?

Really, my last homes which was we have our homes

alternate right, And of course I told you we are

doing homes for the campus students. But my last homes.

It was just my family and the leader. I have

think to myself, no need to do homes lah or

we finished faster, of course, it's just leaders.

Do we even need to go through the tempted We

ran homes anyway.

Because at the end of the day it was not

for just people, it was for good as well worship.

We did it anyway, right, We gave our best anyway,

even though it was just the leaders. Right, things take sacrifice, friends,

he does, if we think about it. A lot of

things we enjoy in life also took sacrifice us from

another person.

Right.

It takes sacrifice to build something, it does. It takes

secrit us to establish things.

It does. These seats, I remember this kind.

I don't want the same seat, not but I remember

when extras was like maybe two thousand and eight, if

I'm not mistaken. We we and we just shift, going

to shift to upstairs, fourth floor, downstairs, this top floor, okay,

basically same level as this the other side. La okay,

no wait, let me try and remember. No, no, no, sorry,

sorry it was it was second floor and we needed

to get seats, and we wanted these nice looking to seats.

So then we had this buy a seat program. One

seat was sixty ing Gate and we all gave and

at the time, I, you know, new young Gearada we gave. No,

we actually collected enough money to buy three hundred seats.

No.

I don't know whether it's still the same season or not.

But it took someone's sacrifice, right. It takes maturity to sacrifice.

We will agree.

He takes maturity and sacrifice. Simple example is kids, right,

I have a ten year old. He don't sacrifice. Everything

is me me, me, me, me, me, me, me me, right.

And when I asked him to help out, no, like yesterday, take.

Your close upstairs.

Come on, I al really wash your clothes and for your close,

the least you can do is take it up and

keep it laugh right, Okay, I didn't say that much, right,

And then trying to teach him, teacher, trying to teach

Also care for your brother, la, you know, take your

brother's course as well. Ah yeah, hello, is this another

bade la thing?

And just wanted you know in my mind again, I

did have to filter. I have to filter after your

kids talk like you're there, You're like, oh no, there.

You have to undo a lot of things right by

text maturity second. Today's my second service. Uh actually I

could just come to this service now, I can make

this my first service. But I'm the church plank coordinator

of PJ, and I think I need to be there.

Let me tell you something that we are starting to do.

And I don't want to say this in a way

that is boasting. I just want to say this in

a way that is my journey. Right when we plant

the XPJ, we prayed like how we plant every ex church.

We prayed for six months and we are nothing, friends,

we are nothing. We had no congregation, we had no

venue and nothing. Right, there was only six of us

being faithful to pray for six months and then we

prayed and then got led us to jaia Wan, right,

and then we followed the favor of the Lord right

because not just a nice place, but we have to

see whether God is there are and one of the

ways where we say that God is there, it's true,

just different favorite we gella.

Maybe it's the rental, Maybe.

The people super nice to us, you know, like it's

an unwarranted favor, meaning you don't need it and they

give it to you, and you know, okay, God, I

think you're here. And then you still got to observe,

you know, that's something we learned, and then we run it.

And in the beginning, right, we actually had an intercest

reprayer at seven o'clock because we believe Ma. We're excited, Ma,

and we are like young Ma. And then we did it,

and then we prayed, and then really got moved. And

then of course after a while, you know, we got

more established. Right, it's not bad to be established. And

then we realize, you know, for me, I don't like

to do things that don't make sense. I really cannot

take it on, right, And it came to a point

where it just didn't make sense to continue the interests reprayer.

Not to say it's bad, but it didn't make sense

because people started, you know, being late because they had

to do other things and all these different things that

I'm like, you know what, let's not do that because

we were rep praying.

Anyway, let's not have to do a double thing.

Lah, Okay, let's let's be clear. First forward now to

like maybe thirteen years ready, Okay, this year, these are

the teen year and we so we run service and

normala we have pre service briefing we will do but

recently I've noticed, or even not just me, but the

local Senior Buses office noticed that people are coming later

and later and later for worship. Right, I'm sure you

don't have this problem here a lot, you know, because

you've got no excuse if you come later. Oh sorry,

just woke up, you know in PJ, can still do that,

you know, sorry, just woke ver.

So people started coming later and later for worship. And

again I recognize that it's not healthy.

You know why, friends, Worship is not for you, you know,

can I be super date honest? Here, worship is for

the Lord really, you know, we worship him, not worship ourself.

You know.

So sometimes we come to a place where it makes

us feel good. The us feeling good is a byproduct

of his presence lab but we chase after that only

and it becomes about us that I think we kind

of missed the whole idea about worship.

So we started noticing. I'm like, hey, this is not healthy.

So of course the leaders all started you know, doing

leaders stuff like oh, maybe should remind them and should

do that? And now I felt like, personally, I felt

maybe Shepherd La you know, I always believe that we

need to respond in love first, right, don't use the

rod first?

Respond love first?

And I thought, like, you know what, people will also, Yes,

we can do all these but I know people, right,

we will always fall back into the flesh run right

unless we really come to this place of maturity where

we will.

Build build up right. If not, then when when when?

If we are let's say, we have left our own

devices right, and we don't set certain things in order,

we will fall into the flash she's ran, norm me

or so right, look at King David, hurry, horry.

You know, when we are very free, then you end

up like that.

Okay, So I say, you know what, let's restart the

interest as you prayer, you know.

And I was talking to one of the leaders.

I said, let's do that because we really need to

pray for people to see them come to experience God,

you know, in a personal way.

And I said, let's start it.

And then at first it was like, oh, you know,

I was talking to an our leader, and the leader say, hey,

let's make it sustainable. Let's me WeDo like once in

two weeks, you know. And it's again, it's very wise

to think about things like that. But I really felt that, like,

you know what, let's just do it every week, la, right,

and let's not have it to early.

Let's have it eight now.

Of course, Oh not a lot of people can come.

Of course, I say it's fine, let's do it eight.

And we started four weeks ago, right, this is our

third week.

Today.

I almost missed it, can I be honest with you?

I slap late this morning.

And the past two weeks or so, it was just

me and my family. Me and my family. There's no

choice out there to follow us, luf right, So they

are like, there were here again, you know.

I'm like, okay, yea, the side there, me and my

wife we saw into prayer, and then so happened.

I was another leader came and then we saw and.

Then the following week someone else came, you know, and

then the following week it's just us, and then today

it's just me only because we drove separately.

So I'm like your rest and I.

Worship myself, right, I create myself fifteen minutes and uh,

there's no like obligation to.

Come for it.

It was just sewing in intercessory, right, and it will

takes five to do it, right, But why am I

doing it? Because I care for my church because I

want to see people experience God, right, and I have

to do it first, right, even though I don't feel

like it and I don't think I have to do

it first, So I do it, you know, and I

just account like, hey guys, I'm here, you know, but

not pressuring anybody not you know, hopefully people will catch

the heart.

But let me tell you the fruit that's come out

of there.

I start seeing people coming early for service today, normally

by the preyer time, and you will see you you

just kind of see maybe like ten twenty people coming on. Okay,

it's just quite. We got seventy five people in PJ,

so around there all the families will come.

You know.

Today I only saw to people come in later. So

I'm like, okay, God, something is happening.

So I will co you. So is it tough? Yes?

Does it take secrivice? Yes? Do I feel I want

to sleep?

Yes? You know last week I had to wear their pretas.

Oh last year's in PJA. The week before that, I

you went to be you be? You started later, but

I committed really no choice. City you commit, you put

yourself in the kind of situation, right, I committed really okay,

law so I went pday, first, did the incestive repair,

did the briefing, then went to tour service.

No choice, are actually got choice? On friends?

I give myself no choice? Are why it takes maturity

to sacrifice? If I don't do it, who's gonna do it?

Do I expect anybody?

No?

I don't you come join young Come you want to

be challenged in your faith to grow?

You do it right?

So, my homide that was very enamored with us sacrificing,

I asked the question. I said, you know because I

also am a leader and a shepherd. And and let

me tell you the heart of a shepherd. The heart

of the shepherd is always for the people. But the

heart of the shepherd is not for the people according

to what the people want. It's according to your spirituals

and faith, your spirit, your faith, your spiritual journey. So

our concern it's not whether you like it or not. Sorry, Yah.

Our concern is not whether or not you're happy or not.

You know what our concern And I think Daniel will

agree me, Every leader agree me. Our concern is your

walk we've got?

Is it strong?

Do you have faith to believe? And will you follow Christ?

That's how concern. Nothing else. I mean, God, I got

other concern. Now, we also weay carrying in kind because

we know that when you follow Christ and He has

the best for you, you experience great things, right or not right.

But that's our concern. And I asked this chicky question.

I said, hey, what do you think why don't people sacrifice.

You the Lord? I just want to hear answers, you know,

And he gave me a very good line. He said,

he said, it is way.

When people don't understand the relevance of what they do,

there is a high chance of earth abuse or so

strong the word. When people don't understand the relevance of

what they do, there's a high chance of abuse. Okay,

let me rephrase it a little bit to something you understand.

When people don't understand or don't know the why, there's

a high chance that they will take things for granted.

Isn't it abuse?

Didn't King Saul abuse his role as king because he

didn't fully understand that it was God first him. Second,

you look at David. Did he abuse his position? He didn't,

even though there was a there was a chance for

him to do it, and it was it made sense,

everybody would not have been well. Only the only person

that might not be happy with is Gotla. But then

you want to make God angry the second time you

get what I mean right? But to everyone else is fine.

It's okay, friends. You don't have to you don't have

to be early, you don't have to worship, you don't

have to do all these things.

You can go to another place. You don't have to

give your best. It's okay. We all understand. When we

don't fully catch why we do.

Certain things, there's a high chance that we're either think

for granted or we abuse it. That's very dangerous, friends,

that's really very dangerous, even me myself. That's how I

always remind myself, Elvin, get.

Your egg right. You know you got to.

Is there a forbidden tree in your life or not?

Or everything is permissable? Are we people under authority? Or

is everything.

Permissible to us?

Is?

How are we living? Friends? Right? The difference between King

Dave and King Saul.

King David had a close relationship with God, while King

Saul unfortunately abused his position and disobeyed God and justified himself.

I tell you, if you want to justify you can

jest about a lot of things. Right, let me give

you another thought process on this. You will obey, or

at least you will sort of like listen to the

person you have relationship with, correct or at least the

person that you have relationship with their words to carry

a bit more way. Really, that's just life. So reflect

on our own life. If we have relationship with God,

God's word will carry away.

But if we don't have relationship with God, think about it.

It's true.

That's why in acts we believe in hard relationship. We

believe in discipleship, because yes, there are things that we follow,

but there's also relationship.

Right. You also have to develop trust. What are we trusting?

Are we trusting God? Right? Or everything is permissible?

You know, it's very dangerous now because that's how the

world functions.

Everything's miserable.

How you feel and how you are and what you

identify is that is the truth or scary man, friends,

I believe in one truth for me, which is the

truth of God here right, everything else that falls around

it right to me, it's not true?

Right. Sacrifice and sacrifice is constantly end with this.

Sacrifice is constantly spoken about in the Bible as an offering. Right,

if you go and study Leviticus, the Bible teaches about sacrifice,

teach us about worship, teach us about burned offerings. So

their offerings offered as atonement God, and then their offerings

offered as sacrifice to the Lord. Right, and in our context,

sacrifices worship. We come to the church to worship the Lord. Okay,

So when I went and did a bit more study

and try and see or learn about the burnt offering,

which is also equivalent to sacrifice, where you can correlate

to sacrifice, and you can so so of correlate to worship.

How to say, Uh, Abraham worshiped the lot by offering

up going to offer his son as a burn offering.

That's worship onto the lot. Okay, right. The word now

is very interesting because it's quite familiar to all of us,

the word burn offering or sacrifice.

The pronunciation is kurban. Sound familiar.

Let me give you the meaning something brought near the altar,

not something given up. Something brought near the altar, something that.

Is offered to who.

The kurban offered to the altar a arrificial present. Don't

just sacrifice what the sick of sacrificing, Oh, sacrifice what

you don't appreciate it. Nobody asks you for the sacrifice. Right,

some nights as a husband wife, right, we can get

into that situation.

I sacrifice for you everything. I didn't ask for this.

I would prefer if you sacrifice something else, not this

one anyway, you know, then then you kind of.

Work it up.

So friends, I'm with this. It does take sacrifice as

we come week after week for Sunday, even today, even now,

even after this, can I ask you a single question?

What are we offering up to the lot today? And

is he pleased? Without offering? You gotta ask exact question now,

you know.

It's like, okay, I think my wife for example, okay, right,

if I sacrifice the gus my wife, right, and she

don't recognize it?

All? Right?

You know sometimes when you're even in like husband and

wife or couples, right, you know you're I mean, there's

this thing called like what love language?

Right?

Someone we give people the way we want to be loved, right,

but actually the person don't feel love at all. So

may you giving, giving, giving, giving, giving, h and the

person totally don't recognize at all any of your giving

or frustrating, right, when you just need to change the

way you give and give what the person will recognize

all of difference. So, yes, we've been giving to the lot.

Today we sacrifice what we think is right. But do

you want to stop to ask God, God, are you

pleased with this? What do you want me to do?

And it goes back to obedience is better than sacrifice. Correct,

But then we come to a place where, Okay, God,

I know that you will recognize my sacrifice. I know,

and I'm mature enough to understand what it takes to sacrifice.

Then we got to remember that when we need things

to happen, it will require sacrifice. I'm not doing the

intercessory prayer because it's a heck. Now, I'm not doing

it because.

I'm not doing it because oh God spoke, you know.

I mean, I'm doing it as a sacrifice and worship

went to the Lord to say, God, I'm here. God,

we have we have this thing our church. God, can

you come true for us? I earnestly seek you? Are

we earnestly.

Seeking the Lord? Right?

It's a good question asked, are we what are we

offering to God today? Our perspective and the next thing is,

are we earnestly seeking him? Yesterday we were having so

recently at homes we're talking about word, the word, and

there's one thing where I you know, we we we

were having a discus, and I think this is quite true.

There's a scripture in the Bible that says, ask and

you will, you know, ask and the door like not

and the door be open to you.

Ask and you you know, you'll be answered. Sick and

you're fine. Right.

I used to not fully understand the scripture, but now

I cannot understand it. Friends, if you are here, no

matter what level of faith you're at, no matter where

you're at in your life, maybe it's messed up, not

messed up, maybe you're sinning whatever. Can I tell you this,

If you ask God earnestly, and if you seek Him

with all your heart, he will meet you.

You've got God's word.

If you seek God's word earnestly, and if you're honest,

I'm talking about honest, are not find the word so

that you can use it and to fight outher people are?

If you honestly are looking for the answers in the Bible,

you will find it.

That is my firm belief that if you earnestly.

Seek it, it doesn't matter whether you are a Bible

scholar not. God will speak to you because the longest

word will become gramdma to you. So it's not about

the effluence of how good you are the scripture or

how well can preach.

No, it's about your earnest heart.

The Bible says, there will come a time where my

people will seek me in what.

Spirit and in truth? What is truth? Honesty? Are we

honestly seeking God? Are we honestly worshiping God?

Are we honesty offering up praisers to him? You want

to experience God in your life? I think that is

the answer. He's not complicated, or no, he's not complicated.

We don't have to do some ritual or don't mean one.

If you're earnestly seeking God, you will find him. So

the question sometimes is not God, are you there? The

question is am I earnestly seeking Him? Do I really

want to find God when I come here every Sunday?

Am I really seeking for an answer? Am I really

seeking God to move in my life? Or am I

just playing lip service? So why when we don't fully

understand that, If we don't fully surrender things like that

to the Lord. Then we live day in the outgit

and get discouraged. Oh God, why you never move?

For you never.

Throw back the question at USA, how are we living?

Are we honest with ourselves? Do we truly see God?

And are we really offering him what he wants?

Amen?

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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for you. God bless