I will not offer to God that which cost me nothing | Pr. Alvin Keng

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

So today's message called two title. Okay, I tell for XTV.

The short title is sacrifice. Okay, I got longer title.

I will not offer to God that which cost me nothing.

So after you wish, you're right down now, okay, right,

one is sacrifice. Another one is I will not offer

to God that which costs me nothing. Okay. So let's

read the word of God and then let's see where

the Lord leads us. Okay. First, Chronicles twenty one eighteen

to thirty. Okay, just to give you a bit of context,

this is Chronicles. So Chronicles is like a history book.

It talks about the kings, you know, and it talks

a lot about King David. King David is quite an important,

you know, person in the Bible, not just a character,

but a person. He exists. The Bible is not a storybook.

It's a history book to a certain extent. And God

called David a man after his own heart. And of course,

as you read David's life, he's not perfect. Okay, it's

not the things he did right even now, as I'm

sharing you the things that he did, You're like, why

do you do that? You know, You're like, why did

you do that? You know, I mean he did one

of the worst things ever. He likes a you know,

like some corin drama, you know, like someone else's wife,

not even girlfriend now like someone else's wife. Right then

got the guy killed and then married her. Yeah, messed

up man, And God still call this guy a man

after his own heart. And it's very interesting because we

really got to study and go deeper in terms of

why the God called David a man after God's own

heart and what is the difference between David and Saul. Okay,

So we will delve a little bit about that today

to have an understanding about the relationship that David has

with God. And it's very interesting because the relationship that

David has regt doesn't try to say his actions and

the mystics he did doesn't define it. Your catch that, right.

It's very important for us to catch that because I'm

sure all of us here we we have made me

sex lack okay uh, and for those of us who

are long in the faith, we've even promise God certain

things and then we don't follow true it right or

say we'll do certain things and we don't. True, It's

very normal because human we're human. Okay, we're human. We

are fallible, you know, we make mistakes. And so did David, right,

but yet God called him this guy. This guy is

after my heart, this guy after what I want. Okay,

So we're gonna do a we of study. And just

to be a background before I read, is that this

is a situation where David again got himself in trouble.

Ler Okay, he basically got himselut of trouble or over

something very simple. Okay, because what David wanted to do

he wanted to do a census. So he's a king

of a nation and he just wanted to do a census,

you know, not a censor. Sens is a very big

word in Malaysia. We used to word bunchie. He basically

want to do you want to count how many people

is there? You know? He wanted to count the amount

of people, right, and and and that kind of got

got angry, like huh, something to him got got angry.

And well, basically what happened is that he got God

has a certain set of rules that they had to follow. Okay, uh,

and and and you kind of got I mean, if

God said it, you kind of got to follow it, right. However,

God wants it in a way. Corn, some of you

are like, not agreement. It's fine, okay, just accept it. Okay.

Let me let me give you an example. If Malaysia

has a law, we kind of got to follow the law,

right right. I hope you guys are following Malaysia's roll. No, actually, Elvina, no,

please don't do that. That's not right. You know, just

because you don't get caught, doesn't mean it's right. And

when not to say that. God doesn't allow a census

to be taken, but there was a certain way that

he needs to be done. Right when a census is taken,

there were uh, well, study further deeper. I'm not gonna

go to deep into it, but basically there was a

way that was supposed to be done. But King David

just did it for fun. Y'all know that certain things

that you do for fun, it's not so fun after that.

He just did it because he just wanted to know.

He was just curious, I mean, whatever the reason now,

and he even got a warning, you know, job right,

his nephew, which was the commander with me actually told

me to say, King, you sure or not because he

knows the law. So the good thing about David is

that he had people around him that knew. You know,

here in our church life, you've got different people around

you that kind of know what you should shouldn't do.

And sometimes we might find ourselves in a situation where

we will just say things like it's ok God will

understand right. Have you all ever had that line before?

It's okay on passer, Steven will understand, right, Yeah, yeah, yeah,

somethings we can understand. But you shouldn't do it anyway, La,

because you get yourself in trouble. Lah, right, and and

and that's the thing about humans, right, And this is

what happened, King David, He Joe. Joe actually one here

and say, hey, King, I think uncle. He's literally uncle,

I think you shouldn't do it, La, And David just

say do it anyway, Okay, I'm the King, do it anyway.

And he did it, and God got angrilla and basically

David seen against the lot. You know how ridiculous that is.

Something so simpler you can see ready or her base right,

And we're gonna read what happened after that. Okay, you

guys get the background the story, Okay, kind of understand

the background. Actually's very interesting. As I'm reading more, Mom, like, Wow,

there's a lot of stuff that can come out, and

I'm gonna share you some things, and I hope that

you will be well at least intrigued a little bit

to do your own self study. Okay, but this is

the context you're gonna be reading from verse eighteen. Okay.

So verse eighteen says then David lived. Oh sorry, it

says here Therefore the Angel of the Lord, commander of Gad,

commanded Gad to say to David, Okay, Gad is a prophet. Okay,

God speaks through his prophets. Okay, commanded Gad to say

to David that David should go and erect and alter

to the Lord on the threashing floor of on the

Gebi side. Okay, let me reverse a little bit more. Okay, Okay,

so I explain you if we are going to that message. Sorry,

So David did something he shouldn't do. He was worn,

he did it anyway. Then God got angry, okay, and

God spoke to Gad and say, hello, why you did this?

That you shouldn't do and then they will go, oh no.

And then God was nice enough to ask David to

choose his punishment, and he gave me three options. You

go read that. One option is the Americans will come

and you know we knew or I don't know how

many times. And then another option was I'll side and

a plate. And then now it was it was just

different options. He said, choose last, since you already you know,

made a mistake. I nice enough to tell you whish punisher.

You want you know parents, you know something you do

that your kids. I wish punishment you want you want

me to take away your game time you wak you

three times? Or you know you you you And then

he said can you please his side? And God actually

and then David's like and theyby also quite smart. No,

he said, you know I'm not gonna fall under the

sword of men. I read it for under the sword

of God. So he chose the plaques because the plaques

for three days was God's sword. Okay, so it's kind

of like Redder. Then get someone else. God, you just

direct punishment, La, You just directly punish me La. Right,

I'm not gonna find another way out of this, you

just punish me. He accepted the punishment, and because of that,

seventy thousand men died. Think about it. The king made

a mistake because he's Aja Gona warning never listen. God

got angry. Then other people died. Yeah, well this king, David,

I feel like working him. Man right, actually, numbus. We

might be in that situation because of what we did.

Other people suffered. Think about it. Okay, so this is

what happened after that. Okay. Therefore, the angel of the

Lord God commanded God to say to David that David

should go an erect an altar to the Lord on

the threshing floor of Ornan, Ornan or however you want

to pronounce it, the Jebu's side. So David went up

at the word of the gad 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 hit themselves, but Ornan continued treshing with but this

guy is quite cool. Man. He saw the angel and

he continued working. You know, Okay, why did God give

David and ask the angel to ask David to go

an erect an althar? You know, God is kind enough

to user that he gives us a way out. We

made a mistake, we have to atone for it. You'll

catch that. Yes, we can make mistakes, but we got

the sometimes we got the most times atone for what

we did, right, you know, and the Bible consid He

teaches us things like that atone yes, is there forgiveness. Yes,

but there has to be atonement, you know. We can't

just like oh, you know, Scott free. That's it, you know,

there is an atonement that happens. Someone has to sacrifice,

someone has to suffer, someone had to you know, pay

the price. And thank God for us here Jesus paid

the price for all since praise the Lord, we don't

have to do all the stuff that David is doing.

But those days are Jesus haven't come yet. So David

was asked by the injury of the Lord to atone

for what he did. To a tone for his saying,

to go and be an author, just be anough for fun,

no bill, an author, to offer a burnt offering. That

is the process. If you study left Tackers, you study

the Word of God before Jesus came. That's constantly this

process where they offer offerings to the Lord, both as

worship and as atonement, right, and a burnt offering. We'll

do it be all study area after this. Okay, so

let's read on what happened. Okay, and this on guy

is quite cool. Angel came. David came, and he's still

chilling there working. Wow the suns, but he was working.

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

and he went out from the threshing floor and bobbed

before David, his face on the ground. Then David said

to ornand grant me the place of this trashing floor,

that I may build an altar on it to the Lord.

You shall grant it to me at the full price

that the plague maybe withdrawn from the people. So the

plaate is still happening in our friends. The plaque is

still happening. People are still dying. So to kind of

like appease what has happened, he needed to do this.

But Ornan said to David, take it to yourself and

let my Lord the King do what is good in

his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for

burnt offerings, the trashing implements for wood, and the weed

for the grain offering. I give it all so some

of us here as believe us. Right by this time

I will say, oh, thank you God for providing for us. Right,

we will come to this space and say, oh, thank

you Lord for providing. You know, Oh, I needed to

do this and then God asked me to do it

and then got provided nothing like that. Oh thank you Lord. Right.

But you look at David's answer. And King David is

the king, you know, this is his subject. Technically, everything

belongs to him, right technically, But you look at how

David answered. David said to Ernand, no, but I will

surely buy it for the full price. Huh, hey, God

provided the war, but you still need to buy for

full price your own subject, your own you know whole time. Martai,

however you want to say, that is giving you the thing.

You have the right. You talk about rights a lot right.

You have the right to take it. You have the

right to do it. But King David, a man after God's,

say no, but I will surely buy it for the

full price, for I will not take what is yours

for the Lord, nor of a burnt offerings with that

which costs me nothing sacrifice. David didn't need to sacrifice

a radio because of his mistake. Right he had to atone,

and then God gave him a way out, and then

God provided. I put in the commerce right God provided.

But David a man after God. He responded as such,

how many of us would go immediately and say, thank

you Lord. Okay, now, thank you so much, thank you

passa Stephen for giving me everything God provided. I don't

have to come out with anything to atone for what

I did. Someone else is still paying the price. Someone

else is paying the price, and he's willingly paying the price.

Didn't say, don't think you know, honest, say take So

what happened? So David gave or six hundred shekels of

goal by weight for the place. If you read second

s first Samuel, you will see that he gave him

fifty shakels. So got to be a difference. I went

to a study on the difference. But he gave six

hundred checkles of God by wait, okay for the place,

for the whole place. Okay. I will explain a little

bit later. And David build there an altar to the

Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called

on the Lord and he got answered him from heaven

by fire on the author of burn of thing happening.

This is like another Elijah moment. Now, Lord, you take

man fire, come down from heaven. So the Lord commanded

the angel, and he returned. He sought to his sheath.

The Angel of the Lord was the one bringing the place. Okay,

at that time, when David saw that the Lord has

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

he sacrificed there. So he continued using the altar right

for the Tabernacle 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 Gibbon.

So the tabernacle was another place. Okay, tabernacle, you're not

the tabernacle. I can't go to dig into it, right,

but go ahead and study what the tabernacle is and

what's the significant. So he could actually gone to the tabernacle.

But why neither he got because they but could David

could not go before it to inquire of God, for

he was afraid of the sword of the Angel of

the Lord. Whah, this is the King, you know, guys,

why he's so humble, we've got on he could just

go through the dabernacle word. Okay, so that's what happened. Okay,

let's do be all stardier. First, there a few characters

King David. Then you have Joet, nephew of King David

and the commander of his army, right. And then you

have get Is the prophet, and then you have Ornan

or in Samuel. His name was around us, the Jebi side,

owner of the land. He was the one that owned

the land. What was the significance of the land the

threshing floor, right, they all got significant. So I think

I share this just now. God was displaced with King

david decision to number the people of Israel because it

was done without necessity, right out of curiosity, and demonstrated

a misplaced trust in human strength rather than divine power.

You know, if God wanted the census, he wasked the

way to do it. But why did they have to

do it? Was it because he wanted to We all

may not fully know his intentions. Maybe because they wanted

to count the money. He has not money. Sorry, I

just change it a little bit, count his power. I

don't know what was the reason, right, but he didn't

do it the right way. He did not follow the

procedures outlined in the Law of Moses for census, and

the census was ultimately used to incite a period of

judgment on Israel. So as you can see, now you

only need the census when you want to have judgment.

That's the way it was done. But he thought of

another way. You know, in church, right, we always teach

people to do things God's way. Why, because if you

do any other thing beyond God's way, you might get

yourself in trouble. Right, It's not because God woul judge you.

It's because you might do things that you shouldn't do.

You might put yourself in a place and then we

come and say, God, why you punish me? Sometimes it's

not God punished or something. It's just a matter of

God just allowing it to happen. Listen, mam. You know

it's like how when we as parents, you know, I mean,

I'm a parent's so I can understand this. When we

tell our kids and they don't understand, don't do certain things,

don't touch the fire you get burnt. They will still

want a touch until we come to a place you

say you go touch lah, oh hod Lah, the dynal

want me. I've been telling you for the past ten times,

and you didn't listen. You know, God is our heaven.

He does that, you know. Hey, be careful, Lah, don't

go see me. Go hang out with the boy and

the girl. Are you don't want to listen? Go play

a fire. Oh thank you Lord for this blessing they've

given to me, the creation of God. That's so beautiful.

Oh thank you Lord for this job that brings me away,

right to travel on a Sunday. I'm using these examples.

Are you guys are here not related to you? But yeah,

I ma're not. If we do anything and we thank

God for something that brings us away from Him, then

I will consider that as foolish as because there's a

way to do things, one God's way. I wouldn't even

say the Church way. You know, I'm saying God's way.

You know, the Church. We follow God's way, you know,

honor the Lord. That's what we do. Gi've got your best,

That's what we do. You. I hope you guys are

catching something right. So he didn't follow, then God gave

David three options for punishment, and David choose God sought.

He said, if I'm gonna get punisher, I better be

punished by God himself. That's why got send the plate.

I don't want someone else know. I want Got to,

you know, punish me himself. Right, And unfortunately, seventy thousand

people die. Despite all these things, David's relationship with God

is scared. Don't you see the relationship that David has

a God. That's why God called David a man after

his own heart, because David, because I got you just

punished me. But no, God said, if I want to

be punished, I better be punished by you, so that

you know my in the how how sorry I am

for the mystic I did. Why was David afraid of God?

He's the King, you know. He knew God's power. He

understand who God is. He had reverence for God to

the point I said, I better not worship there. I

better not sacrifice there because I know God will strike

me down. Would God really strike him now? I don't know,

Maybe maybe not, But God, if you read and see

how David treats God, right, you will see the relationship

that David has with God. Even that by the whole

situation with but Sheba. Right. He other people will look

at it and go, why you like that? But David understood.

He understood who God was. When he had opportunated to

kill Saul, he said, no, this God's anointed. God chose him,

not me. You all, I cannot see me going, God,

I help you out, Let me do it. No, And

he still suffered under Saul. But God was with him

because God can see his heart. Is the relationship we

have with He's still on God no matter what. He

wasn't about his position, right, That's why he can say, hello,

I won't give God nothinger. I will still come out

in my own money. I cannot rely on you and

sang Sanang say oh, thank you Lord for providing this whole. No,

this someone else's thing, someone else offered. I won't allow

someone else to do it on my behalf. I have

to do it myself. I have to sacrifice myself. Right.

It's very different from how King Saul approached God. If

you read the Bible, you see a clear, stark difference. Okay,

and this is where the famous verse came about obedience

better than sacrifice. Right on Samuel fifteen twenty two twenty

three says so Samuel said, has the Lord has the

lot as great delight in burn off things and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold to obey.

It's better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat

of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.

That's why they say rebellion is witchcraft. What is not

obedience is rebellion. Now there's no in between. If we

don't obey God, we're rebelling. That's clear. It's very clear

Cutrun the Bible right, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Where else we see the word iniquity. Iniquity is Jesus,

He suffered from iniquities. So when we're stubborn, yeah, because

you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has

also rejected you from thinking ouch. So God rejected sault.

Very interesting, God chow sault, But God rejected sault. Why

do you got rejected the sault? If you go and

study again background again, a history theory where what you

saw the basically God us sault to kill the king

and then he didn't and then got repercussions and all

the cart start. I won't go too much into that.

But if we think about sacrifice and obedience, right, obedience

of course come first, right, but then there will be sacrifice.

So you have Saul, who his problem was I sacrifice what?

And he had to be reminded, Look, you can sacrifice

all you wanna, but if you didn't obey Godda, your

sacrifice is nothing. That was what Saul had to catch.

But when it comes to David, you've got someone that's

super obedient, right, and then you see someone with the

heart that sacrifices for God. Because you know, I would

argue that, yes, obedience better than sacrifice. So we shouldn't

sacrifice or nothing or pass the steven. I gave up everything.

But the thing is are we obeying God when we

do it? Or is it for ourself?

No?

We can sacrifice a lot of things for ourself. No.

Did God ask for it? Yes? And then we sacrifice

for him. See God asks for the author. But King

David was very clear. I know he asked, and I

know someone offered, but I will not give something to

God that I didn't have to sacrifice for. He was

very clear. That's a God called him a man after

his own heart. Your cash are you catching something. Okay,

So King David purchased the land for six hundred sheekers

of God. Why so much money? Well, later on your

rita that the land that King David purchased the threshing

Floor is actually Mount Moriah. There's not a lot of

the rings Moriah. Mount Moriah is also known as the

Temple mount. It is also the mountain that King Solomon

built the Temple. Why you see the history. Okay, let

me go back some more, because the last time you

heard about this Mount Moriah, it was also the same

mountain when Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his

son Isaac. And that was the first time we heard

the word worship in the Bible. God is very sentimental.

He don't see me as to Bill, Why in the

threshing Floor there was the same mountain that God said,

go there, go there, Abraham sacrifice. See the interrelation, and

it's all like generations apart. They cannot see what we

can see. Ran now the significance of the mountain. Second

Chronicles tree one. Now Solomon began to build the House

of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, which later

was called the Temple mount Okay, where the Lord had

appeared to his father David at the place that David

had prepared on the threashing floor of Ornan the Jerbocide.

David died really the time then Solomon built his ample.

It was also a promise from the Lord that because

of because David was a man of war and a

man of blood, he said, you won't build my temple.

Your son will do it, the son that was conceived

of mess You see how God is good to us.

We can make so much mistakes, but God can steal

change the test into a testimony. So I think different

ones here. We've experienced that, right. God can do stuff

like that. Genesis two twenty two says then he said,

thak now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love,

and goes to the land more Riah and offer him

there as a burn offering on one of the mountains

of which I shall tell you one of the mountains,

which just so happened to be the same mountain we're

talking about now. It's so interesting when you read the

Bible like whoa, it's all interconnected. Okay, let me give

you a bit of context. Why am I talking about

sacrifice today? So during homes I think you guys have

homes recently, right, we learn about worship with sacrifice, correct,

And uh. And it's very interesting conversation that I had

with my homies because you know, as we talk, and

actually a lot of us in my homes, we understand sacrifice.

We understand that when you worship God, it will lead

to sacrifice. It will lead to not to say that

you have to, but you will lead to sacrifice because

you you know, when you love someone so much, or

when you care for someone so much, you want to

sacrificing for the person. Right, right, I see some people

shaking hit some we are not sure. Okay, right, it's fine,

you might get there one day. But when something is

precious to you, you are willing to sacrifice. Is the

willingness of sacrifice, you know. So in the context of

the church here for your enjoyment and for your comfort,

different things have been sacrificed already for the sake of

our worship. That extreme bands sacrifice their time to come

here right to practice, you know. And and and and

one of my homies actually brought this up. He said, uh,

you know, he was very amazed. Okay, and I must

give you a context. My homie is not from Malaysia.

He's from another country. And to him, he keeps telling me.

I mean to me, it's like, okay, whatever, because me

and my wife we actually stay in Charlam. We stay

in coming okay, and we try to be not that

far half an hour twenty minutes, you know. But he's

so amazed that we do it every week, like like

he reminds me constantly. I'm like, this is nothing. Okay,

in my mind, it's nothing. I'm so used to it. Right,

I'm sure you will understand, you know, we still nothing

like every week dooing you no normal, you know, but

other people might say, ha, you crazy? Is it? You know?

I will never he keeps saying, I will never find it,

I will never do it. And he was just sharing

about how when you talk about wish it sacrificed, I

see your life as there an them. Mem I were like, okay,

you know, because you're so used to it, doing so

many years a day, right, But I'm sure there are

some people who are like, mind blown, hah, you mean

you come out with her shalam. He's not right far,

you know, Sunday morning drive twenty minutes. I mean it's normal.

I stay in Claiing last time, driving an hour is normal.

But I know something you hear that probably stay in

like Guantan, right, I know East Malaysia. Half an hour

means you'll talk about the gem for one man. Ready,

fifteen minute jam, you'll talk for one week.

You know.

Fifteen minutes is like that for your because drive everywhere

it's like five minutes, ten minutes right anywhere else too far.

And it was very interesting because he talked about sacrifice.

He said, you guys, sacrifice, secrifice, sacrifice, but I didn't

feel I was sacrificing. It became normal, the sacrifice. But

it got me thinking about the word sacrifice. I give

you another thing. You know. So in pg right now,

what's happening is that So when we planted XPJ, we

the courting, we invested in prayer. Right, we prayed for

six months before the church plans start. Same thing we built.

There was six months prayer before the church slutter, and

the church slutter with the homes. Right, That's how we

do it nowadays. We start with the homes first and

then we grow from there. You know in PJA, at

the time when we started, we were still in the

early stages of chest planting, and the we didn't start

with homes first, they had homes in PJ. So we

prayed for six months. And after that also we also

had intercessory prayer. So I remember where clearly that the

core team sex of us, we will come to service

at seven o'clock, right means earlier five o'clock, wake up

and come to service, and at seven ten to pray

for half an hour. Then we will start preparing and all.

So we just met to pray intertensity prayer, uh and

and I think because of that, God really blessed the church,

you know, because we invested in the spirit, We invested

in prayer, you know, and we do it. And after

a while we kind of stopped doing it, you know,

well because of our practical reasons because uh, you know,

too early and we are serving and there are more

things to do after that. And then after that people

started not coming up, you know. And I always see

it as like, okay, maybe our season now is that

we don't focus on this so much because you don't wanna,

you don't want to keep doing something that's not working right,

And then we shifted to okay, let's just focus on

pre worship, prayer, and focus on. No. Now we have

prayer service and all right, and it was good, you know,

I mean, God sealed move. Things are still happening. But

recently there was a few things that my local church

plank like local as well, brought up about our service

about people coming late or worship you know. Uh, And

it's not very healthy because when we'll come late for

worship and you need to come for the Word, then

what you're just coming to hear a positive message to

make you feel good. Worship is where we come and

we offer our worship to God. Know, so it's very

important to worship, you know. You know, I think the

way our perspective look about worship now is a little

bit warped. Or worship is about me. No, no, no, no, no.

Worship is about God. It's not about making us feel good.

It's not about the songs we sing. You know, we're

here to worship God. No, not here to worship God

so that we feel better. I mean, in the president

of God, you feel better. It's a bike product worship,

but the main focus of worship is God, not us.

So it's a bit warped, dady, I think and uh,

and and especially for those of us who are young

and we grew up in church. Then the other warped

thing is that we look forward to bands and concert Yeah,

I tell you, it becomes a bit warped. But we've

got to remember constantly that worship is always about God,

not us. Right. So that was raised up, and then

we're like, oh, what do we do? And we you know,

you still and white people, you know, spread the ross

for the child? You know, do we be hard? You know,

they have to leave justla okay? And I felt as

the shepherd that we need to invest again in prayer,

in the spirit. And I was talking to you know,

and it was one of my leaders that say, hey,

I've been wanting to do this for I'm gonna do it.

And then we had a chat and then you know,

a person said, oh, let's let's do fifteen minutes before

or something like that before our you know, briefing. And

I said, you know what, let's do it at eight huh.

But then some were still you know, preparing. I say,

it's okay, let's do it eight and I will anchorage.

And the person said, like, oh, I probably think more practical,

let's do it once in two weeks. But I just

feel this sense that no, like you want to invest,

you better invest properly, la, right, better call me properly.

It's gonna be a sacrifice. Now you're gonna comment. So

I said, okay, let's just do it every week. See

I declare, and I also know my schedule, and you

know it's not's you know all these things, right, I'm

a young family, I travel far. So last week, first

week or we're gang ho and my wife had been

sensing the same thing. So I tell you when God,

you know, put something on husband and wife and a

line or way easy one no need five one. So

she we sends the same thing. She woke up. So

last week we have to work out six thirty so

that we can get ready leave home. Later said seven thirty,

so that we can be there for prayer. And then

last week I I brought my guitar along. Right, let's

just let me tell you and be a where honestly,

I had second thoughts. And I'm the church from Conna.

I can make decisions again. I can say, guys, you

know what this week, let's let's just push it next week.

Us nobody just wonded to me. Use them excuse by

saying Nola, God, let me be the first one to sacrifice.

Let me be the first one to do this, even

though I may not need to. You're your cash dead

and nobody's gonna question me in a way. Can we're honest?

You guys by failt like it's necessary because the leader

has to lead first before the people follow. The leader

has to move first before the people follow, you know.

And I walked enough with Godda to recognize that when

God tell you do something, you better do it. And

then you sacrificed even though you don't see anything. So

I was clear. I went, but Somahanna, I got guitar,

go and practice some music, you know on the sports

single song today this swigga. It was a challenger. So

and again I had that excuse, I'm coming to XBU.

I don't need to be in PJ. Can I be

honest as a human being? But got stirred my heart.

I mean, who are you? Who are you? Why are

you doing this? Is it for me or is it

for yourself? Or is it what is it for? I

really felt the conviction and asked my wife, hoping that

my wife will say nod, yeah, it's okay, And she

said yeah, yeah, tomorrow, let's go. And I'm like okay,

and I got ready and I was even thinking, because

we slept there last night, that and maybe there you

come later, and then I would just go first myself,

because I was determined my heart that even if I'm alone,

I will still pray for the church, you know. And

I Toldally, I say, hey, o'clock and you want to

join join up to you? So today my family, and

then so happened. One of the partners came walk by

any and, you know, say hey, why are you doing here?

And we're like, oh, we're gonna start intercesserities. Hey, how

to joy? I say, just join now line, you know.

And I was like okay, sure, And then we prayed

and it wasn't long. It was just like fifteen nty minutes.

It was really good prayer because we're able to talk

pray for different specific things, you know, led by this

way to pray for the people. It was really good.

It's really good. No no worship and all. And then

we continue and I really sensed that it's an investment

that I need to do. It is a sacrifice that

I need to do ieg my sleep to do this right.

And then be there and then did and I came

here okay, And this is just something that needs to

be done right, and I will continue to encourage people

to join. But it's not an obligation, you know, because

I think also it is more powerful when you offer

your sacrifices willingly, for God loves a cheerful giver. Kamela,

show him face lat friends, if you have that attitude,

no matter, I'll be strong to say this, please don't

come La. Of course, if you're doing the things you're

doing for passus Steven, then I think you've got your

priorities wrong. We are doing the things we're doing for God.

We honor him, we worship him. That's the only reason

why we're here. So we got to get a priority straight.

King David got his priorities very straight. If he was

just doing it to fulfill things are fulfilled check tickleace

check lease, Angels say, get the threshing floor check check

chic check check. No. King David was very clear, I'm

not gonna give God something that costs me nothing, even

though the fulfillments was checked. The's his thing about sacrifice

is very powerful that I hope we can learn. Right,

If you think about it, and I started thinking, if

you think about it, a lot of things took sacrifice

to bad fruit, right for a lot of us here

that come to Xbu. It's a regular place. But it

took sacrifice, right, It took sacrifice, and of course passus

Stephen being the chess planter, and different leaders here, and

they had to sacrifice. The sacrifices, sleep, the sacrifice. There

are weak days, the sacrifice even things so that things

can run right, so that it can bear fruit. It

took someone giving up something. If not, it wouldn't have

been created, or it wouldn't be the way it is

now you think about it, even this nice hault, it

took sacrifice. Of course, again argue, no, it's a job,

someone's job. Ma. Yeah, but again, choose not to do

that job, ma. They can choose not to arrange the

thing for you. Right. You cannot say I got no choice. No,

everyone here got choice on the right. It took sacrifice.

Even our faith took sacrifice, the core of belief of

our faith as Christians, God sacrifices son for us. Christianity

is not just about prosperity and no, it's sacrifice now

and suffering. You know, words that people don't like to hear.

But when something is sacrificed days, growth and birth right. Parents,

you sacrifice a lot for your kids, true or not,

the momenty of kids. You sacrifice a lot. A lot

of decisions you make is for the sake of your kids.

And that's the correct way to do it. And we

do a lot of things, and we put ourselves in

our situations to sacrifice, you know, even the planting and

running up the church. I mentioned this ready and homes itself,

he takes sacrifice. I am my home leader forcing me

to go homes again. Well, I tell you one of

the start homes it took secrivice. Now can I can

I be honest to you on something? We're honest on this.

I was very happy in my old homes, very happy,

right because God enough people to serve, enough people to

do a ship. You know, I come there, be pasted.

When you sit down, do the world. You know, share

a beer, you know, don't need to prepare food, don't

need to prepare anything. You know, all the homies love me.

And then I must have this desire to go and

plan in other homes because God said reach out to

the young people. You know, young people in Istria, they'll

forget you and know. Can I be honest, I've been

in young so long until today I have people that

forget the things you do. Okay, life is finer. I

have to bring my family out, me and my wife,

my two kids, another leader go and plan homes. No

venue have to meet on non homes week in the

same place that my old homes is meeting because the

host is so willing to sacrifice that every Friday they

open up their homes. I don't take that for granted.

And only one chemist student come one every week? You

have to like scramble, do you do now? Then we're

just playing music a chair okay? This week? Only three leaders? Man,

this week you do what I do worship, you do food? Okay,

next week you do I do food. You're just doing

music chair? Only one student. Can I tell you that

yesterday or last Friday homes that one student kind of

made my day And like, okay, I got now I

know why we are reaching out this one at least

one person to see what happens. Are right, we are

sacrificing her, sacrificing it told me because I wait up

my wife and then we drove together pick up my

kids from my in law space and then go to

homes one and a half hours on the road and

went tae for homos as well. Wow, I was like, man,

maybe you should do homes another day. Maybe I should

just say passer. You know what I say, A lot

of homos, I'm sure a lot of homes that need help.

Let me go and help the HomeOS the ella. But

in one student that we've been trying to reach or

well we reached Adela from another country, he said this,

I'm so happy to see all of you every Friday,

and I take you guys as my family. This person

not even Chinese, a very alien. The food we give

him every time he like, but could they look at

it like okayla, you know passa pass sacrifice. I don't know.

I don't know what the Lord will do in his life.

I don't know how he will be impacted in Malaysia.

And then would I be able to see if I

don't know. I don't know, but I know that it

takes sacrifice. If we think about it, we enjoy a

lot of things because of other people's sacrifice us. This

is why God asks us to be thankful, have thanksgiving

in our hearts. You know a lot of times in

life we can just look at the things that it's

not right. Exuse smaller passus Steven, Why not enough leaders

to prayer? Passust? Even why the homes are have to Okay?

I tell you if you want to find things to complain,

a lot of things to complain. Man, you know Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving?

It takes sacrifice to build something. Friends for people who

are building business, you notice building family. Same. I always,

me and my always talk to each other one. We

love each other and then we argue about something, and

then we lose each other and we sigh. We say,

love your heart work. And that's why we tell couples

he said, and they will come and hey, John will

notice said you know she do this, he do this,

and we look at them, we go. You chose the

person in sickness and in health their death to a spot.

You think everything going to be easy? Is it you

decided on comming? Manir? It takes sacrifice. It takes a compromise. Right,

you want a good marriage, it takes work, It takes understanding.

You know what else? He takes the sacrifice maturity. Do

you know that kids will never sacrifice? What I want today, friends,

can I give you a fair warning? If you are

an adult, please don't end a child. Think about it.

It takes maturity to sacrifice. I asked this question when

we all talking about sacrifice, right, because they asked me, oh,

so you got any question or not? Then, because of

the position I'm in, I always think of it differently.

In my mind, I'm like, Okay, all of us here

understand this sacrifice thing. So I asked them, I said,

you'll learn about sacrifice reity in your own journey. And

then I give the contact. I said, you know, people

don't sacrifice, you know, or they don't understand. All they

think are what they do in sacrifice city because it's

an inconvenience. The moment it inconvenience you are is a sacrifice.

Actually that may not necessarily be true. Sacrifice is beyond

that thought process, right. And I asked them, I say, hey,

why how do you because I want to encourage people.

I want to enourage people to say, hey, the moment

you can understand this, and the moment you can understand

that worship is sacrificed and if you want to worship

the lot you will serve you know, And yes, it

will be a sacrifice yourself, right, it will be. Can

I be honest? It will be. It will be easy,

it'll be tough. Course you're dealing with people. People are difficult, right,

And the moent you don't the moment you don't see

eye to eye, the moment you work differently. Society come

from fi. But then you sacrifice your pride, you sacrifice

your ego, you sacrifice your I think I know better

to submit and say okay, I'll flow. And then my

homie mentioned this is very good. When people don't understand

the relevance of what they do, there's a high chance

of use this word abuse, thought, Boddy, Is it true? Yes,

it's true. If we don't understand why we are here,

then we will also take things for granted, Because if

we don't understand or know the why, there's a high

chance that we can take things for granted. Don't you

think taking things for granted is equivalent to abuse? Abusing something? Abuse?

Very strong word, but it's true. Think about it. The

difference between what happened between King David and King Saul.

King David had a close relationship with God, so he

didn't play play with God. No play play very careful.

But King saula unfortunately abused his position. We agree or

not if you read King Saul, he abused his position.

He said, I follow what God said. I regretted making

this person king and then kings I want to defend

himself from Oh no, I follow what you know. I'm

the king word, I have the right word abuse. Let

me give you another another thing that as I'm reading more,

I called this lam Would you agree with this statement?

You will obey or listen to the person that you

have relationship with, or at least the person whom you

have a relationship with. Their word will carry a bit

more with what's the difference between Saul and David in

this regard? David had a relationship with God. He remembered

God from the time where God delivered him from the

lion and the bear. Even when he was a nobody.

David remembered God. Right. I don't know what Saul was

putting his You know, Saul was very different. No, soul

was tall and handsome, talented, maybe just maybe his identity

when it's all those things that he think that he's

better than God, best carrier. But King David was a

nobody even the Father forgot you got am Son, not

oh yeah he's in the sheep for good. No, the

three forgot him. But God remembered because David had a

relationship God. Friends, do you have a relationship? I hope

you do because if you're here and you're just running

the routine, oh you know, I'm a Christian just because

my friends, can I encourage you with this? Have a

relationship with God? I just thought that came to my mind.

For those of us who have a relationship with God,

would we offer to God? Or if we were God?

Would we receive what we are giving to God today?

Think about it? Will we be happy to receive what

we are giving to God today if we were him?

Turning around a little bit? I tell you, when I

think about it, I'm like, oh Lord, I'm so sorry

for all the times I think you for granted you know.

Let me share a little bit about burn offering. Okay,

the last last thing before I close. So it talks.

So sacrifice is constantly spoken in the Bible as well.

When you talk about sacrifice, right, and it is spoken

as an offering. When they sacrifice, it is an offering, okay,

And offering in relation is burned offerings offering that is

burnt to the Lord lah okay and in Levetticus one

where God teaches them about burn offerings. Right, this word

is used often right the Hebrew word. You might as

I'm reading, you might find the way it's pronounced very familiar.

It's called kurban kurban. What does it mean? It means

something brought near the altar, a sacrificial present, an offering,

something that is brought nearer to God is considered a

sacrifice as an offering your kurban. So when they bring

burn offerings to the Lord, it is brought. It's not

just like nah. It is brought closer to God. Whatever

sacrificing is brought closer to God is brought up to God. Powerful. Right,

No sacrifice, Mila.

No.

When we're thinking about and burned offering to the lot today,

what are we offering up to the lot today? What

are we offering up as sacrifice? What am I offering up? Friends?

Think about it? What are we offering up? Is a

mindset shift that we have to have or is it

just I add a chesch one more from me la

this sona asking friends please please please think about it

in this context. First, do we have relationship to God?

Important question to ask ourselves. And if you don't have

a relationship, if you want to have a relationship, every

Sunday we give this call out. See when you responder okay,

that we know about it, La, But more importantly God

sees than me. You know, I might miss your hand,

but it's more important that God sees that you're responding

to him. Very important. That's the first question we're gonna ask.

Do I even have a relation or we've got so

far away or I just like the atmosphere because when

we have a relationship it's different now. First question. Second

question is what am I offering up to God today?

What am I offering up to God today? Can we

sing a song? Lord? I offer my life as a closing?

What am I offering God? I mean? You know, as

Christians we say, Lord, we offer up our life. We

offer our life. And the thing that I think about

is Christ gave himself for us. Are we abusing that gift? Right?

How should we receive that give? And what are we

offering to God in our lives? Is it our service?

It's not just the offering in our friends. Offering is

just one part of it, right? What are we offering

to the Lord. Sometimes we just need to offer God

our time. Sometimes we just need to offer God our talent. Right,

we believe in the Bible. The Bible teaches us that

God gives us different giftings and talents. He does. He's

the one that formed us in our mother's womb. Are

we offering up this talent to him or not? Are

we keeping it to ourselves? What are we offering up

to God today? What are we sacrificing to Him today? Amen?

I hope that you caught something today. And I just

want as we sing this song, I'm not allowed the

Holy Spirit to the really minister because as I doing

this studya wow, friends, honestly, real, honest or be Like

when I was thinking about doing the intertency prayer, I

thought it more as a method, like, Okay, we need

this because it works. But as I'm doing this study

about sacrifice, I recognize that God's interested in my heart

and I know now what am I doing when I

sacrifice and come early and pray even fifteen minutes prayer,

when I come and I worship him? Here? What am

I offering to God? How is He going to use

whatever I'm offering to him. Is he pleased with it?

Is he please make my worship? Is he pleased with

my sacrifice? Am I just going to a ritual? Or

am I really honoring God? Because you know when you

honor God, he will honor your back. He will honor

your back. So friends, don't grow call. God is interested

in you.

He is.

He wants to build that relationship. That's why the relationship

is so important. It is relationship first, and when the

relationship comes, everything else is so much easier. Everything else flow.

That's an understanding. Your faith is not just a religion anymore.

It's not just a set of rules that you need

to follow. You know. That's why sometimes are people get

frustrated because it's just a self rules. Hey, it's no

longer a sell rules. No, why don't you dress up

because he's the standard here? No, I dress up for God.

I pick the right tie for God. I make sure

I look good for God, not so the people can

judge me. You know, it doesn't matter. I do it

for God. I come early for good, I worship it

for God. Everything is for God. Amen.

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

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this week is going to be a good week. I

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God bless