The Heart of Worship Pt 3: The cost (2 Samuel 24; Romans 12)
2 Samuel 24 The context here in this passage is that David disobeyed God and took a census of the men able to fight. David gave in to his fear and stopped trusting the Lord.
Verse 10 The first thing David does is repent. He confesses his sin and asks God to make it right.
Verse 18 The Prophet Gad tells David go worship with a sacrifice.
Verse 22-23The servant Araunah bows before his king and says the land is yours take it.
- This was certainly the correct response by Araunah, the king had every right to take it.
Verse 24 This verse illustrates a very important concept in worship and God’s economy.
- David recognizes that worship most be costly, there must be a price.
- This is in terms of physical, financial, spiritual.
- Financially, David knows that he would be justified in just taking the land and animals.
- But it would be dishonoring if he is going to present that as an offering to the Lord.
- Spiritually, David had to poor out his heart before the Lord
- This worship, this sacrifice, all had to be earnest, honest and from the heart.
- And at a cost to him, otherwise it’s not genuine.
- Physically, He had to build the altar, cut the wood, and prepare the sacrifice.
Verse 25 David worshiped through these different types of sacrifices, but each with a different cost.
- Costly in terms of repentance.
- Costly in terms of obedience
- Costly in terms of financial
- Costly in prayer
- Most Importantly, Costly in his heart
Romans 12:1 Paul starts by saying “In view of God’s mercy,” …this is response.
- Worship is a response to who God is, to His mercy.
- What is that response, what does this kind of worship look like?
- Notice he says “your bodies,” our whole being.
- In terms of physical. your spiritual act of worship.
- The word Paul uses here for worship means: service, service for hire, divine service, sacred service.
- Part of our sacrifice in worship is service.
- In terms of the Spiritual your spiritual act of worship.
- To worship with all our heart, all our understanding, and all our strength
- The intangible of worship
- Paul also adds Holy and Pleasing. Holiness is s part of worship.
- Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (NLT)
- Mark 14:3
- This is one of the mostly costly scenes of worship in the whole bible.
- Physical: being near a leper
- Financial: The jar and perfume were both very costly
- Spiritually: This was deep from the heart and in front of crowd that would have mocked her.
- Each week we must ask ourselves, what did worship today cost me?
- If I simply came and went home and there was no cost, no sacrifice, no service, was it worship?