Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): Sin comes with a heavy price to pay. Have you ever considered the price God paid to save us from our sins? Here's Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: God gave his only son. You talk about an expensive sacrifice. Only son, God gave him so we could live. And Jesus hung there and said, "It is finished," or "it is paid in full." He was the price. His precious blood was the price for our sins.

Guest (Male): It's time once again for Sound Doctrine, presented by Calvary Chapel Downey. Good to be with you as we begin the final message in our series through 1st and 2nd Samuel. In 2nd Samuel chapter 24, we have the account of David's final days.

His journey is coming to an end, but how would he finish the race? It's certainly a question we should all consider for ourselves. How will I be remembered? What's my legacy going to be? How can I glorify God through my life? Let's see together as we hand things over to Pastor Jeff Johnson.

Jeff Johnson: 2 Samuel 24, we left off in verse 17. Let me give you a little review of where we've come from. David, instead of trusting in God for security, yielded to Satan's trap to number the people. Remember, David grieved the Lord by numbering the people. David was even warned, and he was encouraged not to number the people, but David was king, and he was also stubborn.

So he did it. Nine months later, after numbering all the people, he gets the number of how many men he has that will draw a sword. Instead of bringing fulfillment to David's heart and causing him to be joyful, he was empty, he was sad, and he was convicted for his sin. I think the lesson that we got out of that was definitely that our satisfaction and our peace is not in the arm of flesh, but in our devotion to God.

David took the only way out he could take after sinning, and that was to confess his sin and to repent of his sin, and the Lord forgave him. But the price had to be paid for sin. There were two things that we learned last week. Number one is that sin always results in punishment. Remember over in verse 17 there, it says David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people and said, "Lo, I have sinned. I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house."

The second lesson we learned is that others are affected when we sin. Not just you, but others are also touched. David's prayer is more or less like Moses. Remember back way in the Old Testament as Moses prayed for the people, that they would get the punishment instead of the people. Both of these guys were shepherds, and it reveals their shepherd heart. These sheep have done nothing, and let your wrath come upon me.

Through one man, Adam, sin entered into the world and many suffered. But also through one man, Jesus Christ, many live. So that whole thing of how one man can affect so many. The wages of sin is death, the Bible says. David said, "Hide your word within my heart, Lord, that I might not sin against you and experience death." I know this, that this book that you're holding this morning, sin will keep you from this book and that this book will keep you from sin. This book is special if we'll just hide it within our hearts.

As we come to study the word of the Lord, God's going to give us strength again this morning. Verse 18, notice it says, "And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, 'Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.'" At this time, Jerusalem was centered around in the area of Mount Zion. In other words, the walls that we see today in Jerusalem were over on the actual south side towards the Mount of Zion.

In this area was the city of Ornan, which really was here called Araunah, and it was the city of Araunah where Araunah had his threshing floor. But in 1st Chronicles 21, it's called Ornan also. It was near the spring of Gihon where the city of Jerusalem was getting its water. They actually hid the spring and there took a tunnel and brought it up into the city walls into the pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man. It's in this area, along the side of the Mount Zion there, that David was looking up towards Mount Moriah.

That is at the northern end of the city. At this time, Mount Moriah was kind of outside of the city walls that were there. The area Solomon was going to build the temple is called Mount Moriah. In fact, over in 2nd Chronicles chapter 3 verse 1, it says, "Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah." So now Mount Moriah was outside of the city walls up on top of a plateau, and that's where the temple would be built.

This same mountain Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him. This mount has always been associated with sacrifice. It's always had to do with sacrifice. This small piece of real estate in the area of the Middle East is the most expensive and the most important as far as what's going on in the world, in all of the world, this little piece of real estate. Remember, this is where the Muslims have set up the mosque of Omar. This is where the Jews call that this is where the temple was, and also for the Christians. So this place, this little piece of real estate, is so important.

The first mention of this, would you turn with me and hold Samuel? Turn with me to Genesis chapter 22, and I want to do a little look at the first mention of the Mount Moriah. Genesis 22, this is a thousand years earlier. We are now with Abraham here in Genesis 22, and he is obeying God to sacrifice his son. God gave the commandment, "I want you to go sacrifice your son." Abraham believed God that he would even resurrect his son if need be.

He took his son, which was, remember, this was his only seed. This is where the nation Israel was to come. Abraham believed that what God said, "This is your seed," and even though God said to kill your son, he says it's no problem with God. God can just raise up my son. He really trusted in God. I want you to see that. He took his son up to that mount to sacrifice him.

Look at verse 2. "And he said, 'Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, get thee up into the land of Moriah, Mount Moriah, and offer him there a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.'" So Abraham went with his son, his only son, notice, whom he loved. Notice Ishmael, who also was born of Abraham, is not even mentioned. Ishmael has been rejected. He's not the seed. The seed was to come through Isaac, whom thou lovest.

Now what is this doing but pointing us to Jesus Christ, right? This is a picture of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. God so loved the world he gave his son, his only begotten son, whom he loved, to die on that cross. Look at verse 3. "And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and he took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, clave the wood and the burnt offering, he rose up and he went unto the place which God had told him."

Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. Notice he says the third day. This is in reference to the resurrection. You say, "Well, how do you get that, Jeff?" Well, when the commandment came to Abraham to sacrifice his son, it was three days when he gave that commandment to Abraham, his son was dead. But then three days later, his son would be given back to him.

It's in reference to this that Paul talks about in the New Testament, "And he rose again the third day according to the scripture." According to what scripture? To this scripture. That the third day, Isaac would be given back to Abraham. Isn't that awesome? So this is a prophecy of the resurrection. Verse 5, "And Abraham said unto his young men, 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.'"

It says in verse 6, "Abraham took the wood, the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand and the knife, and they both of them went together." Notice he says, "We will come back to you" to the young men that he was leaving behind. His faith was in God. Now he had the wood, he had the fire, he had the knife. Then notice in verse 7, Isaac said, "Dad, I see that you have all of these things, but where is the offering?" Isaac is getting a little nervous.

"Where is the offering, Dad?" Verse 8, "And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.'" So they went both of them together. This is an amazing prophecy of God actually saying through Abraham he would provide himself a sacrifice. Don't worry about it, Isaac. God will provide himself. Verse 9, "And they came to the place which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there, laid the wood in order and bound Isaac and laid him on the altar."

Actually, Isaac about 30 to 33 years of age, interesting age. He laid his own body down. He was in agreement with his dad that God would provide himself, and he just laid down in obedience to be the sacrifice on the wood, on the altar. Verse 10, "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, took the knife to slay his son." The angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham," and he said, "Here am I."

And he said, "Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy hand, thy only son from me." Notice he says from me. Who's talking? That's God. The angel is God there talking to Abraham. Verse 13, "And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns, and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up a burnt offering instead of his son."

What do we have with the ram? We have substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus died in my place. These are types set in the Old Testament to show how God was going to do this. Instead of me dying, Jesus would die in my place, my substitution lamb, the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. Verse 14, "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, and it is said unto this day in the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen."

Mount Moriah, this took place where he was called the Lord will provide. And he will provide. 2,000 years later, he provided himself right there on the Mount Moriah at the highest point of the mountain. Here's the interesting thing. Here's what I'm totally convinced of. As you go outside of the city walls today, where the city walls are today, and you're on Mount Calvary, that is the highest point.

If you get a topographical map where you look at and see the heights, that is the highest point of Mount Moriah. I believe on that very spot, Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary, the highest point, he was crucified on the very point that Abraham was going to sacrifice him. God did provide himself a sacrifice. And yet when you look at the city walls from there on Mount Calvary, you can look across the Arab bus station to the city walls. You see the walls are built on this bedrock where you can actually, you feel it, you can see it, that the Mount Moriah is still coming up towards this highest point.

The second highest point is the Temple Mount below there. I thought that is an interesting prophecy sharing how God did provide himself there on Calvary on that very spot. Note verse 19 now of Genesis 22. "So Abraham returned unto his young men" after it was all over and they had the sacrifice and everything. "And they rose up and went together to Beersheba, and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba." Notice it says, "And Abraham returned." It doesn't say anything about Isaac returning.

Isaac here is not mentioned and we don't even hear his name until finally Eliezer, Abraham's servant who was to find a bride for Isaac, is mentioned in Genesis 24. Then Isaac's name is mentioned. You say, "Why is Isaac's name left out of here?" Well, after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he went to be with the Father, right? Until the bride is brought to the bridegroom.

Just like Isaac, who again is a model, is a type of that which is going to happen, Isaac and the bride was brought to Isaac, then his name was mentioned. He was on the scene. So I thought that's an interesting little tidbit that is revealed here. So this piece of real estate, Mount Moriah, a very important place of sacrifice for all of us to understand.

Now let's get back to our 2nd Samuel here as we see in verse 19, David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. And Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him, and Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, "Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?"

And David said, "To buy a threshing floor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord that the plague may be stayed from the people." And Araunah said unto David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good unto him. Behold, here be oxen for the burnt sacrifice, the threshing floor instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood." David went up and Araunah asked David, "Why have you come to me? Why is the king coming to me this day?" He was blown away.

David said there's many different reasons why I'm coming to you. Number one is that I want to buy your threshing floor. Number two, I want to build an altar. Number three, once I build the altar to sacrifice, the plague will be stayed from the people. Araunah said, "Take everything that I have, everything, it just so happens everything is here that you need to sacrifice."

A threshing floor was actually a flat area or a flat rock where they would use oxen to pull this kind of a wooden sled where a guy would ride on it over the wheat. Over the actually, they would break off the wheat and throw it down there and then it would break the husk from the wheat itself, and that was the way they did it. They would just beat it, and oxen would go around and around as they would do this on this hard rock.

Then they would take it to another area on that flat rock and they would throw it up to the wind. The wind would come by and it would grab the lighter husk of the wheat, and it would fall to the furthest pile. And then the nearest pile would be the wheat itself, which would fall right down because it's heavier. This is what threshing floors were used for, just to separate the wheat from the chaff. Chaff would blow in the wind, then they would have the whole wheat.

It would also be a high place so they could get the wind, and upon this side of Mount Moriah, this threshing floor was. And here Araunah offered everything for a sacrifice to David to go ahead and to do it for free. I want to donate it. I want to give it all to you, David. I want to do this for God and for the glory. He just gave it to him. He says, "You're the king, and I want you to have it all."

And he had a good heart. Now I want you to remember that sacrifice is the only way of reconciliation as far as God is concerned. Remember when God gave us that beautiful illustration? Jesus mentioned it. He said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, the pole, remember that God told him to put the serpent. Why a serpent? Signifying sin. And he says, 'As you lift that pole up, then when the people look at that snake, that serpent, who are being bit by serpents, they will not die. They will live.'"

Jesus says, "As Moses lifted up that pole, I, the Son of God, will be lifted up to draw all men unto myself." He would be lifted up, sin in our place, right? To reconcile the world unto God, Jesus would die for the sins of the world. And it was a very costly sacrifice. In fact, over in Peter, Peter in chapter 1, let me read it to you. He said in verse 18, "Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver or gold for your vain conversation and your empty lifestyle received by the tradition of your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

God gave his only son. You talk about an expensive sacrifice. Only son, God gave him so we could live. And Jesus hung there and said, "It is finished," or "it is paid in full." He was the price. His precious blood was the price for our sins. So we have the whole picture of reconciliation through sacrifice. Notice verse 23 now. "And all these things did Araunah as a king give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, 'The Lord thy God accept thee. May the Lord thy God accept all that you have.'"

Jesus Christ's resurrection, him being raised again from the dead, was God's acceptance of the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Jesus died for our sins. He rose again that we would live. That resurrection was God's acceptance of that sacrifice. Now whosoever will be receiving him will God accept. If you receive Jesus Christ, God will give you the power to become a child of God. He'll accept you into the kingdom, that acceptance that we so desperately need.

He accepts our worship. Over in Hebrews chapter 13, first he accepts our lives and then he accepts our worship. It says, "By him therefore let us offer sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name, but to do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." So he accepts our worship this morning, our praise, because of Jesus Christ. And then he accepts our gifts. Over in 2nd Corinthians 8 verse 12, it says, "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to..."