Sixteenth Meeting
(February 11, 1964 P.M.)
Read:
I Chronicles 21:1,7-30.
I think
that you will probably all know that this threshing floor
of Ornan became the site of the great temple. It was the
place where the great temple built by Solomon was
constructed. And this setting up of the altar there marks
the movement of the house of God from Gibeon to
Jerusalem. It is very impressive that the house of God
was built upon a threshing floor. We all know what a
threshing floor is. It is the place where the rod is
brought heavily to bear upon the wheat, the place where
the wheat is separated from the mere husks. And that is
exactly what happened in a spiritual way in this
threshing floor. It was the place where sin was judged.
The first thing about the house of God is, that it is
built upon the ground of the judgment of sin. David had
already said, "I have sinned greatly,
and done very foolishly." His sin was
terribly judged by God. And the foundation of the house
of God was where sin was judged. We know that is true in
the New Testament.
Before
you have the Church, you have the Cross. Before there can
be any house of God, there must be the threshing floor
where sin is judged. It is the place where all pride is
abased. This sin of David was a sin of pride. When Satan
moved him to number Israel, the idea was that David might
be able to boast of the greatness of Israel. Even Joab,
who was a very carnal man, warned David that he was doing
wrong. He said to David, Israel is a very great people,
you need not bother about counting them. It was just
pride that prompted this. To be able to say, you see how
many people we have got. See what a wonderful people we
are. See how many converts we have got. The Word says, "And
the Lord was displeased with this thing." And
that threshing floor was the place where all pride was
brought down to the dust, the place of confession of sin,
and the judgment of sin, and then forgiveness of sin. The
place where judgment and mercy met together. That is the
foundation of the house of the Lord. Before the altar
could be set up publicly, it had to be in the very
experience of David himself. That altar had struck into
the heart of David like a sword. THE CROSS HAD DONE A
DEEP WORK IN DAVID, BEFORE DAVID COULD SET UP THE ALTAR
PUBLICLY.
These
are abiding principles of the house of God. But in this
brief word in II Samuel twenty-four, I want to come to
that verse twenty-four. "Neither will I offer
unto the Lord that which cost me nothing." To
have a part in the house of God is a very costly
thing. There is nothing cheap and easy about this. No, it
is a very costly thing to come into the house of God.
First of all, it cost God everything in giving His only
begotten Son. It cost that Son everything in emptying
Himself of all the fullness and glory of Heaven. The sin
of man is a very costly thing. We cannot come into the
good of that in the house of God without recognizing that
it is a costly thing to come into God's house. A house of
God is the place of fellowship. A house of God is the
fellowship of the people of God. But fellowship is a
costly thing. Surely you are learning that lesson as you
go on. The fellowship of God's people is not a cheap and
easy thing. Everything to do with that fellowship costs
us something.
If that
fellowship is disturbed between two people in the house
of God, it is not an easy thing for one to go and confess
that they are wrong, not an easy thing to apologize for
doing that harm. It is not easy to humble ourselves
before one another, we will do anything rather than
humble ourselves to another brother or sister. No,
fellowship is a costly thing. It costs humiliation and
confession. What is true between two is often true
between a number. If we are going to keep the fellowship
in the house of God, it's got to cost us something to do
that. There is a price attached to it. And if we are not
prepared to pay the price of fellowship, it is because we
hold fellowship cheaply. You see, if a thing to us is of
little value, we are not prepared to pay very much for
it. If we really do love the house of God, that is, the
fellowship of the Lord's people, we will be prepared to
pay any price to keep that fellowship. A thing which is
of value to us is a thing for which we will pay the
price. It is the same in our service to the Lord.
Here we
are gathered this evening for prayer. Well, you know,
sometimes in our gatherings for prayer, some people can
pray without it costing them very much; it is very easy
for some people to pray. It is like turning on the tap,
and it just comes without any effort. But for some people
it is very costly to pray. If some people pray, it is not
at all easy for them. It is something that is just wrung
out of their hearts. It is when prayer costs us something
that it is really of value.
The same
is true of ministry. Now, all here tonight are not
ministers of the Word. But there are those people who
just love to get on the platform and talk. They are never
more happy than when they are in public speaking. And
they can do it so easily. Now that which really is of
value costs something. The Cross, the Altar, has got to
be right at the heart of our praying. It has got to be
right at the heart of our ministry. So that we cannot
minister unless the Lord does it through us. We would
rather run far away from the platform than speak on it
unless the Lord is going to do it. Well, I think you see
the point. 'I will not offer unto the Lord that which
costs me nothing.'
How much
does the house of God really mean to us? How much does
prayer really mean to us? How much does the fellowship of
the Lord's people mean to us? Do we value it very highly?
Then we will be prepared to pay a big price for it. If we
do not value all this, and what the Lord has done for us,
we will just throw it over so easily. Now this story of
David has many lessons for us. Read it again, and think
as you read. But always remember this one thing: THAT
WHICH IS OF VALUE, WE ARE PREPARED TO PAY FOR; AND WHAT
WE VALUE MOST, WE WILL PAY MOST FOR!