On last Lord’s day, Pastor Fisher opened a topic illustrating several aspects of ways God spoke spiritual things to His people using trees as a metaphor. This week we continue with our study through the gospel of Mark with a new topic dealing with understanding the link between love, worship, and praise. Just what value have you placed on your love for Jesus Christ? Is there a link between our love for Christ and our praise and worship? Let us find out from the Scriptures what God thinks on this topic! So, open your bible take a few notes and listen today as we return to our ongoing study through the gospel of Mark as our teacher Pastor Fisher shares in a teaching which he calls “Your Personal Value of Worship”
Old Testament Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 24:17 – 25 (KJV)
2 Sam 24:17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.
2 Sam 24:18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Sam 24:19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2 Sam 24:20 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.
2 Sam 24:21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2 Sam 24:22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
2 Sam 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
2 Sam 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2 Sam 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
New Testament Scripture Reading: Mark 14:1 – 9 (KJV)
Mark 14:1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. Mark 14:2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. Mark 14:3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. Mark 14:4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? Mark 14:5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. Mark 14:6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. Mark 14:7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. Mark 14:8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Mark 14:9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
Transforming Power Statements:
#1) The things in life that we value most are the things that we make the greatest investment of our concern, time, money, etc. and this is why Jesus taught the principal:
(Mat 6:21 KJV) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
#2) Many are the witnesses in the Word that show us how the worship and praise of God and His Son Jesus, became to them the highest priority in life as they learned more and more how to walk with God through all facets of life and to cherish their relationship above all others.
(Heb 11:13 KJV) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
#3) Those who really deeply love God will serve Him no matter what the cost and regardless of what outside worldly conditions set themselves at odds with that sincere love for Christ and His beautiful gospel which is the greatest expression of love came to us from Him and illustrates to us the link between love and worship.
