00:00:00.000 - 00:00:36.040

[no audio] [music] [singing] Still away to my God, oh, oh what a communion. Just me, me and my Jesus. Oh, what a, oh what a fellowship. fellowship just me me and my lord

00:00:36.040 - 00:01:26.440

sometimes we need to steal away to Jesus sometimes we need to be alone with our God oh still away to Jesus still away to my God ain't no harm to still away to Jesus we can take all of our burdens to the Lord in prayer still away to Jesus I know I know he will meet you there oh what a

00:01:26.440 - 00:01:46.440

Oh, what a communion, just me, just me and my Jesus. Oh, what a wonderful fellowship. Oh, yes it is. Just me, just me, me and my Lord.

00:01:46.440 - 00:02:08.440

Oh, I'm never alone. I'm never alone. 'Cause he's always with me, oh yes he is. He's walking with me, holding my hand, being all I need him to be.

00:02:08.440 - 00:02:53.440

Oh, and the times I thought he'd left me, those were the times that he carried me. What a fellowship, what a fellowship does me, my Lord. Oh, I'm never alone, I'm never alone, because He's always, oh yes He is. Holding my hand, even walking with me, being all I need Him to be.

00:02:53.440 - 00:03:30.440

And sometimes I thought He left me, oh, but the very time that He was carrying me, What a fellowship, just me, just me and my Lord. Oh, I'm never alone, I'm never, never alone. He's always, I'm glad He is, walking with me,

00:03:30.440 - 00:03:59.440

Holding my hand, being everything. Oh, and the times I thought he left me, those were the very times that Jesus was carrying me for the fellowship, just me, me and my Lord.

00:03:59.440 - 00:04:19.440

Me and my Jesus Me and my Lord Me and my Jesus Me and my Lord

00:04:19.440 - 00:04:43.380

Me and my Jesus ♪ Me and my Lord ♪ ♪ Me and my Jesus ♪ ♪ Me and my Lord ♪

00:04:43.380 - 00:05:08.260

- Amen. (congregation applauding) Amen. Hear this word recorded in the book of Genesis, the 22nd chapter, and the first two verses.

00:05:08.260 - 00:05:57.700

"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham and he said behold here I am and he said take now thy son thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into a land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

00:05:57.700 - 00:06:34.100

In 1 Samuel, the 15th chapter, the 11th through the 15th verses of these words, "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments.' And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all night.

00:06:34.100 - 00:07:06.380

Samuel arose early to meet Saul in the morning. It was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel; and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal." And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed be thou of the Lord; I have

00:07:06.380 - 00:07:32.560

performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleeding of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which are here?" And Samuel said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the Lord spared the best

00:07:32.560 - 00:08:05.160

of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight,

00:08:05.160 - 00:08:40.840

and wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel, and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of God, but didst fly upon the spoil, and

00:08:40.840 - 00:09:15.840

didst evil in the sight of the Lord?" And Saul said unto Samuel, "Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep, and oxen, the chief of the things

00:09:15.840 - 00:09:58.420

which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal." And Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of God, being the voice of the Lord, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

00:09:58.420 - 00:10:16.780

Would you repeat after me? "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." That's the subject of the message. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

00:10:16.780 - 00:10:50.500

These two passages of Scripture have to do with sacrifice. The first I read had to do with God's command to Abraham Abraham to go and sacrifice his only son, Isaac. The second passage has to do with the command given Saul to sacrifice all of the spoil received

00:10:50.500 - 00:11:29.340

in the battle of the Israelites against the Amalekites. In the passage of Scripture, the word is that to obey is better than sacrifice. In the Book of Common Prayer, the wedding ceremony has to do with the exchange of vows involving these words to be spoken by the woman.

00:11:29.340 - 00:12:05.500

I take thee, and the name is given, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, To love, cherish, and obey till death us do part. Now it so happens that we're in the month of June

00:12:05.500 - 00:12:16.220

when there are many marriages. Just think of it as the marriage month. And when couples come to me for counseling, I ask them the question,

00:12:16.220 - 00:13:00.860

do you want me to read this passage that says to obey? to obey. And there's always a smile upon their faces when it comes to who is going to obey, to obey. So the promise to obey is omitted for most of the marriages we perform today because we don't intend to obey. So as we consider this, we hear couples saying, "I will obey him if he obeys me."

00:13:00.860 - 00:13:33.860

Where do our orders come from? The orders governing our lives. Do they come from us? Do we create the orders ourselves? Or do they come from the One who is above us, who is over us, who has created us, and who gives directions for our lives?

00:13:33.860 - 00:14:07.860

John Bradshaw says, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." "To obey is to submit to the will of another." It's the servant saying to the master, "Not my will, but thine be done."

00:14:07.860 - 00:14:45.860

Now, discipline is a problem in every fabric of our society. We have the problem of discipline. discipline in the family, discipline in the school, discipline in the church, discipline in society. So parents seek to teach their children discipline because we have to deal always with an inclination not to obey.

00:14:45.860 - 00:15:09.820

not limited to children. Some time ago I was attending a commencement exercise at a college and there was a policeman there directing traffic for the cars and there was someone ahead of me and he said, "Park right over there."

00:15:09.820 - 00:15:33.420

And so the man proceeded to do what he wanted to do as if the policeman had not said a word. And he said, I said park right over there and I'm not going to tell you anymore. And then he went right over there like he should have. So we find ourselves dealing with discipline problems.

00:15:33.420 - 00:16:03.140

And the problem involves obey, to obey, to obey. Over and over again within the family circle we hear the call to obey. And we hear sometimes the words say, "Mother, Father, why must I do that?" And the answer comes back, "Because I said so."

00:16:03.140 - 00:17:06.140

to that because I said so. Obedience. In the story which is the last passage of scripture that was read, the Israelites are at war with the Malachites. God has given a command and this command involves sacrifice. That they are to destroy, utterly destroy, all of the spoils that they receive in this war. It is to be given to God as the devoted thing, that which is devoted to God, that which is devoted to Him, the sacrifice is that.

00:17:06.140 - 00:17:21.540

All of the spoils of war. Now, there's some very valuable things that come to them in this struggle. Gold, silver, many things are valued.

00:17:21.540 - 00:17:44.020

But the command is that they are to destroy all the sheep. In fact, they are to destroy the leaders. All of this is to be given as a tribute and an expression, supreme expression of their loyalty, their allegiance,

00:17:44.020 - 00:18:05.740

their obedience to God. So they go forth and they win the battle. but they do not carry out the orders. The order they receive from God

00:18:05.740 - 00:18:21.440

is that they have to sacrifice the spoil. But Saul thinks that what is received in this battle is too valuable. They could use this.

00:18:21.440 - 00:18:42.340

And so some of the best cattle, Why should we sacrifice the best cattle to God, burn them up on an altar? We can use this. Those fine cuts of steak and all of that, we can use this.

00:18:42.340 - 00:19:18.340

And so they do not obey. And Saul is confronted by the prophet Samuel, "Why did not you obey?" He said, "Well, the people, if you put it on the people, the people wanted this done, so we did it this way." And Samuel says, "Obedience is better than sacrifice."

00:19:18.340 - 00:19:46.340

Obedience. To obey. And this is what God expects of His people, obedience. First of all, that we should hear the Word. Hear it. Sometimes I begin by saying, "Woe is me if I preach not the gospel."

00:19:46.340 - 00:20:23.340

"Woe is the congregation, or the people, if they hear not the gospel." We ought to be obedient. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one." And His Word is to be proclaimed, His Word is to be taught, His Word is to be heard. Hear the Word of the Lord. That is the command that God gives to His people.

00:20:23.340 - 00:20:47.340

Well God speaks to Abraham, the father of our faith, and says to him, "Abraham!" Calls him by name, that there be no misunderstanding as to whom this order is addressed. "Abraham, your name is written here." "Abraham, yes Lord."

00:20:47.340 - 00:21:25.340

Take your son Isaac, your only son, and sacrifice him upon a mountain that I shall show you. Abraham, all in years, had waited for many, many years for God to give him a son. And now that God has given him that son, he receives an order Take Isaac, your only son, and sacrifice him

00:21:25.340 - 00:21:51.340

Lord, do you really mean that? Yes Abraham take him to a mountain that I will show you and there sacrifice him the years of waiting and Yet here comes the command clear and distinct to sacrifice him

00:21:51.340 - 00:22:22.480

Think about sacrifice how much do we really sacrifice? Many times we don't even sacrifice for ourselves the way we ought. We don't really take care of our health sometimes until the doctor says, "You must do this or else," then we change our entire way of life when we receive those words.

00:22:22.480 - 00:22:42.980

Many times parents sacrifice for their children. They make great sacrifices. And at graduation time I've seen some children take their certificate or diploma and give it to the parents because they made the sacrifice.

00:22:42.980 - 00:23:16.480

It almost brings tears to your eyes When you recognize all that is behind that event that is being celebrated at that moment, sacrifice, sacrifice. And then so often we do not attain to the heights that are possible for us because we do not sacrifice. I was purchasing fish for a period of time from a man who had a very successful fish market.

00:23:16.480 - 00:23:44.480

The son was graduating from high school and his father was not willing to make a sacrifice for him to go further than high school at that time. And I said, "Sin didn't worry you, he has great possibilities." He said, "Well, he's gotten this far, he can go the rest of the way on his own." He was not willing to sacrifice it.

00:23:44.480 - 00:24:08.980

So often, and if you have parents that are willing to sacrifice, you're blessed. Sacrifice. So he did not go away, he just became mediocre when he had possibilities of being extraordinary. But the parent was not willing to sacrifice.

00:24:08.980 - 00:24:59.980

So, Abraham is commanded of God to make a faith journey to a mountain in the hills called Moriah, a faith journey. And if we would sacrifice, we would make a journey that involves climbing a steep mountain, Mariah, making that sacrifice. That means we have to give up something we'd like to keep. Abraham is ordered to leave his country in order to make the sacrifice God commands of him

00:24:59.980 - 00:25:36.980

to make a long journey separating himself from his relatives, from his friends pull up stakes and go to another place that involves sacrifice To leave, to give up, to sacrifice country and family to the most cherished relationships that we have. To be sacrificed for the perseverance of faith.

00:25:36.980 - 00:26:17.980

Abraham, Abraham, go and sacrifice your son, your only son. Now we could make up a lot of reasons not to carry that out. So you could say, well maybe Lord I didn't understand you, this is why I'm doing what I'm doing. And when we read the story, it occurs later during the time of Samuel, Saul made his excuses. Well, I did this in order to satisfy the people, you know, I'm the king and I've got to have people who are willing to obey me in order to be a successful king.

00:26:17.980 - 00:26:40.780

This is why I did it, Lord! No, you remember when you were young and when I took you and made you the head of the nation and you were humble then? I haven't changed. I haven't changed. Sacrifice. Sacrifice. So, faith demands sacrifice. Demands it.

00:26:40.780 - 00:27:10.780

We are able to enjoy all of the comforts and the privileges of this church that was established back 1875 because the founders were willing to make sacrifices. Many of them in establishing our churches had chicken dinners and other things and worked on their feet, you know, late in order to try to get funds for us to be where we are. Sacrifice. Sacrifice.

00:27:10.780 - 00:27:33.780

And our success depends upon our willingness to sacrifice for the best. Sacrifice for the best. You see this piano here? Our fathers, our ancestors purchased this piano.

00:27:33.780 - 00:27:49.400

It's the best piano in the church. With the meager funds that they raised, they were able to buy the best piano. And then a few years ago,

00:27:49.400 - 00:28:05.200

this piano was back on the stage at Campbell Hall, pushed back there as rubbish. And some of us discovered it and had a pianist, a musician, a repair person to come out and look.

00:28:05.200 - 00:28:17.220

he offered us $2,000 for this piano. I knew if he offered us $2,000 for a piano that was back behind the stage, forgotten as rubbish, that it was worth far more.

00:28:17.220 - 00:28:38.040

And we had a difficult time just paying for the repairs. Some people, I don't think we ought to pay that much. Recognizing values. and being willing to sacrifice in order to get the best.

00:28:38.040 - 00:28:53.720

Sacrifice. Our life will depend upon the extent to which we are willing to pay the price, the highest price, to sacrifice for our best.

00:28:53.720 - 00:29:08.400

That's the road to happiness. Sacrifice. And this is what builds up relationships in the family, relationships in the church,

00:29:08.400 - 00:29:27.680

relationships in the community, sacrifice. Abraham, take Isaac, thine only son, and sacrifice him. When I was younger and fresh out of seminary, I was making $50 a week.

00:29:28.840 - 00:29:49.840

And we had one child and was expecting another. $50 a week. And so I gave the tithe out of that and we would see how much we could save

00:29:49.840 - 00:30:03.220

and it took a lot of weeks. $10 a week for rent. And then another amount to ride the trolley to get your pass.

00:30:03.220 - 00:30:16.440

And when you got through with all of that, you didn't have much you could save. But we saved for weeks and weeks till we got a little over a hundred dollars

00:30:16.440 - 00:30:26.480

to be able to say to my wife, "Now you go down and get you a new outfit." But we had to sacrifice for that. (audience laughing)

00:30:26.480 - 00:30:51.000

That's the way life is. What you achieve in life depends upon what you are willing to give, to sacrifice. Take thine only son, you know he doesn't have another to depend upon in this. This is thine only son Isaac and sacrifice.

00:30:51.000 - 00:31:20.620

So, if we have faith in God, it does not permit us to remain in convenient and comfortable circumstances. Faith pushes us from our mess and compels us to fly. Sacrifice. Abraham is to sacrifice. The name Isaac means laughter.

00:31:20.620 - 00:31:44.620

And so he is to sacrifice and in that sacrifice he is to enjoy. He is to enjoy, he is to achieve the highest human happiness. And so I say to you in closing that the highest human happiness comes through sacrifice.

00:31:44.620 - 00:32:05.620

You may not believe that, but that's the heart of this message. The highest human happiness comes through sacrifice. The highest joy, the highest pleasure comes through sacrifice. We like to keep what we cherish.

00:32:05.620 - 00:32:26.620

We like to keep the best for ourselves. So we question the Lord when he gives us this kind of commandment. But the heart of which, God doesn't need this for himself, he'll need that for himself. We need it.

00:32:26.620 - 00:32:51.780

We had a devotional time many, many years ago and all of the children were young and they were involved in this devotional. And that was the suggestion that they were to, children were to go and purchase a gift and give it to someone that they knew

00:32:51.780 - 00:33:04.600

that was not expecting it or anything like that and just do it, just do it. The sacrifice they were to make, sacrifice from their lives, sacrifice from what they,

00:33:04.600 - 00:33:17.600

And why were they asked to do this? Well, this is a part of Christian growth, of development, of learning to care, to give, to sacrifice. That's a part of life.

00:33:17.600 - 00:33:34.500

And that is the way we develop. So the act that Abraham is asked to perform is to surrender all that he has, all that he may hope for in the future,

00:33:34.500 - 00:33:58.820

to surrender it to God. I surrender all, yes, I surrender all, all to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. So I say to you, in the last words of this message, sacrifice, sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed for us.

00:33:58.820 - 00:34:27.500

your life, your hopes, you're all in the service of goodness, in the service of justice, in the service of love. Obedience, just obey God, no matter where he leads, obey him, follow him wherever he goes, through flood, follow him, for obedience is better than sacrifice.

00:34:27.500 - 00:34:50.500

As we sing the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of the Church, as you are all on the altar of sacrifice laid, you can never come.

00:34:50.500 - 00:35:28.980

The door of the Church is open. You can no longer sleep here, let your faith to live in peace, You will never, yes, be further, be greater.

00:35:28.980 - 00:36:24.960

Won't you care about how you rest? Or be perfectly blessed Until all the earth is made? Will you walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, and have peace and contentment always?

00:36:24.960 - 00:37:11.480

You must do your sweet will to be free from all ill. On the altar, you're all you must make. ♪ In the home of the altar of sacrifice laid ♪ ♪ The heart comes to spirit control ♪

00:37:21.360 - 00:37:42.960

♪ You can only be blessed ♪ ♪ By the peace and sweetness ♪ ♪ That you give me ♪ ♪ Your body and soul ♪

00:37:48.460 - 00:38:19.820

♪ Though we never can know ♪ ♪ What the Lord will bestow ♪ ♪ All the blessings for which we have prayed ♪ ♪ To our body and soul ♪

00:38:19.820 - 00:38:53.400

♪ Be not fully controlled ♪ ♪ When our all on the altar is laid ♪ ♪ Who can tell all on love ♪ ♪ We will sing from our love ♪

00:38:53.400 - 00:39:24.580

♪ And how happy our hearts will be made ♪ ♪ On the fellowship to speak ♪ ♪ We shall share at his feet ♪ ♪ When our old Lord ♪

00:39:24.580 - 00:40:28.440

♪ The altar is laid ♪ ♪ Is all on the altar of sacrifice laid ♪ ♪ Lord, as the Spirit comes from above ♪ You can only be blessed and have peace and sweetness as you yield him your body and soul.

00:40:28.440 - 00:41:08.420

Our God, our Father, thou who didst sacrifice your only begotten Son for our lives, send us forth to be sacrificial lambs in the service of your kingdom. Amen. [ Silence ]