We human beings are often attracted by prizes. Most of us working have our annual dinner and dance, and what attracts us most is the lucky draw prize. The most expensive/biggest prize is left right to the end and drawn at around 11.30/12. That’s the only reason many people go or stay that late. The moment the final prize is drawn, the crowd disperses quickly.

Human beings love prizes. And so very naturally we gravitate towards seeking that prize. But each time when we seek that prize, and even if we ultimately obtain that prize, have we ever considered what PRICR we have paid for it? Have we considered what future or hidden price there is within?

The speaker doesn’t work for a telco company, but often when the latest handset is out ($199 or $50 only), it looks quite easy, but what’s hidden there? Needing to sign a 2 year package that’s $100 a month. You pay $2000 over 2 years in the end. It seems you get a big prize of an iPhone X but you actually pay $2000.

As Christians, how do we weigh this prize over price? Do we do it with a correct perspective?

This sermon will look at prize VS price in several angles:

1. Material prize we try to obtain VS the spiritual price that we pay
   Gen 13:7-17
   This talks about the story of Lot. There was strife between the herdsman of Abraham’s and Lot’s livestock. Abraham then said to Lot for there not to be strife between their herdsman since they were brethren. “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. You take left, I’ll take right, and vice versa.”

This sounds like a sensible and amicable resolution to the conflict. Here Abraham was actually very generous. The land was indeed huge enough; there were a lot of places to go to, they didn’t need to concentrate there and strive.

Abraham was very generous because he let Lot choose first.

v10 “And Lot lofted his eyes and saw the plain of Jordan. It was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah).”
The Bible describes it like the garden of the Lord. It appealed to Lot and he chose all the plain of Jordan and journeyed east. Abraham stayed in Canaan.

v13 “But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.”
What prize did Lot gain? The material riches of the land and city he chose to go to. He saw this clearly with his eyes. But what did he blind himself from? The exceeding wickedness in the city of Sodom. That to him was not in consideration at all; it was nothing that bothered him. To be accurate, it DID bother him because the Bible describes that he was tormented all the time. But while he was tormented, yet he chose to stay on.

How wicked was this city?
Gen 18:17-33
God had the intention to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because Lot was there, God told Abraham about His plan. When Abraham knew of God’s intention, he knew his nephew was in that city. So he pleaded with God, “If there were 50 righteous people in the city, would You destroy it?” God said no. And then Abraham lowered it to 45, 40, 30, 20, 10. God agreed to not destroying if there were 10.

The wickedness in the city was something known. If it had been known, Abraham couldn’t even think there would be more than 10 righteous people. Eventually we know the city was destroyed. But of course God sent angels to deliver Lot from the city.

If we think about the prize VS the price: yes, Lot very likely enjoyed the material prizes he got when he made his choice, but what was the price that he paid? The Bible says he was tormented when he was in there. But he kept on numbing his conscience. To the extent when the two angels came into the city and the wicked men in the city wanted to sodomise these two strangers, in Lot’s righteousness, he wanted to protect these 2 angels, but in compromise to his moral standards, he offered his two virgin daughters instead.

For the sake of the material prize he went after, over all this time, how much price has he paid? What was the spiritual price he paid? His own morality, the morality of his family. What eventually happened?

Gen 19:24-26 (read)
This was the price he paid later. The life/soul of his wife. When the angels delivered them out of the city, the Bible says they lingered on. They couldn’t bear to leave the city. So much price has been paid already for all these materials prizes. This may be the mentality we have also. We cannot let go because we’ve already invested too much for the material prize. We paid a lot for it already.

When Lot went in, he probably didn’t know he had to pay such a price. He didn’t want to leave. The angels had to drag them out. After that the angels told them to just go and not look back. But his wife still had a heart back there. So even though they physically ran out, she turned back and became a pillar of salt.

Daughters and father ran out.
v30-38
He and his 2 daughters dwelt in a cave. By this time Lot had lost his material prizes and his wife. The firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old. There’s no one on this earth to come in to us. Let’s make our father drink wine and lie with him that we may preserve his lineage.” So they made him drink wine that night and the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He didn’t know when she came and arose. “Indeed I lay with our father last night. Let’s make him drink wine again and you go in that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” So the younger daughter did the same.

Lot committed incest with his daughters. We don’t know what these 2 girls thought. To them they wanted to preserve the lineage of their father and this was their solution. We can see the corruption of the psyche of these two girls who grew up in Sodom. This is the price Lot paid.

Finally, really through them, 2 sons were born who became the father of the Moabites and Ammonites. So what was the legacy left behind by Lot? The Moabites and Ammonites who for generations were an abomination to the people of Israel.

Deut 23:3 (read)
Two entire tribes, the Moabites and Ammonites were cursed. They shall not enter the assembly of God.

For the material prize he gained for the short period of time, what was the price he paid? A deterioration of moral standards. Eventually he lost those material prizes anyway. The price he paid was the life of his wife, the corruption or morality of his children, and a legacy he should be ashamed of.

This is something we should consider seriously. As we go after material prizes, how do we weigh them against the price we need to pay now and in th future?

Often, we don’t process that enough. We justify it in many ways because all we see is the plain of Jordan that’s well watered everywhere. And consciously numb ourselves to the exceeding wickedness of that choice.

We’ve also heard the story of Esau where for that one morsel of food he sold his birthright. Although he regretted later, it was too late. The prize was to fill his stomach at that time. But the price he paid was the blessing of God and the inheritance that should’ve rightfully been his.

[Second category of prize VS price]

1. Our physical life VS our spiritual life
   Dan 3:1-18
   King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold. After that, he gave an edict that at the sound of horn/flute/trumpet, people should bow down at this statue.

At that time, many of the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon. Amongst them were Daniel and his 3 friends. Of course Daniel and his 3 friends were people who worshipped the one true God, and so they wouldn’t bow down to this statue. Because of that, they got into trouble.

v12 People brought a charge against them. “There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon who have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
This was likely triggered by jealously. While these people were taken captive to Babylon, they were given an office. They had a lot to lose. It’s not easy to ‘make it’ and be given an official position after being brought from a foreign land.

v13 When this edict was given, they didn’t bow down to the image. So Nebuchadnezzar in fury asked for the 3 friends to be brought before the king.

If you were one of them, how would you feel? When we haven’t gotten caught, it’s still easy to stand straight. But now you have been caught red handed breaking the law of the king. You have been brought before this same king who looks you in the eye and asks if the accusations against us are true. Many of us would likely be trembling and crack.

The king gave them a chance. If they bowed down in the next sound of horn/flute/etc, then good. But if they didn’t, they’d be cast immediately into the burning furnace.

We may think: wah lucky got second chance.
But having a second chance may not necessarily be a good thing. Because it was effectively a very very difficult test. What was the prize? Life. A chance to escape the furnace. Physical life. But what would have been the price to pay? What would be the price of denying the one true God and bowing down to idols? Eternal life.

Physical life VS spiritual life. Is the prize to gain worth the price to pay?

How did they answer?
v16 “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.”
In our own words: don’t talk so much lah
v17 “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace, He will deliver us from your hand”
In other words: my God bigger than your God
v18 reflects the clarity in their thought process. “But if not, let it be known to you that we don’t serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image you have set up”
In our own words: don’t need to talk so much. Just throw us into the fire. Our God can save us. Even if He doesn’t, we also won’t bow. Don’t need to talk so much

If they were shot there and then maybe it would’ve been easier. Being given a second chance was a dangerous test to their faith. But we can see a marvellous example left by them for us.

Their faith wasn’t based on God saving them. They already know the price of eternal life far outweighs the prize of physical life. The price of forgoing that is far bigger than the prize they’d gain.

If we read further on in Dan 6, their friend Daniel was also faced with a similar test. The king was trapped by evil officials to make a law that people couldn’t pray to their gods for 30 days. That we designed specifically to get Daniel into trouble, because they were jealous of Daniel. Whoever prayed to their gods will be thrown into the lion’s den.

Dan 6:10
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
In other words, nothing has changed. “You can write this law which is against the truths/word of God. I continue what I have to do.”
And we know in both instances, God delivered Daniel and his friends. But that’s not the point. The point is that we should learn how these people made their choices.

We likely have not gotten anywhere close in making such a big decision/facing such a big test. But often, we compromise our faith/what is true.

We thank God that in Singapore, the government has still maintained the illegality of homosexuality. But in many other countries, western countries and eastern-wannabe-western countries like Taiwan, have already legalised same sex marriage. And that’s not enough. They’ve infiltrated the schools. Teachers cannot say the children are male or female. We really thank God Singapore is still preserved. But quite a number of university professors have gone mad. If you are a university student or a teacher, would you continue to stand up for the truth?

Even if we stand up, at most we don’t get promoted. We won’t get a lion’s den or a furnace to burn us. But will we have the courage like Daniel and his 3 friends? The price may not be life and death. The price may be that we don’t get promoted. The price may be that people think we’re crazy. Can we take it? What is the price we pay for just being liked or just being promoted?

In the corporate world it’s the same. There’re lots of pressures like this. But we need to be very clear. What is the price for this prize? We know it’s not worth it.

1. Our emotional relief VS obedience to God
   Num 20:1-12
   This records an incident between Moses and the people. They murmured against Moses and Aaron again because there was no water to drink. The comments they passed were really so ungracious and ungrateful. “You brought us out of Egypt to die here!” It was really irritating! Moses didn’t gain a single cent from them. He was having such a peaceful life in Midian and he came back to suffer with them. They not only not thanked him, they grumbled against him. Even when Moses had displayed so many times the victory he brought them through.

God told Moses to take the rod and command the water to come out (v8). But Moses struck the rod instead (v11).

v12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
What was the prize here? For Moses it was getting rid of the indignance in his heart. Were these people really rebellious? Absolutely. Did they really deserve the water? No. They really 该死/gaisi lol. So ungrateful. That may very well be the fact. But that wasn’t how God wanted Moses to handle the situation.

Often we’re the same. What’s the prize? To prove we’re right? That he’s wrong? To prove we’re good? That’s he’s bad?

We often live our lives with this mindset. To prove they’re wrong and we’re right. Sometimes it’s not so clear cut. Sometimes you’re right and he’s right.

But even when it’s clear cut like when Moses disobeyed: The prize he gained was to get this off his chest. What was the price he paid? After leading the people through so many years, with much pain, through many victories, he couldn’t enter the land in the end.

We may not face situations in the above 1) and 2) of prize VS price. But we’re likely to face 3) prize VS price.

Why do quarrels happen among friends, coworkers, couples, siblings?

Oftentimes the prize is our own personal ego. We may not see it or admit it at that time. But it’s our ego; getting our point across.

We’ve got to first ask ourselves: is that the will of God to get that point off our chest? What is the price to pay for doing that?

For Moses, it was not entering Canaan. In our case, it could be damaged relationships or other things that we cannot bear and repair. Is the prize of our ego or proving our point really that important? Is the hurt we cause others really necessary?

Something for us to consider: prize VS price