OSacrifice is a pregnant word. It is a common word heard in our culture and produces many images when used. It used to describe the commitment and dedication of athletes who train long hours, parents in their hard work to provide for their families, police officers and the firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect and serve and military personnel who leave family to go abroad to provide a line of defense for our freedom. Regardless,What images come to your mind when the word "sacrifice" is used, the concept is of the selfless giving one's self for the greater benefit of others, sometimes at the forfeiture of the life itself! Maybe, it is of your mom who without a new dress so you could have shoes? May, it is of your wife or husband who worked and carried the extra load around the house as you finished your degree? Maybe, it is son or daughter whose picture is near beside that died on a foreign battlefield. The word sacrifice in the Bible is visibly illustrated in the Old Testament sacrificial system; an animal was offered as a sacrifice was slain as an offering to the LORD. The whole sacrificial system starting with the first offering found in Genesis 3, where the LORD made the first offering for Adam and Eve, continuing to the giving of the Law to Moses taught many seminal truths about the need for a Substitute who deliver us from our sins. Jesus Christ is the Substitute who came to deliver us by taking our place on the Cross and dying for us so the we can be rescued form our sin and the wrath it incurs!! He is the Savior. However, in Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul challenges all Christians to become "LIVING SACRIFICES" for the glory of God. One of the marvels of Christianity is we are to be "Living Sacrifices" as an act of worship for the One died for us and now lives, Jesus Christ our Lord. Just think for a moment about the awesome salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Paul used the first 11 chapters of Romans to describe this tremendous work of grace in us. Let me give a brief outline: Chapters 1-3 OUR SINFUL CONDITION, Chapters 4-6 HIS SAVING GRACE, Chapters 7-8 HIS Sanctifying GRACE and Chapters 9-11 His SOVEREIGN GRACE. Now at chapter 12, he begins with a "Therefore", so characteristic of Paul's thinking as reflected in His inspired teaching, because he desires for us to make application of the great doctrines of salvation declared in chapters 1-11 in our personal lives. Real biblical teaching is not merely disseminating facts but transforming teaching through the power of the Holy Spirit that is life altering! The essence of his teaching form chapter 12 to 16 is how to live out the Gospel as redeemed people who continually being transformed by Gospel! The Gospel makes a deep, radical change in our personalities! To be sure the transformation is not complete, but the make-over has already begun! Amen!! When Paul challenges to "present our bodies of living sacrifices" he doe so with the Old Testament sacrificial system's imagery in mind. We are to place our brains, hands, feet, mouth, ears, personality, gifts, talents, relationships and experiences on the altar as an offering to the LORD. Please note, not as a sin offering, because Jesus already did that on Calvary!!! Hallelujah, what a Savior. We could not save ourselves, remember the truth illustrated in substitute lamb? However, in the Old Testament sacrificial system there were not only "sin: offerings but "thanksgiving offerings", or we might call them today, "love offerings"! Jesus died for us so that He could give us life and we could life for Him (John 3:16, 10:10)! Our lives are to be one continuous act of worship by daily yielding Him ourselves as a daily "thanksgiving offering"! Chuck Swindol once said something that has stuck with me for years, "the problem with living sacrifices is they want to crawl of the altar from time to time"! An amazing analysis of the battle we face when struggling to live out our salvation for the glory of God. To be a living sacrifice means that we make tough choices about every aspect of our lives form how we spend to how we spend time! These means there are times of anguish and struggle because we still deal with our old carnal nature that wants to rule on the throne of our hearts As a matter of fact , right now you and I are hearing the summons to the altar. Is it your marriage, your dreams, your money, your habits or your attitude to must lay on the altar? Give it to Him because He gave you Himself!!!
|
Doug MillerEvangelist Archives
May 2021
Categories |