Sacrifice

To sacrifice is to give up something of value. To let go of something that you hold near and dear to your heart. Everyone of us has had to sacrifice something in our lives and have felt the pain and anguish that sacrificing brings. If theres no pain or discomfort then your not really making a sacrifice. To deny yourself of something that you really want is painful. Like many of us its not what were ask not to do that hurts its what were asked to do that hurts. Like love your enemies, pray for those who use you and mean harm against you and your family. Forgive those who wronged you, let go of the past and move forward. Those are some of the things that were asked to do and it hurts. There are many types of sacrifices, but theres only one way to sacrifice and thats to offer. An offering can be in many forms such as a freewill offering, fellowship offering or thank offering. each offering has its place and purpose.

There are rules to giving God offerings. 1 rule is the offering that you give GOD should be your best. in Genesis 4 it speaks of a Cain and Abel and how Cains offering was rejected and Abels offering was accepted. What is often over looked is that “Unto Cain and his offering” God had not respect (v. 5). Cain must be acceptable first himself before his offering can be. We have to first work on being accepted by God first because he accepts anything from us. His offering was rejected, because he himself was guilty. Christ was without spot when He offered Himself. The way of Cain was his own way (Jude 11). Man’s own way is to seek acceptance with God without confessing guilt. There is no road this way; both the offerer and the offering will be rejected. Abel brough God his best and it was accepted by GOd and Because of Cains rejection he killed his brother.

2. you must be willing , in Genesis 22. Speaks of Abrham willing to offer his son as a sacrifice and becasue he was willing to sacrifice him the lord provided a ram in the bush. In order for our offerings to mean anything we must to willing to offer up what ever to please the Lord weather its your time, money, knowlege, or wisdom. you must be willing to let it go for the advacement of the kingdom.

3 your offerings must be pure. Malichi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; And in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

We must make sure that are offerings unto God come from a pure place. Weather in mind or heart it must pure or your offerings will be rejected by God.

To truly Sacrifice unto God we must see the need or the reason to make a sacrifice. God requires sacrifices from us. He requires for us to let go of somethings that we find to be an important part of your life. God loves it when we sacrifice cause he knows and understand how selfish we can be as ppl and the enemy hate our sacrifices because he knows it draws us closer to God. The sacrifice of your lips please God, the sacfifice of your life, the sacrifice of your money and the sacrifice of your love. The sacrifice of your lips Hebrews 13:15-16 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

God loves for us our lips to give him praise for the thigns that he has done and thank him for the things hes about to do.

The sacficie of your life Romans 12:1 speaks of being a living sacrifice. God wants you to offer all of yourself and all of your lives – your time, ambitions, possessions, ears, mouths and sexuality – as well as your mind, emotions and attitudes. Paul’s description of a living sacrifice also reminds us that you have to on going offering your life as a sacrifice to God, offering your life up to him again and again. In Old Testament times, ‘living sacrifice’ would be a contradiction in terms. The whole point of the sacrifice was that it was killed. Jago Wynne writes, ‘Our act of worship is no longer to bring a sacrifice, but to be one ourselves. We remain living. It is all of us that is being offered. Worship is about what I say with my tongue. It’s about what I watch… what I think… where I go with my feet.’

the sacrifice of money romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Generous giving is another New Testament sacrifice. Paul encourages the sacrifice of generosity in contributing to the needs of others (v.8). ‘Share with God’s people who are in need’ (v.13). This is another sacrifice the writer of Hebrews says pleases God: ‘to share with others’ (Hebrews 13:16).

We are even to give generously to our enemies: ‘Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness’ (Romans 12:20, MSG).

THe sacrifice of love hebrews 13:16 ‘do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased’.

‘Doing good’ means giving up things that are not good. ‘Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own way of loving and living. The tells you to love only who loves you but the bible says love your enemies and pray for them. the world says love me and everything I have to offer the bible says Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The world tells us that we have rights as children and our parents can not punish us or else the bible says “Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them”. The world tell us that Bad is good and that good is bad and the bible says (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isiah 5:20, Although God only asks us to give up the bad stuff in our lives, it can feel costly to do so because that stuff is attractive and feels good. Repentance is a very positive word, but at the same time it may seem sacrificial.

Sacrificial love involves allowing God to transform us by a completey changing us. Our love must be sincere (v.9). The Greek word for ‘sincere’ means ‘without hypocrisy’ or literally ‘without play acting’ or ‘without a mask’.

Often relationships in the world are quite superficial. We all put up fronts or masks to protect ourselves. When we see others doing this, we call it ‘fake’ When we do it ourselves, we call it ‘image’; we are projecting something. In effect we’re saying, ‘I don’t really like what I am inside, so I will pretend I am somebody diiferent’

If other people are doing the same then there are two ‘fakes’ meeting. The sad result is that the two real people never really meet. This is the opposite of ‘sincere love’. Sincere love means taking off your mask and revealing who you are. When you know that God loves you as you are, you are set free to take off your mask.

This means that there is a completely new depth and authenticity in your relationships. Instead of trying to impress people with our masks or being fake, as we reveal who we truly are with all our flaws, we connect through our vulnerabilities.

we are urged as Christians to live in harmony with one another and to be generous (v.13), hospitable (v.13), forgiving (v.14), empathetic (v.15) and to live at peace with everyone (v.18). It is a glorious picture of the Christian family into which God calls us, encouraging us into an atmosphere of love, joy, patience, faithfulness, generosity, hospitality, blessing, rejoicing, harmony, humility and peace; where good is not overcome by evil, but evil is overcome with good (vv.9–21).

In order to make a Sacrifice it must be done at an alter. Altars in the Bible were typically used for sacrifices, worship, and making covenants with God. The Bible often describes altars as being made of earth or uncut stones. In the Old Testament, altars were often erected in places where God had done something significant or appeared to someone. the word eracted means : to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts : build. (2) : to fix in an upright position. (3) : to cause to stand up or stand out. These alters were build to display acknowlegedment. Concert stages are alters unto the preformer. Displaying acknowledgement and adnorment for the person on stage. Alters are where God would meet his people and they would make a sacrifice unto him, they would worship him or make conventents with him. Everytime we put something before God we eract an alter unto that thing. weathrer it be work, kids, money, friends, your self, tv, entertainment or distance. You eract an alter and that becomes your place of worship. These alters become evil and the only why to destroy an evil alter is to erect an alter unto God. 1 samuel 5:1-8 5 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. 6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

So Romans 12:1

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

What is being asked of you is that you offer up yourself, life and your being as a living sacrifice which means that the sacrifices that are made in your life are alive and active in your life. It must holy which means separate” or “set apart your sacrifice must be set apart from your life.

Acceptable, which means it has to please God. next is which is your resonable service. In other words that makes sense. Resonable service also refers to a spiritual act of worship.

So then my question is have you ever had a true encounter with God? I ask that question because the only time you truly encounter God is when your making a sacrifice.

** speak on what the Lord shared with you about sacrificing and experiencing his persence***

It is time for us to erect an alter of scarifice. Sacrifice is what releases power.  Sacrifice is the food for spirits, they can never be appeased without it.  A sacrifice leads to a divine encounter, which results in changes.  When you tie your expectations to sacrifice it shows that you believe God  You cannot sacrifice something you don’t love, such a sacrifice would be unacceptable.  Genesis 22:2 In sacrifice you substitute your weakness for God’s strength.  Some things will only go out though sacrifice.  Resurrection power is the highest power, and it came about through sacrifice. (Philippians 2:9) Where there’s no sacrifice there’s no real power.  No witch has power to release enchantments against anybody without making sacrifices to a deity in order to release power to enforce those enchantments. It releases power (Matthew 17:20-21) 2.It breaks and averts curses (Genesis 8:20) 3.It brings you into the covenant (Psalm 50:5-6) 4.It releases strong presence 5.It entitles you to sworn blessings (Genesis 22:15-18) 6.It stops plagues (2 Samuel 20:20-24, Malachi 1:6-10) 7.It offers protection and defense (psalm 20:1) 8.It offers  divine secrets (Job 29:4, Genesis 13:2)    The richest man in the bible was born out of sacrifice.  9.It provokes supernatural fruitfulness ( Genesis 18:10)  10.It offers divine health 11.Results in overturning of captivity (Psalm 126:1-6)

Psalm 91:1-5, 14 Your exemption doesn’t lie in your status but in your active partnership with God.

We have to start making God a prioirty in your lives and make sacrifices a norm. we have to start setting aside our own feelings and start giving up what we want to God as a sacrifice.