Sacrifice Without Expectation

Series: Sacrifices

Title: Sacrifice Without Expectation

Author: Titia James

Key: Video Scripture Slides Personal Stories

Introduction:

What’s up students! There is no place I’d rather be on a Wednesday night than right here with you!

Tonight, we get to dive into week 2 of our new series sacrifice together. Last week we talked about how there is a cost to sacrifice and this week we will continue in that conversation.

I am curious to know, by a show of hands, have you ever given someone something, expecting to get it back, but never did? Maybe you loaned money to a friend, and they never paid you back.

[SP note: story of a time you gave someone something and expected it back]

[MCEE note: story of a time you gave someone something and expected it back]

I remember when I graduated from high school in 2017, a friend of mine called and asked to borrow $10 to put toward her oil change. She told me she would pay me back that Friday. When Friday came, I never received my $10. I didn’t ask her about it—I just waited for that Cash App notification, but it never came.

If I’m being honest, I was irritated because that $10 meant a lot to me in 2017 since I didn’t have much money of my own. I remember telling my mama about it because it frustrated me so much. I was always taught to be a woman of my word. In that moment, my mama told me something along the lines of:

"Giving to others can be costly, but when you give, don’t expect to get it back or receive anything in return."

Tension:

We just talked about the cost of sacrificing things last week. Yes, giving to others can be costly, but when we give, we shouldn’t expect to get it back or receive anything in return.

That leads me to our question for the day,

Why should I sacrifice if don’t get something in return?

Let’s be real—when we give, we usually expect something in return. That’s human nature. Maybe you’ve let someone borrow money, expecting to get it back, but they never paid you. Or maybe you’ve done something nice for someone, hoping they’d do something nice for you later. It can feel frustrating when we don’t get anything back.

But here’s the real question—do we ever treat God this way

Think about this—if you met your favorite celebrity, would the reward just be getting to spend time with them, or would you be hoping they’d give you free stuff—concert/game tickets, merch, a shoutout on social media?

A lot of times, we approach God the same way. We do good things, hoping He’ll bless us with success, comfort, or opportunities. We pray, but deep down, we’re not just seeking God—we’re seeking what He can give us.

But what if the greatest reward isn’t the blessings, but God Himself?

Truth:

We sacrifice to get more of God, not just His blessings

Let’s take a look at King Solomon, who modeled this well before he later turned away from God.

Solomon was the son of David—yes, the same David who defeated Goliath. And at this point in the Bible, Solomon has just become the third king of Israel.

Let’s open our Bibles to 2 Chronicles 1:10-12 NLT  to see what happens.

Before we jump, something to note, in verses 6-8, Solomon sacrifices 1,000 offerings to God at the Tabernacle [a meeting place for worship], showing his dedication and honor toward God.

That very night, God appears to Solomon, He tells Solomon to ask for whatever he desires, and He will give it to him. Let’s see what Solomon asks for.

10 Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”

11 God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— 12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

Did yall catch that? Solomon offered 1,000 sacrifices to God. And in response, God told him, "Ask for whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you!"

Now, why did God respond this way? Was it just because Solomon sacrificed a huge number of animals? No. It was because his heart was surrendered to God.

Back in the Old Testament, animal sacrifices weren’t just about rituals. They were reminders that sin leads to death and that people needed to turn back to God. But Solomon’s sacrifice wasn’t about getting something—it was about honoring God

Here is the really important part, I don’t want us to miss what Solomon asked God for. Instead of choosing riches or fame, he chose wisdom so he could lead God’s people well. And because Solomon sought wisdom to honor God, God not only gave him wisdom, but He also blessed him with more than he even asked for

After this moment, Solomon became the wisest man ever in the Bible. Solomon didn’t sacrifice to get stuff from God, he sacrificed because he wanted to honor God. That should be all of our heart postures when sacrificing/surrendering things to God. Because what’s true is that God is the ultimate reward, not His stuff.

At the end of the day, when everything else falls apart, your relationship with God is what will sustain you. That’s what truly matters—not the blessings, but the One who gives them.

So therefore, we seek the blesser not the blessing! Matthew 6:33 “tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you” NLT SEEK FIRST His Kingdom means to prioritize God's will and agenda above all else in your life, putting your relationship with Him first and foremost, and aligning your actions with His values rather than focusing primarily on worldly concerns or personal desires; essentially, making God the central focus of your life and decisions.

When you truly seek God first, He provides what you actually need, not just what you think you want.

And if anyone understood this, it was Solomon’s father, David.

David knew what it meant to seek God—not just His blessings, but His presence. He went through some of the hardest times imaginable. He was on the run, constantly being hunted by someone who wanted him dead. His life was full of uncertainty and danger. And yet, in the middle of all that chaos, here’s what he prayed:

“I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” – Psalm 27: 4 NLT

David could’ve just kept asking God for safety, for victory over his enemies, or for an easier life. But instead, he prayed for just one thing—to be in God’s presence.

Why? Because in His presence, there is fullness of joy, peace, protection, comfort, guidance, provision, safety, unconditional love, and so much more.

David understood something that we often forget: God Himself is the greatest reward. Just being close to Him is enough.

Too often, we treat God like a vending machine—put in a little prayer, do a little good, and expect a blessing in return. If we’re honest, a lot of us have this kind of relationship with God. We follow Him, but deep down, we’re hoping for something in return:

God, I’ll start reading my Bible… if You help me pass this test.

God, I’ll pray more… if You help me make the team.

God, I’ll start taking You seriously… if You bring me the right friends.

But that’s not how a real relationship works. Imagine if you had a friend who only texted you when they needed something. They never checked in to see how you were doing, never wanted to hang out—just hit you up when they needed a favor. That wouldn’t be a real friendship, right? You’d feel used.

Now, think about how God must feel when we only come to Him because we want something from Him instead of just wanting Him.

That’s what Solomon understood—he didn’t just ask for more stuff; he asked for more of God. He knew that wisdom—knowing God’s heart and making decisions that honor Him—was way more valuable than any temporary riches. And because Solomon’s heart was in the right place, God not only gave him wisdom, but also the things he didn’t even ask for.

Students, what if you asked for more of God instead of just His stuff/blessings?

What if you prayed for wisdom?

What if you prayed for humility?

What if you prayed for God to help you love someone that is hard to love?

What if you filled your prayer life praying for things that would bring you closer to Him

I'm not saying that asking for things is wrong—God wants us to bring our requests to Him. But what if, instead of focusing on material things, you prayed for more of God? Just like Solomon, you might find that He blesses you with even more than you ever asked for.

Remember the celebrity illustration from earlier? If you only wanted to meet a celebrity to get free stuff, it wouldn’t be a real relationship—it would be transactional. But if you genuinely loved and admired them, just being in their presence would be enough.

Just to be clear, the celebrity thing is just an example, being in your favorite celebrity’s presence doesn’t even come close to the presence of God

Let’s read verses 11-12 one more time.

11 God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— 12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!” NLT

Because Solomon wanted something that would honor God. Because Solomon wanted more of God, God gave him what he asked for AND He also gave him the extra stuff, the extra blessings. God not only answered Solomon’s prayer, but He answered it above all expectation

Solomon understood this—he wanted wisdom, not just wealth. And because he put God first, God blessed him in ways he never even asked for.

Listen, God will give you all the blessings He sees fit to give you, you just first have to seek Him and want more of Him. Love Him for who He is, not for what you can get out of Him. We often want more of God’s stuff than we want God.

Again, God is the ultimate reward, not His stuff.

Closing:

If God were to appear to you right now and say, "Ask me for whatever you want," what would you ask Him for? Take a moment and really think about that.

The good news is that God does want us to ask Him for things—He invites us to bring our needs and desires to Him. Jesus tells us

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. – Matthew 7:7 NLT

But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! - John 15:7

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. - 1 John 5:14 NLT

Application:

So, how can we put this into action? One way to shift our focus from God’s stuff to God Himself is through fasting.

We can define fasting as giving up something that matters to you for more of God. It has to be something that matters to you because just like we said last week, it’s not a sacrifice if it doesn’t cost you

Fasting isn’t just about giving up food—it’s about giving something up to seek God more intentionally. It could be:

Fasting from social media to spend more time in prayer.

Fasting from video games or Netflix to read Scripture.

Fasting from YouTube videos

Fasting from music that is not worship music

Fasting from sugar/Starbucks

Fasting from a meal to remind yourself that you hunger for God more than food.

But here’s the thing—most of us, if we’re honest, don’t naturally desire just God. We want His blessings, His guidance, His help, and even His approval.

And while those things aren’t bad, fasting helps us starve our appetite for “the stuff “and shift our focus back to God Himself.

Again, fasting isn’t just about giving up food—it’s about training our hearts to desire Him more than anything else.

It’s about breaking our dependence on things that satisfy us temporarily so that we can experience the only One who truly satisfies.

So, I want you to take a second and think about the one thing you crave that you need to starve in order to receive more of God. [give some space here]

[SP Note: share something that you typically fast from when you do fast]

If you know me, you know I am a crime junkie, so I like to watch true crime sometimes. So, when I fast, I would fast from watching any true crime shows or podcast. I also really love chips so, there are times where I fast from eating chips for a couple of weeks.

Fasting helps realign our hearts to desire God above everything else. When we give up something for a time, we train ourselves to seek Him first—just like Solomon did when he sacrificed without expecting anything in return.

Final Challenge:

This week, I challenge you to sacrifice something for God—not to get something back, but just to draw closer to Him. Maybe it’s through prayer, maybe through fasting, maybe through serving someone without expecting anything in return.

Because God is the ultimate reward—not His stuff.

Let’s pray.