Sacrifice

MESSAGE OF SACRIFICE - - Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

A. The Search For God – perusing God. - - You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

1. The approach to God includes this place of sacrifice, any other route that bypasses sacrifice will not lead to God! – Job – the rich man – Abraham – Christ.

2. Today you will hear much preaching that attempts to draw people into Christianity that promises of all kinds of earthly "goodies" ... preaching a Christianity that expects no sacrifices by the individual is a hollow Christianity! - said it best – Faith without works is Dead!!

3. There is too much "shallow" Christianity now in the world ... Christians who only want but do not give!

4. Jesus clearly taught us sacrifice by His own statement, "I came not into the world to do my own will ... but the will of Him who sent me!"

5. The search for the real God will always bring us first to the place of sacrifice!

6. "Sacrificial giving" is the very character of true Christianity!

a. In our lifestyle.

b. In our faith.

c. In our resources.

d. In our heart attitudes.

Many products advertise as "no cost ... No obligation" -- knowing that we will be attracted to their products this way. We want something for nothing but the costs are there, they are hidden or postponed, but they are there! Don't be fooled, anyone that preaches to you a Christianity that is without cost or obligation is selling you a false faith! – source unknown

7. The sacrifices we are talking about today are very real, they were not just the appearances of sacrifice! God ask us to give him our best!!

8. A dynamic faith is very real; it will not just have the appearance of sacrifices.

9. Our service to God includes frequent sacrifices but the value this gives to our witness is very powerful!

10. Jesus' sacrifice of Himself was the greatest and costliest ... but it also brought to us the greatest and most valuable gift, eternal life! There was no easy cheap way to give the finest gift.

11. Your faith and the quality of your spiritually will only be as good as the sacrifices you make because of it!

a. Those whose faith always seems vital and real are those who have learned the service of sacrifice!

b. There are no good substitutes for this kind of faith!

12. The message of the Sacrifice is clear: “YOU CAN'T BYPASS THIS PLACE OF SACRIFICE AND EXPECT TO FIND YOURSELF IN GOD’S PRESENCE!”

I’d like to end with this word – at the end of every service before we do communion or the Lord’s supper as many know it as – I always make this statement before we take communion the Word of the Lord tells us we must examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper found in

- A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.