The Offering of Sacrifices

One Sunday in Copenhagen, Corrie ten Boom, eighty, spoke from , urging her audience to present their bodies to Christ as living sacrifices. After church two young nurses invited her to their apartment for lunch, and Corrie went with them—only to discover they lived on the tenth floor, and there was no elevator.

She didn’t think she could mount the stairs, but as the nurses were so eager for her visit she decided to try. By the fifth floor, Corrie’s heart was pounding, her breath coming in gulps, her legs buckling. She collapsed in a chair on the landing thinking she could go no further, and she complained bitterly to the Lord. Looking upward, the stairs seemed to ascend to infinity, and Corrie wondered if she might die en route. “Perhaps I am leaving earth to go to heaven,” she thought.

But the Lord seemed to whisper that a special blessing awaited her on the tenth floor, so she bravely pressed on, one nurse in front of her and another following.

Finally reaching the apartment, Corrie found there the parents of one of the girls. She soon discovered that neither parent was a Christian, but both were eager to hear the Gospel. Opening her Bible, Corrie carefully explained the plan of salvation. “I have traveled in more than sixty countries and have never found anyone who said they were sorry they had given their hearts to Jesus,” she said. “You will not be sorry, either.”

That day both prayed for Christ to enter their lives.

On her way down the steps, Corrie said, “Thank you, Lord, for making me walk up all these steps. And next time, Lord, help Corrie ten Boom listen to her own sermon about being willing to go anywhere you tell me to go—even up ten flights of stairs.”

Once we accept Christ as our personal Savior, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (). Part of working out our salvation is by offering spiritual sacrifices daily to the Lord.

Remember: God is eternal which means that His building is eternal.

this is a picture of the great house that God is building, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

( )The church of Jesus Christ 1. Picture 1: Christ is the Living Stone; He was rejected by men, but chosen by God (v.4). 2. Picture 2: believers are living stones (v.5-6). 3. Picture 3: unbelievers are disobedient builders (v.7-8).

(v.5-6) there is the second picture—believers are living stones.

1. Believers are being built up into a spiritual house ().

it includes all believers of all generations. It is a picture of what is called the universal church or universal temple of God. Note that God's house is a spiritual house

What Does This Means: a. First, We shall never die or waste away, but we shall live permanently, forever and ever in God's spiritual and eternal house. b. Second, there are many stones who are going to live forever with us(No little “YOU’s” or big “I’s”)

b. Second, there are many stones who are going to live forever with us(No little “YOU’s” or big “I’s”)

The point is this: there is no room for pride, arrogance, envy, jealousy, criticism, backbiting, anger, accusations, discrimination, prejudice, or wrath among God's building; no room for a stone to become puffed up over another stone.

2. Believers are a holy priesthood ().

Now note why we are made priests before God: that we might offer spiritual sacrifices to God. Scripture says that the believer is to make the following sacrifices:

(1) We are to sacrifice your body as a living sacrifice to God. We are not to be conformed to this world. (, , , , )

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" ().

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross [sacrifice himself], and come after me, cannot be my disciple" ().

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death, sacrifice] the deeds of the body, ye shall live" ().

"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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" ().

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" ().

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all" ().

(2) We are to sacrifice our life to God as we walk day by day. We are to follow God in love, even as Christ loved us and gave Himself as an offering and a sacrifice to God. (, )

He is to follow God in love, even as Christ loved us and gave Himself as an offering and a sacrifice to God.

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour" ().

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" ().

(3) we are to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.(, , , , )

"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" ().

"And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing" ().

"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the lord" ().

"The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the lord of hosts: for the lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the lord" ().

"But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the lord" ().

(4) We are to offer the sacrifices of good works and gifts and money. (, , , , , )

"But to do good and to communicate [give] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" ().

"Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth" ().

"I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive" ().

"Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality" ().

"Let him that is taught in the word communicate [give] unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" ().

"That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate [give]" ().

(5) He is to offer spiritual sacrifices, that is, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. (, )

He is to offer spiritual sacrifices, that is, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control.

"Ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" ().

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" ().

"Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD" ().

⇒ He is to sacrifice his life in order to lead people to faith in Christ.

(6) We are to sacrifice our life in order to lead people to faith in Christ. (, , , , )

"Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith [in Christ], I joy, and rejoice with you all" ().

"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" ().

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" ().

"For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you" ().

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" ().

Remember: “Sacrifices are necessary for our spiritual development in Christ. The natural must be turned into the spiritual by sacrifice, otherwise a tremendous divorce will be produced in the actual life.”

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