Total Sacrifice Equals Total Satisfaction (Transforming Truths) Chapel 8/17/22

Introduction

Can you think of a statement that somebody said to you that left a lasting impression on your life? Maybe it was an encouraging word from a parent, a teacher, a coach, or a friend. Maybe it was even a word of rebuke or criticism from somebody. We have all received encouraging and discouraging words that have shaped us into who we are today.

* Tell the story : I remember my dad early on in my life trying to instill in me a work ethic. I remember him always telling me that if I work hard in like then I can do anything. He asked me to rake the leaves in the backyard once, I was maybe 8 years old. He was watching me from inside the house at the window and he opened the door and came outside, and said “no son, watch this and do it like this”. He raked out every flower bed and every little piece of dog poop in that yard in the same amount of time it took me to rake one little flower bed. I remember things like that. Him always saying to work hard and to take initiative. It changed my thinking about chores and working. It made me a better worker

*Tell the story : I remember my golf coach in high school...

It changed how I viewed school work. It made me a better worker.

We all have great stories of how people have helped us and given us advice and wisdom.

But imagine if my dad and my coach and everybody else in my life gave me all this great advice but I didn’t do anything about it. I simply stayed the same and didn’t do what they said.

Your Heavenly Father has given you an incredible amount of advice and wisdom in His Holy Word. If you want to have a successful life of dedication to the Lord, you must allow biblical truths to transform your life. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us All of the Bible is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and when we grab hold of an individual truth, it has the power to transform our lives. Through reading these passages and applying them to our lives, we can have spiritual victory against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Romans 12:1-2 contain some of the most life changing principles found in the Bible. From this passage, we learn what it means to surrender our lives totally to the Lord. Only through living a life totally surrendered to God will the Christian ever find true satisfaction, joy, and peace. This single truth has the power to transform your life.

Romans 12:1–2 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. 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.

The Olympics are a serious competition between countries and many countries take it very very seriously. In the country of China, Olympic athletes are chosen when they are as young as six years old. From that point on, they will attend special schools where they will have intense training in their particular sport. They will rarely see their parents or family. Everything about their lives willl now revolve around training for the Olympics. They will live in total surrender to the country of China. They are literally living sacrifices for their country.

As Christians, God has called us to be living sacrifices, but what we are called to do is far greater than anything else in this word. If these children can commit their lives to work for a medal, how much more should we as Christians commit our lives to Christ? God has called us by His mercy to be living sacrifices. So we are going to look at what that means, why we do it, and how we do it.

1. The Meaning of Being a Living Sacrifice

What do you think of when you typically think of sacrifice? The image that may come to mind is maybe an animal being sacrificed in Old Testament times. Or maybe you think of something more modern, like a parent sacrificing their time and money for their children.

For first century readers, the word sacrifice would call to mind animal sacrifices. They would think of DEAD sacrifices, but certainly not LIVING sacrifices. So when Paul told them to be living sacrifices, that would have brought questions into their minds. As a Christian in the first century, what was Paul referring to when he said, “living sacrifice”?

A. The Living

There is a great depth of meaning to being a living sacrifice. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Hebrews to practice many different types of sacrifices. Generally, these sacrifices were dead animals. The shedding of the animal’s blood was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice that Jesus would one day make on the cross.

Leviticus 17:11 KJV 1900

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9:11–12 KJV 1900

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Once Jesus had sacrificed Himself on the cross, He had fulfilled the law of the Old Testamnet. There was no more need to sacrifice animals. But what Christ asked us to do was to give our LIVES to Him in obedience as LIVING sacrifices.

When we live in obedience to Christ, we are identifying with His death and living in the power of His resurrection.

We are choosing to deny our fleshly desires, instead embracing the desires that Christ has for us.

Galatians 2:20 KJV 1900

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

B. The Sacrifice

To present your bodies as a living sacrifice is an act of worship. This is what true worship is about - sacrificing something for someone or something. For example, when we praise the Lord, we are offering Him a sacrifice of Praise.

Hebrews 13:15 KJV 1900

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.

Not every sacrifice is an act of worship, but all worship involves sacrifice. By presenting our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, we are worshiping Christ. True worship of someone or something always includes some type of sacrifice to that person or thing.

By sacrificing our lives to the Lord, we are showing Him that we love Him so much that we are willing to give all that we are to Him. We are putting our trust in His plans and purposes for our lives.

2. The Motivation of Being a Living Sacrifice

So what is our motivation to be a living sacrifice? In understanding what anything is, it’s often helpful to first look at what it is not.

A. What our motivation is not

Our motivation for being a living sacrifice is not to gain the approval of God. As His children, we are already accepted in His sight. Thee is nothing we can do to make Christ love us any more than He already does right now.

Romans 8:38–39 KJV 1900

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our motivation is also not because of obligation. He never asks us to pay Him back for our debt. He simply forgave that debt when we asked Him to save us. Our motivation to serve Christ comes from our relationship and gratitude, not by our religion or guilt. Why is it that many Christians devote their whole lives to complete devotion to Christ, even though they know they’ll still get to Heaven without doing anything great for God? They do so because they love their Saviour. When we understand what Christ has done for us, we are motivated to present our bodies as living sacrifices to Him.

B. What our motivation is

One criticism some may have about Christianity is that we do not believe that we earn our way to Heaven; instead we believe that if someone puts their faith in Christ’s death and resurrection they will go to Heaven, even if they still sin. Sometimes someone may ask “So you can just sin over and over again and still go to Heaven?” And the answer is absolutely yes. If we have trusted Christ as our Savior, then there is nothing we can do that will make Him break His promise of eternal life.

But there is another side to the answer. After we get saved, we are no longer under the control of sin. We have been freed from it by the Power of Christ.

Romans 6:18 KJV 1900

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

As Christians, we believe that we were previously in a hopeless battle against sin, trying to fight it in our own strength. We believe that even though we may have fought hard, we were still on our way to Hell. We had no hope. But then we met Jesus, who in His righteousness took our punishment for us by dying on the cross. We believe that we had a debt so great that we could never pay it, but because of His selfless love for us, Jesus died to pay that debt. That is our motivation to be a living sacrifice - Christ’s finished work on the cross. Yes, as Christians, we may continue to sin. But knowing what Christ has done for us causes us to want to serve Him and please Him.

Romans 6:1–2 KJV 1900

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

The person who uses grace as an excuse to sin does not understand what grace is. Because of what Christ has done for us, we have the grace to not sin. Grace is not a license to sin. It gives us the freedom from it so that we do not sin.

*Illustration of a friend rescuing you from a fire, got cuts and 3rd degree burns.

Your relationship with that friend would change after that. This friend saved your life, and he risked his own in the process. You would never forget what that friend did for you. You would probably then want to help your friend in any way you could, not because your friend asked you to , but because of what he did for you and your appreciation for him. The fact that he saved your life would stir you to action, not because of obligation, but because of love.

What is our motivation to be a living sacrifice? Paul tells us clearly in the text that it is “by the mercies of God”. In other words, when we realize the incredible mercy God has shown to us, we feel compelled to offer our lives to Him as a living sacrifice. It is the only reasonable response to the great mercy of God.

Ephesians 2:4–5 KJV 1900

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

3. The Method of Being a Living Sacrifice

So how exactly do we present our bodies as a living sacrifice? Doing so basically means that you surrender your life to the Lord. But what does that mean specifically.

A. Surrender for Salvation

The first real step to obeying God’s commandment to be a living sacrifice is surrendering to God for salvation. Here is a definition of surrender just in case you don’t understand: To surrender means to stop resisting someone and submit to their authority.

Luke 15:3–7 KJV 1900

And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Some of you are like this lost sheep who just runs and runs away from the Shepherd. You are running and running from Christ. You’re resisting Him. He’s standing at the door of your heart and knocking and you wont answer. Even now as I say this you tune me out because you don’t want to deal with this right now. Listen to me, if not now, then when. Christ has made a way for you to have a relationship with Him and to spend eternity in Heaven. Why wait? When will you stop resisting and fighting God, and just submit to Him for salvation?

If you’re not sure that you have a relationship with Jesus or if you’re going to Heaven, will you talk to somebody about that today? Come talk to me, or a teacher, or a friend, or a family member, but talk to somebody.

B. Surrender for Sanctification

Sanctification - the process of being molded into the image of Christ

It means you’re becoming holy. You’re being made free from sin and becoming more like Christ.

Listen, a necessary step, in order to become more like Christ, is to surrender your every day life to Him. So you have already surrendered to Him for salvation, right. That was the first step, surrender for salvation. You said God I know I’m a sinner who deserves Hell, I know you died on the cross and rose from the dead, and I asked you to save me so I can spend an eternity with you in Heaven. So you have trusted God with your eternity, but the second step now is trusting God with your every day life here on earth. You are bringing everything you think, say, and do under submission to Him.

Maybe there’s one area of your life that you haven’t surrendered to the Lord or maybe there’s multiple. Maybe it’s school, God I’ll act like a Christian at home and at church but when I’m at school I’m just gonna do what I want to do. When I’m around that group of friends or that group of people I’m gonna act different than a Christian and talk different than a Christian. Maybe its your relationship with a girlfriend or a boyfriend. God I’ll act like a Christian in every area of my life, except this area, Lord, don’t touch this area I still wanna be able to mess around with my girlfriend. Maybe its sports, God I’ll have a clean mouth at home and at school but once I step on that football field and that basketball court, I’m gonna talk smack and I’m gonna have filthy language. Maybe its your phone, God I’m a good enough Christian in every other area of my life except for what I look at on my phone, I don’t want to tell anybody the truth and I don’t want to change that. Maybe its a burden you’ve been holding on to for too long, or maybe its some bitterness you’ve had against someone for too long.

In the quietness of this moment, just let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

Here’s your challenge, think of at least one area in your life you have not completely surrendered to the Lord, and write that down on your flag. A good indicator of an area in your life that you have not surrendered to the Lord is if the Lord is the very last thing on your mind in that moment.

Maybe you’re not even to this point yet, maybe you need to surrender to the Lord for salvation. If that’s you I pray you’ll talk to someone about that. But think of one thing, one area of your life, that you can surrender to the Lord today.

By doing this you’re saying “God, I’m no longer resisting you and rebelling against you in this area. I am submitting to your authority”.

Surrender = satisfaction. The only way to be truly satisfied in this life is to be surrendered to God.

At the very minimum, my challenge is for you to surrender your school year this year. If you cant think of anything else to put on there, put school. By writing school on that flag, you are telling God, God this school year is dedicated to you and I will submit to your authority and seek to honor you in everything I do.