Sabbath 9-3-16 Seventh Day Baptist Daytona Pastor Wray sermon “What is a Living Sacrifice? “Romans 12:1-2
What’s a living sacrifice? We are to give God our bodies as a living sacrifice. Many don’t like the word sacrifice. They think it’s painful, difficult or unpleasant. We need to understand the nature and character of God. This will help us understand that sacrifice is not always unpleasant. We can come to understand God’s nature when we experience Him as a loving father thru our faith in Jesus Christ. We then will have a relationship with God.
God is not a tyrant nor is He not concerned about our lives. God loves us. The word sacrifice means to make something sacred or it is an offering to a deity, a god. A sacrifice is also the surrendering of something that is valued or loved by us. Sacrifice can also be a loss of something valuable to us. Most Christians think of the last definition of sacrifice. We need to know that sacrifice doesn’t always involve suffering.
In our text, Paul is explaining that success is built on sacrifice. A successful football player must make sacrifices so he can put the game fist. This is how he will be a successful football player. It’s the same way with getting a college education. A student will have to make sacrifices. He will have to decline parties or hang outs so he can study and do well in school. If a Christian want to be closer to God then he must sacrifice things to put the will of God first in his life. We must sacrifice our ways, our wants to the ways of God. Jesus sacrificed His life so He would have the joy of glorifying God and saving people at the same time. Jesus was willing to become a dead sacrifice because He had already become a living sacrifice to God.
We need also to become a Holy sacrifice to God. This means we are dedicated and separated for the use of God. The Good Samaritan made himself available for the use of God when he helped the dying man on the side of the road. Being a living sacrifice is a complete sacrifice to the service of God. This is more than going to worship services each Sabbath. A living sacrifice is a joyful sacrifice. Our Savior is the Good Shepherd who leads his sheep. Jesus doesn’t make us or drive us anywhere we don’t want to go.
Christian Joy makes being a living sacrifice possible. We will experience inward joy and sacrifice when we give ourselves unconditionally to the service of God. The God who gave us His Son to die for us, will not spare anything for us. The more we give of ourselves to God, the more God will give to us. God bestows on us the richest gifts that one can experience. We will know how to live life in its richest quality when we give out lives to God and His Son Jesus Christ. May our lives be a living sacrifice that is dedicated to God so He can use us to bring people to Him.
AMEN
What’s a living sacrifice? We are to give God our bodies as a living sacrifice. Many don’t like the word sacrifice. They think it’s painful, difficult or unpleasant. We need to understand the nature and character of God. This will help us understand that sacrifice is not always unpleasant. We can come to understand God’s nature when we experience Him as a loving father thru our faith in Jesus Christ. We then will have a relationship with God.
God is not a tyrant nor is He not concerned about our lives. God loves us. The word sacrifice means to make something sacred or it is an offering to a deity, a god. A sacrifice is also the surrendering of something that is valued or loved by us. Sacrifice can also be a loss of something valuable to us. Most Christians think of the last definition of sacrifice. We need to know that sacrifice doesn’t always involve suffering.
In our text, Paul is explaining that success is built on sacrifice. A successful football player must make sacrifices so he can put the game fist. This is how he will be a successful football player. It’s the same way with getting a college education. A student will have to make sacrifices. He will have to decline parties or hang outs so he can study and do well in school. If a Christian want to be closer to God then he must sacrifice things to put the will of God first in his life. We must sacrifice our ways, our wants to the ways of God. Jesus sacrificed His life so He would have the joy of glorifying God and saving people at the same time. Jesus was willing to become a dead sacrifice because He had already become a living sacrifice to God.
We need also to become a Holy sacrifice to God. This means we are dedicated and separated for the use of God. The Good Samaritan made himself available for the use of God when he helped the dying man on the side of the road. Being a living sacrifice is a complete sacrifice to the service of God. This is more than going to worship services each Sabbath. A living sacrifice is a joyful sacrifice. Our Savior is the Good Shepherd who leads his sheep. Jesus doesn’t make us or drive us anywhere we don’t want to go.
Christian Joy makes being a living sacrifice possible. We will experience inward joy and sacrifice when we give ourselves unconditionally to the service of God. The God who gave us His Son to die for us, will not spare anything for us. The more we give of ourselves to God, the more God will give to us. God bestows on us the richest gifts that one can experience. We will know how to live life in its richest quality when we give out lives to God and His Son Jesus Christ. May our lives be a living sacrifice that is dedicated to God so He can use us to bring people to Him.
AMEN