A Living Sacrifice

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 4th of September, 2022, Labor Day weekend at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

The ritual of blood sacrifice had been practiced by humans long before Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt.  For thousands of years, man has sacrificed animals, and even other humans, upon both makeshift and ornate altars to appease their gods.  In the Old Testament days of our Bible, especially in the Book of Leviticus, the Jewish people were instructed to make very specific offerings and perform very specific sacrifices for the forgiveness of their specific sins.  But a blood sacrifice was necessary for the full atonement of sin of the soul.

And then Jesus came into our world.  He who was without sin, the pure and Spotless Lamb, was given up as the last blood sacrifice needed for the redemption of mankind.  The author of the Letter to the Hebrews says, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  (Hebrews 10:10 (NKJV))  “Once for all” – one time for all mankind.  No longer is a blood sacrifice needed for the atonement of our sin.

So where does that leave us?  What can we place upon the altar to please God?  Will grain or oil or even our money suffice?  Micah says no.  The prophet tells us that our Lord requires us to “do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly” with our God.  This requires a different kind of sacrifice, a living sacrifice.

Please listen and follow along to what our unknown author wrote in his Letter to the Hebrews, those Jewish believers in Jesus, from chapter 13 verses 1 through 8 and verses 15 and 16, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Hoy Bible this morning…

1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

“I will never fail you.

I will never abandon you.”

6 So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper,

so I will have no fear.

What can mere people do to me?”

7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

--Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for offering up Your own Son as the last blood sacrifice needed for the atonement of our sin.  You sent Jesus to save us from our sin, to save us from ourselves.  Thank You, gracious God, for loving us this much.  Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to act in a manner worthy of Your love.  Forgive us when we hesitate to sacrifice even a little to please You.  Please help us act more justly, more righteously, in all we do.  Remind us that You require us to be forgiving and merciful, just as You have forgiven us and shown us great, undeserved mercy.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who carry out his evil deeds.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  May the instructions in our scripture reading inspire us to act righteously in all our interactions with others.  Help us make those sacrifices that please You.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Every year in Alaska, a 1000 mile dogsled race known as the Iditarod, run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original "race" run to save lives.  Back in January of 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome.  When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-diphtheria serum.  But it wasn't long before Dr. Welch's supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska - 1000 miles of frozen wilderness away.  Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams!  Operating in relays from trading post to trapping station and beyond, one sled started out from Nome while another, carrying the serum, started from Nenana.  Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome.  As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic.  Their sacrifice had given an entire town the gift of life.

History.com has a very interesting and informative article about this amazing delivery, this “Great Race of Mercy”.  The run, covering just over 674 miles of some of the harshest terrain imaginable, took only five-and-a-half days to complete.  And while 20 men and 150 dogs participated in the relay, the only fatalities were four dogs that died of exposure, giving their lives that others might live.  All the survivors experienced problems we could expect from extended exposure to sub-zero weather, near blizzard conditions, and treacherous footing.  These men and their dog teams made a huge sacrifice, without hesitation, so that the people of Nome, Alaska could live.

Our author in his letter to the Hebrew believers gives us a number of living sacrifices we can make.  We can continue to love each other as brothers and sisters.  And I believe there is a secondary message in this.  Siblings often quarrel, don’t they?  Brothers and sisters don’t always get along.  But they still love each other.  They’ll always be brothers, they’ll always be sisters.  This is how we’re supposed to be, we brothers and sisters in Christ.  We’re going to argue and quarrel and not always get along the best in the world.  But we are supposed to always love each other.  Yes, it may be difficult at times, but this is what brothers and sisters do.

Getting back to our list of living sacrifices, we should also show hospitality to strangers, especially since we don’t always know exactly who, or what, we’re dealing with.  And let’s not forget those in jail or prison, or those being unjustly mistreated.  We need to put ourselves in their place, as if we were there, feeling their pain as if in our own bodies.

Honor the institution of marriage – biblical marriage – and remain faithful to one another.  Don’t love money or the things money can buy, but instead be content with what we have.  Look at those who have done good in and with their lives, and follow their example.  And finally, offer a continual sacrifice of praise to God through Jesus.

Now around ten years before this letter was written, the Apostle Paul sent a letter to the church in Rome introducing himself and his doctrine.  Paul also spoke of sacrifice, in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12 of this Letter to the Romans, when he said…

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

--Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

We should give our bodies to God, making of ourselves a holy, living sacrifice.  Jesus gave His mortal life for us, but God is not asking this of us.  He wants us to give up our worldly behavior, the customs of the world, letting Him and His Holy Spirit transform us into the new person by changing how we think, how we view things.

One complaint that has often been levied against the church is that there seems to be no difference between Christians and anyone else.  If a non-believer encounters us, can they see that we are different from themselves or their peers?  No, they can’t, not if we haven’t yet let go of the world and its ways.  We have no choice other than to live in the world, but we don’t have to be of the world.

Most of us still have a lot of work to do in this area.  Me included.  We’re not complete yet, we’ve not quite reached the spiritual maturity Paul often speaks of.  We’ve a ways to go before becoming Christ-like.  But hopefully we are striving in that direction.  And giving of ourselves as living sacrifices goes a long way in achieving this.

The Apostle Peter, in his 1st letter to the early church, offers this encouragement in chapter 2, verses 4 and 5…

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.

5 And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priesthood. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

--1 Peter 2:4-5 (NLT)

We are coming to Christ, becoming more like Christ.  Jesus is the living – and yes, He still lives – the living cornerstone of God’s temple.  And we are also living stones, stones that God is setting together as He builds His spiritual temple.  This is not a brick and mortar structure but a gathering of our spirits into the Kingdom of God, all in the name of Christ Jesus His Son.  So let us continually offer spiritual sacrifices that please our Father God.

Family, this may be Labor Day weekend, but we should never pause our labors for the Lord.  Making of ourselves a living sacrifice requires us to do the work He assigned us, making sacrifices as needed, even if it means sacrificing our leisure time.  Enjoy time with family and friends, but also offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.  And if the opportunity arises to show that we truly are different from the world, take it.  If the chance comes up to make a living sacrifice for someone else, to serve God by helping another, then jump on it.

Let’s give of ourselves, and please God.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for sending Your Son to this earth, that through His sacrifice we might be redeemed.  The blood of the Spotless Lamb washes us clean and atones for our sin.  Thank You, Father, for having mercy upon us poor sinners.  Father, too often we hesitate to offer ourselves to You as living sacrifices, giving of ourselves in Your service.  Too often we appear indistinguishable from the rest of the world.  Sometimes we think too much about our own wants and needs rather than the needs of others, even of our own brothers and sisters in Christ.  Forgive us, Father, during these times when we displease You.  Forgive us when we just can’t let go of the world.  Please, loving Father, help us remember Your word, to live by it.  Keep reminding us of the sacrifice that was made to free us from the shackles of sin.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You made the ultimate sacrifice – taking the beating we deserved and then giving of Your own mortal life for the atonement of our sin.  Thank You, Lord, for always obeying Your Father.  And thank You most of all for loving us so much.  Please, Lord, help us show You and our Father God our love by making of ourselves living sacrifices in service to You.  Please help us realize what it is, what we can do, that pleases God the most.  Forgive us when we hesitate to do what we should do.  Pick us up, and forgive us when we stumble over the things of this world.  Remind us that our true home is in heaven with You, and not on this earth.  And Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.