Acceptable Sacrifices Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICES

Heb. 9:21-26,28 “Moreover he (Moses) sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of ministry,
22 And almost all things are by law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the HOLY PLACES MADE WITH HANDS which are figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the Holy place every year with blood of others;
26 ... but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (parenthesis and emphasis mine)
Let us consider one more aspect of priestly duties before we look into the New Testament concerning the attitude of Jesus about giving and tithing, the aspect of sacrificing. Sacrificing was one of the duties of the Levitical priests that was very significant and was of critical importance.
It is an accepted understanding in the church world today that Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the entire world, and thus, we are not required to sacrifice animals for sin any longer. This is very true, as scriptures above bear out. As a matter of fact, there is no tribe of Levi, even in Israel today, that is sacrificing for sins or receiving tithes, as there was then. However, there are some sacrifices mentioned in the new covenant that are acceptable and pleasing to God, when given by the ministers of his temple. (US!)
The first one we will consider is one that is not only acceptable, but necessary if we are to please God and live victorious lives.
Rom. 12:1 “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.”
Notice, first of all, that the sacrifice is to be a living one, not dead, and not some inanimate object. Secondly, notice that this sacrifice is to be 100%. This is not a request for a smaller portion of who we are or what we possess, but it is a sacrifice of our entire selves.
I have heard it said that we should tithe of our money, but also of our time. This would mean giving 10% of our money and setting aside two hours and forty minutes of our time each day, for the Lord. While this may seem like a noble idea, it somehow doesn't seem to fit the picture given here, for if my whole self has been given to the Lord, so then must all that I have and all that I do be his. The New Testament tells us in 1 Thes. 5:17
“Pray without ceasing,”
And in verse 18 this is said - “In everything give thanks ...”
Although we may not be able to verbalize prayers non-stop, we are to be in communication with God at all times. He is to be a very real part of our whole mind set, not just two hours and forty minutes of every day. Further, the author of Romans says this is our “reasonable service”) (12:1). The Greek word for 'reasonable' is logikos; log-ik-os', “rational (“logical”)” (Strong's) To present our bodies a living sacrifice is a logical service. One of the meanings for 'logic' is; “the apparently unavoidable cause and effect relationship of events leading to a particular conclusion” (Webster's). Consider the cause and effect related to the giving, or not giving of this sacrifice.
When man was created, in the beginning, he was created to function with a particular power source, which is the Holy Spirit. He was not created to be disconnected from his creator. Just as an automobile is made to run on gasoline or diesel fuel, so man was created to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Although we can walk, talk and think, even when not in tune with God, we live in what God calls darkness. This is because without the the Holy Spirit, we are unable to fully distinguish either the influences, nor the realities of all we see and hear. Thus, we live in the dark, unable to distinguish good from evil.
Satan, who is the enemy of our souls, wants us to be ignorant of the spiritual influences that are constantly around us. He wants man to think he can be his own sovereign authority, making his own decisions, without having any god in his life except for himself. This is a very dangerous thing. It is like walking into traps set by an enemy, while the enemy watches from his hiding place, and you are totally unaware of him or his traps.
If we have not given ourselves over to the Lord, allowing his Spirit to influence our lives, then there are other influences that will influence us even against our knowledge. There are powers more powerful than our own which are in the air around us that are very subtle and cunning. Satan is the prince of these powers and by ourselves, separated from our power source, we are no match for these ever present, deceitful powers. In fact, we are constantly subject to their control and influence, while being deceived into thinking we are doing things our own way. We are deceived because we are walking in the dark.
If we live in sin, we are dead to Christ. In other words, he cannot use us or get any more life out of us than you could get out of a corpse, because Christ is life and he is not in us.
Rom. 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.”
If and when, we are not available to Christ, Satan finds us to be a prime target. Without our power source, he sees us as having little or no power, thus being a place or vessel that he can use. He will be the spiritual influence. He will whisper into our ears, present us with things to entice us, and use us to fulfill his own purposes. We will be unaware that it is he who is influencing our lives. You see, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, they did not eat of the seed of good and evil. The fruit that they ate was of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. It was not called 'the tree of good and evil' but of 'the knowledge of good and evil'. Up to that time, they had only experienced good. Once they ate of that fruit, however, they had a knowledge, even by experience, of evil also, because in the very act of eating the fruit, they were experiencing disobedience, which is sin, which is evil.
Since that time Satan has not stopped using his influence to deceive man into thinking evil is good and good is evil. He is a master of deception who paints and decorates evil, enticing man, convincing him it is good, just as he did with Eve. Man, without the spiritual influence of the Holy Spirit, cannot distinguish the truth from the lie. Satan imposes his own rulership.
When Jesus saves us, his Spirit dwells in us again, and once again, we have light and life. When this happens, the tables are turned. The light comes on in our heart and mind, and we are no more good to Satan than a corpse. Now he is the one who cannot control us, for God's Spirit guides us and shows us, through God's Word, what the truth is, so long as we allow him to, by yielding to Him, listening to him and reading the guide book – THE WORD OF GOD. Then we become wise to Satan's lies. We can read about this in Ephesians 2:1-6
1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, (Satan) the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [“to make one alive together with another” (Lexicon)] us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (some parenthesis and emphasis mine) (added notation)
First we were dead IN sins, and dead TO Christ, as we followed the guidance of the prince of the power of the air. But then, God, who is great in love and mercy, cleansed us and joined himself to us, giving us life. Now, rather than being dead in sin, we are dead to sin.
Considering all of this, then, does it not seem reasonable for us to present these bodies of ours to our Saviour continuously, so that he can keep us clean, whole, separated from Satan's control and use us according to his own will and purpose?
It is Christ, after all, who gives us life and perception so we can see what is truly good and what is evil; that we be not deceived. It is he who fills us with that precious power source and the source of revelation, the Holy Spirit of God. Is it not very reasonable to give ourselves to him 100%, so he can work his good work in us? Let us present our bodies to him as a sacrifice that is alive because he has made it so! If it is his, he can keep it alive!
I find this logical and I find no fault with this request. If I give myself, I find real life. If I try for self control, I realize it is only an illusion. How can I control my life without power or understanding? Without this, I am subject to sin and death.
Choosing life and freedom from sin's control is a good and reasonable choice. Through Christ, I am free to be the me I was created to be. I am free to think my own thoughts and dream my own dreams, with God, who is love, truth and wisdom, ever free to guide me and keep me from harm.
Rom.6:9-14 “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (AND SO DO WE!)
11 Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members (“limb or part of the body” [Strong's]) as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as members of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, but under GRACE. (parenthesis and emphasis mine)

HOW PERFECT AND PURE IS OUR GOD AND ALL OF HIS WAYS!!

The first sacrifice we have looked at that is acceptable and needful in the New Covenant is obviously not one that requires a large building nor numerous ministers to perform. It is spiritual and individual.
1Pet. 2:5 “Ye also, as lively (live ...[Strong's]) stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
(added notation)
The Greek word for 'spiritual' is pneumatikos, pnyoo-mat-ik-os'; “not carnal, that is, (humanly) ethereal (as opposed to gross), ... or (divinely) supernatural, regenerate, religious: - spiritual” (Strong's)
This verse tells us that we are the house of God, but that it is a spiritual house. It also tells us that we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices. My friend, the spiritual sacrifices which we offer, we offer in his house – OUR BODIES! If you are used to thinking of some church building as the house of God, please readjust your thinking to agree with the Word of God.
Psalm 51:15-17 “Oh Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew (... announce ...declare ...[Strong's]) forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Matt. 12:34 tells us “ ... for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (added notation)
Today God wants a sacrifice that flows from deep within the heart of a man. Whatever we have the most of in our innermost being will be heard from our lips.
BUT WHAT IS A BROKEN SPIRIT? It is the condition of a man's spirit when he realizes his true, lost and sinful state in which he has been living without God and when a man realizes the pain he has brought to the Saviour by ignoring or rejecting the work he did at Calvary. It is also the realization of our weak, helpless and useless condition by ourselves, disconnected from God. The Hebrew word for 'broken' here, is shabar, shaw-bar'; to burst (lit. or fig.): break (down, off, in pieces, up), broken ([hearted]), bring to the birth, crush ...” (Strong's)
We understand what it means to have a broken heart, but when we bring both our heart and our spirit that have been wounded by sin, in their broken condition, God will lovingly and gently receive them, forgive them, mend them and unite them with his Holy Spirit. However, if we try to come to God with a proud and arrogant spirit, that we think is self sufficient, and feel we are doing God some favor, he will not receive such a spirit. Usually this does not happen, for the man who thinks he doesn't need God does not usually come to him. Being self-willed, preoccupied with his own plans and his own will, while really blind to what is in control of his life, such a man will often ignore God, or at least attempt to.
It is when we realize, deep within our spirit, that without the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we can in no wise make it, that we will yield totally to the loving arms of God. We must acknowledge our utter helplessness without the Saviour. Sometimes we begin by coming to Christ with this realization, but as time goes by, we begin to slip back into a pattern of self dependency and self pride. It is important to keep our sights on the Saviour and continue to keep our bodies under subjection to our Lord.
Matt. 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
1 Cor. 1:26,27,29 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
When the Bible speaks of the flesh in a negative way, it is referring to the flesh by itself, without the Holy Spirit of God. When he created us, God was pleased with his creation, but God did not intend man to be disconnected from himself, or to live without his power source. He did not intend for our bodies to rule us. So when he speaks of the works of the flesh, or deeds of the flesh, as something bad, he is speaking of the flesh by itself, disconnected from God. When God is in us, our bodies are his temple, not something to be despised.
Rom. 8:13 “For if you live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
It will take a broken spirit and a contrite heart in order for a man to present his body a living sacrifice. It takes realizing our true condition and a sense of remorse and sorrow, before we will turn all that we are over to the Lord. But, oh! what blessedness when the Spirit of God lives within us!
As blood is pumped to every part of the body and keeps it alive, so the Holy Spirit brings our heart, our spirit and our mind alive and brings health to our bodies!
Rom. 8:6 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
Matt. 16:24, 25 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Do you see how different are the sacrifices required in the New Covenant from those of the old? Daily death to self and selfish ambition, that Christ may live in and through us, rather than the many external sacrifices practiced by the Levites in the Law. How much more fulfilling to give these sacrifices too! What joy to have our tired spirits rejuvenated and to have the eyes of our understanding opened and to walk in newness of life.
Those priest of old ministered on and on. They had the prophesies of the Saviour to come, and thy carried out physical acts that symbolized and demonstrated the good things to come, but these people's eyes were blind and they could not see to understand. The ones waiting for the Saviour did not recognize him and when he came, they crucified him. All their sacrifices did not open their eyes. But when we give the sacrifices required of us, that have to do with giving ourselves, we are blessed with life and the light of understanding! PRAISE GOD!! Jesus, when speaking to the disciples in Matt. 13:15 & 16, said,
15 “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears for they hear.
Let us consider only three more acceptable sacrifices. These are found in Hebrews 13:15 & 16
15 “By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16 But to do good and to communicate FORGET NOT: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (parenthesis and emphasis mine)
The first sacrifice named here is praise. Praise, in these scriptures is called “giving thanks to his name”. Now the Greek for 'thanks' is homologeo, hom-ol-og-eh'-o; 'to assent, that is, covenant, acknowledge: con- (pro-) fess, confession is made, give thanks, praise.” And the Greek word for 'name' is onoma, on'-om-a; “a 'name' (lit. or fig.) [authority, character]: - called, (sur) name (-d)” (Strong's)
I believe that when we acknowledge, make a covenant with, and verbally confess, the authority and character of Jesus Christ, this is praise to him. When from the abundance of our heart, our lips testify of the things he has done for us by his power, his love and his authority, we bring honor to his name. But I also believe God is praised when we have made a covenant with him and his authority and character are seen in our lives even more than just by words that say he is good and is Lord. When others see him in us, then he is honored. So, the sacrifice of praise, giving thanks to his name, is more than mere words spoken, whether in conversation, prayer or song. We could dance, sing and speak words of praise to a dumb idol. But the life of an idol cannot be seen in us, for it has no life in it.
There is such a thing as 'will worship'.
Col. 2:23 “Which things have indeed a SHEW of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; NOT IN ANY HONOUR to the satisfying of the FLESH. (emphasis mine)
This 'will worship', in the Greek, is ethelothreskeia, eth-el-oth-race-ki'-ah; “voluntary (arbitrary and unwarranted) piety, that is, sanctimony:- will worship” (Strong's) How many people today, who keep no true covenant with God's person or his authority, go to church regularly and worship, saying and singing such things as “Praise the Lord”! And Glory to his name”!? How often do they speak empty words, showing piety and sanctity, but not touching God's heart except perhaps to irritate him, anger him or sadden him? Do not think that you can separate your praise and worship from your lifestyle or your relationship with those who God has created.
WHEN IS GOD PLEASED WITH OUR SACRIFICE OF PRAISE?
When we have submitted to his authority (name) and character and have experienced how good it is. When we have tasted and seen that the Lord, indeed is good! When our lips speak from knowledge, from the abundance of our heart, of the greatness of our God. When our souls confess and profess the truth of his goodness, in praise and joy, as our lives demonstrate the reality of God, then is God pleased with our sacrifice!
The second sacrifice in Hebrews 13:16, is to “do good”. Good in the Greek, is eupiia, yoo-poy-ee'-ah; “well doing, that is, beneficence: to do good” (Strong's) Webster defines 'beneficence' as “performing, or causing to be done, acts of kindness; doing good.” As we have already seen, men know we are disciples of Christ when we have love for our brothers. The life in Christ is a life of giving of self for others and so the word 'sacrifice' fits well. We are told in verse 16, not to forget to do good, and that God is well pleased with this sacrifice. Our Christianity must be lived outside of church buildings and practiced in God's temple. It must be seen in his 'temple', our bodies, as we reach out to show kindness and minister to our precious each others who are also his 'temple'.
The last sacrifice named in Hebrews 13:16 is to “communicate”. This word in the Greek is koinonia, koy-nohn-ee'-ha; “partnership, that is, (lit.) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-) distribution, fellowship” (Strong's) 'Pecuniary' has to do with money.
Since we are all a part of Christ, we are to have a partnership and share with one another, as need be, whether in sharing spiritually or materially. We are to demonstrate the love of God, the hope of eternity and the living Word, but we are also to reach out to each other's material needs. Selfishness is not to be a part of the Christians heart.
Gal. 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the LAW OF CHRIST”.
(emphasis mine)
You might notice that this sacrifice of communicating is the one which can also involve money, but notice also, that this sacrifice does not designate an amount, and certainly no percentage is named. It is left open to the need and the relationship of partnership. Each individual is allowed freedom to be led by the Spirit of God and to do as the Lord directs his heart and/or as he determines based upon the love that is in him to reach out and minister to those he is in partnership with.
As Christians, we are connected to each other by the blood of Jesus and by his Word. We are to care for each other as Christ cared for us and as having given to him our bodies a living sacrifice.
So, there are sacrifices for God's priesthood to offer. They are to be offered in and from his house, but these do not require a building built by man in which to offer them up. They are spiritual sacrifices to be given from the heart and they are to be a part of who we are. We are children of the King! We do not have to receive 10% of any other man's income in order to be able to perform these services. All we need is the love of God and the power and inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
These sacrifices are not just to be done by pastors, but by the household of God, who is all of us who are born of God. We give our sacrifice and are, in turn, filled with love, joy and peace! What a deal! Won't you gladly accept the new and better way Jesus has brought to us? The bondage of the past is of no value. There is no use to hold on to it, when there is a life of liberty to be enjoyed!

THANK YOU LORD JESUS!