SACRIFICIAL LIVING: Here Is My Life! A Sacrifice is an Offering Rendered Acceptable to God. To Live Sacrificially is to Offer Your Entire Life to God. Such a Sacrifice is Acceptable to God Only Because of Christ’s Work In You; He is the Final and Complete Sacrifice for the Atonement of Sin: (Hebrews 7:26-27, “[Here is] the High Priest [perfectly adapted] to our needs, as was fitting—holy, blameless, unstained by sin, separated from sinners, and exalted higher than the heavens. He has no day by day necessity, as [do each of these other] high priests, to offer sacrifice first of all for his own [personal] sins and then for those of the people, because He [met all the requirements] once for all when He brought Himself [as a sacrifice] which He offered up.” AMP). Micah knew lavish offerings were Not acceptable to God: (Micah 6:6-8, “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?” AMP). David and Isaiah knew acceptability with God was “a Contrite Heart”: (Psalm 51:17, “My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise” AMP; Isaiah 66:2, “For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My Word and reveres My commands” AMP). Paul described this transaction as “a Living Sacrifice”: (Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship” AMP). Although You Can NEVER Match Christ’s Sacrificial Death – and indeed, are not asked to do so – Your Self-Giving is to be Complete and Wholehearted. Being a Living Sacrifice Means Obeying the Greatest Commandments: Giving God All Your Love, Will, Reason, and Body (Mark 12:29-31, “Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is: Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord; And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment. The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” AMP); Which is Borne Out in Practical, Daily Service to Others: (Matthew 25:34-40, “Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation], inherit (receive as your own) the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me. Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You? And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.” AMP). NO expression of love, however costly, matches the price paid by Christ! And even though your costly expression of love can’t ever match the price Christ paid, the Lord still pays close attention to your Sacrifice! For example, the forgiven woman poured out expensive, fragrant oil to anoint Jesus’ feet, but her gift also involved the recognition of her past and the risk of disclosure of her sin. Her example of Sacrificial Giving, however, Did Not Go Unnoticed (Read: Luke 7:36-50). “But Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go (enter) into peace [in freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin]” AMP. Jesus Sees Your Sacrifice and Servanthood (and He also Sees the Lack Thereof!) SERVANTHOOD: Becoming Great In Jesus’ Way! To Study Biblical Servanthood is to Study Jesus! Jesus’ Only Master Was the Father (Read: Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-12; John 4:34, “Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the Will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.” AMP). Jesus Served Others Because that was the Father’s Assignment (Read: John 17:4-12). Jesus assumed the Title of “Servant”, and this title is incorporated within the Messianic Prophecies in which He is described as the “Servant of the Lord” (Read: Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 49:1-7; Isaiah 50:4-11; Isaiah 52:13-53:12). In fact, Jesus Understood Himself as the Fulfillment of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant. Even before He went to the Cross, Jesus made sure the disciples understood Servanthood. They watched in amazement as He Redefined Leadership by taking a towel and washing their dirty feet. (Read John 13:1-17). “Then He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the [servant’s] towel with which He was girded” John 13:5 AMP. In His Life, Biblical Leadership and Servanthood Were Synonymous. And for many divinely appointed leaders, they likewise described themselves as “Servants”: “From PAUL, a bond servant of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) called to be an apostle, (a special messenger) set apart to [preach] the Gospel (good news) of and from God,” (Romans 1:1 AMP); “PAUL AND TIMOTHY, bond servants of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), to all the saints (God’s consecrated people) in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops (overseers) and deacons (assistants):” (Philippians 1:1 AMP); “SIMON PETER, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of) like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” (2 Peter 1:1 AMP); “JUDE, a servant of Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and brother of James, [writes this letter] to those who are called (chosen), dearly loved by God the Father and separated (set apart) and kept for Jesus Christ:” (Jude 1:1 AMP). Normally Servanthood is placed at the bottom rung of the ladder of success, with authority at the top. Jesus, however, in a revolutionary way, flipped the ladder right side up! In Imitating Him, Servants Neither Lose Their Identities Nor Become Doormats; They Simply Become Great: (Mark 10:43, “But this is not to be so among you; instead, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant” AMP). Many Women Also Rendered Such Service: RUTH Served Her Mother-in-Law Naomi: (Ruth 1:16-17, “And Ruth said, Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you.” AMP); ESTHER Served Her People in One of Their Darkest Hours: (Esther 4:16, “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me; and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I also and my maids will fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” AMP); The Prophetess ANNA Served the Lord in the Temple: (Luke 2:37, “And as a widow even for eighty-four years. She did not go out from the temple enclosure, but was worshiping night and day with fasting and prayer.” AMP); MARY of Bethany Anointed the Savior With Costly Oil: (Matthew 26:6-10, “Now when Jesus came back to Bethany and was in the house of Simon the leper, A woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very precious perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, For what purpose is all this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor. But Jesus, fully aware of this, said to them, Why do you bother the woman? She has done a noble (praiseworthy and beautiful) thing to Me.” AMP); WOMEN Followed Him Faithfully Even to the Cross in Order to Minister to His Needs: (Matthew 27:55, “There were also numerous women there, looking on from a distance, who were of those who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him” AMP). Is Is Also Important To Note That There Is NO Shame In Biblical Servanthood: (Isaiah 49:23, “And kings shall be your foster fathers and guardians, and their queens your nursing mothers. They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know [with an acquaintance and understanding based on and grounded in personal experience] that I am the Lord; for they shall not be put to shame who wait for, look for, hope for, and expect Me.” AMP), Which Carries the Imprimatur (“Authority or Approval”) of the Lord’s Confidence (Isaiah 42:1, “Behold my Servant, Whom I uphold, My elect in Whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice and right and reveal truth to the nations.” AMP). Such a Servant Works With a Gentle, Sensitive Spirit: (Isaiah 42:2, “He will not cry or shout aloud or cause His voice to be heard in the street.” AMP). Such a Servant Refuses to Quit Under Suffering: (Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench; He will bring forth justice in truth.” AMP). The God-Honoring Servant Ultimately Does Not Fail and Presents Worthy Goals (Isaiah 42:4, “He will not fail or become weak or be crushed and discouraged till He has established justice in the earth; and the islands and coastal regions shall wait hopefully for Him and expect His direction and law.” AMP). Such a Servant is Undergirded by the Lord: (Isaiah 42:6, “I the Lord have called You [the Messiah] for a righteous purpose and in righteousness; I will take You by the hand and will keep You; I will give You for a covenant to the people [Israel], for a light to the nations [Gentiles],” AMP; Isaiah 49:5, “And now, says the Lord—Who formed me from the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him and not be swept away, for I am honorable in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength—“ AMP); and Such a Servant is Rewarded With a Fulfilling Ministry That Glorifies the Lord: (Isaiah 42:7, “To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness from the prison.” AMP; Isaiah 49:3-4, 6, “And [the Lord] said to me, You are My servant, Israel [you who strive with God and with men and prevail], in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in empty futility; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense is with my God…He says, It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors [of the judgments] of Israel; I will also give you for a light to the nations, that My salvation may extend to the end of the earth.” AMP). The Servants of Jesus Should Always Be Easily Recognized: (Mark 10:43, “But this is not to be so among you; instead, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant,” AMP; John 13:13-16, “You call Me the Teacher (Master) and the Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is what I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him.” AMP). Servants of Jesus Will Always Be Humbly Ready for Service in Every Way: (Ephesians 6:5-9, “Servants (slaves), be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive and with all your heart, as [service] to Christ [Himself]—Not in the way of eye-service [as if they were watching you] and only to please men, but as servants (slaves) of Christ, doing the will of God heartily and with your whole soul; Rendering service readily with goodwill, as to the Lord and not to men, Knowing that for whatever good anyone does, he will receive his reward from the Lord, whether he is slave or free. You masters, act on the same [principle] toward them and give up threatening and using violent and abusive words, knowing that He Who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons (no partiality) with Him.” (AMP); Philippians 2:6-8, “Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and [rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!” (AMP; Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” AMP). So How Well Would You Do On A Test Of Sacrifice and Servanthood? Would You Pass or Fail?
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 10:42:39 +0000
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