“Living
Sacrifices”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. It seems from the early advertisements that a big issue in the election
for governor this year is going to be a debate about what some consider to be
our state’s deficits, in tax revenue, job creation, and employment. But,
there is yet another deficit, which affects all of us, a deficit far more
serious and consequential for our everyday lives. We could call it the
“self-sacrifice deficit.” Many of our society’s woes can be traced
directly to the “self-sacrifice deficit,” a lack of willingness to sacrifice
ourselves for the sake of others, sometimes even for the sake of our closest
loved ones. Self-sacrifice is not an easy thing. The marriage relationship,
for example, very often requires great sacrifice of yourself, your wishes, your
needs, your desires, for the sake of your spouse. Likewise, being a parent
means much self-sacrifice for the sake of your children. And being a
Christian means total self-sacrifice for the sake of your Lord. The “self-sacrifice deficit” arises when we ask ourselves: Why?
Why do it? Why should I sacrifice myself for the sake of others? We
ask ourselves why, and we don’t have an answer. So we stop sacrificing
ourselves and instead selfishly serve ourselves. Why sacrifice yourself for the sake of your spouse, your children, your
Lord? The Apostle Paul tells us why in the first verse of today’s Epistle
Reading from the twelfth chapter of Romans: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in
view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship.” “In view of God’s mercy.” That is why we sacrifice
ourselves. “In view of God’s mercy,” a response to the Lord, a way of
saying “thank you, God.” “Thank you, God,” because we do not deserve mercy, but punishment.
Paul says in Galatians, “The Scripture declares that the whole world is a
prisoner of sin.” The Apostle John says, “If we claim to be without sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” With our sin, we have
earned not mercy but punishment, the punishment of eternal death and damnation.
“For the wages of sin is death.” “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
God sent his Son to pay the penalty for the sins of humankind, to earn
forgiveness for you and me and the whole world. The Apostle Peter says,
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” John says, “This is
how God showed his love for us: He sent his only-begotten Son into the world
that we would have life through him. . . he loved us and sent his Son as
an atoning sacrifice for our sins. . . He is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins and not only ours but for the sins of the whole world . . . and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.” Paul says in Romans,
“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.”
Put your faith, your trust, your hope for salvation in Jesus Christ and the
forgiveness he earned for you by his atoning sacrifice, his blood, shed on the
cross. There are two types of sacrifices. The life, death and resurrection of
Jesus is a sacrifice of atonement, paying the penalty for your sin and earning
your forgiveness. The good works we do are not sacrifices of atonement, earning
forgiveness, but sacrifices of thanksgiving, our response to Jesus’ sacrifice of
atonement for us, our way of saying “thank you, God.” The bloody animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were only symbolic,
pointing forward to the ultimate, final, sacrificial victim. As John the
Baptist says of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world.” The book of Hebrews says, “We have been made holy through the
sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . [he did] away with
sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Our God no longer desires animal
sacrifices, because what those sacrifices only symbolized has been fulfilled in
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ Instead of animal sacrifices, our Lord desires
that you offer up to him your very self as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians, “He died for all, that those who live
should live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose
again.” There is a figure of speech called an oxymoron, a combination of words
that contradict each other, often in an amusing and ironic way. Examples
of amusing oxymorons are “government efficiency” and “Microsoft Works.”
Some people might even say that “short sermon” is an oxymoron. Those are unintentional oxymorons. See if you can detect Paul’s
intentional oxymoron in our text: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God, which is your spiritual worship.” The intentional oxymoron in that
verse is “living sacrifices.” Sacrificial victims by their very definition
are not living. With the intentional oxymoron “living sacrifices” Paul
makes a powerful point: We are to offer up to the Lord not dead animals, but our
very selves, as human sacrifices, living human sacrifices. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual
worship.” “Bodies” in this verse means not just our physical bodies
but our entire being. The Good News Bible translates, “Offer yourselves as
a living sacrifice.” Offer yourself as a “living sacrifice” first of all
by giving your heart, your devotion, your love to Jesus. Offer yourself as a “living sacrifice” with your prayer and praise,
your worship here in the Lord’s house. Offer yourself as a “living
sacrifice” by giving of yourself, your time, your talents, your treasure, to the
work of Christ’s Church. But, it’s not only what we consider to be the religious aspects of our
lives that are a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord. Paul says in
Colossians, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” This weekend we are celebrating Labor Day, and the Bible teaches that
the daily work God has given you is much more than just a way for you to earn a
living. Your work in this world is an important part of you being a
“living sacrifice” for the Lord. Any honest occupation is actually a
Christian good work, “holy and pleasing to God.” As Paul also says in
Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for men . . . It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” And all the self-sacrifices you make for your spouse and children, that
also is part of you being a “living sacrifice” for the Lord. Next time you
are doing laundry or fixing supper or mowing the lawn or changing a diaper,
remember that all these things are not just mundane chores but actually
Christian good works, “holy and pleasing to God,” all part of you being a
“living sacrifice” for the Lord. “Whatever you do, whether in word or
deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.” “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual
worship.” Why sacrifice yourself for the sake others, for the sake of your spouse
and children? Why sacrifice yourself for the sake of your Lord? “In view
of God’s mercy.” All your self-sacrifices are really sacrifices of
thanksgiving to the Lord, part of you offering yourself to him as a “living
sacrifice . . . in view of God’s mercy.” Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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