Better Than Sacrifice

Better Than Sacrifice

Sacrifices made to God are meant to be an external expression of an internal reality. One may surrender their time, abilities, possessions, money, goals, preferences, preoccupations, etc. to God in such a way that they glorify and further His Name and His Kingdom. However, for many reasons (hypocrisy, pride, guilt, deception, misinformation, immaturity, ritualism, etc.), many sacrifices meant to please Father God are actually offensive to Him. Why? Because the motivations for, attitudes about, or resentments associated with these sacrifices can reveal a warped, negative, unhealthy, or even hateful/repulsive attitude towards Him. And the reality is, God is the only one who can see the truth about what is going on in someone’s heart.

The Bible makes very clear that sacrifices given out of improper motives are not valued by God. Here are a few examples that help us understand the importance of our attitudes and intentions when it comes to making sacrifices to the Lord.

To Humble Yourself Before God is Better Than Sacrifice

• Psalm 51:16-17 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
• When we truly humble ourselves before God, we show that we desire to honor and please Him. Genuine humility demonstrates a fundamental grasp of, and sincere appreciation for, His exalted position, authority and perfect moral character.

To Listen to God is Better Than Sacrifice

• Ecclesiastes 5:1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
• To go beyond the letter of the law and discern what God is really saying, reveals a heart that is eager to hear the truth as revealed in His Word and by His Holy Spirit. Without His Spirit to teach us, we are unable to grasp the deep meanings and correct applications of scripture.

To Show Mercy Before God is Better Than Sacrifice

• Matthew 12:7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
• We serve a merciful God. When we show mercy to others, we reveal the changes His indwelling presence has made in our lives. As unnatural as mercy is to the depraved human nature, the empowering of God’s Spirit and enlightening of His Word make even the impossible possible.

To Love God and Others is Better Than Sacrifice

• Mark 12:33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
• Godly love is not based on emotions, feelings or attractions. To love God and others is to make decisions and sacrifices that put the needs of others above our own. The love of God is revealed in the children of God.

To Obey God is Better Than Sacrifice

• 1 Samuel 15:22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
• God-honoring obedience is evidence of a God-centered life – a life built on love for, appreciation of, reverence towards, and trust in the creator and sustainer of all things. Complete surrender to who He is and what He desires enables obedience based on His strength and attributes.

The ultimate sacrifice we make to God is ourselves. We are called to surrender all that we are to Him and then live in a way that gives Him glory. Relatively speaking, very few Christians are called upon to die for their faith in Christ. We are called to live for Him in a world that hates us! Living our lives for His glory is true worship of Him.

• Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Are there external expressions of your faith in God that misrepresent the internal realities of your relationship with Him?

Prayer

Dear Lord, help all those who have been reconciled to You by faith in Jesus to honestly examine their sacrifices to and for You. Guide and empower us to address the hypocrisies and mistakes in how, what and when we do things to serve and honor You. Forgive us when we fall short. For those who pretend to love and serve you with selfish or evil intentions, draw them to salvation in Christ – give them the faith to believe and to fall in love with Jesus. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

What Is Holding You Back?

What Is Holding You Back?

There is a God in heaven who loves you. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. His desire is that you spend eternity in heaven with Him. But one thing stands in the way – your sin (neglecting, discounting and falling short of His standards and requirements). God has revealed Himself to us in creation (where do you think everything in the universe came from? He made it). God has revealed Himself to us through His Holy Word – the Bible. God has dealt with the problem of sin by coming to the earth as a man, Jesus Christ, living a sinless life, and then sacrificing His own life to pay our sin debt. Then He rose from the dead (defeating sin and death) and ascended to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of Father God.

The good news about reconciliation with Father God is exceedingly simple: believe that Jesus died to pay your sin debt; sincerely ask God to forgive your sins; ask Jesus to be your Savior; surrender your entire life to Jesus; and then live a God-honoring life (enlightened by the Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, and encouraged by your living Lord and Savior, Jesus).

The Bible is clear. Without saving faith in Jesus Christ, when you die, you will be separated from God for all of eternity in a real place called Hell. In the absence of God, separated from all that is good and just and right, those who aren’t in heaven will suffer torment forever.

So, what is holding you back? Why are you rejecting Jesus?

Looking to God’s Word, reflecting on my previous life of rebellion against God, and observing the world around me that has discarded God, here are a few of the many possible answers to these questions.

Ignorance

Not a measure of one’s intellect, but a lack of specific knowledge about Father God.

• Exodus 5:1-2 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”
• Pharaoh proclaimed his lack of knowledge regarding God. But rather than seeking information about Him, he turned his back on the opportunity to be enlightened by the absolute truth about the creator and ruler of all things. All of Egypt suffered greatly because Pharaoh refused to grow in the grace and knowledge of Father God.

Ignoring

Not a case of ignorance, but a calculated dismissal of what is already known.

• Ezekiel 9:9-10 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”
• While in captivity in Babylon, the prophet Ezekiel was transported to Jerusalem ‘in visions of God’ (see Ezekiel 8:1-3). As part of this vision, Ezekiel witnessed the pouring out of God’s wrath on the blatant sin that was so predominate with the Jewish people of that time. God’s chosen people, who were meant to shine as lights to the world, ignored what they knew and had experienced about God’s goodness and faithfulness. The Jews suffered greatly because they chose to disregard their knowledge of, and national history with, Father God.

Indifference

Not a problem with apathy in all areas of life, but a personal choice to completely disregard Father God.

• Mark 8:36-37 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
• So many things to achieve, so many battles to fight, so many problems to solve, so many places to invest all that we are for a temporary sense of accomplishment and purpose. Striving to gain all this world has to offer will leave a person devoid of conscience and condemned to an eternity of suffering.

Immodesty

Not a full-blown case of narcissism, but a serious surplus of pride before Father God.

• Romans 1:21-22 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
• Oh, the ego of humanity today. With all our discoveries. With all our knowledge. With all our abilities. With all our achievement. We just don’t seem to need God anymore. In our elevated state of awareness, we have become fools.

Idolatry

Not a problem with worshiping something, but a deliberate decision not to revere Father God.

• 1 Timothy 6:9-10 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
• Without even realizing it, many people worship money (or the things that money can buy). Some people worship other people (for what they do, have, know, or pretend to be). Some people worship evil. Worshiping anything other than Father God is sin. He alone is worthy of our devotion.

Don’t suffer the consequences

of rejecting the truth about God.

Turn to Jesus.

Talk openly and honestly with Father God. He already knows everything about you – and He still loves you. In your own words, in your own way, ask Him to forgive your sin. Tell Him that you believe in Jesus and what He did for you. Surrender your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Ask Father God to fill you with His Spirit. Ask Him to provide all you need to learn, and grow, and become everything that He has had in store for you since eternity past.

Prayer

Father, King, Lord, please melt hard hearts. Please open the eyes of the blind. Please reveal Yourself in undeniable ways to those who refuse to believe. Have Your way. I pray for these things in the name above every other name, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Arrogance? Part 3

Arrogance? Part 3

This is part 3 of a three-part devotion. If you haven’t done so already, please read ‘Arrogance? Part 1’ posted on April 15, 2018 and ‘Arrogance? Part 2’ posted on April 29, 2018 before proceeding.

Taylor

‘There you are. I’ve been looking around for you.’

Chris

‘Yeah, I moved out here to enjoy the weather.’

Taylor

‘Did you have a chance to read any of the Bible since our last conversation?’

Chris

‘Yes, I did read some. But what I would really like to do is to finish talking about the items we had already started discussing before we get into anything else.’

Taylor

‘That makes sense to me. I will pick up where we left off last time.’

Chris

‘That would be good.’

Taylor

‘So, as we were discussing last week, Christians are called and empowered to emulate the Godly life that Jesus lived. But, failure on the part of Christians to exhibit Christ-like behavior like love, kindness, patience, sharing truth, etc., does not diminish or invalidate the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done to deal with the sin of the world. And, failure on the part of the Church (which is made up by all who have surrendered to Christ in faith, have been indwelled with God’s Holy Spirit, and been adopted into God’s family) to faithfully, obediently and lovingly share God’s eternal plan to reconcile lost humanity to Himself does not change or negate His love for us and the perfection of His plan. Also, the reality of a depraved human nature does not diminish the truth of Father God’s perfection, righteousness, sovereignty and goodness.

• Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
• Romans 7:18-19 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

When a person is saved from God’s wrath through genuine faith in, and surrender to, Christ, they begin a journey. This journey is called sanctification. Sanctification means becoming in practice (how a person thinks, talks and lives) what they are in position (all Christians stand perfectly righteous in position before Father God because Christ’s blood has washed away the debt of all their sins – past, present, and future). Some Christians walk in faith and obedience and shine as a bright light for God’s glory. Some Christians rebel against God and the work He is doing in their lives – they bring reproach on the name of Christ. Many Christians are somewhere between these two points. However, all who are spiritually reborn through faith in Christ will go to heaven for eternity.

• Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

And all of this doesn’t even begin to address the complexities associated with people who claim to be Christians but really aren’t. There are many reasons people who are not Christians genuinely believe that they are. Some of the reasons include: a family heritage of church attendance, an intellectual grasp of the basics about Christ, an emotional experience based on a powerful encounter of the truth about Christ.

• Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
• 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

But even with all that said, the Bible is very clear – those who truly love Jesus will obey Him. True Christians can be identified by how they live (the fruit in their lives).

• John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
• Matthew 7:15-17 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

The good works of a Christian (evangelism, teaching, mentoring, meeting basics needs, praying, showing Christian love to all…) are a result of salvation, not a way to earn it. Ultimately, any good work that does not bring glory to God is bringing glory to someone or something else.

• Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
• James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

God has high expectations for how His church engages with those outside the church. We are to take advantage of the opportunities we have to show grace, share Jesus’ love and speak the truth in love. We are to be wise in how we answer questions/engage in discussion. We are to let His light shine through us in what we say and what we do.

• Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
• 1 John 1:5-6 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

If you were to engage with a Bible believing/Bible teaching church, you would see and experience the failures and frustrations brought about by the imperfections of the people that make up that church. But much more than that, you would see the love and compassion of Christ abundantly displayed, both inside and outside of the church, and towards Christians and non-Christians.

• Acts 2:46-47 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.’

Chris

‘That is a lot to consider, but I think I got it. Even if a person is a Christian, they must make a decision to be obedient to God. Some Christians do this better than others. And some people who think they are Christians really aren’t. Christians go to heaven. Everyone else goes to hell.

Without digging deeper into all that right now, I want to hear what you have to say about absolute truth.’

Taylor

‘If you are sure you are good with moving on, we can dig deeper into what we have already covered later.’

Chris

‘I am sure. Please go ahead.’

Taylor

‘Alright, to start off our discussion about absolute truth, I wanted to go back to something you said last week. When I said that I always appreciate you being honest with me, you said, ‘Without honesty, what’s the point?’ What exactly did you mean by that?’

Chris

‘What I meant was, without honesty, there is no hope of peace, prosperity or progress. Honesty reflects trust, respect and partnership. Deceit shows that a person is selfish, defensive and/or conniving. What is the point of communicating if people aren’t being honest?’

Taylor

‘How would you define honestly?’

Chris

‘I would define honesty as a genuine attempt to communicate the truth – even when this would be difficult or self-incriminating. However, an attempt at honest communication doesn’t necessarily mean that truth has been shared. Even if a person has very good intentions, their tendencies, history, ignorance, perspective, prejudices, hopes, etc. may skew their understanding of truth. And if a person has ill intentions, most likely the truth will not be shared.’

Taylor

‘Once again, I like your definition. So, is it fair to say, even when people try to be honest, they may have different thoughts on what the truth is?’

Chris

‘That is possible. Actually, that is very probable.’

Taylor

‘Okay then, please consider the following statements. One plus one equals two. The earth is a sphere and is in orbit around the star at the center of our solar system. DNA contains the information that determines the distinctive characteristics of living organisms. Would you agree that these are true statements?’

Chris

‘Yes. Those are all proven facts. Those are true statements.’

Taylor

‘So, if we set aside ignorance, manipulation of information, inaccurate perspectives and deception, is it ever true to say that one plus one equals four? Or that the earth is flat? Or that DNA exists in non-biological elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen?’

Chris

‘I don’t think so. Where are you headed with this?’

Taylor

‘Well, the point I hope to make is that, if there are absolute truths in the realms of the physical world and mathematics, why aren’t there absolute truths when it comes to spiritual matters? In our first conversation about all this, I believe you said something along the lines of, I don’t believe in absolute truth. You can have your truth and I will have mine. Just don’t try to convince me of your truth. You are a very logical person, Chris. How can you believe in more than one truth?’

Chris

‘The spiritual realm is very different. It is unseen and unproven.’

Taylor

‘Some people would say the same thing about gravity, or love. But I say that we should examine in a logical way the truths in the physical world that point us to absolute truth about God. For instance, if nothing existed before the big bang, where did the stuff come from that went ‘bang’? Where did the organized and intricate information contained in the DNA of all living things come from? The absolute truth is that Jehovah God, the God of the Bible, is the only uncreated thing in the universe – He has no beginning. God created everything. And when God created life, He included the information needed for life to perpetuate itself in like kind.

• Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
• Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.
• Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
• Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
• Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,’

Chris

‘I don’t agree with all that. But, at the same time, I have never had it put to me like that, or even considered those specific points.’

Taylor

‘Chris, I believe in absolute truth. I believe that what the Bible teaches is absolutely true. So, my position is, either the Bible is completely true, or it isn’t. If a specific belief contradicts what the Bible teaches, I believe that belief or teaching is not correct. Here are a couple of the fundamental truths presented as absolutes in the Bible. There is only one God. The one true God of the Bible is made up of three ‘persons’ – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth as a man, lived a perfect sinless life and shed His blood on a Roman cross to pay the sin debt of the world. Jesus died, rose again the third day, was seen by many witnesses, and then ascended to heaven. Anyone who dies without being reconciled to God through genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity separated from God experiencing eternal torment in a real place called hell – Jesus is the only way to reconciliation with God and eternal life in heaven.

• 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So, with all that said, going back to where this conversation originally started, do you think I am arrogant?’

Chris

‘No, Taylor, I don’t think you are arrogant. I do think you are very confident in what you believe. After this discussion I have a better sense of what you believe. And after our talks and the small amount of Bible reading I did on my own, I have many more questions.’

Taylor

‘I think it would be great if you would come visit my church. I should have invited you a long time ago. We have a couple of pastors and teachers who are much more equipped to answer your questions. And I also think you would enjoy the teaching and music.’

Chris

‘Do they have time for that? You know how I like to dig into the details.’

Taylor

‘Yes, they do. That is part of what they do.’

Chris

‘This has actually been very interesting. I am not saying I believe everything you have said. But, you have certainly stirred up my curiosity. You have also been considerate and patient, despite my negative attitude. I think it might be a good idea for me to visit your church and see if I can get some of my questions answered.’

Taylor

‘That would be really great. How about next Sunday.’

Chris

‘I will see you there.’

Prayer

Father, my prayer is that this hypothetical conversation will challenge many who have rejected or never heard Your truth to consider it. In Your love, grace and mercy, please draw the lost to salvation in Christ. May Your holy Word convict the hearts of Christians to share Your truth. May the hearts of those who don’t follow Jesus turn to Him. I pray that Your will be done in all things. And I pray all these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.