"Living A Life Of Sacrifce"

“Building A Life Of Sacrifice”

Building A Great Life – part 5

Today is week 5 in our sermon series, “Building A Great Life.” Now a great life is something that we all want – BUT it is also something, that will not and does not, happen automatically. UNDERSTAND - to have a great life you need to have the proper foundation, power, cornerstone & expression.

The foundation of a great life is faith…

The power of a great life is commitment…

The cornerstone of a great life is purpose…

The expression of a great life is service…

This morning we are going to talk about another essential ingredient to a great life, sacrifice, which is the heart of a great life

Our main text for today, and our memory verse for this week is Romans 12:1;

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Today as we talk about a life of sacrifice we will see that a Life of Sacrifice – restores fellowship with God, brings what pleases God, is propelled by God’s mercy, reflects Christ the ultimate sacrifice and transforms the Christian and churches…

PRAYER…

The first point in your outline is;

A Life Of Sacrifice – Restores Fellowship With God

UNDERSTAND - God’s people have always brought sacrifices to God. Well, almost always. For you see, in the first 3 chapters of the bible there was no need for sacrifices – WHY? Because man had perfect fellowship with God. In fact, Genesis chapter 3 tells us, that prior to Adam & Eve’s sin – that in the cool of the day – in the evening, as the sun was setting, and as a gentle breeze began to blow, Almighty God walked in the garden with man.

Think about that… Just taking a walk, hanging out with the alpha & omega, IMAGINE - seeing God and hearing God as he is really is… It had to be so awesome and don’t forget that the garden was absolutely perfect – a paradise beyond our imagination, no sin, no sickness, no disease, no stress…no pain, no heartache.

BUT that paradise, that perfect fellowship, was destroyed when Adam and Eve sinned disobeying God’s command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. And LISTEN - life for man has been radically different ever since… Man was kicked out of the garden – LISTEN to Genesis 3:24;

“After He DROVE the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden a cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life…”

CIRCLE – “Drove”

Do you see that picture? They didn’t want to go… They belonged with God… It’s all they ever knew…The reality of leaving the garden and losing that intimate fellowship with God had to be devastating beyond words… AND after God drove them from His presence He placed 2 barriers between them and the garden – 2 barriers between them and intimate fellowship with God -- a cherubim and a flaming sword.

LISTEN - IF we are to ever have a great life we need to have that fellowship, we need to have that relationship with God, restored… But how? Through sacrifice…

In the very next chapter – in Genesis chapter 4 we read of Cain & Abel bringing the first sacrifices and offering to the Lord. And through out the book of beginnings we see - Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bringing sacrifices to the Lord. And much of the law that Moses brought down from thundering Mt Sinai – involved the bringing of sacrifices…(IN - Number 28 & 29 we see a listing of these sacrifices, whose purpose was to restore fellowship with God).

Daily - two lambs were to be offered one in the morning & the other in the evening.. The offering of each lamb was to be accompanied with a grain offering (flour mixed with olive oil) and a drink offering of wine poured out before the Lord – this was called a burnt offering…

Weekly on the Sabbath – two additional lambs were to be sacrificed

On the first day of the month – a burnt offering of two bulls, one ram, and 7 lambs was made…

On annual feasts – like pass over, Pentecost, the feast of Tabernacles, the Day of Atonement additional sacrifices were made as well….

UNDERSTAND – that ever since the fall – we see man making sacrifices to God… AND LISTEN – the bringing of sacrifices to god did NOT stop with the passing of the old covenant – FOR YOU SEE - though we no longer bring sacrifices to atone for sin, to pay for sin (Jesus took care of that once & for ALL) under the New Covenant sacrifices are still a part of God’s relationship with His people…