Sacrifice!

I have sacrificed my mental and Physical health all for this sacred service.”

Hey, I have felt the same way. At times I have felt like I have given up so much.

But you know, I am afraid that we are misunderstanding what sacrificing to God is all about.

Let me read a few passages of scripture.

Isaiah 1:11

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

Well, look at that.

How about Hosea 6:6

Hosea 6:6

6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

How about 1st Samuel 15:22

1 Samuel 15:22

22 And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams.

And even king David had something to say in Psalm 51:16

Psalm 51:16-

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

Ok, so this is the part here where some people would say,

“ Well, there you go, the Bible is contradicting itself again, in some places it says to sacrifice and in other places it says that God does not want our sacrifices.”

Well folks, there are no contradictions in the Bible. We just misunderstand at times.

I am going to read that verse again and then I am going to continue on and read the very next verse.

Psalm 51:16&17

Psalm 51:16-17

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

I can look back over all of the sermons I have preached over the years. And there is one theme,

One cord,

one central thread that intertwines every single sermon together.

OBEDIENCE.

Did God need the animal sacrifices that the Israelites were commanded to present in the Old Testament?

No.

Did God want the fat of the beasts and the blood of the lambs?

No.

Did God want the grain offerings so he would not go hungry?

NO!!

God wanted obedience.

We see this quite clearly in the passages of scripture we just read.

But apostasy had crept into the Israelite nation.

A falling away from the faith had come to the people.

The Israelite nation came to where they no longer sacrificed because of their faith in God,

They no longer sacrificed for obedience,

they no longer sacrificed to please God,

No,

they sacrificed out of tradition.

It is what they had always done,

It is what their forefathers had always done.

Tradition.

And God is saying here in these passages of scripture,

He is saying,

“ I am not interested in your lambs,

I am not interested in your sheep,

I am not interested in your blood sacrifices as much as I am interested in your obedience.

I am interested in your complete and total surrender to me.”

You know friends, apostasy has crept into our nation also.

Oh, it is nothing to be surprised about. The Bible tells us that this will happen in the last days.