The Blessed Life - Pt. 3 - The Sacrificed Life Series

36-37 When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, "O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I'm doing what I'm doing under your orders. Answer me, God; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance." 38 Immediately the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench. 39 All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, "God is the true God! God is the true God!"

45-46 Things happened fast. The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab hightailing it in his chariot for Jezreel. And God strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab's chariot until they reached Jezreel.

III. The Sacrificed Life

a. Scarce equals sacrifice!

I want you to notice that Elijah goes one step further than the prophets of Baal. They offered a bull just like he did. However, remember what 1 Kings 17:1 said . . . They were in the middle of a 3 year drought. Elijah offers God what was scarce. Water was valuable. Water was liquid gold. Crops were dying. Animals were dying. And yet, he pours out 12 buckets full of water onto the altar.

I want to make sure you understand this because I think some of us think we are sacrificing when we really aren’t. Some of us are giving money as if we are sacrificing, but money isn’t scarce to you. (Millionaire vs. poor man) Some of you give time as if you are sacrificing, but you have time to do everything else you want to do. Time isn’t scarce for you. (Person who serves, but doesn’t lose anything vs. person who serves and has to make a choice.) We are giving out of our abundance and he gave out of his need.

Jesus talked about giving valuable items, scarce items, loved items for His name’s sake. My question is how many of us have really lost anything or given anything to Him. We lose 1 hour of lake time and act like a martyr. We give Him a tip on Sunday and act like we have offered everything. What if this walk with Christ cost you everything? We need to understand that Jesus flips the measuring stick on us and shows us that we must take stock of our lives by what it cost us, not by how much we have gathered. When is the last time you followed Jesus so much that it hurt? Too many of us are like Peter we follow from a far off – out of the reach of the sacrifice necessary to get close.

If you are going to live a blessed life you are going to have to get to the place where you offer a sacrifice of what is scarce. You are going to have to learn to give what costs you!

What is it costing you to follow Jesus compared to what it cost Him so that you could follow Him? If it isn’t scarce it doesn’t count! God gave His only Son!