What Does Sacrifice Look Like? Series

WHAT DOES SACRIFICE LOOK LIKE?

(Servants and Sacrifice)

Part 2 of 2 part series

INTRO

Greeting

Something new in God’s Word?

Familiar passage with new eyes?

I know I did.

My prayer for you

BODY

A few years ago, Lisa told me that we each needed to make sacrifices in order for our relationship to work.

She was less than impressed with the dead goat I left in our kitchen!

Last time we were together we examined what love looks like and before we go into part two of this series, just a quick recap:

-What does love look like?

Bearing one anothers’ burdens

Accepting one another

Praying for one another

Serving others

Truth

Encouraging one another

Loving one another

Sacrifice

Today’s message is:

What does sacrifice look like?

Key verses: Romans 12:1

Hebrews 10:1-18

I’d like us to look at sacrifice in both the OT and NT in order to:

Show importance of sacrifice

Secondly; ideally, to inspire us into action

And perhaps not by leaving a dead goat in the kitchen!

Sacrifice is found throughout the bible,

much more so in the OT than the New,

but the purpose and meaning are different between the two.

In my research, the best I could determine,

of the 39 books in the OT,

only 5 did not mention or refer to sacrifice.

When I dove into this bit of research, I was fully expecting it to take only 30 minutes to an hour.

Almost 5 hours later, I realized I had underestimated the endeavor.

Then I was reminded in Luke 14:28 Jesus said “count the cost”.

Although only about half of the books in the NT mention or refer to sacrifice, for the most part they have a different meaning than that of the OT.

When I began this journey, I wanted a fuller understanding of the importance of sacrifice to God, and what that means in our lives today.

I learned so much, as I began to dig in!

First off,

I had no idea that sacrifice was so prolific in the OT.

But it is in almost 90% of the OT books!

Before we get started, I’d like to share with two interesting discoveries

1st discovery:

Most of you may know that in Esther, there is no mention of God

There is also no mention of sacrifice

When we think about it, since sacrifices were made to God, that if God weren’t mentioned, neither would sacrifice be.

Not blood sacrifices, anyway!

Second discovery:

Since February is the love month, I thought it appropriate to read a verse in:

Song of Songs

You are beautiful my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, (don’t miss this part) like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead. (Doesn’t that just hit you in the feels!?)

Actually, if you dig deeper, that last part is a reference to sacrifice-check it out sometime!

So, what does sacrifice look like?

Let’s begin in the beginning.

Genesis 3:21

Also for Adam and his wife, the LORD made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

This is the first reference of blood sacrifice in the bible.

Literally, an animal had to be sacrificed to cover their nakedness.

Prophetically, this was foreshadowing the covering of our sins, by Jesus.

Then, in the next chapter, we see an blood offering by Abel to God.

Genesis 4:4 “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering.

But it is not until Leviticus, do we see the LORD instructing Moses of the blood sacrifices to be made for the atonement of sin.

Then, throughout the OT we see mentions or reference of sacrifice to God, for the atonement of sin.

The transliteration of the Hebrew word for atonement is “kaphar” which means “to cover”.

Then, we get to 1st and 2nd Samuel and see a shift.

1st Samuel 15:22

This is Samuel speaking to Saul.

But Samuel replied “what is more pleasing to the LORD, your burnt offerings and sacrifices, or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering of the fat of rams.

You see, by this time, sacrifices were but a ritual, just going through the motions. They were not of the heart as God intended. There was no repentance from sin.

Set up my lunch gag with Dan

Listen to what David says in:

2nd Samuel 24:24 (read from my NLT bible, starting in v.21)

Explain that I gave Dan the $20. He had nothing invested.

For our sacrifice to mean anything, it has to cost us something!

Now, let’s look @ Hosea 6:6

Here the Hebrew transliteration of mercy is:

Chesed(chess-ed)-which is a loyal covenant love relationship with God.