LIVING A SACRIFICIAL LIFE IN CHRIST

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

                                                                                                                    

Anything that is used for sacrifice is holy- without spot or wrinkle. Therefore, a sacrificial life is a life that is lived in holiness and righteousness. We cannot call ourselves God’s people unless we live sacrificially. From Abraham’s call to leave his homeland for Canaan to Jesus’ command that we take up our crosses and follow him, God’s people have been called to live sacrificial lives.  

For the early church, the sacrificial nature of Christian discipleship was based on obedience to God and the inner transformation that caused believers to desire to share with each other and even die for the gospel (Acts 2:43-45; 4:32-37; 7:54-60).

Many people find it difficult to understand why they should sacrifice their life for another.  Yet, it is the reasonable service unto God and is loaded with great benefits. Living a life of sacrifice is crucial for you as a believing Christian.

How is sacrificial life like?

1)It is a life lived totally for Christ. You don’t think of yourself first before you say or do anything. You live as commanded by God in His word and as led by the Holy Spirit. (E.g. Abraham, Lot, Shadrach, Meshach& Abednego, Peter/ Paul & maltreatment for the gospel)

2)A life that shuns every known sin and keeps every known commandment of God and has a greater fear of displeasing Him than the world. Like Paul felt in Rom. 7:22, his delight will be in the law of God after the inward man”.

3)A life that strives to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. You live the life of faith in Him and draw his daily peace and strength, and be "conformed to His image" (Rom. 8:29). E.g. forgiving others, unselfish, truthful and walks in love and humble as Christ did. In all situations he will ask- "What would Christ have said and done, if He were in my place?"

4)It lives in the fear of God. Not like a slave, who only works because he is afraid of punishment, but will live and behave as if he is always before his father's face, because he loves him.  i.e. not because no man is watching, but because God does not like them so I will not do them.

5)A life that follows after faithfulness in all duties and relations in life. He will not try to do things anyhow but better, because he has a higher motivation to please God Almighty not himself or man. He is a person you can trust with the things of God. (Col. 3:22-24)

6)  He follows after spiritual mindedness. He sets his affections entirely on things above rather than hold onto earthly things. He lives like one whose treasure is in heaven,        and just passing through this world like a stranger. He communes with God in prayer, study the Bible and live it. Some are so much concerned with worldly things that Christ has become secondary in our lives. (James 4:4)

I am not saying that sacrificial life has no indwelling sin. But he adheres to Godly sorrow that leads to repentance rather than worldly sorrow that leads to death i.e. he hates sin, mourns over it, and longs to be free from its company.

God actually requires every Christian to live a sacrificial life; It is actually putting God and others first before you. Jesus Christ is a perfect example of living a life of sacrifice. While on earth, He did nothing of Himself, but the father’s will. E.g. when faced with the agony of the death on the cross, Jesus chose to do the will of His father and not His own. Luke 22:41-44. This is a sacrificial life!

How can we live a sacrificial life?

The purpose of sacrificial living is for Christians to be changed by the gospel of Christ so that we share in his sufferings and in his glory.       

1)  You need to make a total commitment to seek and do God’s will and not your own. As a Christian you have been crucified with Christ; and that Christ lives within you. The life you now live should be by faith in the son of God that loved you and gave Himself for you.

2)  Dedicate your body to God. You present all the parts of your body as sacrifice to Christ. That means you consciously devote your ears, eyes, mouth, hands, legs and heart, etc., to the service of God and to glorify God. (no lying, fornicating, adultery, etc).

3)  From Rom. 12:2 we should not be conformed to this world but renewal of our minds. In Genesis 22, Abraham was not thinking about what people will say or the effect of he losing an only child, but how to please GOD and him only. We want to please human being more than God - such a life cannot please God.

4)  The sacrificial life responds to God’s Word. (James 1:22-27). We have thousands of churches full of folks listening to fine sounding sermons but doing nothing with what they hear.

What are the Benefits of living a sacrificial life?

·        You will experience the presence, power and manifestations of God– Jn.14:20-21

·        Leads to Eternal life in heaven (Rev. 22:4-5)

·      People who live holy lives are a blessing to others (Galatians 5:13). Consistent holy behavior is a powerful testimony to God’s saving grace.

·       “Without holiness on earth we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven.” Heb. 12:14 says-“Without holiness no one will see the Lord”.

·      You will be highly lifted by God, like Jesus lived a sacrificial life on earth and God exalted Him above all else.

Finally

Living a sacrificial life is worth it! If Abraham, Lot, Noah, Peter, Paul did it, we can also do it. It really pays to live this kind of life and I will encourage all of us to live this life ‘till Christ appears again, which is soon. Read Rom. 6:12. Amen!