A LIVING SACRIFICE (PART 3)

I Urge You, Brother, 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

Romans 12:1

Wisdom begins with basing one's life on reality. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). Why? Because fear of the LORD is based on a true understanding of who we really are and who God really is. But there is a next step. Wisdom doesn't  begin and end with fear; it continues into WORSHIP. When we really understand who God is, the natural response is to offer Him whatever we can get our hands on - and all we have is ourselves.
All of those in the Bible who encountered the living God in His glory fell on their face in WORSHIP. Like Isaiah, they would offer themselves (Isaiah 6:8). If we have not gotten to that point of laying ourselves on the ALTAR before Him - without reservation - we have not yet encountered the living God. His glory prompts SACRIFICE. It is the only wise, intelligent, reasonable response to the magnitude of His goodness.
We often think of WORSHIP as words and songs that come out of our months. It is much more. It is a LIFESTYLE, a SACRIFICIAL way of living that acknowledges every moment of every day that there is ONE far more WORTHY of our allegiance than ourselves. When His interests consistently supercede ours, and we act accordningly, we are WORSHIPPING.
Imagine yourself in the throne room of God. See the ALTAR at His feet. Get on it. Lay yourself our before Him and say to Him: "I am yours. Do with me as You will. I give up my right to govern myself, because You are far more WORTHY to do it, and You will never do me harm. I exist for Your purposes, and for Yours alone." Do this every morning, then live out your day mindful of whose you are. In light of who He is, this is TRUE WORSHIP. And TRUE WORSHIP is the wisest thing we can do.
(an extract from: Walk With God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen)

WORSHIP - IS NOT PART OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE;

IT IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

- Gerald Vann -

A LIVING SACRIFICE (PART 2)

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

Romans 12:1

What does it means to lay our lives on GOD'S ALTAR? Imagine a scene from the movies: In some distant tribal culture, one man saves another's life. According to custom, the saved now belongs to the saviour. And why not? If not for the rescuer one would be dead. His life rightfully belongs to the one who preserved it. He might as well spend the rest of his days for the one who actually gave him the rest of his days.

So itis with Jesus and His sheep. We were lost and, for all practical purposes, dead. That's not  our preferred assessment of ourselves, but it's what the Bible says. Without Jesus, we'd be forever lost and lifeless. But He rescued us. And in His culture, we now belong to Him. We are to live out the rest of our days - the days He mercifully gave us - for Him.
That's what being a LIVING SACRIFICE is all about. It means that when Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, we don't have the right to say, "No, not this time." When Jesus tells us to give all we have - our time, our talents, our money, or even our deepest desires - to some aspect of His work, we don't have the authority to decline. We are not our own; we have no claim on our own lives. We were bought with a precious, heavy price. We were saved for the One who saved us.
Just as Jesus laid Himself on GOD'S ALTAR for our sin, we are to lay ourselves on that ALTAR for His righteousness. We don't earn His righteousness, of course. But practically, God puts it into us - He works it into our spirits - to the extent that we lay down our tainted lives in exchange for His resurrected one.
The implications of that relationship are astounding. Radical. Relentless. It was an "everything" purchase for a "forever" promise. LIVING SACRIFICES don't live for themselves. They live for ANOTHER. That's their service of WORSHIP!
(An extract from: Worship the King by Chris Tiegreen)

Precisely Because They Have Been Redeemed At Such A Cost,

Believers Must Be God's Men

-   Leon Morris  -

A LIVING SACRIFICE (PART 1)

I Appeal To You Therefore, Brethren, And Beg of You In View od (All) The Mercies Of God,

To Make A decisive Dedication Of Your Bodies (Presenting All Your Members And Faculties)

As A Living Sacrifice, Holy (Devoted, Consecrated) And Well Pleasing To God,

Which Is Your Reasonable (Rational, Intelligent) Service And Spiritual Worship

Romans 12:1 (Amplified Bible)

Since the days of the Exodus, wherever a tabernacle or temple stood, faithful Jews would bring the best of their flocks and herds to a priest standing at the altar of God. It was an act of devotion, a commandment handed down by God Himself. There were various reasons for the command: The offering would, at times, serve as a symbol of sin and its ugly consequences; as a sacrifice of gratitute, acknowledging that every good gift comes from God; or as an act of devotion and worship, a gift from a LOVING HEART. Regardless of the reason, the origin of the SACRIFICE was always God - human beings clearly never created a ram or a bull - and the SACRIFICE was always a reminder of the horrible gap between the CREATOR and the created.

God bridged that gap with His ultimate SACRIFICE, of course - the body of JESUS on an altar made of Roman lumber. The wages of sin were paid in full. There are no more guilt offerings. All that was left for us to do is to place our lives in Him. Never before had such a gift been given, and never since. Those who accept it have no sin to work off, no condemnation to dread. We're left standing with nothing but our GRATITUTE.
There is, however, an appropriate response. It has nothing to do with merit or guilt, but only withthe thankfulness that should naturally flow from a REDEEMED HEART. It is our SPIRITUAL ACT OF WORSHIP.
The response id for us  to walk to that tabernacle or temple as the Israelites did in days of old, approach the PRIEST, and hand Him the SACRIFICE that we brought out of our GRATITUTE: OURSELVES. We are to envision our PRIEST doing His duty by taking the SACRIFICE, placing it on the ALTAR OF GOD, and accepting it in His name. But unlike the OLD SACRIFICES, this SACRIFICE LIVES. It lives a DEDICATED LIFE, AN ALTAR LIFE. It now belongs to the PRIEST. We are in His hands.
(an extract from: Worship The King by Chris Tiegreen)

If Jesus Christ Be God And Died For Me,
Then No SACRIFICE Can Be Too Great For Me To Make For Him
- C.T. Studd - 

CHOSEN FOR A REASON

"You Are A Chosen People, A Royal Priesthood.

A Holy Nation, God's Special Possession,

That You May Declare The Praises Of HIm

Who Called You Out Of Darkness Into His Wonderful Light."

1 Peter 2:9

This is a remarkably encouraging passage of Scripture. It tells us of our chosen position, our royal role in this world, and our inheritance as children of the most high God. We read verses like this and are amazed at the high and holy nature of our calling. We realize that mercy has been lavished upon us and we're in a privileged place. We are the ulitamte rags-to riches story.
But the amazing story doesn't end there. God hasn't just saved us and then written "the end." There's more to the plot than that. We are chosen so that we might declare His PRAISES. As 1 Peter 2:9 continues, we have been transferred from a kingdom of darkness to a KINGDOM OF LIGHT. We were blind, but now we see. We were hidden and then revealed.  We were lost in a dark, musky wilderness, then plucked out of it and placed on streets of gold glimmering under the perpetual radiance of the Son. And according to this verse, there's a more ultimate purpose to our salvation than ourselves. We are bestowed with the honour of being chosen with the specific purpose of declaring His PRAISES.
If we've never seen our WORSHIP as the ultimate purpose of our salvation, we're missing the best part of salvation. The place of lavishing WORSHIP is the place of blessing, of richest fellowship, and of true fulfillment. Salvation isn't complete until we PRAISE Him for His mercy - daily, passionately, honestly. We were bought with a price for a reason.
Many believers get caught up in getting the most out of their salvation. Few move on to giving the most out of their salvation. But those who do will realize one of the many paradoxes ofthe kingdom: Giving it all results in getting it all. A HEART poured out in PRAISE results in a HEART filled with PURPOSE. The way of sacrifice leads to great gain. Losing our lives in WORSHIP ends with fulfilling our life in God. And that's exactly the reason for which we were redeemed!

WE ARE SAVED TO WORSHIP GOD.

ALL THAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR US IN THE PAST

AND ALL THAT HE IS DOING NOW LEADS TO THIS ONE END

A.W.TOZER