TRUE SACRIFICE

The sacrifice of Jesus is the true reason of our salvation. -Spurgeon

John 15:13, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

What a friend we have in Jesus! Not because He gave us a home, car, shoes, or any other materialistic article. He is our friend because He gave us Himself on the Cross of Calvary!

Friend, it doesn’t cost Jesus anything to give us this or that! It cost Him His life to redeem our lost, dying, and hurting souls though! That is what true sacrifice is!

GOD LOVES YOU

There is no father on earth who has as much love in his heart as God has for you. You may be sinful as hell; yet God stands ready and willing to receive you to His bosom and to forgive you freely. - D.L. Moody

Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

When was the last time you were reminded that God loves you? When is the last time you were reminded that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross for you? When is the last time you were reminded that when Jesus died, was buried, and arose from the grave three days later? He conquered, death, hell, and the grave for you?

Hey friend, God loves you! Don’t reject that love; receive it! Don’t deny that love; display it! Don’t forsake that love; fulfill that love by repenting of your sin and trusting Jesus as Saviour!

MEMORIAL DAY

“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” -John F. Kennedy

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16

Today, in America, we honor those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Many, that right out of High School took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, those that trained for eight to thirteen weeks that came out as Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Guardsmen, those that traveled to foreign lands to defend the weak and defeat their enemies, those that moved dirt and built schools to put towns back together, those that came home in a flag draped casket. Today, we honor the Soldier that has given their life in order for every American to live free.

President Harry S. Truman said it best when he said, “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.”

Will you take a moment and honor those that gave you the freedoms we enjoy every day?

HE LOVES YOU

It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving. -Braunstein

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Because our Lord loves us, He sent His Son to die for us. Because He loved me my Saviour died! On the cross was crucified! Because He loved you, He died as well! Do you believe it today? Trust in the one that can bring a difference to your life!

JESUS' SACRIFICE

What sacrifice have you made that can compare to that of what Jesus has done?

1 John 3:16, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Many people brag about what they have done for the Lord. I gave this. I built that. I helped so and so. I’m a member of this ministry. What does any of that compare to what Jesus has done for us? It doesn’t. Nothing we can ever do will equal the sacrifice that Jesus has done for us. So, let’s put aside all of what we have done and just worship and praise Him for all He’s done for us! Give Him the glory due! Praise His Holy name!

THE LORD NEEDS YOU

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to him. -Spurgeon

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.

            More than anything else, the Lord wants you to give Him your life. While He desires for you to give your tithes and offerings, use your talents, and invest your time for the ministry, He wants you to be saved above it all. That’s why He led Paul to pen down the Words in Romans 12:1.

            Have you given your life to the Lord? The Lord wants you to be saved. The Lord desires you to be saved. The Lord needs you to be saved! Will you be saved today?

I SMELL SOMETHING GOOD

            A life with Jesus smells better than a life without Him.

2 Corinthians 2:14, Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

            Preparing a good pot of beans takes time. Sure, you can open a can of Pintos, throw them in a pot, warm them up, and it will satisfy an empty stomach. But you get a bag of dried Pintos, separate the rocks and trash from the beans, soak them in water over night, add a ham hock and let them cook all day while you are at work. Add side of cornbread and if that don’t make your tongue want to slap your brain, I don’t know what will.

            Just like those pot of home cooked beans many want a “successful” Christian life but they want to wake up one morning and BAM they are one. It doesn’t work that way. You have to be willing to work at it. It takes sacrifice! Paul said it this way, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

            You have to take time to read your Bible and pray every day. Don’t make excuses on why not to go to church, just get up and go—there are hypocrites at the place you work at and you still go. Get involved in the church—sing in the choir, mow the yard or volunteer for the nursery. Before you know it, your life will begin to smell a lot better!!!

HE GAVE HIS ALL

 The sacrifice of Jesus is the true reason of our salvation. -Spurgeon

Matthew 27:50, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Because He loved me, my Saviour died, on the cross was crucified

No greater love for mortal man has ever been known.

Oh praise His dear name, He loved me so, now I am His, He's mine, I know

He suffered it all, (He suffered it all)

Because He loved me. (Because He loved me.)

He gave His all, because He loved me and because He loved you!

Don’t ever forget it! Don’t ever take it for granted! Like a great investment, like a great seafood restaurant, don’t you want to share the greatest thing that has ever happened to you? Don’t you want to share with others how Jesus gave His all to save you? He gave His all, let’s give Him ours!

LOVE BEYOND YOURSELF!

Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. -Pinero

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

            I describe love as sacrifice. You see, love goes above and beyond what the world would suggest. The world says love is a feeling. While it feels good to be loved, that type of love changes because feelings change. The world says love is physical. While love is manifested in physical attraction, our physical bodies will change—what then? Some describe love as an emotional attraction to someone. Well, many people’s emotional state changes more than the weather. What happens when our emotions are like a roller coaster with the one we “love”?   

            Friend, to really find out what true love is look at The Lord Jesus! Look at His sacrifice for your salvation! His love toward you isn’t based on His feelings, your physic, or His emotions! His love toward you is based on His character. His character is defined in 1 John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

RENDER HONOR WHEN HONOR IS DUE

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

            As we celebrate this Memorial Day, let’s not forget who it is for. It is not for the active duty service member. It is not for the veteran. It is not for the military retiree. This day is for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is for those who gave their life for our freedom and the freedoms of others. It is for those family members who are left behind.

            Would you take a moment to recognize those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom? Will you honor those who have given their life for you, your family, your friends, and your Country?

GIVING IT ALL

It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving. –Braunstein

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:44

            How much are you giving to the Lord? Are you giving Him out of your abundance or are you giving Him your all? No need to answer the question because God knows the answer already. He knows our motives before we write the first letter on the check, grab the first dollar, or cast in our pocket change. God isn’t please when we “give what we can” and no He doesn’t understand when we give that way. What the Lord wants is for us to give it all to the point of giving out of faith. We could give every earthly possession we had but if we didn’t it in faith, God will not be pleased with it. The widow woman gave with a loving cheerful heart and God took care of her! I believe He can take care of you as well!

            Give Him your time! Give Him your talents! Give Him your treasures! Just give Him your life!

WILL YOU PICK UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM?

Jesus has many lovers of His crown, but few bearers of His cross. –Spurgeon

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

I heard a story once of a man who had the desire of going out West to search for gold. When the opportunity came to sell his farm, He didn’t sell. Many friends and family members sold out and struck it rich. He missed his opportunity to make a difference for his family for generations to come.

            Jesus wants you and me to pick up His Cross and follow Him. Follow Him in witnessing. Follow Him in working. Follow Him in His way! Will you go after Jesus, taking up His Cross- daily, and follow Him? If so, GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH today!

WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR JESUS?

            When we read, we fancy we could be martyrs; when we come to act, we cannot bear a provoking word. –More

 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. Romans 12:1

            Have you ever heard someone say, “I would do anything for the Lord”? Many times they really mean it. They may even start out running well for the Lord. However, when they see the sacrifices they have to make in order to REALLY do something for the Lord they are nowhere to be found.

All the Lord really wants is your availability; available to listen to Him, available to love Him, and available to labor for Him. Would you really do anything for the Lord? Then, be available!

WHAT ARE LIVING FOR?

“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

            For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

            In commenting at a graduation service a graduate once said, “Mom and Dad, I am thankful for all you have sacrificed.” I began to wonder about this word sacrifice; it is giving up something I want, something I desire to keep, something I hold dear to my heart. So is giving money for my children to go to a Christian School really a sacrifice? What did I sacrifice? I wanted them to go. I wanted them to hear from a Biblical view point about our world. I wanted to protect them from the wiles of the devil. I wanted them to be grounded in the Bible. So no, it was not a sacrifice for me. I am not sure I have ever sacrificed anything when compared to what God has sacrificed for me. Sure, I give my tithe, I give my faith promise, I give to needs of the church and the needs of the people in the church, but have I sacrificed?

Church, we are no longer to live for ourselves. Verse 15 says, “…that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Are you living for self or the Saviour today?

WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING BACK FROM GOD?

A buried talent is never a buried treasure. Talents become treasures only through use. –Rupert

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. Romans 12:1

            When we bury something it’s normally dead or of no use. So unless our service here on Earth is finished we ought to be about our Father’s business! We don’t need to hold anything back while serving Him. We need to use every ounce of life that is within us to edify and equip the saints and to evangelize the lost. Give it all to Him! 

What's my purpose?

More men fail through lack of purpose than through lack of talent. –Sunday

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Some people search all of their lives for their purpose in life. They go through job after job, friend after friend, and relationship after relationship only to end up searching for more. If they would trust Jesus as Saviour their eternal purpose would become very evident pretty quick!

Let me remind you of this important truth: The Lord doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. What are you saying preacher? The Lord isn’t looking for you to bring anything to the table except YOU! Let your purpose start off by giving your life to the Lord!

Sacrifice or Self glory?

Sincerity is the salt of the sacrifice.  Without it the offering can never be acceptable to God.-Spurgeon

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. Psalm 96:8

I often ask, “Why do you do what you do?” Do you come to church for Mom and Dad? Do you sing in the choir to be seen? Are you in the Youth Group to make friends? Do you give of your time for a pat on the back? For many people if it was not for some type of self glory they wouldn’t do anything in the church.

Dear friend make sure the reason you do what you do is for God’s glory! If not, you will stand accountable for the self glory you get down here!