Sacrifices

Oct. 19

Read: Romans 12:1-2, 9-21

The People of God;

A Holy and Royal Priesthood

Sacrifices

“I appeal to you therefore, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship.” (Rom. 12:1)

Priests have always been the ones who brought the sacrifice to the Lord. If only priests bring sacrifices, it makes sense that we have ALL been made into priests and can now “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”. This Romans 12 section must have seemed so wild for any listener to think of in the time of Jesus… a “living sacrifice”? In the previous way of thinking, something had to die or be consumed for it to be a sacrifice. Likewise, the priesthood would be the one to “present” the sacrifice to God, and often times it meant a blessing for the priest as well because there was a portion for them. Now God looks at us as a “royal priesthood” and says we are not done offering sacrifices… the catch is - now it is us. Our lives. We are the sacrifice… and we DON’T die in the act of sacrifice… we LIVE.

What is a sacrifice again? The word itself means a secret gift. It is a gift given back to God that is pleasing to Him and a blessing to the priest who delivers it. Since The Fall, Something always has to die for something else to live. Our food is a perfect example of this. With the exception of fruit, the rest of our food “dies” for us to eat it and live. Death of one thing brings life to the other. Christ died so that we, as fit priests, can offer up our lives as sacrifices and RECEIVE life instead of lose it. Our lives are PLEASING to God, and we are actually BLESSED in the process. You are a pleasing gift to God, and enjoy life and blessing from him when you offer your life to Him… as a “living sacrifice”.

Finally, the sacrifices of the priest were never only for them… they were always given with others in mind. They were laid down on behalf of another. As Christ-followers, we lay down our lives for one another as well. The exchange of sacrifice within the priesthood always included the Lord, a priest, and another person. This has not changed. When we lay down our lives as living sacrifices it is not only pleasing to God, but also a blessing to OTHERS in addition to ourselves. Now picture this multiplied across all the people of God. What a blessing! What a gift!

We are a peculiar sort of sacrifice as the people of God. The worship of our Lord brings us LIFE not death. These “spiritual acts of worship” that we carry out between one another and the Lord are themselves a gift from God. Ask the Lord today how he is calling you to be a “living sacrifice”. This has always been the job of the priesthood… and you and I are a “holy and royal priesthood” indeed. Love you guys. - JDP