Becoming Living Sacrifices of Obedience.

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 7:1-29

 

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

(ESV)

 

I have around a 30-minute commute to work each day and during that time I have my favorite Christian music station playing for this helps set a Godly tone for the day.  I thank God not only for the music written by musically talented individuals who love God and want to lift Him up in song but also for the technology that allows me to worship God from anywhere, including during my commute to work.  In telling the Samaritan woman that an hour was coming when it did not matter where or when one worships, He was telling us that the most important thing was who, what, and why one worships God (John 4:22-26).  The sin of the people of Judah was in stressing where they worshipped, the Temple (Jeremiah 7:4), and when they worshipped, during the prescribed times in the law, and not the God who dwelt in the Temple.  Had the people of Judah focused on God whose presence dwelt in the Temple and not the building and the sacrifices offered there, their behavior would have been obedience instead of rebellion. 

 

The evil in Judah has reached the boiling point, provoking the anger of the Lord.  But God, in His mercy, gives Judah another warning, allowing them to repent.  In this warning, Jeremiah tells the people about their,

 

1)      Deception (Jeremiah 7:4) – Jeremiah 7:4 says that the people of Judah had fallen for the deceptive words, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”  While this is a statement of fact, Jeremiah 7:8-10 provides clarification, telling us that the Lord is speaking of their belief that as long as they went to the temple and participated in the sacrificial rituals, they would be delivered.  This is the deception for before the sacrificial rituals, God had given the ten commandments with the people of Israel swearing that they would only worship God (Exodus 20:3-6).  It is not following rituals or walking into a Church building that delivers someone but their willingness to live obediently to God and His Word. 

2)      Sinful behavior brought about by falling for this deception (Jeremiah 7:8-15) – The deceptive belief that one can live sinfully as long as they follow some ritual or go to some religious building or Church, provides permission to sin.  The deception is that it causes one to live obediently to religious rituals or a place rather than God Himself.  Jesus has fulfilled the sacrificial requirements for forgiveness from sin through His death and shed blood (Ephesians 2:8-9).  All one must do to receive this forgiveness from sin is make a confession of faith in Jesus’ death burial, and resurrection (Romans 10:9-10).  However, faith without works of obedience to God is a dead faith (James 2:20).  The balance of the Gospel is Jesus taking our death penalty on the cross (Romans 3:23; 6:23) followed by our committing our lives to live obediently to God’s Word and serving God in our lives (Romans 12:1-2). 

3)      Dire consequences from falling for deception (Jeremiah 7:21-29) – Falling for this deception will have dire consequences for Judah as they will go into exile as told in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.  This will lead to the destruction of the objects of their worship, the Temple, and the cessation of sacrificial rituals. 

 

The people of Judah have placed their faith in the Temple and the sacrifices offered there (Jeremiah 7:4) and forgotten to live and walk in obedience to God who dwells in the Temple (Jeremiah 7:22-23).  They are living a duplicitous life of carrying on the rituals of worshipping God in the Temple while also making offerings to false gods (Jeremiah 7:17-18).  This failure to obey, after numerous warnings (Jeremiah 7:25-26), has left God no choice but to pour out his wrath on the people and the land (Jeremiah 7:18-20).  God desires obedience over sacrifice (Hosea 6:6; Micha 6:6-8; Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7; 1 Samuel 15:22)

 

The sacrifice necessary for our salvation has been done and available to all who choose to believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans 10:9-10).  Therefore, our sacrifice to God is not the offering of an animal of monetary offering but giving ourselves as a living sacrifice through living lives of obedience to God (Romans 12:1-2).  For revival and Godly transformation to occur in our mixed-up world, God’s people must become living sacrifices of obedience through the renewal of their minds through God’s Word.  In doing this, God’s people will be able to discern the will of God, and do what is good, acceptable, and perfect.