Good to Great in God's Eyes - Make Great Sacrifices, Part 2

I want you to stop right now who is the greatest Christian you know the kind of person that were possible.

You would really want to be like them and you got your mind what motivates them, what makes them tick. What is it about their life that produced them being such a great Christian word I learned the answer that question today. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Living on the Edges of international discipleship between the daily Bible to more the middle of our popular series breaking God's adjustability, chips, wrap up this message on one of the hallmark of a mature Christian sacrifice, if you will learn more about the subject's right is triple sure compelling challenge. We all need to not going to miss with that. Here's the second half chips message as he dives right back into this idea of sacrifice. Lessons from the life of Paul. Paul is going to say in Romans chapter 12. Therefore, I urge you, brothers notice what's the motivation in view of God's mercy in view of all that is done for you in view of all of his love was he say to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship.

Would you circle that little phrase to offer it literally means to present the word when it's translated skull BLX exiting the 70 and they translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek. When I missed this Greek word in all the Old Testament is when the priest would present the offering at the altar and see what the apostle Paul was saying as he makes his great logical line Romans chapter 1 to 3. Everyone has this problem, Sandy got assaulted to this great great gift of Christ on the cross. Chapters 4 and five by faith.

You receive that free gift chapter 6 through eight. Now that you have this new life.

You have died within you been raised with him. It is in the spirit power that you live in a chapters 9 through 11 parenthesis by the way, I have a special pay plan for Israel as an agent, a blessing, but they've dropped the ball and so what I do is on and put them on the shelf for a while. I'm going to create this new thing called the church and then he says now in light of all that I've done I here's here's my will. I want you to offer you and knows what is a living and holy sacrifice, God wants you want your job he doesn't want your money. He doesn't want your stuff. He wants you lock stock and barrel it it's it's a living sacrifice, and I picture in my mind you like that altar and how they would put the animals on the altar. I imagine an altar that God wants us to come to call upon and say, God, I'm yours 24 seven 365 in the picture that comes to my mind is this like is like having your checkbook and you sign the bottom of the check and you write your name and then you take the check and you turn it like this in your walk up to the door of heaven. You know, in the big throne room and its shot in the just light coming out of the bottom and you take your check and you slide it under and you say Lord I'm a living sacrifice 24 seven.

This is an about Sunday or is not about a Wednesday night is not about just little times here and there. Although I am all that I have is yours. So I've done it at a point in time that's that. This is an offense of the verb to offer is at a point in time Lord what I want you do is you fill out the top every day you tell me what you want to do where we want to go, what you want to give who you want to serve you.

You just right on the top and I've predecided whatever you right that's when you do, that's the normal Christian life.

By the way, this is not salvation. This is chapter 12. Right right this this is what's called Lordship or dedication. I think it's one of them is missing teaching the church today. I was at Penn State University, 1975 a been a Christian about 2 1/2 maybe three years and someone walk through this process to the life of Abraham and landed on Romans 12 one and I realize I knew God I was born again by sins were forgiven and on Thursday night.

I always went to Bible study and on Friday and Saturday night. I hit every barley like a lot of Christians just with 1 foot here 1 foot here and you know what I was miserable and in Romans 12 one. I was at the conference.

I realize the problem is I don't get this idea of sacrifice and worship coming together and I was thinking I need to do these duties and I need it and I am supposed to read my Bible and supposed to do this and you know what I'm supposed to do what's what's my spiritual service of worship. What God really wants is me, not one day a week, seven days a week and so the apostle Paul summarizes this understanding of sacrifice and worship the sacrifice God requires is my life 24 seven surrendered to him to do his will, and I can look back and I still remember I was sitting on the floor and I was doing that little study and their people here and I had to Romans 12 one I really understood it and I said God you not I will do this perfectly, but I want you to know today I'm signing the bottom the check. I mean I'll do, I'll go where we want to go.

I'll do whatever you want to do that scares me to death. I'm not gonna put basketball or girlfriend or money ahead of you. And when I do please show me but I'm yours lock stock and barrel, and I've had a lot of decisions a lot of struggles into in three steps forward and a couple backward of done it very imperfectly, but part of when God tap me on the shoulder in California you know something. This wasn't a decision of am I going to obey. I decided 1975, whatever. He showed me I was going obey. It was just a matter of working back through and saying we've already settled this deal now my can keep my end of the bargain. Here's the question I have for you. When did you do that when if you ever done one of you. I don't mean sort of generally and moving toward your life with God when on a certain day at a certain time. Have you specifically said to God, I'm yours living holy sacrifice anything that's not in the holy part. I want to not deal with and you know I want to repent from.

Here's the check I'm yours surrendered you freedom to do what ever you want to do in my life and you know for a bunch of control freaks. This is really hard and it and the stronger your personality like mine who I mean this this was a tug-of-war inside, here's what I'll tell you it's the smartest, most emotionally satisfying wisest decision you'll ever make because the alternative, unconsciously, is you've decided to be the king and the CEO and the master of your life and you're going to determine what's best for you and you can decide your agenda and the only difference between you and Jesus is.

He knows all things. He is all-powerful he loves you. He has the ability to do anything for you and you don't and he will let us have our way, and he will let us reap the consequences of our way, with tears coming down his cheeks listen very, very carefully.

This isn't great Christians. Okay, this is not great. Christians these are good Christians, these, these, this is a this is the normal Christian life then Jesus in Luke 14, to a large crowd. Do you now understand why in the first 60 years of the church. They turn the world upside down.

They had DVDs then have Bibles that have printing presses how the world could a group of 11 or 12 people 120 loose followers in 60 to 80 years. Completely change the entire culture of the world because the kind of Christians they were are exactly what I describe the left side of page.

I need to die a need to die, I need to go to lines that need the lines and if you need my money. You can have my money if you need me relocate all relocate. I'm here in this thing called eternity a little thing called time Jesus I follow you. Tell me, I'll do it. It was that radical kind of follower that revolutionized the world and what was it about what got extended.

It was their faith that got translated into a love for God sacrifice right. Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life or another and it was their love for others, but it's a radical step of faith that leads to believing that Jesus is good that God is in control, that life is about what he's about. Not what were about that then gets translated into a life of radical love for God and love for others. So with that some of you look still a little bit like I forget what part of the country, his arm in a heap of trouble member that old price know you not maybe tap you on the shoulder to say you know what I get those plastic beads off your neck. I need to give you the real thing that you'll get the real thing to Europe. Those plastic ones. You know what they're precious to you when you see those plastic beads sort of bounce around on the floor. I can tell you from personal experience. Part of it feels kinda bad, but can I give you a picture before we look at what motivates and how to become a great Christian is if in fact God is God and he owns everything. What part of him asking for something that he owns makes us uncomfortable. I have this amazing relationship with my bank. I don't know if you do it. I got an amazing relationship with my back. I put money in the bank and I go up to the window to the teller and I write down you know I like to withdraw thousand dollars and that teller doesn't do what you think you are, but what when you want withdraw thousand dollars exit manager management graduate thousand dollars out of our bank and the manager comes over and goes a gets to take it out anytime he wants.

So what part what do you have the you have received.

That's what Paul said the answer is zero, so what part makes us so upset if children are a gift from the Lord.

If life and breath and money and job in skills and gifts are all given by God. Why do we get so upset when he says, I'd like to make a little withdrawal here and when I make a withdrawal of of money.

It's not like him to go party with $1000. I usually can I have some good to do with it. So if you want to learn to move from being a good Christian and here's what good Christians do they do what's required to demonstrate their genuine devotion and love and I want to tell you I want to be a good Christian, but only give you now an overview of here's what great Christians do great Christians do what's required and then they voluntarily go over and above what is required to express the depth of their love for their heavenly father and the relationship with Christ. That's a great Christians do not have any verses that Mother Teresa needs to you know clean up and help you know people in the in the slums that's kind over and above is any verses that say that Bill Bright near the end of his life emptied his retirement to open up the country of Ukraine so they could be ministry in Ukraine. He just figured out. Gotta take care of me.

Someway somehow see great Christians. That's not required. See the difference is Abraham obeyed. Give your son later member Hannah GC. Abraham was a good good follower can was a great follower God said, I want your son what Abraham to be obeyed.

Hannah said I long in my heart I long to express my love I really want to have a son someday. Somewhat.

If you can be the son Lord you would like to do A few years and and train this boy up like to give them back to you sacrifice to see the difference. Good Christians do what's required great Christians give over and above. So how do you become a great Christian now this is the part that gets very positive so some of you feeling a little woeful can say okay good good good.

I'm ready for some of the positive parts. What motivates great Christians to great sacrifices. Let me give you for four things that motivate them number one they grasp God's unconditional love. They grasp God's unconditional love.

Great Christians are out of the performance trap. They're not trying to get brownie points with God they're not looking for a big star on the refrigerator in heaven. They understand I am totally loved unconditionally, totally apart from my works. What I what what what what they want to do as they sacrifice gratitude they sacrifice out of love. It's about relationship and beyond duty. It's a deep sense of brokenness over their own sin, their indebtedness to God's grace and gratitude for God's mercy and forgiveness. David was a great lover of God even though he failed in their in Psalm 51 what he say he's a God of the burnt offering is that if that's what you required of a given it but he said I've blown it. I don't deserve anything that he comes to God's is but a broken spirit and a contrite heart of God. You will not despise. When God sees someone poured out when we blown it just, oh God.

Paul said what what what motivated Paul write 13 books and a night in a day in the deep in you to flog three times of an inch of his life, would he say for cc of on the chief among sinners. I'm a debtor to grace how can I give back.

His life was and I gotta I got a should. What I'm supposed to. Here's the rules I need to keep it was out of relationship. Great Christians grasp God's unconditional love 11 Luke 747 member. The immoral woman and she's there with Simon the Pharisee and Jesus is there and and Simon's going through this deal where my aunt is honestly not a prophet, because this is a woman of the street and that she is there no crying and wiping his feet with her hair. This guy can't be from God.

Jesus reaches mine and a member what he says.

He says Simon those who been forgiven much love much and those who been forgiven little Ludlow that we've all been forgiven. The same, but this woman recognized because of the depth of her sin. How much God loves her and see that the fact the matter is it doesn't take any more grace to forgive her than it does you or me but because of her experience.

She's aware of how much she's been forgiven and you find the people that are most tender toward God have the greatest devotion I will guarantee most often there is huge pain in their past and there's something where they've experienced such forgiveness that they really believe not just with their head with their heart and their motion totally apart from my works. I am loved by God. I live with a woman like that when I met my wife she she went through horrendous things and I met her when she's about three years old and the Lord I had by this time memorize several hundred verses.

I was sort of a workaholic Christian my early days and memorize all these passages and you know in my head and I sit down and talk to her. We have a conversation I say you quote this verse quote that person. She was know you know we talk less and she was well thought out, that will happen. So we mean God's not like that what you mean God is not like that. I just know him.

He would never do anything like that.

That's not what it's like and I got drawn to her because when I realizes my head was filled with scripture like a Pharisee and her heart was enlarged like the woman who been forgiven much, and knew that she was loved.

You read the mistakes in church history you don't you find the people have this great passion for God. It's grasping and understanding how much your already loved. When you're already loved is not tit-for-tat.

If I do this will God do that, I'm afraid, like if I give this much money you if I really put my job on the line you know we we don't believe, down deep, the God is for great Christians grasp his unconditional love.

Second, they embrace God's relational economy.

God measures our lover, devotion, not by the size of our gifts, but by the size of our sacrifice Luke 212 when Jesus makes this clear. He's apparently at the table and there was a place we could drop you know your gifts in and he's there at the table and he sees this woman and people were giving large gifts. It was great.

It's awesome people that have given a lot should give large gifts and then a lady comes by and she's a widow. That means she has no way to support herself to me, this is way beyond welfare and she has two small copper coins and is all she has and she drops it into low Peter, James, jumped in your commitment you see this object lesson and notice what this poor widow has put in more than all the others because they gave out of their abundance and she gave all that she had see people who become great Christians what they realizes is God doesn't measure the way we measure I get thinking enough to eat just take a financial example. You know, let's say you're making $20,000 and is 20 years ago and you get three kids, and things are tight and you to life in a $2000 out of $20,000 K what you're talking some sacrifice right.

Let's say life really gets better and you make $100,000, 10 years later and you give 10% of it.

Give $10,000 out of 100 kn much sacrifice. Let's say you make $200,000.

20 years later and you give 10%.

Now you giving while $20,000 is a wow and I'm not really supporting the Lord's work. I'm giving $20,000 in your eking by somehow and at other hundred 80,000 member talking to a guy who is really excited and proud that I gave $10 million to the work of the Lord. I said that's great that's awesome but not you know I just I can have these truth telling sessions with people I get in trouble. I said that out of $100 million. Tell me how much did that change your life.

How much sacrifice was that answer zero. Now my saying it's wrong to give away $10 million now.

It's wonderful. Praise God. What I'm saying is don't confuse that with devotion and don't confuse it with sacrifice as we have Christians or think okay 10% of God's part on playing by the rules duty duty duty did he did he do with the Bible teaches Bible says is the first portion belongs to God to remind me that 100% belongs to him and I'm just as responsible for the 90% and those of us that have been blessed. That means we live in America for at least most of us that once I get that then I'm asking God for opportunities. How can I proportionally continue to give more and more and more what I don't have to. I don't got to I don't earn brownie points. Are you ready for this. Want to I love him.

It's not a lot. Should duty requirement immediate goes, you go Christmas shopping.

I know how little can we spend on our kids over five dollars. That's it.

You know you're always asking the health whole boiler really shouldn't spend quite that much, but why because you love them.

The third, people who make great sacrifices not only understand God's unconditional love and embrace his relational economy.

They trust God's eternal goodness, it's an absolute conviction that the rewards for their sacrifice far outweigh the cost. This is awesome Mark can study that passage verses about 28 to 31 Jesus is saying the disciples I love Peter because Peter always asked the questions that I would ask if I were there, but I would get in trouble. You know he's making all the strong discipleship every man will follow may take up his cross and follow me and Peter gone from the back row Pastor Jesus yes Pete.

We've done that, like what's in it for us. I mean, you know, I dropped the nets I'm on another tour with you my wife's little concerned about this and get some seeming a couple weeks and what's in it for us. Notice what Jesus says, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me. For me it's personal is not sacrifice for the cause of not sacrifice what people think. Your spiritual thought sacrifice so that it enlarges your spiritual ego.

Anybody who's made a sacrifice. When you leave mother or brother or homes or jobs for me and the gospel will not fail to receive 100 times as much in the present age and the age to come eternal life. And Paul C Paul got this Paul live with this reality. He said this present temporary affliction sacrifice price tag is not to be compared with what the surpassing glory and weight of what will later receive see we all believe in heaven anymore. We don't believe in spiritual rewards and we think right now really is all there is. And so we do.

We hold onto those plastic beads because you know what now want to be spiritual and I want obey.

I want to be sorted and right with God so so what's the minimum what's the very minimum, I can do God and we completely miss the point because not looking for minimum Christians is looking for people who believe there actually loved to recognize that he doesn't measure by how much you give but by the level of the sacrifice that you give up your time of your energy of your money, your heart of your job and relationships is looking for people that actually belief seeks it's a compliment to God. We believe what he says and and and it's an insult. We don't when he says I'm good. When the Scripture says the Lord God is a sun and shield the Lord gives grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from those who walk up rightly, you're not getting this out.

Take off the plastic beads.

You will get something better. The journey getting there will be scary. That's what we talk about faith. First, the final thing that those who really make great sacrifices as they recognize God's sovereign ownership.

It's an acute awareness the great sacrifices not praiseworthy, but a privilege, since all that we have belongs to him.

All that we have belongs to him. In Luke 17 Jesus gave the parable said here which one of you and your servant comes in from the field say to him all, thank you very much and let me take care of you know you do that Jesus is know what you do is you say to him after you clean yourself up. Take care my meal and then afterwards you say to him. You've only done what you're supposed to do in like manner, when you obey me and do what I've called you to do. You just only done what is posted is not praiseworthy.

We we have this idea that we really ought to get something special that were were really and see people that make great sacrifices they realize are just regular people. David notice what he says here in first Chronicles 2914 but who am I and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this. Everything comes from you and we have given you only what comes your hand. Have you surrendered your whole life to Christ as a living holy sacrifice in my world.

I can write down Penn State 1975. Could it be that God brought you on this date were a year or two or three from now, you would say I bowed my head and I said 24 seven.

All that I am all that I have is yours and you tremble just a little bit and you start taking off plastic beads and said, Lord, do with me what you will, I trust you your good are you growing in your loving and your heart and your mind and your soul if your heart is enlarging and love. It will be revealed in financial sacrificed. If your mind is growing in love, you'll find yourself renewing your mind with God's word.

If your soul is growing in terms of this relationship, you find yourself having deep talks with your heavenly father.

And if your strength loving God with your strength you find yourself ministering somewhere using what is given you conclusion is very simple sacrifice is merely love with clothes on. Where there is great love.

There will always be great sacrifice is real simple and I mean that's how I know in my family. That's how you know with your friends. Love is just no sacrifice looks like for God so loved the world because you I said at the end of the teaching time that sacrifice is nothing more or nothing less than love with clothes on great Christians make great sacrifices they make great sacrifices for other people. They make great sacrifices for the Lord and were all fearful of that. And yet, as we pause, we realize that what love really meant to each one of us is that Jesus laid down his life for us.

He made a great sacrifice to pay for your sin to pay for my sin and the response is not trying to be a good little moral person or going to church little bit more, or watching you know church online the will of God is this, therefore, my dear brothers and sisters in view of God's great mercy that he purchased by sacrifice, I urge you all for your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This is your spiritual service of worship. I don't know where you're at. Don't know what's going on but I can tell you this is the will of God on this day. If you have never done it to all for all that you are and all that you have to the Lord Jesus Christ is like signing the bottom of the check and then giving it to the Lord is say you fill out the top where you want me to go, what you want to do, how you want to act. I'm all yours, the all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, maker of the universe is worthy of all that you are and sacrifice surrender is the highway by which he gives you the very best in this life.

If you've never done it right now, bow your head and asked the Lord to be Lord of your life. Tell them that you are all in with no reservations.

You'll never regret it will.

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Thanks so much Dave has a wrap up today's program I have to tell you that one of the greatest things that happens to Living on the Edge is people make Jesus the Lord of their life and I've read literally thousands of emails and change that happens is just absolutely amazing and it's a chain reaction and so I just want to thank all of you that support the ministry financially because when someone makes Jesus Lord, their marriage changes their parenting changes of who shows up at work changes.

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Good to great in God's eyes. Until then, this is Dave Drury saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge