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A Living Sacrifice

The Lord is looking for a new generation of believers with an ancient understanding of what His heart desires. He seeks those who will cheerfully offer up their spirit, soul, and body. He requires our sin while He longs for the sweet aroma of our praise. God is listening for an answer to His call to be a living sacrifice. But how do we do this in spirit and in truth? Jesus finished the work on the cross and became the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. What is a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to Him now?

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1 NAU).

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life (Romans 6:22 KJV).

Undoubtedly, there is no sin in this world worth choosing over His presence. Anything that will bring sorrow to His heart is not even worthy of entertaining. There is certainly not any emotion or inner pain of ours that deserves to become our ultimate division from Christ, and cause our own spiritual death. Why is it so easy to live according to the law of sin and death instead of the law of the Spirit? Aside from avoiding such blatant sins as murder and stealing, there are so many of us who are still inclined to watch movies that feed our lust, listen to songs that feed our depression, and surround ourselves with people that encourage our neglect of spiritual things. Paul confessed that even he would do the very thing that he did not want to do. The enemy, even in very subtle ways, wants us to find glory in our pain and build an identity around our wrongs and sins instead of losing our identities in Christ’s victories. Why wear betrayal and pain as a badge? Why justify our jealousy or hurts instead of sacrificing them? After confessing and believing on the Lord Jesus, we then must make the transition from serving sin to serving God.

Idols and Altars

Through the cross we have already been crucified with Him. We were given the map and the keys to overcoming our enemies. Now we must daily walk the path and use the keys given to us through His Word to open the door of continually “being made free from sin.” When we hold anything back from Him, we are allowing those things to stand between us and our God. We are entertaining sins when we don’t immediately give them over to the Lord—this is spiritual adultery.

These sins sometimes come in forms that are hard to detect. One way they often enter is in the form of being wronged by someone else, which can result in simply feeling hurt. A single hurt holds a powerful potential in a person’s life. It can soon become the platform on which many idols of sin are erected and strongholds are secured, or it can become a living sacrifice on the altar of our lives. Strongholds of rejection, betrayal, fear, and anger surely must be torn down lest they become idols that stand between us and God. However, they do not always just disappear when we choose that we do not want them around anymore. The way we tear these abominations down is to use them as an expression of sacrificial worship to the Lord. We can simply say, “Lord, I choose to give this jealousy and this rejection to You as an act of worship. I release it and will not keep anything back for myself or the enemy.”

We do not want to take away from the work done on the cross but rather partake of it more fully as true “servants to God.” Everything from lust, to jealousy, to depression, and unforgiveness can be changed from a sin leading to spiritual death to an act of worship leading to “holiness and. . .everlasting life.” When we offer them up to God in sincere love and exaltation, we are acknowledging that He is God and we will put nothing before Him. Any situation, attack, emotion, hurt, or desire can be used as a demonstration of our faith, hope, and love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether something glorifies God by its very nature and life or by its death, all things exist to glorify the Father. When we daily choose to lay down our depression or fear and not take it in unto ourselves, we have just chosen to turn that “pet” pain or that demonic chain into a profound act of praise. This in turn releases the Lord to move on our behalf and overcome our enemies for us. This is the basis of spiritual warfare. As we exalt God by worshipping and placing Him above every circumstance, sin, idol, and stronghold, we are causing Him to arise and, “His enemies be scattered” in our lives (Psalms 68:1). This is one biblical principle that is often neglected.

Temples of Flesh

Amos 9:11 says that in the last days God will rebuild and resurrect the tabernacle of David. This particular tabernacle was especially pleasing to the Lord, even more than Moses’ or Solomon’s. One of the more notable things about King David’s reign was King David’s heart. He had the heart of a fierce warrior. He knew the taste of victory and defeat on the battlefield and in life. He knew where his strength was found and he always leaned on the strong arm of the Lord to overcome his enemies. David had the heart of a king and priest. He understood what it was to shepherd and protect, and he would boldly run to the Lord to intercede on behalf of his people. He had the heart of a poet and God’s creative nature flourished within Him. He also had the heart of a worshiper that spilled over with pure love for His Creator, Jehovah. He had an insatiable desperation for the living God.

David established a people who offered up a musical expression of praise twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for thirty-three years. He designed nearly all of the instruments in this spectacular orchestra as well. He established authority by which God could greatly reveal Himself. He dictated strict requirements for every musician and teacher who were to minister in the tabernacle. He was dedicated to truly knowing and glorifying his God. David knew the world of a shepherd’s tent, a warrior’s tent, and a king’s palace, but he desired to “dwell in the house of the Lord” all the days of his life.

David also had a sinful heart. He was wicked and deceitful. At times he was outright disobedient—but David had a hold of the heart of God. When he recognized his sins as such, he would immediately run to the rock of his salvation and sacrifice them there as an offering of praise. He did the same thing with the sins that were sinned against him. He chose to bring them always before the Lord, lay them at His feet and simply walk away. He never harbored them or took a personal offense. He let the Lord take offense to vindicate Himself. This was because David wanted to be rid of the entanglements of sin to be free to worship. This was how he worshipped—he lived his life completely before the Lord. In David’s tabernacle he offered every sin, fear, hurt, betrayal, joy, and victory unto God as a living sacrifice of praise. As God inhabited this praise, the darkness was dispelled. Who can stand against the presence of the living God?

Son of David

Jesus, the Son of David, came to earth, humbled Himself as a man, and became the ultimate sacrifice to prepare us as the new tabernacle of the Lord. David understood that in God’s tabernacle the Lord desired humility and a contrite spirit above sacrifice. He is the same today as He was then. There is nothing that we can do in our own righteousness to please Him. There is nothing that we can give or attain to without Him. We can only bring to Him our weaknesses. We can only lay our sins and failures at His feet in worship. All that we have that is of any value, we attained at the foot of the cross.

Jesus also came to take His place on the throne of David so that He might restore the heart of David into us, His dwelling place. An angel confirmed to Mary that: “He (Jesus) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32 ).

Acts speaks of how Jesus was the consummation of Amos 9:11-15. The apostle quotes the prophesy concerning the Messiah: “. . . I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord. . .” (Acts 15:16-17).

Through Jesus we may all boldly enter into the holy place and be changed into His image from glory to glory. Once salvation and redemption are received, He sets into motion the restoration of the heart of David within us—a heart after God, and a life willing to crucify its “body of sin” as a living sacrifice of worship. The Lord will take this heart and rebuild its ruins, repair it, and set it up. As this happens, our lives truly become living testimonies of Jesus. This is when the beauty of the Lord shines forth from us and the world cannot help but see, hear, fear, and trust in the Lord. The world will not be able to resist this undeniable beauty of His pleasure upon us, and they too will seek Him.

Conclusion

God wants to continue to restore David’s true tabernacle in this generation of believers. Through this new covenant sacrifice He wants us to experience His faithfulness, His beauty, His presence, justice, and holiness even more than David did. God is now raising up a people who are fierce in battle, humble and bold in their intercession, and who are godly leaders, full of the humility of Christ. He is releasing His Spirit of creativity for the purpose of designing innovative and outlandish ways of exalting Him. God is determined to give us His presence so that all of His enemies, within us and coming against us, will be scattered. His truth will be revealed through His people who willingly lay down their lives as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him.

May there continually be a billow of praise rising to His throne as we never cease to lay our lives, and bodies of sin, on the altar of His mercy. He longs to abide in the midst of a people who offer up this sacrifice twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the rest of their time on this earth. This is our service of praise unto Him. This is becoming a living sacrifice.

Ramey Hughes

SelahMinistries.com

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