Spiritual Sacrifices Acceptable To God

JESUS WAS SPEAKING TO THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL WHEN THE TOPIC OF WORSHIP CAME UP. HOW TO WORSHIP GOD IS A QUESTION MANY CHURCHES WRESTLE WITH TODAY. JESUS INTRODUCES SOMETHING NEW TO THE SAMARITAN WOMAN WHEN HE TELLS HER THAT GOD SEEKS THOSE WHO WILL WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.

IN OUR TEXT PETER SHOWS US THE WAY TO TRUE WORSHIP. SOMETIMES WE FORGET THAT GOD EITHER ACCEPTS OR REJECTS OUR WORSHIP. WHEN PETER SPEAKS OF SPIRITAL SACRIFICES HE IS SPEAKING OF TRUE WORSHIP. PETER BEING A JEW KNEW OF THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM THAT GOD INSTITUTED WITH MOSES. ALTHOUGH WE SEE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT SACRIFICES BEING OFFERED AS FAR BACK AS THE GARDEN OF EDEN, IT WAS WITH MOSES THAT GOD MADE IT OFFICIAL AS TO WHAT HE WOULD ACCEPT AS WORSHIP. MUCH WORSHIP IS GOING UP TO GOD TODAY BUT THE SACRIFICE PART IS BEING LEFT OUT. YET GOD HAS MADE IT CLEAR, THIS IS ALL THAT HE WILL ACCEPT AS WORSHIP. GOD HAS TAUGHT US FROM THE BEGINNING HOW TO PLEASE HIM. YET WE STILL IN MANY WAYS WANT TO OFFER TO GOD,AS CAIN DID, OUR CHOICE OF OFFERING. JUST AS GOD REJECTED CAIN’S OFFERING HE IS SURE TO REJECT OURS IF WE CONTINUE TO BRING HIM OUR CHOICE OF OFFERING. THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM OF THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS IN REALITY THE WORSHIP SYSTEM THAT GOD WOULD ACCEPT. JESUS MADE IT CLEAR THAT GOD HAS NOT CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP NOR HAS HE CHANGED WHAT WE SHALL OFFER. JESUS FULFILLED EVERY REQUIREMENT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SACRIFICES WHEN HE OFFERED HIMSELF ON THE CROSS. THAT NOTHING ELSE NEED BE DONE IS CLEAR IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. NOW WE OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. SALVATION THROUGH JESUS IS COMPLETED BUT SERVICE AND WORSHIP ARE STILL REQUIRED BY GOD.

IN LEVITICUS CHAPTER ONE WE SEE THAT WHEN A SACRIFICE IS TO BROUGHT TO GOD IT IS TO BE VOLUNTARY. AS SACRIFICE IS VOLUNTARY THEN WORSHIP IS VOLUNTARY. THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTSMENT HAD TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO WORSHIP GOD AND WE NEED ALSO TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO OFFER SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD. MUCH OF THE WORSHIP IN OUR CHURCHES TODAY IS PROGRAMMED MUSIC AND SINGING WITH LITTLE THOUGHT GIVEN TO THE QUESTION, "IS THIS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD."

THE SYSTEM OF WORSHIP THAT GOD SAID HE WOULD ACCEPT

WAS THROUGH THE SACRIFICES OFFERED VOLUNTARILY. IN

ORDER FOR GOD TO HAVE ANY DEALINGS WITH MAN THEN SIN

WOULD HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH. SO THE FIRST SACRIFICE

THAT GOD SAID WAS TO BE OFFERED WAS THE SIN OFFERING.

THIS DEALT WITH THE SIN NATURE THAT WE INHERITED FROM

ADAM AND EVE. BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE CAN BE DONE, THIS

SIN NATURE MUST BE RECOGNIZED AND REPENTED OF. JESUS

BECAME OUR SIN OFFERING WHEN HE WENT TO THE CROSS AND

SUFFERED FOR US AND PAID THE PENALTY REQUIRED BY GOD.

IN LEVITICUS 7:16, IT TELLS US WE CAN OFFER A VOW TO

GOD ALONG WITH THE PEACE OFFERING. TODAY THE VOW WE

MAKE IS A VOW OF REPENTANCE. REPENTANCE IS THE

SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE SIN OFFERING. JOB IS THE OLDEST BOOK IN THE BIBLE AND WE FIND JOB REPENTING IN THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THAT BOOK.

THE CONCLUSION JOB CAME TO WAS THAT HE NEEDED TO

REPENT OF HIMSELF.

SINS ARE A RESULT OF THE SIN NATURE. THESE ARE THE

ACTS AND DEEDS WE COMMIT AGAINST GOD AND HIS

RIGHTEOUSNESS. THE SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE WE MUST BRING

TO GOD NOW IS FOUND IN PSALMS 4:5. THE SACRIFICE OF

RIGHTEOUSNESS CORRESPONDS TO THE TREPASS OFFERING. AS

SINS ARE A DEMONSTRATION OF OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, WE MUST COUNTER ACT THAT WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS. JESUS LIVED

A RIGHTEOUS LIFE SO THAT WE MAY FOLLOW HIM IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. GOD SAID THIS IS A SACRIFICE HE WOULD

ACCEPT. TO DENY WHAT I THINK IS RIGHT AND TO DO WHAT

GOD SAYS IS RIGHT IS THE SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE OF

RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THE THIRD SACRIFICE GOD REQUIRED WAS THE BURNT OFFERING. WE CAN FIND THIS SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE IN

ROMANS 12:1. JESUS WAS OUR BURNT OFFERING ON THE CROSS WHEN HE OFFERED HIMSELF TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY

TO GOD. THIS SCRIPTURE TELLS US WE ARE TO BE A LIVING

SACRIFICE OFFERED TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY TO GOD. ALIVE TO GOD BUT DEAD TO ALL ELSE. (GALATIANS 2:20)

THE NEXT SACRIFICE WAS THE MEAL OFFERING. THIS WAS

THE ONLY SACRIFICE THAT WAS WITHOUT BLOOD. BUT IT IS ALWAYS OFFERED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BURNT OFFERING.

IN HEBREWS 13:15, WE SEE THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE BEING

OFFERED UP CONTINUALLY. GOD WILL ACCEPT THE SPIRITUAL

SACRIFICE OF PRAISE FOR IT IS SOMETHING THAT PLEASES

HIM.

THIS LAST SACRIFICE IS THE ONE WE OFFER AFTER HAVING

DONE ALL THE OTHERS, THE PEACE OFFERING. IN ALL THE OTHER SACRIFICES, THE OFFERER RECEIVED NOTHING BACK FROM THE PRIEST. THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT A PORTION