THE NEXUS OF A SACRIFICE

 

A sacrifice is an offering given to God based on an understanding of His sovereignty, faithfulness and greatness. The 'word' sacrifice and offering are used interchangeably in the scriptures. Sacrifice is all-encompassing and can be used to describe every effort or input of a man to fulfil the demand of the Spirit. Offering on the other hand generally refers to the object or the element of a sacrifice. A sacrifice can be something done to prove your love for something. It could also be a way to sustain the relationship with a Spirit. It is NOT usually convenient in most cases. Sometimes, people have to go out of their way to make it happen.

A sacrifice is a strong force in the spirit realm. In fact, it is an interaction between a man and a Spirit. It gains the attention of Spirits. Immortals are moved by sacrifice. The level of a man`s sacrifice is directly proportional to his interaction with the Realm of the Spirit. The principal link for sacrifice is an altar. The altar serves as the portal between the physical and the spiritual. The rise and fall of men is due to the strength of an altar which is sustained by sacrifice. Petrol is to a car as a sacrifice is to an altar. Sacrifice attracts the attention of the immortals. It has a loud voice based on the intensity of the sacrifice.

The act of sacrifice began in Genesis when the first set of humans brought an offering to the Lord (Genesis 4:3-5). Unfortunately, the aftermath of this wonderful action led to the death of one of them. Cain was unhappy that his sacrifice was not accepted by the Lord and his response was envy which led to the murder of his own blood brother. Well, his action is bad and he faced the consequences but it also reveals to us that the fact that God accepts a man`s sacrifice is extremely important while rejecting it is worrisome. It is clear from the scriptures that God accepts a man first before his offering. The man who wants to present the offering is the major factor to be considered and not actually the offering.

Noah was the first in the scriptures to build an altar to the Lord and offer a sacrifice (Genesis 8;20-21). The effect of this action was powerful that it resulted in fresh blessings on mankind and a covenant. The covenant was backed up with a token (evidence). The covenant was that God will never destroy the earth by a flood and the token is the rainbow.

The endpoint of a sacrifice is that God will receive a smelling sweet savour (soothing aroma). The sacrifices in the Old Testament were usually burned with fire. The smoke which rises from the burnt sacrifice goes upward and is acknowledged as a sweet savour.

The Lord told Abraham to offer his only son as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:2). The lord was also specific about the son (not Ishmael) and also the location for the sacrifice. God wants us to willingly give Him a sacrifice and nothing should be too important for us to let go for Him. It is worthy of note that a sacrifice is something that a man loves but gives up for the one He loves.

 

TYPES OF OFFERINGS (SACRIFICE)

1.      Burnt offering (Exodus 20:24).

2.      Peace offering (Exodus 20:24).

3.      Sin offering (Exodus 29:14).

4.      Wave offering (Exodus 29:24).

5.      Heave offering (Exodus 29:28).

6.      Drink offering (Exodus 29:40).

7.      Meat offering (Exodus 29:41)

8.      Freewill offering (Exodus 35:29, Leviticus 7:16).

9.      Trespass offering (Leviticus 5:18)

10.  Jealousy offering (Number 5:18).

11.  Redemption of firstborn (Luke 2:24)

 

REQUIREMENT FOR A SACRIFICE

The following are the equipment/substance required for offering a sacrifice to God. These items are also relevant and have their significance;

1.      An altar. Exodus 35:16

2.      Wood. Genesis 22:2

3.      Fire. Leviticus 3:5

4.      Salt. Mark 9:49

5.      Knife. Genesis 22:2

6.      The Priest. Hebrew 5:1

7.      The offering (Cattle, Goat, gold, silver, etc) Exodus 25:2-8

 

LAWS ON OFFERING A SACRIFICE

1.      The offering must be without blemish (Leviticus 1:10). It must be the best among the best. It must not be a second choice or a deformed offering.

2.      A man`s heart must be pure and holy. God searches our hearts. We must be at peace with God and our neighbours (Matthew 5:23)

3.      It must be willingly given to the Lord. It is not by force or under duress or a threat.

4.      Offerings (sacrifice) are measured from the heart of the giver and not by the volume of the offering (Luke 21:4)

 

JESUS; THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

1 Corinthians 5:7, Ephesians 5:2, Hebrew 10:14

Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for mankind (Hebrew 9:14). The principal function that sacrifices procured for us was redemption.  The blood of Jesus which was shed by sacrifice completely wiped off the sin of man. The blood of Jesus has purged away our sin (Hebrew 10:4; 9:22). There is no more sacrifice other than the sacrifice of Jesus needed to redeem man from sin. The man needs to accept Jesus as Lord over his life totally. Death on the cross is a sacrifice to God. This action reconciled man back to God and also made us become joint heirs with Jesus. We can get direct access to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We no longer need the sacrificing of animals for the remission of our sins or to gain access to God.

Due to the finished work of Christ on the cross, we should make ourselves a living sacrifice to God just like Jesus has done (Romans 12:1-2).

 

THE RIGHT SACRIFICE

Based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, the gift of the Holy Spirit which facilitates the new covenant, the following are the right sacrifices God expects from us;

1.      Offer yourself. Genesis 22:2, Romans 12:1

2.      Love GOD unconditionally. Mark 12:33

3.      Be good to people and help the needy. Hebrew 10:26

Anything can become a sacrifice if it is demanded by the Spirit. It is mostly things we love, cherishes and it usually cost us (2 Samuel 24:24).

 

A_Watchman

Email; a_watchman@outlook.com

Website: watchmenarmyworldwide@blogspot.com