Tag: Psalm

What Are Thank Offerings Today?

‘Sacrifice thank-offerings to God,
    fulfil your vows to the Most High,
and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honour me.’

Psalm 50:14-15

The fellowship offering

11 ‘“These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord:

12 ‘“If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank-offering they are to offer thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. 13 Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. 14 They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. 15 The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.

Leviticus 7:11-15

Under the Law, a man could simply say he was thankful, but if he was really thankful, he also brought a costly thank offering (Leviticus 7:11-15). Today, while God is no longer interested in animal sacrifices, a truly thankful believer will present his body to God as a living sacrifice. This kind of sacrifice costs us our time, our labor and our money, but it is only “reasonable” that we afford Him this service (Romans 12:1) in light of all that He has done for us in Christ.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12:1

A sacrifice is something precious, of great value, given out of love and devotion to God. If it costs you nothing, it is no sacrifice. The sacrifice God wants is you… your body, your time, your very life. According to the rest of the chapter (Rom. 12), the sacrifice you offer will be inline with your spiritual gifts. Yet there are so many tasks to be done in the church that anyone can do, and that do not require any special gift at all. Most churches respond by squeezing the 20% of active, hardworking people for even more sacrifices. This is ineffective for the long run, and it means that the other 80% will have little to show their Lord for their lives when the time comes for showing. Offer yourself to Christ, give Him your whole self, and ask, “Lord, am I doing all I can to turn the wheel of the church? Am I fully consecrated to you?” I believe God wants to do great things in your own church. May He do them through the dedicated service of each one of you!

Sources

https://bereanbiblesociety.org/joyful-thank-offerings

https://twojourneys.org/articles/detail/2262534/how-to-offer-yourself-as-a-living-sacrifice-to-god

God Will Redeem Me

People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendour of their houses increases;
for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendour will not descend with them.
Though while they live they count themselves blessed –
and people praise you when you prosper –
they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.

People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49:12-20

The Perfect Sacrifice

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire –
    but my ears you have opened; –
    burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come –
    it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
    your law is within my heart.’

Psalm 40:6–10

BY DAVID PLATT

Psalm 40:6–10 give us a picture from the very beginning of the sacrifices and offerings, the system that God had set up among his people in the Old Testament to atone for, to cover over sin. So that the price of sin, death, might be paid through this sacrifice, this offering, and the wrath and judgment of God averted among his people. But we know, and the book of Hebrews later makes clear, that these sacrifices all throughout the Old Testament were ultimately insufficient to pay the full price for people’s sin against God.

Only Jesus is qualified to bear the weight of our sin as a substitute. Through His perfect sacrifice on the cross we are welcomed into the presence of God.
But that is the beauty. Even as Psalm 40:6–10 talks about one who delights to do the will of God, the law of God written on their heart. So, this passage is a description of the one who could be a perfect sacrifice, a perfect offering for us. This is the beauty of what we celebrate, that Jesus has come and his delight was to do the will of God perfectly, without error, without sin.

The law of God, written on his heart and obeyed in his life completely in a way that was ultimately and perfectly pleasing to the Father. And in this way, he alone could then be a sacrifice for sinners, could offer his life on a cross to pay the price for sin. If he had sin in his heart, he could not die for sinners. The beauty of the Bible and what Psalm 40:6–10 and all the Old Testament are anticipating is one who will be a perfect offering, a perfect sacrifice on behalf of sinners.

The Perfect Sacrifice

So, we bow and we pray. Lord Jesus, all glory be to your name, for you are the perfect sacrifice, the perfect offering for sinners like us. Lord, we do not perfectly do your will. We do not perfectly obey your law written on our hearts, but we praise you, Jesus, for doing what we could not do, for living the life we could not live, and then for dying the death we deserve to die on the cross for us.

So, Jesus, we praise you for your perfect sacrifice for us, and now, by your sacrifice for us, by the forgiveness of our sins, by the power of your presence, your spirit in us, we pray that you would help us to walk with you today. Help us to delight in your will, your law written on our hearts. Help us to enjoy your law, obedience to your law, deliverance from sin that you have made possible in our hearts based on your faithfulness and your salvation, your steadfast love for us. All glory be to your name, Jesus, for coming, for paying the perfect price: sacrifice, offering your life for our sin so that we might have life today in you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

https://radical.net/podcasts/pray-the-word/a-sufficient-sacrifice-psalm-406-10