Romans 12:1 ( I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.)
The sermon for today talks about the gospel, and what it means to be a living sacrifice on Holy alter.
Calvary, Jesus Christ our Lord, offered Himself as sacrifice on the greatest altar of the world, that is, the cross of Calvary as unblemished and holy unto God.
He did it so we can become a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in God’s sight, by not conforming to the world but transformed by the renewal of our mind daily in His presence.
Until a man presents himself on the altar of sacrifice unto God, he is yet to attain perfection that will usher him into the will of God.
We were created spirit, soul, and body, and as we became born again, our spiritual man is regenerated and quick to sense the move of the spirit of God.
Our souls are being renewed daily by the cleansing of His word, building us up in the image of Christ.
As God is taking over the soul and spirit, he also wants to be in charge of our body by rendering it a living sacrifice on His altar.
Those who preach that it’s only the heart that God is after are deceivers; they want to pollute our nature before God by indulging the body with things contrary to his holiness.
Sacrifices made unto God can’t be stolen by the devil nor possessed with demons; Satan gains access to bodies that are yet to be surrendered on the altar by afflicting them with various diseases and sickness.
A body that’s exposed to Satan’s attacks will surely accommodate evil spirits; those who refuse to honour their body will find themselves to blame when Satan is using it as instruments of destruction.
We protect our body by laying it on the altar to be under the control of God. Sacrifices that are on the altar no longer belong to the supposed owner; all Christians who claim that their body belongs to them and they can use it according to their own will are yet to understand the mystery of godliness.
Even if our body is going to be confined to the earth after we die, it’s still the temple of God while we are still living; it must be dedicated to Him as a living sacrifice and made habitable for His use.
God wants all; without withholding anything from Him, a pure soul will reflect holiness; without it, your outward appearance signifies the state of your heart.
A living sacrifice doesn’t have the will of his own; his will is buried in the will of God and will only be after “thus saith the Lord” in whichever circumstances he finds himself.
The decision of a living sacrifice is sanctioned by the word of God; it doesn’t matter whether society agrees or not; it’s always “let thy will be done, oh Lord.”.
This is the level God is taking us to; until we reach that stature of Christ and God reign supreme without controversy, we are yet to surrender totally.
Christ is the center of attraction to all who believe, and what they do is based on His will. Divided attention makes man fall short of his goodness.
Man was born to rule and created to exercise dominion; until he is fully surrendered on the altar of sacrifice, that’s where the scepter of his power resides.
Christ showed the example for us to follow; it’s on the altar that he subdued the hosts of darkness and put them under His feet.
Our journey to the altar is confirmed by obedience to His law and ordinance, which none of them will go unfulfilled.
Either you sacrifice yourself to God or you become a sacrifice to the powers of darkness; the choice is yours. The people in the world are already on the Satanic altar, waiting to be harvested by the devil; it’s who the mercy of God locates that will be delivered.
A Christian that’s not fully committed is yet to escape the snares of Satan and will be lured back into the satanic cage.
There are things that are related to our commitment; until we’re totally surrendered, we won’t ascend to that stage to possess our possession.
Half commitment brings half testimony, which leads to frustration of purpose and suppression of destiny.
Lack of total surrender makes us stay long in the valley of demotion and makes us tarry longer in the wilderness experience; whatever’s standing between us and God is our enemy, and it’s blocking the face of God from shining on us.
It’s difficult for the carnal man to understand the mystery of God; it’s only submission to His will and bringing every imagination under His authority that opened the understanding of man to the things prepared for him since the foundation of the world.
Prayer: Father Lord, I surrender to your will; let it be done in my life in Jesus name, amen.
