DEEPER LIFE BIBLE CHURCH WORLDWIDE.
TUESDAY'S LEADERS' DEVELOPMENT. (#LIVE #TRANSMISSION)
DATE: 02/06/2020.
MESSAGE ANCHORED BY THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.
TOPIC: THE PECULIAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND THE GODLY.
PSLAMS 4:3-5.
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The Psalmist is telling us and showing us the peculiar Relationship we ought to have with God, and as a child of God, as a saved and sanctified servant of God, you are set apart because you're Godly and Holy, if you truly know that you're saved and sanctified, then you'll realize that God has chosen you and set you apart for the use of His service. The Psalmist says that, the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for Himself, and furthermore, he says the LORD will hear when he call unto him, he has this assurance and confidence in God, that when he makes his supplication before the Lord, that the Lord will hear him because he's a Godly man, that mean, if you're going to have speedy answers to your prayers, you must be Godly, if you want God to hearken unto your voice when you makes your request, such a man must stand in awe, you must stand in amazement, stand in tremble and sin not, then he said, commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. God is our Creator, He's our God, He's our Redeemer, He's our Father, He's our Lord, He's the Most High, and then the Psalmist Outlined the relationship we have as sons of God, as daughters of God, as servants of God, and as saints of God. That peculiar Relationship is what we are considering today.
POINT ONE: THE SEPARATION OF THE GODLY ENTIRELY TO THE LORD.
PSLAMS 4:3.
God demands complete and entire separation from us, that's what God expects, that we are fully, entirely, completely and unreservedly separated unto Him. Obviously, you understand the beginning of the sentence, it's saying something peculiar, and in the next verse (Verse 2) David spoken about the other people that tries to hinder him, and the people that tries to oppress him, and the people that wished the worst for him. And he was not telling the oppressors, the enemies to Know that the Lord has set him apart, and is like David telling Absalom to know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself, and is like David telling the Philistines to know that God hath set apart him that is godly for Himself. And we are going to extend that sentence: it's like Job telling Satan to know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself, David had this strong confidence in God because he's a godly man, and he's telling the enemies that tries to hinder his progress, and he tells those enemies to know that they can not touch a man that is godly and set apart by God, if you're a godly servant of God, understand that God has chosen you, and because God has chosen you, He has set you apart for Himself, and it's like a child child of God, a saint of God, a servant of God, a son of God telling yourself at every cross road, at anytime, at everywhere you are, you're conscious of the fact that you belong to God, are you born again? You're set apart unto God, and are you sanctified? You're set apart unto the Lord, are you commissioned for Him by Him to do something? You're set apart unto God. Every servants of God are set apart unto God. David said, the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself, if you're born again, He sets you apart, if you're godly, He has set you apart, He set apart those who are righteous for Himself like He set David apart for Himself, and because He sets you apart for Himself, He has given you some work to do, He's giving us assignment to do, and when you discover that the Lord has set you apart for Himself, when you call unto Him He will hear you.
* David comes before Goliath, and Goliath was bragging himself, then David tells himself, and he said, "my heart don't be anxious, my spirit don't be fretting, my soul don't be frightened", because God has set him apart for Himself. And David was assured that God will not allow the Philistines and Goliath to kill him and to destroy him. You must have that understanding all the time that God has set you apart for Himself, and when you pray, God will answers. If you're praying for the sick, that's what He sets you apart for, if you're praying and making intercession for those who have problems, that's what He sets you apart for, and because He set you apart for Himself, and you're walking in the way He set you apart for, and you're doing the work He set you apart for, and because of that, when you call, He will answer.
I. The setting Apart of the Godly. Psalms 4:3; Isaiah 43:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 2:4.
But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Understand that, God set apart the godly for Himself, He created us for Himself, He converted us for Himself, and He commissioned us for Himself, and He wants us to show forth His glory and His praise, that's what you ought to do everytime, everyday, and every moment, you're conscious of the fact that you belong to God, He has set you apart for Himself, He created you for Himself, He appointed you and He commissioned you for Himself.
The New Testament brings it forth very clearly that we don't belong to ourselves, we are born again, we are children of God, we live on earth and we cannot decide what we will do, because we don't belong to ourselves. And you cannot say, you're tired of this kind of life, you cannot take your life by yourself, and you cannot take that personality, and you cannot take who you are and throw it to the wind, and you can't take your life and throw it to the sea, and throw it to the hand of Satan because you do not belong to yourself, you're redeemed with a price, you're purchased with a price, and you have been born again, you're cleansed and He says you're bought with a great price, therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit. This is the evidence that you understand you're bought with a price.
Christ our Saviour, Christ our Redeemer, Christ our Sanctifier, He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. He cleanses us, He separated us for Himself, and He sanctifies us for His own purpose, so we cannot be idleness, we cannot be indolence, we cannot be lukewarm, we cannot be inactive, and we cannot just give up and leave our Post on duty for an easy going life we must be zealous of good works because we are placed on earth, and we are here for a purpose, and if God has set us apart for Himself, it's time for us to respond to His calling, it's time for us to react to that, and that's what God wants of us.
II. Our Surrender unto God. Galatians 1:15-16; Matthew 4:18-22. .God has called you, and He commissioned you and because of that He set you apart just for Himself, not for yourself, He didn't set you apart for your tribe, He didn't set you apart for the world, and not even for yourselves, but He set you apart for Himself. That's why Paul the Apostle said, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace", the Lord recreated Paul, and the Lord converted Him, the Lord changed Him and He did that so Paul can be fully and wholeheartedly and entirely separated and given unto God. He says, because of that, he conferred not with flesh and blood. If God has changed your life and saved you, you will not consult flesh, and you will not discuss with flesh before you do what God has ordained you to do.
The word of God tells us how Jesus Christ set apart His own disciples. As Jesus Christ was walking by the sea of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Peter and Andrew were doing their regular work, they were fishermen, and they thought they were going to be fishermen unto the end of their lives, although nothing wrong with fishery, but that's not the ultimate purpose why God created them. Jesus Christ called them and they responded, They are called out for something, they are created for something, and they are converted for something, and they discovered the reason why they were here on earth, and because God has set them apart for Himself, therefore, Jesus Christ said, "FOLLOW ME, AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN". That mean the Lord will recreate you, He will make you to become the person God had in mind before He created you, and thank God, you will discover that purpose of which you were created. After Jesus Christ saith unto Peter and Andrew, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men". Immediately, they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. What a great example for us? When they were going for fishery in that morning, they didn't think they were going to have a difference calls of life, and they didn't think they were going to have a different part of life, they just went on doing their route work, and then the call came, and immediately they left nets and they followed Jesus Christ.
Not only Peter and Andrew that Responded to the call of God.
When JESUS Christ was going on from there, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them, and they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him. There are other people that responded to the call of Christ.
These disciples obvious to anything that will take place in the future difference from what they were doing at that time. And He called them, and they responded positively, the Beauty of their response and the Glory in their response to the Lord is, "They immediately left their ship and their father and they followed Christ". That's their Surrender to Christ, and that should be our surrender and our pattern, and our style of living. He calls us, and when we hear the word of God like we are hearing tonight, and you realize, and you look at your life, how much of your time, how much of your skill, how much of your ability you are spending for the Lord? Realise that the Lord has set you apart for Himself.
III. The Servanthood of the godly. Psalms 4:3; John 12:24-26.
as you are moving along, and you're committed to something, and all of the sudden, the Lord say, look at your life, look at your occupation, and look at your aspiration, and look at your vision, and look at everything you are concentrating on, and now He says He has set you apart for Himself, and if you're sure you're born again, if you're sure He has set you apart for Himself, if you're sure you're sanctified, if you're sure you're a pastor, you're a preacher and evangelist, and if you're sure you're a servant of God, if you're sure you're a women leader or campus leader, understand you're not ordinarily occupying that post, but because you're saved, you're sanctified, that is why God selected you to occupy that space. You must Understand that, whatever the physical appearance, whatever the physical situation, whatever the section where you are working, God set you apart for Himself, and the Lord will hear you when you call. If that's so, that brings us to the submission to the Lord. We are to serve God, we are to serve His creation, we are to serve His creatures, we are to serve His church, we are to serve the Saints, we are even to serve the unbelievers in bringing them to the knowledge of the Gospel.
That's our servantshood, He says, he that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. He who does not realize and does not come to the understanding that He set apart him that is godly for Himself, and he's living for himself, he's thinking for himself, he's thinking of himself, he's planning for himself, and he do everything only for himself without considering God, such a person living only for himself will lose his life, he will lose his excitement for living for God, he will lose the Joy of serving the Lord, he will lose the reward of serving the Lord. And when He says, he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. He's talking about those who plant their lives in the work of God, they plant their lives in the service of God, if you are of such a man, people of the world will know you as a different man, and they may say something to drift you away from the path of God, they may come to you and say, with all the intelligence, skill, ability you have, you could have make a lot of money. And this their words may looks like you hate your life, it may looks like you throw your life away, don't consider their counsel, they don't understand that God has set you apart for Himself, and Jesus Christ said, when they say all manner of words to you, don't change because of that, don't day you're unreasonable, don't turn around because of that, if you were doing what the Lord has called you to do, if you are doing what God created you to do in life, you're reasonable already, if you say you're going to be reasonable base on what the ungodly counsels, and you want to live for the world, you're becoming unreasonable. But if any man who is godly and he knows he's set apart for the Lord he will understand the word of Christ that says, If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. A reasonable man is serving the Lord and the Heavenly Father will Honour him, if you're serving the Lord faithfully, and you abandoned yourself for the service of the Lord, and as you pray, the Lord will honour you and answer your request, and when you ask for anything and when you demand for anything, the Lord will hear when you call on Him, that's our understanding, and that's the realization that there's a separation of the godly entirely to the Lord.
POINT TWO: THE STANDARD FOR SAINTS ENTRUSTED BY THE LORD.
PSALMS 4:4
The saints who are commissioned by the Lord, the Saints, who are entrusted by the Lord, the Saints who are entrusted with the Gospel and with the work of God, and with the service of the Lord, they are set apart. The scriptures tells us to stand in awe, and sin not: we should commune with our own heart upon our bed, and be still.
Selah..that word "Selah" means: Pause, don't rush on, it also means, stop, don't rush on, and think and meditate on the word of God, apply the word you have heard.
I. His commands for all saints: Stand in Awe, and sin not. 1 Corinthian 15:34; Romans 6:6,12-22; Psalms 4:4. As we are born again, our lives become different, and the things we use to do, we do them no more, the places we use to go, we go there no more, and the kind of lifestyles we use to follow, we follow that no more, that's what the Psalmist is referring to when he says, "Stand in awe and sin not". Stand in awe, Appreciate that conversion, stand in awe, appreciate that calling of God upon your life, stand in awe, He brings you to a new station in life, He brings you to a new statues in life, stand in awe, and sin not. Here is the word of God to all the Christians. He calls us to awake to righteousness, and sin not. That's the commandment of the Lord, every generation of believers, anywhere we are, once the Grace of God has come upon our lives, and once the truth of God has done in our lives, and that transforming Power has touched our lives, we must awake to Righteousness and sin not. The Lord Himself has done the work in us, it's the work of New creatures, it's the work of salvation, it's the work of sanctification, we must know that we must experience that experience, experiencially, that our old man, body and sin is crucified with Christ, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Life has changed, life has turned around, and because of that, henceforth we do not serve sin because we are not to serve sins anymore, and we are not to live like a old life anymore. We are now master over our lives, over sins, over self and over Satan. Christ set us free, He made us free, He converted us, He changed our lives, He gave us salvation, and He says we are made free from sin, and we become servants to God, and we are bearing fruit unto Holiness. The command of Lord is that, we should not continue in sin, ours is the grace of God, ours is the mercy of God, ours is the power of God, ours is the enablement of the Lord, He changed us, He transformed us, He turned us around and things are different now.
II. The Communion in our soul: commune with your own heart upon your bed. Psalms 4:4; 77:6; 3:6; 39:1-4. Already we have learnt in the previous Psalms that, no bible no breakfast, we must delight ourselves in the word of God, and we must meditate on the word of God day and night. And no scripture, no sleep. After reading the word of God, and we are lying down, we don't fall asleep immediately, and while we are lying down before sleep comes, we are meditating on the word of God, we commune with our heart upon our bed, we must meditate and think through of how obedience we are to the precepts of God, and we are communing how we bear fruit and we are meditating, we are ruminating, we are turning over the word of God in our heart, we call the songs of praise to remembrance, we call the songs of Joy to remembrance, we call to remembrance the songs in the psalms and you don't allow your heart to just stray here and stray there, but you think, you commune, you meditate with your own heart, and your spirit make diligent searches in your spirit, you're searching the word of God, in your spirit, you're taking in the word of God, in your spirit, you're understanding the word of God more and you're applying the word of God in your heart. If A Psalmist were living at the same time we are living today, he will not be concentrating watching on something that is not necessary on the social media, as he's about to go to sleep, it's not the people entertainment industry that will put him to sleep, he will be meditating upon the word of God, think about a man like that, he wakes up in the morning, he takes in the word of God, he have his devotion, he reads the word of God, and the word of God maps out for him how he's to live for the rest of the day, and then in the night after everything is over before he falls asleep, he's meditating on the Lord, he's meditating on the glory of God, he's meditating on the power of the Lord, he's meditating on the goodness of the Lord, he's meditating on the faithfulness of the Lord, even in the night watches, such a person will live a blessed life, he's a careful man, he's a watchful man, and that's how the Lord wants us to be careful and to be watchful, and before we open our mouths to speak, we must think about what we are going to say, it's when you have that mouth that is with a bridle, you will sin not with your mouth. And whatever is happening, whether rain is falling, or sun is shining, or the storm is raging, whatever is walking around in life, we will be given to meditation. And a man who is given to meditation, a man who is given to meditation, and looking at every things happening, and he's not move by what is happening, such man is a blessed man. He meditate, he commune with his heart, he commune about his personal life, about his family, about personal life, about his progress, about the work of the Lord, and about the evaluation of the work the Lord has given him to do, that's a kind of man that is blessed by the Lord, he meditate on the word of God and he evaluates everything, it's then he'll be able to pray and say, LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. It's very important to meditate on the word of God.
III. The Calmness in our Spirit: Be still. Psalms 4:4;46:10; Isaiah 26:3-4; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6. Be still in your soul, be still in your heart and in your spirit, that's the calmness the Lord wants us to have. Many things might happen in life that will jolt you, many things will happen in life that will upset you, many things will happen in life that will make the bowl of oil or the bowl of water you're carry to spilt off, many things might happen in life that will make you stumble, but when you're still, when you're calm, when you're not agitated, and when you're not worried, when you're not anxious, and you're able to look at the whole situation, and you evaluate the whole situation, and then seeing what you ought to be, and what you ought to be doing, the Lord will solve your problem. He tells us not to be jilted and worry, don't stumble and don't fall, there must be calmness in your spirit, don't just rush into action when something happens, and don't be panic and be staggering like a mad man, be still, and keep quiet, be still and be calm in your soul, be still and know that God is your God, and He will be with you. Whatever happens, God will be exalted among the heathens. He's the Lord, He will be exalted, don't allow anything to jolt you, continue to be what God wants you to be, and if there's any problems you don't understand, the solution is in the presence of God, don't worry about that, be still, the Lord will save you and He will deliver you, He will heal you, and when you have a report that have the tendency of worrying you, and that report have a tendency of destabilizing you, be still and know that God is God, the Lord will keep you in perfect peace, rest your mind on God, stay your mind on God, and you will have perfect peace. The godly man, the righteous man, the godly servant, the righteous servant, who is trusting in the Lord, the Lord will keep him in perfect peace.
Trust in the Lord forever, that whatever happens, how rough the way might be, or maybe something happens suddenly and that thing has the tendency of making you to be in the side of your self, all you need to do is to trust in the Lord for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. He'll give you Peace and that peace will abides, and peace will make you to be calm in your soul, in your spirit at all times IN Jesus Name Amen. Actually, Jesus Christ said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And after He left, He knew that the Pharisees will troubles those disciples, He knew they will try to stop them, but He said, I'm leaving, but my peace is with you. The same kind of peace He had on the stormy sea, the same kind of kindness and serenity and peaceful mind He had when those Pharisees rushed at Him, that same peace He gives unto us. The same kind of peace He had when even Satan was doing His worst, and He knew that this was ordained of the Lord, He suppose to go to the Cross, and He will get to the Cross and go there confidently depending upon His Father, His kind of peace, the Peace He have enjoyed and the peace that comes from Him, He has also given to us, and when storm rages, we can control our heart, we can control our feelings in the heart, He says we should not allow our heart to be troubled, He says we should stop that worrying, He says we should control our heart from being trouble, and from being afraid, we are able and we can, because JESUS Christ said, He has given us Peace, that peace will abide in our hearts, in our lives, and ever more IN Jesus Name Amen. Christ has warned us to be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we should let our requests be made known unto God. That doesn't mean you should not be careful and watchful, He said we should be anxious for nothing, we should be troubled about nothing, don't fret at anything, whatever is happening, whatever noise you're hearing from outside of windows, He says we should fret not, and don't be anxious, God is thinking about you, He will take care of you, if something suddenly happen to your wife or to your husband, or to your anyone, He says by prayer and supplication, we should make our request know unto God. And the Lord will answer your prayers. People cannot understand how you're calm in your soul, in your spirit, and in that stormy situation, they may not understand why you are calm, because they don't know the kind of peace you have, it's the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus. He will keep you calm every time IN Jesus Name. If you're a person by nature, given to worrying and given to being anxious and given to staggering, because of the things happening, the Lord's hand will be upon you, He will give you Peace, He will give you calmness in every area of your life, and in every area of your family, and every area of your ministry, there will be calmness in your soul and in your spirit, that's the standard of the Saints who are trusted by the Lord, He gives us His commandments, that we should sin not, He gives us the communion, and we commune with our souls, and we meditates on the word of God, and then He gives us the calmness in our spirits.
POINT THREE: THE SACRIFICES OF THE RIGHTEOUS EXPRESSLY FOR THE LORD.
PSLAMS 4:5.
Even though we are serving the church, even though we are serving men, even though we are serving society, even though we are serving our community, even though we are serving humanity, yet, ultimately we understand our sacrifices is unto the Lord, and expressly for the Lord. We need to understand that, our sacrifices unto God is important than any other things we do for our community, we are to offer the sacrifices of the righteousness, and put our trust in the Lord, you know if we are going to have our service to be rewarded by the Lord, we need to sacrifice, there are times it will not be totally convenient, there are times it will not be countable for us, and there are times in season, when everything is easy, and going well, all that times it may not be easy, out of season, but you remember you're the righteous man, and because you're the righteous man, you're offering the sacrifices of the righteous expressly for the Lord. And when He says, sacrifices, it means something that pinches us a little bit, it means something that is not convenient for you at all times, that's the sacrifices He wants of us.
When God says we should offer the sacrifices of righteousness unto Him, what are the sacrifices He is talking about?
✔️ The sacrifice of a Broken heart. Psalms 51:17. When you look at your life, and by the Grace of God you're living straight, and you're acting straight, and you're righteous by the Grace of God, but then you see a tendency of a person like Saul that all the Lord told him to do, he didn't do as God commanded him, he didn't finished all the assignment, and now he came back, instead of him to repent and askd for the forgiveness of God, he didn't do that.
You need to understand what the sacrifice of a broken heart mean, maybe God has given you assignment to carry it, and maybe you do it halfheartedly, you didn't finished the assignment, if you have a broken heart, as you come back to your house, you will ask for the forgiveness of God because your heart is broken, you will go before the Lord and you will say, Lord, I'm sorry, I will do better next time, I will do more follow up next time, that's what a sacrifice of a broken heart mean. That you will not allow any partial obedience or sin to stay in your heart, and if any sin hath taken place, that sin will break you down, and you will go back to the Lord like David said, the sacrifice of a broken spirit is not a person that will just have a kind of superficial and partial obedience, but your heart will be broken when sin occur in your life. That's sacrifice of a broken spirit David had.
✔️ Sacrifice of Consecration. Psalms 50:5. The Lord said, gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. That's the sacrifice of consecration, you bring your life, you bring everything you have and you lay them down on the altar, you're making covenant with God by sacrificing everything that are precious to you, and you lay down on the altar, the things that are priceless, and things that others are running after, you've got those things already. But when you now come to present that thing that is priceless unto the Lord, and you lay it as a sacrifice before Him that's the sacrifice He's talking about.
✔️ it's the sacrifice of Absolute Surrender. Psalms 118:27-29. You honour the Lord, you praise Him, and you concentrate on Him, and He will be the very center of your good deeds of your good work, and you binds that upon the altar like Abraham sacrifice unto the Lord.
✔️ it's the sacrifice of Obedience. 1 Samuel 15:21-22. Samuel told Saul what the real sacrifice the Lord is expecting. Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Sacrifice of obedience means, you obey when obedience is not easy, and when obedience is persecuted, and when the obedience is contradicted and in that situation, you say you must obey God rather than men, that is a sacrifice the Lord is expecting, that when it's not easy, you still obey God, even when you're being persecuted, you still obey God.
✔️ it's a Sacrifice of costly price. 2 Samuel 24:24-25. You know, the sacrifice can be very costly, it can be the sacrifice of a costly price, and you're not going to take what belongs to others and sacrifice it to the Lord, it might be difficult, and finding it hard and there will be tendency of trying to push it to arena, but you will not do that, that's the kind of sacrifice the Lord wants from us.
✔️ it's sacrifice of the Preachers Vow. Jonah 2:9. As a prophet, Jonah vowed unto the Lord, as a proclaimer of the message of the Lord, he has vowed to the Lord to sacrifice unto God, but when it was time to fulfill his sacrifice, the Lord told him to go to Nineveh and preach, but he ran away immediately he was going in the other direction, and eventually the fish swallowed him, and Jonah came to the realization of himself, and he said, I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. He was still in the fish's belly and he began to pray, he was still in the trouble, but he said, I will pay that I have vowed, and the Lord delivered him from the fish's belly, and he fulfilled his sacrifice. As a preacher, what have you vowed? Have you vowed to be earnestly contending for the Faith once delivered unto the Saints? Are you fulfilling that vow? You vow to take the word of salvation to the sinners anywhere they are, you vowed you will take the word of upliftment to the people of God anywhere they are. Are you fulfilling that vow?
✔️ it's the sacrifice of Our service unto God. Romans 12:1-2. We are to present our body unto God as a living sacrifice. The Apostle admonishes and beseech us by the mercies of God, that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. That's the sacrifice we are to present to God, that whatever strength remains in that body, present it to the Lord, whatever the skill, your ability, and whatever might you may have, and whatever Authority you may have, present that unto the Lord.
✔️ it's the sacrifice of Praise. Hebrews 13:15. Paul and Silas were in the dungeon, and with their feet in the storms, they were locked up in the prison, and in the midnight they offered sacrifice of Praise unto God, even in that condition of suffering, they were not blaming themselves, they still offered sacrifice of praise unto God, and the Lord is saying, whatever situation we find ourselves, we must continually offer the sacrifice of praise that is the fruit of lips, there are a lot of things to thank God for, and whatever maybe happening, still offer the sacrifices of praise unto God, in the time of difficulties, in the time of challenges and persecution, that's the best time to offer your sacrifices of praise unto God.
✔️ it's the sacrifice of Love. Ephesians 5:2. As Christ has done, that He given Himself as an offering and as a sacrifice unto God, in the same way, we must walk in Love. because you know, sometimes it might not be easy, but at such a time like that, that's when you need to sacrifice love, many people are so selfish, they are self centered men, they will have to live for themselves, they eats all their food themselves, and they wear their clothes and they can look presentable, they likes to spend everything they acquired upon themselves, they don't consider to share their money, their clothes and their foods with other people, they are selfish, and then you understand your neighbour, or your brother, or your sister, or anyone, selfish man will know that he must stretch out the hand of love to them but he doesn't do that because he is not ready to sacrifice Love, but if you understand what the Lord is telling us to do, there are times you need to deny yourself to meet the needs of people, sometimes you may not have enough, but we must give in love as our sacrifices. At a time of difficulties when things are not convenient for you, that's when you need to demonstrate the sacrifice of Love.
✔️ it's the Sacrifice of Gift. Philippians 4:15-18. We give gifts to pastors, to the poor, to the preachers, to the full time workers, to the people who are giving their lives as a sacrifice unto God, when we think about other people, we think about the ministers of God, we think about those who are devoting their lives, their energy, and everything they have to the service of God, they could have been doing another things, they could have been in a business to trade, but they deny that to serve the Lord, to serve the church of the living God, they don't just forget the church, they remember the members, they sent for them, they pray for them and they do things that will benefit others that's the kind of sacrifice the Lord is demanding from us.
✔️ the sacrifice of Good deeds: Hospitality. Hebrews 13:16. Do good unto other people, do good unto the Saints, do good unto the children of God, don't ever forget it's such sacrifice the Lord is well pleased.
✔️ the sacrifice Ministry. 1 Peter 2:5. We are Holy priesthood, and we are offering Spiritual sacrifices unto God by Jesus Christ, and that is very much acceptable. When He says, we should offer the sacrifices of righteousness unto Him, it's the sacrifice of ministry and other sacrifices. And as we look at all these sacrifices, they are demanded by God, and so you understand that you have a lot to offer.
Conclusion: the Lord has spoken clearly to us, and all He wants is our obedience to His words. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. You must know that the Lord has set apart him that is godly unto Himself, and when you call unto Him, He will hear you, don't be jilted, don't be agitated, the Lord will take care of you. All that we have learnt today, meditate on them, the Lord Has taught us alot, let us now apply all that in our heart.