Romans
12:1
I
appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship.
God
asks us to give ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. So, what does a living
sacrifice look like?
I
think some beautiful pictures of living sacrifices are found in the story of
the coming of Jesus.
When
Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her that she had been chosen to be the mother
of the Messiah, Mary had some questions. But then Mary says in Luke 1:38,
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.”
Mary
certainly didn’t totally understand all that obeying God would entail, but she
was willing to present herself to God as a living sacrifice.
Mary
was willing to sacrifice her:
Family:
They would see Mary’s pregnancy outside marriage as dishonoring to them and may
have rejected Mary as a part of the family.
Intended
Marriage: Joseph would see Mary’s pregnancy as adultery and a betrayal of the
commitment to each other.
Reputation:
Mary would have been considered an adulteress and a wicked immoral woman.
Mary
was willing to potentially sacrifice family, marriage, and reputation to do
God’s will.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is sacrificing what the world tells us is most
important so that we can fulfill God’s will.
Joseph
was ready to divorce Mary because of her pregnancy. God spoke to Joseph in a
dream and told him to take Mary as his wife because what she is telling Joseph
is true.
In
Matthew 1:24 it says that when Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the
Lord commanded him; he took Mary to be his wife.
Joseph
was willing to sacrifice his:
Reputation:
People would have seen Joseph as sinning before God by marrying Mary and
claiming Jesus as his son.
Joseph
was willing to be a living sacrifice by marrying Mary and claiming Jesus as his
own.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is obeying God regardless of the
circumstances.
Paul
describes Jesus’ sacrifice in Philippians 2:5-8:
Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was
in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of
men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus
sacrificed the glory He had in heaven.
Jesus
sacrificed the power and authority of being God.
Jesus
sacrificed living in a perfect place, heaven, to live in a fallen world.
Jesus
sacrificed His life.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is giving up everything to do God’s will.
Christmas
is the story of Mary and Joseph being living sacrifices and living to do God’s
will.
Christmas
is the story of God, Jesus, becoming a human and becoming all of humanity’s
atoning sacrifice for our sin.
Christmas
always reminds me that Jesus is the greatest gift I have ever been given.
As
a Living Sacrifice Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
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