Category Archives: Bible Study

DUST TO DUST

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Genesis 1:26-27 NLT‬
[26] “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” [27] So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

‭Genesis 2:7 NLT‬
[7] “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

What an amazing statement! Of no other creature does the Bible describe the process of creation. The natural world and its inhabitants came about by God’s spoken word, “And God said.”

Genesis 1:20, 24 NLT‬
[20] “Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”…
[24] Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened.”

However, in one magnificent act, God united heaven and earth in the formation of a human.

The greatest miracle of all is that God breathed into the first man His own eternal life. Since man is dust and divine breath, once made, he can never cease to exist. God can never take back into Himself what came from Him, just as a mother can never take back her offspring into herself. From the moment if conception, that child becomes, another person in whom is God’s breath.

However, when sin intervened, death became a tragic reality. Dust and divine breath are once again separated. Dust returns to the earth from which it came…

Genesis 3:19 NLT‬
[19] “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

And God’s breath in humans….

‭Ecclesiastes 12:7 NLT‬
[7] “For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

Evolutionists deny this unique event in which God made a being in His image to share His life forever. Evolutionists claim that, since humans and primates share so much DNA, humans must have evolved from primates! That’s like saying that a car is made of so much material similar to a motor cycle that the car must have evolved from the motor cycle! Give it millions of years, and a new species of vehicle will evolve by chance and natural selection!

The logic, for them, is that humans have no more value than animals since humans are only a higher form of animals.

This way of thinking is not even logical. It’s foolishness!

Nowhere in Scripture does God say that animals have divine breath in them or that they will live forever. They simply return to the dust from which they came. Humans alone are uniquely created to have a share in God’s life which will never end.

The problem is that, since humans are born with an impenetrable barrier between themselves and God, sin (i.e. rebellion), their spirit nature is dead. Sin has cut them off from God.

‭Ephesians 2:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. [2] You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. [3] All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”

They cannot participate in God’s life without His active intervention.

‭Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT‬
[4]” But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) [6] For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

By this mighty act of mercy, God brings dead spirits back to life, reviving the “life” part of human created beings, and reunites them with Himself to live now and forever in His realm.

This raises another question. What happens when this “divided” being separates at death? Humans are now divided beings. Dust will still return to dust because God has said nothing about redeeming dust from death, but the spirits will return to him as disembodied beings. Will we live eternally with Him as another race of spirit beings diffetent from the angels?

No! God added one more glorious ingredient to the mix. He never intended humans, created to live forever, to be without bodies since our bodies distinguish us from all other beings.

Here is the place where the resurrection of Jesus is vital. Jesus was a human who went through the death process but, because He was sinless, death could not keep its grip on Him. He rose again in a resurrection body that can never die.

His death was accomplished on our behalf to forgive and take away our sin. He gives us His perfect righteousness which qualifies us to receive perfect immortal bodies like His when He returns.

He is the beginning of God’s harvest of resurrected bodies to complete His plan for man from the beginning.

‭1 Corinthians 15:23 NLT‬
[23] “But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.”

‭1 Corinthians 15:51-57 NLT‬
[51] But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! [52] It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. [53] For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. [54] Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” [56] For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. [57] But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For those who have faith in Christ, we have this hope, that these mortal bodies, though they will be sown in the ground and return to dust, will rise again in a state of perfection and immortality, to live with Christ forever. So Paul encourages us…

‭1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT‬
[15] “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. [16] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. [17] Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. [18] So encourage each other with these words.”

Dust to dust, yes, but not forever.

WHY DID JESUS CURSE THE FIG TREE?

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simple explanation to a symbolic act!

‭Genesis 3:6-7 NLT‬
[6] “The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. [7] At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”

When Adam and Eve sinned, they became aware of their nakedness and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, an attempt to cover their sin by their own effort. What a picture of Israel’s religion, a corruption of what God intended for them. They thought that by offering sacrifices, they could go on sinning, because they were protected by animal blood. They missed the point of the sacrifices which were intended to point them to God’s final and perfect sacrifice to take away sin.

God viewed their evil lives, which they they tried to cover up by offering sacrifices, as a fruitless fig tree which needed to be cut down.

Jeremiah 8:12-13 NLT‬
[12] “Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord. [13] I will surely consume them. There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes. Their fruit trees will all die. Whatever I gave them will soon be gone. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”

‭Micah 7:1-2, 4 NLT‬
[1] “How miserable I am! I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat. Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig can be found to satisfy my hunger. [2] The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on the earth. They are all murderers, setting traps even for their own brothers.
[4] Even the best of them is like a brier; the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns. But your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.”

There was judgment coming upon His people because they refused to repent and to change their ways.

David understood what God intended when He gave them the sacrificial system. When he sinned, he threw himself on God’s mercy.

‭Psalms 51:16-17, 19 NLT‬
[16] “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. [17] The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God….
[19] Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.”

When Jesus encountered a fruitless fig tree, He used it as an illustration of what was to happen to His people because they rejected Him, God’s remedy for their sin.

‭Mark 11:12-14 NLT‬
[12]”The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. [13] He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. [14] Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.“

In the Bible, God often used pictures from nature to explain spiritual concepts. He sees His people, Israel, as a fruitless fig tree, awaiting judgment because of their evil deeds.

Jesus’ disciples would probably have made the connection between Adam and Eve’s use of fig leaves, and the fruitless fig tree Jesus cursed because they were Jews who had been raised on the Torah, God’s book of instructions
for life.

Jesus was teaching them about the consequences of living in disobedience to God’s “Torah” and ultimately showing them that He was God’s instruction in person. As surely as the cursed fig tree withered and died, so would Israel and be cursed and cut down if they failed to obey His instructions for life.

‭Mark 11:20-24 NLT‬
[20] The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. [21] Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” [22] Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.
[23] I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. [24] I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”

As we read on, what did Jesus mean by “this mountain” in the context, that could be removed by believing prayer? Is it possible that He was referring to the unbelief and disobedience of His people that made them fruitless fig trees? “You can ask for anything”, then, could mean anything that made Israel what they were, and ripe for judgment. God’s grace and mercy would rescue even them and bring them into His kingdom to live under His authority.

‭Romans 11:28-32 NLT‬
[28] “Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [29] For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. [30] Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. [31] Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. [32] For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”

Jesus would entrust His message of salvation through His death to these men who were to take it to the Jews first. Despite the Jews rejecting the message and persecuting the messengers, the disciples have the assurance that this “mountain”of unbelief would be moved by believing prayer and that the Jews would one day believe and enter the kingdom of God.

‭Romans 11:25-27 NLT‬
[25] I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.
[26] And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. [27] And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

Is it possible, then, this Jesus, did not give His disciples a blank prayer cheque? Rather, He gave them a promise that, through believing prayer, God would reverse His judgment on Israel, the fruitless fig tree, and through the gospel of Jesus, bring them to faith and salvation by His mercy.

Jesus gave His disciples (and us by association) a commission to take the Gospel to the Jews and to pray for them because it is His intention to rescue them from their sin and unbelief through the power of the gospel.

‭Romans 1:16 NLT‬
[16] “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

A WITNESS PAR EXCELLENCE – 8

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1 Peter 3:18, 22 NLT‬
[18] “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit….
[22] Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.”

We must be careful not to read Peter’s words as though he were quoting from a theological text book.

Peter had personal, firsthand experience of this man, Jesus. He was called to follow Him as a raw young Jew, possibly in his late teens or early twenties. How long did he live in the company of Jesus? Three years? Seven years years? Ten years? We don’t know but long enough to get to know something about Him.

In this unique relationship of “talmid” (disciple) and “rabbi”(teacher), Peter lived side by side with Jesus, walking, eating, sleeping, talking, living in His company for a long time. He could not help getting to know the man Jesus.

Of course, Jesus knew Peter. He could read him like a book. However, getting to know Jesus was a different matter. How can a human know and understand God, even in the flesh?

Peter must have puzzled, pondered, and thought deeply about this ‘mystery’ man who had chosen him to be a close associate. With his meagre education in the ‘torah’, he must have tried to understand Jesus in the light of Messianic prophecy. After all, it was Peter who boldly voiced his conviction that this rabbi was God’s Son.

‭Matthew 16:16 NLT‬
[16] “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

He might not have understood all the implications of this revelation then, but it was a good place to start. Only after Pentecost, when the full deluge of the Holy Spirit fell on him and his fellow disciples, did he understand Jesus enough to proclaim Him as Lord.

‭Acts of the Apostles 2:36 NLT‬
[36] “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

So, with great conviction, Peter could pen the words that summarise what he had seen with his eyes and heard with his ears, and which the Holy Spirit had had blown open with revelation and understanding.

What a powerful witness Peter was to what he had seen and heard. After years of gathering the evidence, it all made perfect sense. God’s Word came alive in this Person. Peter could preach and write the words of a witness par excellence with absolute conviction.

“Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. (Peter was there, in person).

He never sinned, but… (Peter lived with Him for years).

… He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. (Peter was at the cross, watching Him die).

He suffered physical death,…

… but he was raised to life in the Spirit…. (Peter saw the empty tomb).

Now Christ has gone to heaven. (Peter was there when He went).

He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and…

… all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.”

With a skilful use of words, Peter summarised the life and death of one man who changed the world. Without Jesus, the whole earth and its human population is doomed but…

Jesus came into this earthly scene and changed everything for those who believe.

We may not have walked in Peter’s shoes alongside the man, Jesus, but we have experienced the miracle that His life, death, and resurrection have made possible. We have been forgiven, made alive, given a new nature, and filled with His Spirit. We are a new species, sons and daughters of God, being renewed in the image of Jesus and destined to share His glory in God’s eternal kingdom.

So, we too, are witnesses par excellence to this life into which God has catapulted us by His grace!

INNER BEAUTY VERSUS OUTWARD ADORNING – 5

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1Peter 3:3-6 NIV‬
[3] “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. [4] Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. [5] For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, [6] like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”

Paul tells us THAT wives must submit to their husbands. Peter adds the beautiful gem of HOW and WHY wives are to submit.

Did Peter have personal experience in his own marriage? Perhaps Peter, a typical Jewish man in a Jewish culture, had treated his wife harshly in his unregenerate days. Did she teach him, by her quiet, inner beauty, how to relate to her as a partner, not a possession? The Bible does not tell us, but it does tell us the outcome of inner beauty versus outward adorning.

As we have already learned, following God’s pattern always works. Given the nature in us from Adam, women have always fought for independence. Even marriage does not change this continual power struggle, entrenched by the ongoing feminist, ‘burn the bra’ movement. Women demand their rights, at home, in the workplace, and on every level of society.

The roles of women and men have become so blurred that God’s pattern for marriage has all but been destroyed. It’s now two men or two women, accepted as the norm all over the world. Gender changes at will are being added to the mix in an attempt to obliterate God’s sovereignty in His creation order. It’s no wonder society is in chaos and confusion in its attempt to throw off God’s authority. The Bible calls these trends ‘suppressing the truth by their wickedness’.

‭Romans 1:18 NLT‬
[18] “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

However, despite what the world is doing, God’s pattern is the only way that will always work.

‭1 Peter 3:3-6 NLT‬
[3] “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. [4] You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. [5] This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. [6] For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.”

As always, God’s pattern requires God’s grace. Without His power in us, bringing our unruly desires into submission to Him, His pattern will always be only a pattern. Obedience to His pattern requires a change of heart, a change of mind, and a change of attitude.

God does not forbid outward adornment. Women want to look beautiful. Little girls pretend to be princesses, dressing up in ‘princess’ fancy dress with fake jewels that make them feel like princesses.

Women spend thousands building on this mindset in their adulthood. After all, they must do everything they can to catch a mate! However, to make this their goal is a dead end. Once they have caught a mate, it’s not their adornment that will keep them together. It’s the effort they put into building unity in a lasting relationship that counts.

How do we (wives) do this?

Peter says, “By cultivating inner beauty… ‘the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.'” Did you get that? When one brings God into the mix, one adds the only partnership in the universe that works. If God is pleased with a quiet and gentle spirit (attitude), we can be sure that His Spirit will make it happen.

Why must we focus on inner beauty?

The first reason is that outward beauty fades. The beauty of a twenty-year-old has mostly faded by forty, fifty or sixty. If it is only outward beauty that keeps a couple together, after a few years the magic goes. What’s left is strife and conflict.

The second reason is that outward adornment cannot achieve God’s core purpose of marriage…unity.

‭Genesis 2:23-24 NLT‬
[23] “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” [24] This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

God created male and female and brought them together in the permanent union of marriage to be a picture on earth of the unity within the Trinity in heaven. Paul affirms God’s purpose in his description of God’s pattern for marriage.

‭Ephesians 5:21-22, 25, 31 NLT‬
[21] “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. [22] For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord….
[25] For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church….
[31] As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

There is a deep mystery in this union between a man and a woman, a divine order that God established in marriage, a pattern for unity and harmony that works. A woman can only submit in heart to her husband when she is submitted to Jesus first. It takes God’s grace to enable her to put her own independence to death and to place herself under her husband’s authority with her trust in God that this attitude will work.

God did not say that wives must allow their husbands to walk all over them and to wipe their feet on them. Marriage is an equal partnership but with different roles. For marriage to work, someone must take the lead. God gave this assignment to husbands. There cannot be two leaders for this family dynamic to work.

A wife’s attitude is the key, the foundation to achieve this harmony. Her husband’s love for her can only grow and flourish when she willingly submits to his sacrificial service. Unless she chooses lovingly and willingly to submit, his sacrifice will be insulted and rejected, gouging out the heart of their relationship.

Again, it’s Jesus example that provides the pattern for this relationship to work. He gave His life for His bride, cleansing her with His own blood and purifying her with the water of the Word.

Peter says that the gentle and quiet spirit of a submissive wife will tame her husband’s unruly attitude and give him the reason to believe in Jesus.

‭1 Peter 3:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over [2] by observing your pure and reverent lives.“

So, why the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit rather than outward adorning of fine clothes and expensive jewellery?

God is pleased, unbelieving husbands are won to Jesus, harmony functions in the home, and God’s pattern of unity shows the world who God is.

Now that’s a gem worth seeking!

LIVING STONES IN GOD’S TEMPLE – 4

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1 Peter 2:5-6 NLT‬
[5] “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. [6] As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

Stones and priests! Anther gem to ponder!

The Bible uses many pictures to describe God’s people. Sheep is one of the favourites.

‭Psalms 100:3 NLT‬
[3] “Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

‘Sheep’ conjours up the idea of rather silly animals who follow any leader in large flocks, who need a shepherd’s perpetual care because they can’t make it on their own, who are vulnerable and defenceless against predators, who even need to be led to pastures and water… all rather negative attributes but true of many people!

Jesus also used the metaphor of the shepherd and his sheep.

‭John 10:11 NLT‬
[11] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

However, His description of sheep and shepherd says little about sheep but much about Himself and His relationship to His sheep. He is ‘good’ in all His dealings with the sheep, leading, feeding, caring, protecting, and giving His own life for His sheep.

What about stones and priests? Quite the opposite of sheep! A new dimension has crept into our understanding of God’s people. We are now much more than sheep, needing the care and protection of a shepherd. We have taken on a sense of responsibility, something to do because of who we are.

We are a temple, a place of worship, built together of living stones, fashioned to fit perfectly to form the vibrant, living ‘house’ where God dwells by His Spirit. Each stone is a temple, a heart where God is worshipped in daily thoughts and activities. Each stone is part of the temple, doing life together for God’s glory.

‘Together’ is the operative word. This temple is bound together with the mortar of God’s love.

‭John 13:34 NLT‬
[34] “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

‭Colossians 3:14 NLT‬
[14] “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

This temple is also a holy nation. It has one theme in all its worship… the GOODNESS of God. He called us out of darkness, forgave our sin, gave us a new nature, and set our feet on the solid rock of His truth.

He also gave us a new ‘profession’, royal priests in this temple. We are priests of the King of kings. The role of these priests is to offer sacrifice.

‭1 Peter 2:9 NLT‬
[9] “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

All the sacrifices in the Old Covenant pointed to, and are summed up in Jesus, and are redundant now because Jesus came to be the perfect human, atoning sacrifice for sin. The New Covenant has a new set of sacrifices which all believers, as priests in this new temple, offer to God as our acceptable worship.

There is a sequence to these offerings which we will explore together. We begin with the sacrifice David discovered to be the one sacrifice that sets the tone for all other sacrifices.

  1. A broken spirit.

‭Psalms 51:16-17 NLT‬
[16] “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. [17] The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

A broken spirit in Hebrew implies a spirit that has been crushed, torn apart, or collapsed. Why does God require a broken spirit?

The spirit of man in his natural state is defiant and rebellious. Sin is the expression of our rebellious nature. Sin is the barrier between us and God. He cannot fellowship with those who are stubbornly set against Him.

That spirit needs to be broken, crushed and collapsed into submission and obedience, hence the need to present to God a new heart of compliance in the place of rebellion. Without this recognition and confession that God is right and we are wrong, we cannot offer any other sacrifice that is pleasing to God.

Brokenness can have an additional side to it. When the resistant spirit, like the spirit of an ‘unbroken’ horse, is collapsed, the animal is said to be ‘broken in’, taking a bit and bridle in submission to its rider.

God requires the offering of a ‘broken’ and a ‘broken in’ heart that pleases Him so that all other sacrifices are offered from a spirit that in harmony with Him.

  1. A thankful heart

‭Hebrews 13:15 NLT‬
[15] “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.”

A broken spirit is followed by a thankful heart, a heart that sets aside its own concerns to focus on the one who deserves the praise. He alone has done everything then has made us who we are and has brought us to where we are. We are to recognise, value, and appreciate what God has done for us and express our gratitude in praise.

Gratitude cancels complaining and discontent and replaces it with a true appreciation of God’s unending goodness to us.
He even works for our good in the worst of circumstances.

Thanksgiving turns doubt and fear into confidence and trust. Thanksgiving is the language of faith.

  1. Good works

‭Hebrews 13:16 NLT‬
[16] And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

Paul reminds us that we are created for the purpose of doing good works.

‭Ephesians 2:10 NLT‬
[10] “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

What are the ‘good things’ we were created to do? To sum up, we are to do the opposite of all the bad things we did before. We are to love, not hate; we are to give, not take; we are to forgive, not retaliate; we are to say “No”, not “Yes”, to selfishness and “Yes”, not “No” to serving one another in love.

  1. Our bodies as living sacrifices.

‭Romans 12:1 NIV‬
[1] “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.”

Paul’s “therefore” leans back on all he has already taught his readers about God’s grace in Christ. For this reason, we have an obligation to present to God our physical bodies. Why?

He made them to be His temple; through our bodies we either fulfill our evil desires or we worship God in everything we do; by giving God our bodies, we trust Him to keep us from trespassing into forbidden territory; we do the good works He created us to do with our bodies.

Sacrifice does not mean that we give up something of value to us. Rather, it means that we exchange something we have for something better. When we present our bodies to God, He gives us the promise of holiness and a resurrection body that will never die.

‭Romans 8:11-13 NIV‬
[11] “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. [12] Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

  1. Our resources

‭‭Philippians 4:16-19 NLT‬
[16]”Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. [17] I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. [18] At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. [19] And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Once again, the sacrifice of generosity reaps its own reward. God is never indebted to anyone. He uses people to meet other people’s needs and, in turn, He rewards those who are generous with their resources by giving them more to give again.

We create a current with our currency. Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you…”

‭2 Corinthians 8:14 NLT‬
[14] “Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.”

‭2 Corinthians 9:8, 10 NLT‬
[8] “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others….
[10] For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

Above all, what we give away becomes a deposit in the bank of heaven. Our hearts will follow our giving, towards where God is, in heaven.

‭Matthew 6:19-21 NLT‬
[19] “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. [21] Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Paul instructed Timothy…

‭1 Timothy 6:17-19 NLT‬
[17]” Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. [18] Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. [19] By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

This is the way God’s economic system works in the kingdom and… He gets the glory.

‭2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT‬
[13] “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.”

So, God has given us ample opportunity to express our love for and gratitude to Him in practical ways that build our faith and glorify Him.