“I beseech1 you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
We studied last Sunday the one perfect and final sacrifice made for the sins of the whole world, when our Lord Jesus Christ completed our propitiation on the cross. We found that that sacrifice differed from those of the ceremonial law, in the great fact that it was once and for ever; that it was so perfect, so complete, so fully2 sufficient to satisfy the whole claim of the law, that when it was once offered there was no place left for repetition, perpetuation3, or addition. The veil of the temple was then rent from the top to the bottom, and there was no space left for any further rending4. The Lord himself said, “It is finished;” so the whole was done, and done for ever.
p. 34But still we read in Scripture5 of another sacrifice—a sacrifice which Christian6 people are called to offer. Thus in this text St. Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” To this appeal the words in our Communion Service are the Christian’s reply:—“And here we offer and present unto thee ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee.” It clearly remains7, therefore, for us to examine the character of this second sacrifice, and also its relationship to the great and perfect sacrifice completed on the cross for sin. This, then, if God permit, shall be our subject this morning. May the Lord dispose our hearts to bring to Him this holy sacrifice, that we, if we live, may live not unto ourselves, but unto Him “that died for us, and rose again!”
I. What, then, is the nature of the sacrifice? or, What is it we are to offer? It is not a lamb, or a goat, or a bullock, but, according to the language of our Communion Service, the offering which we are to render is ourselves. “Here we offer and present unto thee ourselves, our souls and bodies.” Just so we read of the p. 35churches of Macedonia, “that they first gave their own selves unto the Lord.” A moment’s thought will suffice to show that such a sacrifice as this is much more costly8 than any other. It would be a light matter to sacrifice a bullock, but it is a very costly one to sacrifice Self—an easy thing for the wealthy prince to bring a thousand lambs to the altar, but a hard thing for either rich or poor to bring his own will to be crucified with Christ.
But here a question will arise in the minds of all those who really desire to make this sacrifice to the Lord, viz. What does it practically involve? What is the real meaning of it? What will be the practical result of such a sacrifice in our own life and character? Some will tell us that it involves the necessity of conventual life, a separation from common duties, and the seclusion9 of a nunnery, or the vows10 of a sisterhood. Let any one read this chapter through, and he will see at a glance that this is not the meaning of the Apostle. There are no rules there for a monastic order, but there are very full directions for common business, and common life. All such ideas, therefore, may be dismissed at once. That is not the meaning of the sacrifice. Then, what is? What p. 36is the sacrifice which we, living at home, are to offer to God?
1. There must be the sacrifice of our sins.
In this present world we are in a mixed condition, and however truly we may be walking with God, there is the old man and the old nature left. It is just the same with us as it was of old with Canaan. Israel had taken possession, but the Canaanites were still in the land. So, even when the Lord Jesus has taken possession of the heart, there are sins still abiding11 there—tempers, lusts12, covetousness13, selfishness, pride, and a thousand others—some prevailing14 in one character and some in another. Now of all these the Christian man must be prepared to make a sacrifice—his temper, his pride, his ambition, his covetousness, his self-love; he must be prepared to bring all to the altar, without mercy and without reserve. Thus, in Col. iii. 5, St. Paul addresses those who are risen with Christ, and says, “Mortify therefore,” or put to death, or sacrifice, “your members which are of the flesh: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate15 affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” There is no occasion to be shut up within the walls of a nunnery for this; nor will the walls of a nunnery p. 37in the least help us to it, for they are just as effectual in shutting sin in as in shutting it out. Here is work for home life, and for all classes in home life—for husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants: we all have our great temptations, so we all have to throw ourselves heart and soul into the great struggle, and with an unsparing hand deal resolutely16 with besetting17 sin.
2. But the sacrifice goes farther, and involves the dedication18 of our powers to the Lord’s most sacred service. The text implies this when it says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” There is clearly, therefore, to be service,—a service involving the active use of human powers. In some cases the body has been actually surrendered to bleed, or burn, in martyrdom. Many a noble man of God has given his body to be burnt rather than acknowledge the doctrine19 of the Mass. To this, however, we are not called. But still there may be sacrifice without martyrdom, dedication without death, and such a surrender of the living powers as may correspond to the description, “That they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him that died p. 38for them, and rose again.” This is the secret of the missionary20 spirit; this it is which has led some of the noblest young men in our Universities to abandon all home prospects21, and to devote their whole lives to the great work of proclaiming Christ in distant lands. This, again, is the spirit that at this present time is stirring thousands of our own people at home, devoted22 men and devoted women, to spend their lives labouring for God, helping23 the poor, comforting the afflicted24, nursing the sick, and striving in every possible way to make known the sweetness of the sacred Name which has brought life and peace to their own souls.
3. Once more: the sacrifice involves the free gift of money. Money with most men lies very near the heart. Open the heart, and you open the purse. Let the heart become dull, lifeless, cold, and unfeeling, and the purse soon closes. Thus the sacrifice of Self is almost sure to lead to the offering of money. Cold hearts give little; but when the heart is full the offerings flow freely. The men of Macedonia were poor people, but no sooner had they given their own selves to the Lord than “the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded25 unto the riches of their liberality.” Now these offerings p. 39are described in the Scriptures27 as a sacrifice to God. St. Paul alludes28 to them, in Philip, iv. 18. It is not perfectly29 clear whether he alludes to a contribution towards his own maintenance, or to the collection in which he took so deep an interest for the poor saints in Jerusalem; but, either way, he describes the offerings as an odour of a sweet smell, a “sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.” This gives a delightful30 view of contributions in a right spirit for the service of the Lord. It shows that the free and generous giver thereby31 offers a sacrifice well pleasing to God. It rebukes32 at the same time the niggardly33 and parsimonious34 spirit, the spirit that gives reluctantly, and complains of many calls. Yet I verily believe that to give freely can scarcely be called a sacrifice, for no money gives so much pleasure as that freely offered to the Lord’s service; and no people enjoy property so much as they do who are free and open-hearted givers. I have not the slightest hesitation35, therefore, in appealing to you for free and generous offerings, for I can say as St. Paul said (Philip, iv. 17), “I desire fruit that may abound26 to your account;” and I am thoroughly36 persuaded, that no person who is induced to give freely will ever repent37 of p. 40“a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God.”
II. We may turn, then, to our second subject, the relationship of this sacrifice to the great and perfect sacrifice offered once and for ever on the cross.
One thing is perfectly clear, that these sacrifices are not a supplement to the one great sacrifice for sin. They are not intended to supply any deficiency in the great work of our Blessed Lord. There is no deficiency there; and if there were, nothing that we could do would supply it. There is no deficiency, for by the “one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” And if there were deficiency, how could man supply it? Is there not something dreadful in the thought of a patchwork38 atonement, partly by the Son of God and partly by man; partly perfect, and partly imperfect; partly pure in all the infinite purity of God, and partly defiled39 with all the defilements of a fallen and sinful manhood? No! the propitiation is perfect, unmixed, and undefiled for ever. It is the sacrifice of the Son of God, and it stands alone for all eternity40.
Nor, again, is this sacrifice the means whereby the great sacrifice is applied41 to the soul. This p. 41is a more common idea than the other, and one prevailing among many who are thoroughly opposed to Popery. It is in harmony with human nature to suppose that we must make our sacrifice in order to gain a share of the blessings42 of His. Thus people will sometimes give up, first one thing, and then another, hoping by these sacrifices to find peace through the blood of atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have no idea of being saved through anything but the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ; but they consider that they must make their sacrifice in order to secure the application of his work to themselves. This is the principle of almost all self-imposed mortifications. People hope through them to be partakers of reconciliation43 through the great atonement. Yet none of these things satisfy the soul. I have myself known persons who have resolutely made the effort, but utterly44 failed. They have become anxious about their soul, and set to work to reach the cross of Christ by personal self-denial. They have given up their different pursuits one by one; but at length they have found that nothing has done them any good. They have been just as far from the peace of reconciliation as they p. 42were the day they began. None of these sacrifices had helped them in the least. No, and none could help them. Nothing could help them but a free justification45 through faith, and faith alone; and that, thank God! at last they have found sufficient. And so will every other guilty sinner who throws himself in utter helplessness, to be freely forgiven, and freely saved, by the great grace of God in Christ Jesus. Let none suppose, then, that any sacrifice which we can render can ever make us partakers of the great salvation46 once purchased by the one sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation is given on altogether different terms. It is given as a free gift to those who can produce nothing; a gift bestowed47 in unfettered mercy on those who can only say, in the language of the hymn:—
“Nothing in my hand I bring:
Simply to Thy cross I cling.”
What, then, is the relationship between our sacrifice and His? and how are they connected? There can be no doubt on this subject if we turn to the text, where we read, “I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.” It is, therefore, the deep sense of unmerited mercy that is to p. 43call out the willing sacrifice from a saved and thankful people. This is just how it stands in our Communion Service. We first come with the confession48 of sin; we then partake of the sacred feast; and seek, by God’s grace, to realise in living faith the body broken and the blood shed for our sins; after which, but not before, we “offer and present to Him ourselves, our souls and our bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto Him.” Our sacrifice, therefore, is the result of our deep sense of unmerited mercy shown in His perfect sacrifice on the cross. It is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. It is the willing offering of those who have found mercy, and are most deeply and humbly49 thankful for it.
This, then, being the case, we see at once why there is not more self-sacrifice for God. The reason clearly is, that there is a want of the deep sense of mercy. The sacrifice of Christ is not sufficiently50 realised, and the result is that the self-sacrifice is withheld51. I fear there is a great want of self-sacrifice even among those who hold the truth. Surely there are many whose religion never costs them any real personal self-denial. They pass through life easily and respectably, but refer matters more to their p. 44own inclination52 than to the call of God. They are more ready to pay others to work than to work themselves, and are prone53 to stand aloof54 from distasteful service, if, as they say, it does not suit them; or, as they might say, they do not like it. So, again, but few deny themselves in giving, and though many are liberal, there are few whose personal comforts are really diminished by their liberality. Now, why is this? and how is it that the great salvation has not more power over us? Is it not that the salvation itself is not enough felt and appreciated? It is true of us, as it was of the Corinthians, that “we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich.” But though we know it, we do not deeply feel it. It is like paint lying on the surface, but it is not burnt into us, so as to become part and parcel of ourselves. Everything may be correct; our doctrine scriptural, and our principles sound: but neither one nor the other has gone home to the inmost soul with such power that we have learned to “count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.” What is it, then, that we want? What p. 45must lie at the root of all? A more powerful sense of mercy, a deeper conviction of need, a clearer perception of what Christ has done for us, a more thorough appreciation55 of His perfect sacrifice; and when that is given, we shall be better able to understand the appeal,—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
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1
beseech
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| v.祈求，恳求 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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perpetuation
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| n.永存，不朽 | |
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rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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abiding
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| adj.永久的，持久的，不变的 | |
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lusts
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| 贪求（lust的第三人称单数形式） | |
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covetousness
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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inordinate
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| adj.无节制的；过度的 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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besetting
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| adj.不断攻击的v.困扰( beset的现在分词 )；不断围攻；镶；嵌 | |
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dedication
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| n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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rebukes
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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niggardly
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| adj.吝啬的，很少的 | |
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parsimonious
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| adj.吝啬的，质量低劣的 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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patchwork
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| n.混杂物；拼缝物 | |
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defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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49
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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50
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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51
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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52
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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