Thank you all for being here :) This week I'd like to take a look at a phrase used in the following verse: "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." (Heb 13:15)

The phrase is "The Sacrifice of Praise," and it leads to an interesting question: "Why is praise considered a sacrifice?" Normally, when we thinks of “sacrificing” something, we think of giving it up in the sense of losing it. We think of dedicating something to the Father that we perhaps had another use for, yet were led to deprive ourselves of for one reason or another.

So tonight we will look at the nature of "sacrifice," and how it is that praise can be considered a valid candidate to be offered in this way.

In the beginning, everything was created to be perfect. "And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Gen 1:31)

There was no suffering, no death. There was no sadness, and certainly no sense of loss. This happy situation was not to last, however. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" (Gen 3:1)

That’s where all the trouble began... a question. Not that it's wrong to question, or to be curious, but the Serpent's _motive_ for asking was wrong. He already knew the answer to that. His whole purpose was to place a doubt in the woman's mind. And so it was that Satan led the humans to transgress the clear and explicit command of the Most High; and disaster followed.

"And the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever…’ Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Gen 3:22-24)

And so began man's life of hardship. The beautiful garden that was his home was exchanged for less friendly soil, and the plants themselves began to reflect the entrance of sin into the natural world. "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field." (Gen 3:18)

But even before man left the garden, we find a verse that is easily skipped over, easily dismissed as unimportant - and yet, it reflects the greatest and most immediate change to take place after the transgression of man. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Gen 3:21)

Back in the 1st Century, the Gnostics did some fairly awful things with this verse. Beginning from their supposition that all physical things were by nature evil, and that only spiritual things had any merit in them, they used this verse to teach that before their sin, Adam and Eve were "spiritual beings," and that it was not until they fell that they became physical, receiving bodies, or "coats of skin."

The Christian understanding is somewhat different, and more in keeping with the spirit of the Hebrew. Adam and his wife received coats of "owr" - of hide, or leather... in other words, they were covered with the skins of dead animals. The first death... already. And Yahweh Himself provided the clothing, He Himself performed the first sacrifice, trading the lives of probably a couple of sheep in exchange for the spiritual covering that the once sinless pair had lost.

But now mankind learned early a concept which was to be the very beginning of the theme of the Gospel: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 6:23)

Already they could see that because of their actions, death had become a reality. They needed only to look down at themselves to see their skin covered by the death of another, and by the death of the animals, they were taught about the promise of the Savior's coming. Some aren't sure whether or not Adam and Eve knew about Christ. They think that they had a hazy notion of the mission of the Messiah, but from the day they fell from grace, the Lord had been teaching them to have trust in the ultimate sacrifice that He Himself would one day make.

"And the Lord God said unto the serpent, 'Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen 3:14-15)

All down through the Old Testament, beginning immediately after the fall of man, we see the signs and symbols that were to point pre-Christian believers to the sacrifice that the Messiah would come to give, and to be. But the most obvious was the ordinance of the Sacrifice. By the ritual of killing an animal as a sin offering, humans were constantly reminded that 1) The wages of sin is death, and 2) Another being could die to cleanse them from the guilt they had rightly earned.

It was never the sacrifice itself that the Lord delighted in: "And 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." (1 Sam 15:22) "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my Firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" (Mic 6:7)

That one is rather specific, isn't it? :) But the firstborn of men could not pay for the sins of this fallen race either; only the firstborn Son of the Most High could do that... and mercifully, He did. Here is one final passage: "‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.’” (Isa 1:11)

The prophet Isaiah begins his ministry by crying out against the fact that the Hebrews had a completely wrong idea of the Lord in their minds. They had gotten so caught up in the "ritual" of their religion, that they had completely lost the meaning. Look at how he continues: "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them." (Isa 1:13-15)

Look at how the Lord reacted even to their sacred gatherings. The incense they offered, even their gathering for their version of church services... they were doing it with no idea of the Character of the One whom they professed to serve. The Jews were the "Chosen people" in order to teach all nations that Yahweh was the one true God, and yet, the knowledge of their favor with Him had the absolutely opposite effect. Instead of teaching the heathen the salvation that the Most High would bring, they instead used their sacred office as a point of pride, an opportunity to build barriers between themselves and those whom they considered "lesser peoples."

And isn't it wonderful here to see Isaiah speaking for the Lord saying, "Away with this nonsense. It's not about the sacrifices at all. It is your hearts that I want to see offered up. This is the 'sweet incense that I long for.'" How much their "following the rules" misrepresented God. Not that their actions were at fault, for in Old and New testaments, doing what we know to be right is of utmost importance in being a witness - as a nation and as individuals. ”And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.” (2Th 3:14)

The problem was, again… that their motives were wrong. And the reason for that was because their mental “picture” of the Father was wrong.

It is therefore most important that WE, as Christians and the ones whose job it is to tell the Gospel (the Good News) to the world have an accurate picture of our Master. We must constantly be asking ourselves, "Why am I doing this? Is it for the praise of men? Is it for the fear of punishment? Is it so that I will have a 'big reward' in Heaven?"

True religion isn't about doing the right things at the right times in terms of ceremonies. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27) "Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 'Come now, and let us reason together,' saith the Lord: 'though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'" (Isa 1:17-18)

True Christianity is about being a servant to others.

Now, the reason I've gone on for a while about this is because I want us all to be clear on what the concept of the "sacrifice" was. First: It was instituted at the fall of man to be a symbol of Christ - that we give something in exchange for something else. Humans could offer up the blood of their animals as a reminder of their own guilt under Adam, and as a covenant of promise; a sign of their faith in the One to come. Secondly, it wasn't about the ACTIONS, but about the state of mind that the actions were supposed to bring about.

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Mat 15:8) The sacrifice of animals was not meant to "impress" God. It wasn't meant to win His favor. It was meant to be a humbling experience, to produce remorse for sin, and to create in the human a recognition of his need for the Savior. When this true purpose was lost sight of, all the ceremonies of the old system became meaningless, as Isaiah records. The "religion" did more harm than good, and Israel in this condition was unable to give a true witness as to the Character of the Most High.

When the Messiah did come, fulfilling the promises, this system was fulfilled. No longer were animals to be a substitute for man, but he could now, looking back in faith to the Cross, have an assurance that he was justified before the Throne. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Heb 9:29)

So how is it that "praise" can be a sacrifice? Well, it usually isn't, in the sense we are using the term. Often, we find ourselves greatly blessed in our service for the Lord. He opens up a doorway, or gives us a great success in something we are doing with our lives. We may have been praying for a promotion, or a raise, and then out of the blue we receive it. We may have been praying for the health of a loved one, and suddenly they may recover. It's easy to give thanks in such a situation by offering praise. And don't get me wrong, we should!

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms." (Psa 95:2)

Times of thanksgiving and joy are certainly right occasions for offering praise. "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms." (James 5:13)

But there is another time we should praise as well... a certain time when it does not come so easily; when perhaps it could be rightly considered a "sacrifice." Here is a story from the life of Paul, a biography of whom I have been reading lately.

On the apostle's second missionary journey, he happened to come to the city of Philipi. He raised up quite a church there, and it is to this organization that he would later address his "Letter to the Philippians." On this first attempt, however, he did not have so pleasant a visit. "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, 'These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.'" (Acts 16:16-17)

Not wishing to have their ministry seeming to be in league with demons, Paul exorcised the young fortune teller, and cast out the spirit controlling the unholy oracle. This, naturally, annoyed the men who were using her to make money. So these stirred up the population, and had Paul and Silas cast in prison. On an interesting side note, there were at least four travelers in the party: Paul, Silas, Luke and Timothy. Only the first two were imprisoned, however. It seems that there was at the time, a heavy thread of anti-semitic sentiment running through the Roman empire (of which Philipi was a colony), and so the punishment for the alleged crime was particularly ascribed to Paul and Silas, who alone of the four were Jews.

For whatever reason, Paul and Silas found themselves alone in prison. This was not the extent of their suffering, however. Here is the whole punishment, as Luke describes: "And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks." (Acts 16:22-24)

So the two were stripped, beaten and not only cast in prison, but the “inner prison,” probably like a dungeon, and they were put in stocks, so that they could not even lie down when they grew tired. Now, beatings back then was no small torture. As we can read from a few verses later, the stripes which they received broke their skin, and so they were cut and bleeding, and in very great pain because of the injuries they suffered. And aside from the pain and indignity of it, they were placed in stocks, held upright in the cell, unable to rest comfortably or even rub their wounded skin.

But look at the next verse... and let this be a pattern for us all to follow: "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." (Acts 16:25)

In spite of their pain, and their weariness, and their embarrassing experience, they did not ask, "Why did God allow this to happen to us?" They did not say, "What is He doing to us?" or, "What could possibly be the meaning of this?" Rather, they praised. In this experience, we see a true fulfillment of Paul's philosophy, and he practiced what he preached, for he wrote later to the same church at Philippi, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil 4:11-13)

And for this reason he considered himself approved by the Lord: "In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings." (2 Cor 6:5)

Paul's peace was in the Messiah, it was not found in the circumstances around him. Often we are tempted to let the little things that "go wrong" around us determine whether we are happy or sad, angry or joyful, at peace or frustrated. But this is not the plan for those who are children of Yahweh, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." (1 John 3:1)

By remembering who we are in Christ, we are restored, no matter if our backs are bleeding, and we are in prison, and we are unable to even lie down on the stones to get a good night's rest. And look at the way that verse ends: "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." (Acts 16:25)

The "prisoners" were listening to them. The application of this should be obvious. The eyes and ears of the unsaved are always on those who claim to be ministers of Christ. Their salvation depends on their acceptance of the Son of God. Do not underestimate your responsibility in that process! Your influence may help someone to decide one way or another for their eternal destiny, and so this is no small matter :) When we praise the Most High, even in circumstances so dark we can't even see, the prisoners are listening. Those who are still slaves to sin, and under the dominion of death... in prison to this world… they are listening to us.

This, then, is the "sacrifice of praise," that we choose to worship our Father, even when we don't feel like it. Even when we are not rejoicing in the body, we are rejoicing in the Spirit. Even when we are wounded, and tears are in our eyes, we are standing before the Throne, and we are to be offering up a sweet savor unto the Lord.

Remember when our friend Job learned about all the disasters that came upon his livestock, and property, and family all in the same day? "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, 'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" (Job 1:20-21)

What a testimony: the first thing he did, although he tore his robe and shaved his head in sorrow (for emotions also have their place), he worshipped. In spite of all that happened to him, "Blessed be the name of Yahweh," was heard from his lips. Job offered the sacrifice of praise - because it cost him something.

Let's review what a "sacrifice" was in the Old Testament pattern.

It was something we had to give up, something we had to KILL specifically, in order to remind us that we are in need of a Savior. Now what is it that Job "killed" here? What is it that Paul and Silas "killed" in that prison in order to offer up that sacrifice?

It was the man of sin. The works of the flesh, Paul would later write, are "envy, pride, strivings..." in short, they are all the things that would lead a person to wallow in their sorrows. Had Paul and Silas thought that God was unjust in allowing their punishment, they would have been displaying pride, and bitterness. But they had to "crucify the flesh," and walk in the Spirit, as it is written: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Gal 5:24)

Those who are Christ's have put to death the things that would prevent them from finding joy in their Master, and the praise, sweet and true, that is left is the smoke that arises from the burnt offering. When one is tempted, he may cry out, as did Paul: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom 7:24)

Fortunately, the very next verse has the answer: "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 7:25a)

By putting to death the negative emotions that our "natural, sinful man" would hold unto from potentially bad situations, we "slay the animal." We have killed the dumb beast of our fallen nature that is unable to comprehend the mercy of the Father and the Son. By choosing, against all of our inclinations, and all of our temptable flesh, to praise the Father even when times are bad, we offer up a sacrifice that has lasting value. Job did it about 4000 years ago, and we are still reading of his victory today. Paul and Silas did it about 2000 years ago, and we are still reading about their victory today.

Because they chose to do so, a whole family was converted that same day. As they prayed, an earthquake shook the jail cell, and their bonds were destroyed. Moreover, the prison doors fell open, and the guard who had been asleep, woke up to what he thought was an empty prison. Knowing the punishment for allowing a jailbreak, he prepared to kill himself: "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.' Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'" (Acts 16:28-30)

Although the two were free to go, they were inspired to remain, and as a result, their guard asked the blessed question, "What must I do to be saved?" The evangelists had the answer ready: "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:31)

"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." (Acts 16:33-34)

Such are the results of going against the "natural." Such are the results of having faith, even when things don't seem to be going our way. We can become caught up in what we can see, and hear, and what we think... or we can look past that, to see our tender Savior looking down at us from the clouds. Even in his most fearsome hour, the martyr Stephen did this: "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. and said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.'" (Act 7:54-56)

Generally speaking, most of us will be faced with far less danger day-to-day than being stoned to death. Yet, if Stephen could look up in this troubling time and see the Son watching over him, how much more should we do so? And let our song of praise be as his, even when we are in trying times: "I see the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." Let those who are watching us, and learning from us, hear us often offering up the sacrifice of praise. By our calm, and by our unshakable beauty of character, we may well teach a bystander the way to the Messiah's great Gift.

The prisoners are watching.

David.