The True Meaning of Sacrifice and Obedience

Opening: The Origin of Sacrifice and the Call to Obedience

Bro. Marcus began the final day of the prayer and fasting by asking someone to read the main text, 1 Samuel 15:22. After the reading, he reflected on the beginning of sacrifices, asking "When did sacrifices begin?" The Spirit led him to Genesis 3:21, where the Lord made garments of skin for Adam and Eve after their disobedience.

From this foundational passage, Bro. Marcus defined sacrifice as "the act of killing something for something to survive." He explained that sacrifice is the secondary or temporary action necessitated by disobedience. Quoting Hebrews 9:22, he reminded the congregation that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, for the wages of sin is death."

Core Teaching: Sacrifice as a Consequence of Disobedience

The Temporary Nature of Animal Sacrifices

Bro. Marcus emphasized that the killing of animals was a temporary solution for sin. He explained that every time we disobey God, something has to die, and this principle traces back to the very beginning of human history.

Obedience: Staying on God's Original Track

Defining obedience as "staying on the right track with God's original plan for our lives," Bro. Marcus referenced Jeremiah 29:11, which speaks of God's plans for us. "Whenever a believer walks in obedience, they stay in God's track," he declared. "When they don't, something has to die."

He made this clearer by referencing Genesis 3:17-19, where mankind was cursed after sin. "The curse wasn't God's original plan for man, but because man sinned, that's why we were cursed," he explained. "Every time we disobey, it simply means something has to die. Every time we as believers find ourselves in a direction we're not supposed to be, we should sit and ask what am I doing wrong."

The Personal Story: Jerry's Lesson in Obedience

Bro. Marcus shared a powerful personal story about Jerry, whom the Lord kept prompting to pray. Jerry's mother was sick, but he wasn't praying the way God wanted him to pray. "His mother died at the end," Bro. Marcus shared, "and after that he started praying more and was moving in the power of God to the point that he could deliver people when they were sick, even from death. But it was too late for him to deliver his mother because when the Lord was purging him to pray more, he did not."

This story illustrated the tragic consequences of delayed obedience and the importance of responding to God's promptings immediately.

The Struggle of Disobedience

Connecting to Genesis

Bro. Marcus reminded the congregation of Adam and Eve's story, noting that "whenever we disobey, we will toil before getting something." He emphasized that "most of the struggles we go through in life are particularly based on our disobedience."

God's True Desire: The Heart, Not Rituals

Rejecting Empty Rituals

Bro. Marcus referenced Psalm 51:16-17, Hosea 6:6, and Amos 5:21-24 to show God's perspective on sacrifices. In Psalm, God desires a broken spirit and contrite heart. In Hosea, He desires mercy and acknowledgment of God rather than sacrifice. In Amos, God hates and despises offerings when the heart is not right.

"The Lord rejects all of those things because He's interested in our soul," Bro. Marcus explained. "He doesn't delight in sacrifices. God understands that the blood of animals is temporary."

New Testament Reality: Faith in Christ

The Superior Sacrifice

Quoting Hebrews 10:4-6, Bro. Marcus explained that "it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away sins, but the blood of man—which is our heart—He wanted us to turn to Him and love Him." The Lord wants our hearts to turn back to Him, which is why He's not interested in empty rituals.

"It's important that we attend prayer time and Bible study time," he acknowledged, "but the Lord desires our heart and not all of those things. God truly loves us, He truly wants us. He shows us many signs so that we can be drawn to Him. He wants to introduce Himself to us. It is okay for us to do those things, but let's do it with God."

New Testament Obedience: Faith in Jesus

The Work God Requires

Bro. Marcus read from John 1:29, where John the Baptist declared Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." He then turned to John 6:28-29, where when asked what they should do to work the works of God, Jesus replied, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

He also referenced Romans 1:5, which speaks of receiving grace and apostleship to call all Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith in His name.

New Testament Obedience: Believing in Jesus

Using these scriptures, Bro. Marcus explained that "in the New Testament church, obedience to God is believing in Jesus Christ by faith." He emphasized that "if you don't believe what God has given you, you have disobeyed God. If the word says by His stripes you were healed and you do not believe it, you are in disobedience. If you reject the free gift of God, you will pay the price."

The One Commandment

Bro. Marcus concluded by reading 1 John 3:23: " by encouraging us - that we should believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment."

He declared that "believers, without faith it is impossible to please God in this New Testament church. The way we obey God is to believe in who God says we are. Every time there is doubt of who God says we are or we reject His word—we are in disobedience."

Final Words: Following Christ

Bro. Marcus ended by quoting Jesus' words: "Those who follow Me will by no means walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12). He emphasized that "disobedience to God is rejecting or not believing in what God says."

Key Takeaways for Application

1. Understand Sacrifice: Sacrifice is the consequence of disobedience, not God's preference

2. Embrace True Obedience: Obedience means staying on God's original track for your life

3. Respond Immediately: Don't delay when God is speaking—obedience delayed is blessing denied

4. Examine Your Heart: God desires your heart above all religious rituals and sacrifices

5. Believe in Faith: In the New Testament, obedience means believing in Jesus Christ

6. Reject Doubt: Doubting who God says you are is disobedience

7. Follow Christ: True obedience leads to light and life, not darkness and struggle

Prayer Focus

- Ask God to reveal areas where you've been disobedient to His voice

- Pray for faith to believe in who God says you are

- Repent of any doubt or rejection of God's word

- Ask for a heart that desires God above religious rituals

- Pray for immediate response to God's promptings

- Surrender completely to God's original plan for your life

- Ask for grace to walk in New Testament obedience through faith

Fishers of Men

The True Meaning of Sacrifice and Obedience

Bro. Marcus Sepo Jensen

Comments (0)