1 P a g e Sunday 18 th February 2018 Sacrifice brings significance Last week Geoff began a short series entitled Faith and Finance and spoke on the subject of Gospel generosity. Today we continue this series by exploring the significance of sacrifice. Mark 4: 30 32 30 Again He said, What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade. And just another verse from the Gospel of John John 12: 24 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Jesus spoke much about producing food and resources from the land. The people understood about farming and how to prepare the ground so that the yield would be bountiful. He used these examples from everyday life to teach the people about Kingdom living and the keys to living fruitful lives. Telling these simple stories, these parables helped the people see the spiritual truths that Jesus communicated to them. His words have been given to subsequent generations and their significance is as relevant and essential for each of us today as when Jesus first spoke them 2000 years ago. In this parable, Jesus is speaking about how the Kingdom of God is established in the hearts and lives of people its inception its development its fulfilment
2 P a g e It is the journey of faith in Christ from beginning to eternity with the highs and lows, the challenges and achievements, the failures and successes, the mountain tops and valleys, the storms that arise and the blessings that we receive. I am sure we have all experienced those endless car journeys where a little voice has uttered these well-trodden words, are we there yet? Perhaps it was our voice that spoke those words many years ago and now we are the hearers as those words have been passed down from one generation to the next. Why do journeys take so long? If only there was some button that could be pressed and we would instantly be at our destination! That would be ideal or would it? And yet certain journeys, particularly the ones that we remember for all the wrong reasons can teach us lessons for future journeys earlier start alternative route scheduled breaks greater patience greater planning sufficient provisions time to talk What about our own journey through life? Max Lucado makes this observation: God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile How is our faith journey? Has it started? Is it progressing? Have I stagnated?
3 P a g e In John 12, Jesus is in His final week before His death and resurrection; some Greeks want to see Him. Jesus would tell the visitors of what was about to happen. They probably didn t understand what He was saying when He spoke these words: unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds Jesus was speaking about His death - the ultimate sacrifice that would put into place God s plan of salvation for all mankind. This is the start of our journey of faith not a physical death, but a recognition that dying to self and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour of my life is the beginning of every person s journey. When in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus spoke these words: Yet not as I will, but as you will. The journey of faith begins when we place our trust in the hands of a loving Father who gave His Son as the sacrifice for all. All journeys have a starting point and for the believer in Christ it starts at the Cross The seed is given now is the time for germination for growth from a seed into a plant Jesus spoke much about the principle of growth by using examples from agriculture to explain His teachings and help the people to practise what they were hearing. I expect that many of us as children planted seeds in a little container with the hope of producing a plant. Each day the same disappointment nothing happening, but then a little green shoot and the signs of growth. It was easy to conclude that for a number of days there was no growth and then all of a sudden growth took place and the plant appeared. It is easy to ignore the growth that we don t see, the roots coming into existence to establish the green shoots and then the plant growing, being fruitful, bringing protection fulfilling its purpose.
4 P a g e For some of us, our journey of faith can have times of little or seemingly no growth and yet, this is the time for the roots to be established, ready for future growth and fruitfulness The Winter Olympics are taking place in Korea and a subscription sports channel is using the song, I want it all as an advertising hook. You can have it all now! It is very much part of today s culture and today s expectations. We live in a now society ready made and ready to go. But the Kingdom of God is not like that, and living as the people of God is all about having a generous heart as we were reminded of last week. But there is more the growth doesn t stop there. The Lord wants to develop a heart of sacrifice in our lives too. For some of us, the very thought of sacrifice means a loss. We need to challenge and change this mind-set. When a seed is sown, it is no longer seen but that doesn t mean it is lost. It is now fulfilling its purpose to grow and to be fruitful. This is the blessing of sacrifice David Livingston said this: "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honour, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" I will always be indebted to those godly people who helped me grow spiritually and guided me along my journey of faith some have gone to glory, others live in different parts of the country and there are those in this church today who have had a significant impact upon my life and for Ju and for our girls you will never know the worth of your sacrifice. Having a sacrificial heart of giving is more than our financial giving it is important and brings blessing to our lives but it is not the complete picture. In our married lives, Ju and I are so grateful for the significant people who have given and continue to give sacrificially to us
5 P a g e As I look back, I see and am so blessed for the sacrifices that have been made on my behalf and continue to this day, that have helped me on my journey of faith Sacrifice of time (helping me understand the Bible and being so patient in answering so many questions) Sacrifice of hospitality (sumptuous suppers that lasted well into the early hours) Sacrifice of care (turning up at the right moment) Sacrifice of love (going the extra mile) But where does faith come in to all of this? Jesus spoke on another occasion about a mustard seed. The disciples could not heal a young boy, and when they spoke to Jesus about it, He said this: Matthew 17:20 Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. For our faith to grow, it mustn t remain as a seed, but it needs planting and nurturing so that a tree comes forth Since becoming a Christian, I have always been inspired by the faith of others, those who have journeyed longer than me, but have stories to tell, adventures to share and pages still to be written. We need you to tell us your stories of sacrificial giving that have brought you blessings and blessings to others. W doesn t mean wrinkles, it means wisdom! Let us not lose the wealth and experiences of those faith journeys of the older generation pass on to the next generations your spiritual stories
6 P a g e Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Too often, my faith can be affected by the way I feel, and our feelings don t always register the correct reading. The condition of our roots, that is our spiritual foundations and disciplines, will determine the growth that we see in ourselves and what others see in us. Sacrifice always leads to significance It is the forerunner to: a significant change a significant event a significant time This incident from the Old Testament has helped me realise the importance of trusting in God in all circumstances and recognising that when we make mistakes, as we are all prone to do, God performs surgery upon the heart that brings growth. King David counted the fighting men of his army and this act brought sin upon the nation of Israel he hadn t trusted God, he had allowed pride to influence his decision-making and because of this disobedience many men died 2 Samuel 24:18 24 18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? To buy your threshing floor, David answered, so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped.
7 P a g e 22 Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 O king, Araunah gives all this to the king. Araunah also said to him, May the LORD your God accept you. 24 But the king replied to Araunah, No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. Sacrifice always has a cost, and, yet it always leads to significance. Many years later, David s son, Solomon built the temple of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 3:1 tells us Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David. The place of sacrifice is the place of growth The journey of faith can be thought of as a race. Every athlete goes through the pain barrier in preparation for each race the early morning runs; the inconsistent weather conditions; the injuries; the mental obstacles. Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth to encourage them to keep going 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. The Kingdom of God advances when the mustard seed is planted and it grows into a tree that is fruitful
8 P a g e unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds Lord, let my prayer be, give me a sacrificial heart Here is a short illustration Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty." Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull." Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me." After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter"... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the Woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one," and he cut it down. When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
9 P a g e The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat. Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it. The message of this story doesn t need any explanation Sacrifice always leads to significance In the second book of Peter, the apostle wrote to the Christians in Asia Minor to encourage them in their journey to live a life of faith and to grow spiritually He wrote these words which are as relevant for us today as they were for those early believers 2 Peter 1:5 make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
10 P a g e The Kingdom of God is where God reigns and that is where I want to serve and to be effective Watchman Nee wrote these words reflecting his walk with the Lord The Christian experience, from start to finish, is a journey of faith
11 P a g e Discussion questions for Community Groups 1. Read Mark 4:30 32. Why did Jesus liken the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed? 2. In the message, the example of a car journey was used. How do you plan a long car journey and what parallels can you draw from your journey of faith? 3. Jesus used examples from agriculture to supplement His teachings. What spiritual insights have you discovered when reading such passages in the Bible? 4. It has been suggested that we live in a now society. How is this culture contrary to the teaching on faith? 5. The message centred on the phrase, Sacrifice brings significance. How do you respond to this phrase? 6. Read 2 Samuel 24: 18 24. What do you believe are the key messages from this passage of Scripture? 7. What does the word sacrifice mean to you? 8. Having a sacrificial heart of giving is more than our financial giving. Do you agree? Give examples of what a sacrificial heart looks like. 9. Use the passage from 2 Peter 1:5 8 to pray for one another and to encourage each other in their own journey of faith