I remember speaking with a young man many years ago about becoming a Christian. He felt that accepting Christ was too narrow a way to heaven and ended the conversation with these words:
"I will never, ever say those magic words and ask Christ into my heart. If God cannot see all the good things I do and judge me worthy, then I don't want that kind of God!"
What is it that God wants? That is a fair question. Does He relish in all of our noble works? Does he discount the fact that there are some non-Christians whose lives seem to count for more than those of us who go to church each Sunday and profess our righteousness? What is our equivalent of the burnt offerings commanded in the Old Testament? Were they even enough?
David begins Psalm 20 with this blessing:
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! May He send you help from the sanctuary, and support you from Zion! May He remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt offering acceptable! (vs. 1-3)
As a way to secure blessing, the Lord must find our offerings acceptable. The burnt offerings were especially important, for an animal had to be slaughtered and its blood sprinkled in the temple. The blood became holy, sanctifying God's people. There are no more sacrifices today being offered in temples across the world. All that ended by 70 AD when the Jewish nation was dispersed throughout the world. So how are we sanctified today? And what really made us right with God back then?
Remember the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 15? Saul had waited on Samuel to get to his camp so that Samuel could offer the sacrifices that were his priestly duty. Saul had been to battle and God had told him to utterly destroy the Amalekites because of their heinous treatment of the Israelites. Saul defeated them but kept the best of their goods and did not kill the king as he was instructed to do. This was in direct disobedience to what Saul had been instructed to do. He took matters of God into his own hands, doing what he thought was the good and right thing to do. Why destroy all of this good stuff? Answer: Because God told you to. Here is the word of the Lord to Saul through Samuel that day:
What pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obedience to His voice? It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat of sheep. Disobedience is as the sin of sorcery. Pride is as bad as the sin of worshipping idols. You have rejected the Lord's command. Now He rejects you as king."
Harsh? Maybe it could be perceived that way by those think their rules are just as good as God's. That is what happened here. My friend from years past would not fault Saul for saving the king and keeping the best things of the Amalekites, I am sure. This violent, bloodthirsty God of ours told Saul to annihilate a people. How can that be good? Saul thought his insight equal to the wisdom of God thereby setting himself up in God's place. That is worshipping idols. A pretty flawed one at that.
I know God will probably not tell us to utterly destroy a neighboring city today. But think of the rejoicing in the streets at the deaths of tyrants recently vanquished. There is a sense of righteous indignation over great harms done to whole nations by those who control power. So, don't go getting all self-righteous about our bloody God who kills people. He is just. He is righteous. He knows things we do not know. He is never wrong! So when He does ask of you today, will you obey? That is what my friend was so incensed by. God would tell him what to do. Especially, that God would tell him what was good, and that based on the saving blood of Jesus we were counted righteous even if we were not as good as my friend thinks he is. And he is a good man. Better than many. But obedience to God is what counts. The heart that says yes, first to Christ, then to the many things He will ask us to do because we love Him.
Nothing you can do will make Him love you more. Nothing you can do is possibly good enough to get you a pass into eternity with Him unless you are perfect. He asks us to start with the simple step of faith in Christ who is our sacrifice, once and for all. If we understand that He died in our place - took our penalty, covered our sins with His own blood - nothing He asks will be too great, for following Him is life and hope and peace. I am my offering to Christ:
Since God has shown you such great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only to God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold, but be changed by changing the way you think. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you. You will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect. (Romans 12)
"I will never, ever say those magic words and ask Christ into my heart. If God cannot see all the good things I do and judge me worthy, then I don't want that kind of God!"
What is it that God wants? That is a fair question. Does He relish in all of our noble works? Does he discount the fact that there are some non-Christians whose lives seem to count for more than those of us who go to church each Sunday and profess our righteousness? What is our equivalent of the burnt offerings commanded in the Old Testament? Were they even enough?
David begins Psalm 20 with this blessing:
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! May He send you help from the sanctuary, and support you from Zion! May He remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt offering acceptable! (vs. 1-3)
As a way to secure blessing, the Lord must find our offerings acceptable. The burnt offerings were especially important, for an animal had to be slaughtered and its blood sprinkled in the temple. The blood became holy, sanctifying God's people. There are no more sacrifices today being offered in temples across the world. All that ended by 70 AD when the Jewish nation was dispersed throughout the world. So how are we sanctified today? And what really made us right with God back then?
Remember the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 15? Saul had waited on Samuel to get to his camp so that Samuel could offer the sacrifices that were his priestly duty. Saul had been to battle and God had told him to utterly destroy the Amalekites because of their heinous treatment of the Israelites. Saul defeated them but kept the best of their goods and did not kill the king as he was instructed to do. This was in direct disobedience to what Saul had been instructed to do. He took matters of God into his own hands, doing what he thought was the good and right thing to do. Why destroy all of this good stuff? Answer: Because God told you to. Here is the word of the Lord to Saul through Samuel that day:
What pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obedience to His voice? It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat of sheep. Disobedience is as the sin of sorcery. Pride is as bad as the sin of worshipping idols. You have rejected the Lord's command. Now He rejects you as king."
Harsh? Maybe it could be perceived that way by those think their rules are just as good as God's. That is what happened here. My friend from years past would not fault Saul for saving the king and keeping the best things of the Amalekites, I am sure. This violent, bloodthirsty God of ours told Saul to annihilate a people. How can that be good? Saul thought his insight equal to the wisdom of God thereby setting himself up in God's place. That is worshipping idols. A pretty flawed one at that.
I know God will probably not tell us to utterly destroy a neighboring city today. But think of the rejoicing in the streets at the deaths of tyrants recently vanquished. There is a sense of righteous indignation over great harms done to whole nations by those who control power. So, don't go getting all self-righteous about our bloody God who kills people. He is just. He is righteous. He knows things we do not know. He is never wrong! So when He does ask of you today, will you obey? That is what my friend was so incensed by. God would tell him what to do. Especially, that God would tell him what was good, and that based on the saving blood of Jesus we were counted righteous even if we were not as good as my friend thinks he is. And he is a good man. Better than many. But obedience to God is what counts. The heart that says yes, first to Christ, then to the many things He will ask us to do because we love Him.
Nothing you can do will make Him love you more. Nothing you can do is possibly good enough to get you a pass into eternity with Him unless you are perfect. He asks us to start with the simple step of faith in Christ who is our sacrifice, once and for all. If we understand that He died in our place - took our penalty, covered our sins with His own blood - nothing He asks will be too great, for following Him is life and hope and peace. I am my offering to Christ:
Since God has shown you such great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only to God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold, but be changed by changing the way you think. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you. You will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect. (Romans 12)
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