Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Phoenicians sacrificed infants


 A new paper co-authored by Peter van Dommelen, the Joukowsky Family Professor of Archaeology and professor of anthropology, attempts to put to rest a long-standing mystery about infant bones found in Phoenician cemeteries in modern Tunisia and Italy. Experts have long been conflicted over whether the bones, found packed in urns and buried under tombstones, were the result of ritualistic sacrifices or simply carefully buried remains of children who died before or soon after birth. Van Dommelen's research, conducted with colleagues from several European institutions, concludes that the Phoenicians did kill their own infant children, burying them with sacrificed animals and ritual inscriptions in special cemeteries to give thanks for special favors from the gods. Published in the journal Antiquity, the researchers used the manner in which the remains were buried and the inscriptions on the tombstones as evidence that pointed toward the sacrifice rather than natural death. Additionally, although hundreds of remains were found, there were far too few to account for all of the stillbirths and infant deaths in that area, according to the study.
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Friday 28 May 2010

How is it that Christ pleased God so perfectly?

Why was God so happy with His son?

It is because Jesus was the ultimate example of the faith God calls us to in Hebrews 11. Jesus’ faith in God was so strong that he was willing to give over his entire life in complete trust to his Father. Jesus states,

    “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life.” (John 10:17)

Jesus understood what it meant to have complete faith in God. As a result he spent his life sacrificing his own will to the will of his father.

Most crucially, Jesus had faith enough to submit to God’s command that he give up his life on the cross. Jesus had the faith to believe God could raise him up again from the dead and that God would reward him for his faithfulness. He said,

    “I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” (Acts 2: 25 – 28, quoting Psalm 16:8-11)

God calls us to follow Jesus’ example. The Bible tells us,

    Be imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

    Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

In order to please God, we need to sacrifice our own lives to God just as Christ did. And how do we live our lives as a sacrifice like Christ did for us?
We need to sacrifice our own will to the will of God. We need to stop thinking of what is best for us and think instead of fulfilling God’s larger purpose with the Earth. Jesus’ faithful life of service and willing crucifixion are the perfect living examples of the faith God is calling us to have. It isn’t until we give ourselves fully to God, rather than our own selfish desires, that we will begin to understand what it is God wants from us.

But it wasn’t just in Jesus’ death on the piece of wood that he sacrificed his life to God. Jesus’ entire life was an act of sacrifice. He spent his days caring for others and teaching them God’s word. He put the needs of everyone else above his own. His entire life was an act of faith in God as he exchanged his own will and desires for those of his Father.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Hoe heeft Jezus zulk een plezier voor God gedaan

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Thursday 3 September 2009

Wishing to do the will of God

Daily Heavenly Manna

I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6


HE who gives his will, his heart, to the Lord, gives all; he who gives not his will, who comes not in obedience of heart unto the Lord, can offer no sacrifice to the Lord that could be acceptable.
"Behold to obey is better than sacrifice," is a lesson which should be deeply engraved upon the hearts of all the sanctified in Christ Jesus. To have the spirit of obedience is necessary too, and whoever has the spirit of obedience will not only obey the divine will, but will seek to know the divine will more and more that he may obey it. It is of this class that the Scriptures declare, "His word was found and I did eat it;" and again, in the words of our Lord, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: Thy law is written in My heart." Z.'03-220 R3225:5
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Tuesday 21 July 2009

Self-preservation is the highest law of nature


"Self-preservation is the highest law of nature;
self-sacrifice is the highest rule of grace ..."
- Unknown

"Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth."
John 1:14

I am grateful that Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
I ask you God that I will become like Christ
and that I always will sacrifice myself for others.


Nederlandse versie > Zelfbehoud is de hoogste wet van de natuur

Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane),...
Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Friday 1 May 2009

A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice

A LIVING FAITH IN ACTION
Sacrifice

When we contemplate the great love and mercy of Yahweh, our utter reliance upon Him and our own inability to overcome sin despite our best efforts, then faith will conclude that the only reasonable course of action is one of humble submission.  Effort and perseverance is required, yet still something is lacking if we are to develop a truly living faith. Now Paul writes:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

Paul exhorts his readers to respond whole heartedly to the mercies of Yahweh by presenting themselves as living sacrifices. This becoming a living sacrifice involves a willing giving over of oneself, being set apart to His service, in order that we might be well pleasing to Him. Moreover Paul says that this attitude of heart and mind is a reasonable or logical outcome of appreciating the unmerited love and mercy that has been extended towards us.

Considering that whatever we possess, be it health, possessions, skills, abilities, knowledge, yes and even life itself, it has been given to us. We were born with nothing and will die leaving everything that we have behind. We have nothing whatsoever that we can call our own. What then can we offer to Yahweh who gave us all things in the first place? What can we offer to Yahweh in return for His goodness and love apart from the willing offering of ourselves back to Him?  A willing giving of ourselves involved obedience to His Word and His commandments as exemplified in the ‘Commandments of Christ’. It requires the sacrifice of self and obedient service even when it hurts!

The Law of Moses required sacrifice, but the offering of animals in themselves was insufficient. It was the attitude of the heart and mind of the person making the sacrifice that was all important. David wrote:


English: Yahweh sends fire from heaven to cons...
English: Yahweh sends fire from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice. (1 Kings 18) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD’S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 116:17-19

Praise the Lord indeed! But praise Him in deed as well as by word says David. Fulfil your vows, the covenant entered into at baptism, and render thanksgiving to Him for all that He has done for you. We praise and honour Him by conforming to His will and putting aside humanistic thought. Paul continues in that quote from Romans 12:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Rom 12:1-2

This then is the outworking of a living faith put into action, the presenting of oneself as a living sacrifice by a life dedicated to Yahweh. Living sacrifice involves:

Ø A life dedicated to His honour, to knowing and obeying His will as revealed in His Word.
Ø A life that strives to no longer be conformed to human nature and selfish desires, but rather longs to be renewed and purified from all evil.
Ø A life that willingly separates from whatever may lead to sin and will not fellowship with whoever is astray.

When we think of the great hope set before the children of God, a hope that not one of them deserve and then consider that we have been invited to join that Divine family, then joyous praise should spring forth from our lips. Paul writes:

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Heb 13:15-16

Not one of us is perfect, yet how often we judge others by their shortcomings in matters that deep down inside we know that we also fail at. Sadly we live in a world that asserts what it perceives as human rights and this attitude  of having ‘rights’ infiltrates the ecclesia’s of Christ. The body of him who died that we might have life. Willing self sacrifice has the opposite attitude for:

Ø  A living faith in humility enacts the royal law to love one another and show that we are truly the disciples of Christ (John 13:35).
Ø  A living faith in action strives to avoid giving offence or put stumbling blocks in the way of any brother or sister.
Ø  A living faith is not self orientated, but strives to carry another’s burdens, considering others better than themselves. (Phil 2:3)

Jesus speaks of this underpinning principle of self sacrifice saying:

"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:1:44-45

If our Creator and Father makes His sun to shine and rain to fall upon both the just and the unjust, then we are His children only if we show in some measure that same spirit of compassion. The more so of course to our fellow brethren and sisters for whom Christ died.  Therefore if our true desire is to be children of God, we must strive to do good, offering the willing sacrifice of a life dedicated to Him, desiring the attainment of godliness:

“For "He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." 1Peter 3:10-12

A living faith tries to put His Word into action day by day, no matter what the cost. A living faith put into action seeks and desires peace above all. Not a peaceful life, not peace of mind, nor peace with others, but the greatest treasure that transcends all we could ever desire, peace with Yahweh. To be reconciled to Him is the true and only goal of a living faith.

To be continued…… A Living faith #7 Prayer

Andy Peel


In this series:

A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for
A living faith #2 State of your faith
A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
A Living Faith #4 Effort
A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
A Living faith #7 Prayer
A Living Faith #8 Change
A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
A Living Faith #11 My place in the body of Christ and my ecclesia
A Living Faith #12 The Love for Jesus

Of interest: >
Faith Requires a Basis

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Wednesday 29 April 2009

A Living Faith #5 Perseverance


Perseverance
Having accepted the wisdom of listening, taking to heart the Word of Yahweh and the effort that must be made in order to develop a living faith. We will come to realise that effort needs to be sustained if we are to put the Commandments of Christ into daily action, despite our failures. We are but dust and very easily forget! Perseverance is the next essential ingredient required in order to develop a living and active faith. Paul speaks of a progression of events:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:1-4

We are utterly undeserving of the grace Yahweh has extended towards us. Faith brings justification by grace, in that God is willing to count faith as righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the value of faith and willingness to be obedient to the Word will be tested by trials and tribulations. Therefore, Paul reminds us that faithful endurance of tribulations will generate perseverance, which in turn will develop an individual’s character by a putting on of the mind of Christ. Faithful perseverance gives rise to hope. Yet that hope is not directly seen, for the fulfilment of faith still lies in the future. Indeed as Paul comments, if we saw that which is hoped for, we would not still hope for it:

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8:24-25

Faith and hope know that the promises of God are real and certain. Faith believes that His Word does not change and that His promises will be fulfilled. Thus hope springs forth from that certainty. The value that we place upon His Word, will determine to what extent we are willing to persevere in order to attain the fulfilment of His Word. The value that we place upon His Word will also determine the amount of effort put into obeying His commandments.

If His Word is our greatest treasure, then we will indeed look forward with eager anticipation, desiring to become like the Lord Jesus in character and manner of life. Developing ‘Christ-like’ characteristics is contrary to our natural human nature. Thus those changes in character will only come stage by stage, one step at a time. It will require perseverance and dedication, but that is what having a living faith is all about!

There can be no half hearted measures, no trying to do the bare minimum. There can be no personal compromise of scriptural standards. There can be no compromise and no fraternising with those who do not follow sound doctrine and thus are not in fellowship. Attentiveness and attention to detail in putting the Word into practice daily is required. Peter describes the process of one Godly characteristic being added to another, he says:

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,   to knowledge self–control, to self–control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Peter 1:5-8

Honest self examination will show how each one measures up to those qualities. The way will be hard; it will take a lot of effort and personal sacrifice to overcome our sinful nature. We will fail many times and frequently face the stark reality that we do indeed come very far short of what Yahweh requires of His children. Many times we will look inwardly and observe a singular lack of virtue, knowledge, self control, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Maybe there will also be times when we despair of those attributes ever being found within us, giving rise to a feeling of abject unworthiness.

But the attribute of perseverance will help us through such times. A living faith will drive us forward, strong in the knowledge that Yahweh is very merciful and has shown His love by providing the Lord Jesus as the means of atonement, the one through whom salvation can come. Thus rather than despair, faith will endure, remaining hopeful to the very end. James speaks of the blessings wrought by endurance saying:

“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord––that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11

Yahweh is compassionate and merciful indeed towards all His children who hope in Him. But perseverance and endurance will require a willingness to make sacrifices. Job lost much, indeed all that he had, but counted such loss as more than worthwhile saying:

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

We note that Job acknowledges that all he had came from God, whose right it was to give and whose right it was to take should He so wish. In either state Job praised the name of the Lord. Job further said: Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:10

Herein lies a lesson for us to thank Yahweh both in times of plenty and in times of adversity. We owe Him all, even life itself. The very fact that we live, have opportunity to know His Word and be part of His purpose, is in itself more than sufficient cause for praise. We do not deserve anything and have rights to nothing; anything Yahweh chooses to give is an act of love and mercy.

The adversity of Job was not wrought out of unkindness, but rather out of love, Yahweh having prepared something better for Job. Though Job did not understand why these calamities had come upon him, Yahweh had an end in mind that Job could not at that time see. Those calamites were designed to teach Job a spiritual lesson and as a result Job is set before us in scripture as an example of faithful perseverance. After the trail of his faith and the refining process that he endured, Job concludes: "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.” Job 42:5

Job knew of God and knew about God, but after all his calamities and trials he learned to truly know God. This same lesson we must also learn though the trials and tribulations found within our own personal lives and circumstances. But it is a lesson that will only be learned if we persevere in putting the Word into practice day by day to the very end.

To be continued….. A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice

Andy Peel


In this series:

A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for
A living faith #2 State of your faith
A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
A Living Faith #4 Effort
A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
A Living faith #7 Prayer
A Living Faith #8 Change
A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
A Living Faith #11 My place in the body of Christ and my ecclesia
A Living Faith #12 The Love for Jesus

Of interest: >
Faith Requires a Basis

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