POWER OF A SACRIFICE

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Luke 18:18-23

“Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’ 21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.”

A sacrifice is an offering you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause OR surrendering a possession as an offering to God. It’s a painful offering. Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever he requires of our time, earthly possessions and our energies to further His work. Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives. For instance Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Genesis 22:1-2 (NLT) narrates;

Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

A sacrifice releases power - if you want anything to be done under the sun, you need power which is not from within you. The bible says in Deuteronomy 8:18(NKJV) that;  “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…...…" God doesn't give you money or wealth physically, but He gives you the power to make wealth, and for that power to come upon you there must be a sacrifice.

It is written in John 3:12 that the earthly things should teach us heavenly things; some of our forefathers practiced sorcery and, worshipped and believed in ancestral spirits and in practice every time they wanted bring evil onto someone, a sacrifice of a cow, hen or goat was always required to appease the evil spirits to cause harm to occur as commanded. Likewise a sacrifice is required of us Christians in order for God to work for us and use us. Romans 12:1 (NIV) says: “I Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship”

When God saw that man had sinned, He knew that only a sacrifice would redeem humanity and thus gave His own son to die for our sins. John 3:16 says; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The sacrifice required for your breakthrough is not tied to a specific thing, but the Holy Spirit convicts you on what you should do at a particular time in a specific situation. A Sacrifice can be; actions you take, friends you forsake for Christ, the time you put aside to attend church services against all odds or deciding to join a ministry in church to serve God. 

A sacrifice releases power!