Sacrifice

00:03 Let's do the confessions together. I believe in the Almighty God, our father and creator. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God and my Savior. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He suffered, died, and rose again. He ascended into heaven. He shall soon come again. I believe in God the Holy Spirit who worshiped and might die. I believe in holy fellowship, faithful giving and service to God in this church. I believe the Holy Bible is the perfect word of God. I am what it says. I have what it says and I can do what it says I can do. Today as I learn the word of God here in my spiritual family, I am blessed and healed and anointed and victoriously. I will never again be the same in Jesus name. Amen. The Lord bless us. Please be seated. As we are going to

01:07 partake of the Lord's holy eukarist, his holy body and his precious blood, we are so reminded from the holy scripture that Jesus, the son of God, went to the cross, having taken our sins, paid the price for our eternal life. Today as baptized believers as we take of his holy body of his precious blood and thank him the Bible calls this the bread of life. The Bible calls this the cup of blessings. Holding it in our hands shall we pray together with utmost devotion. Most gracious and loving heavenly father, this morning we are so privileged and we thank you for the gift of eternal life, as we eat and drink of your holy body and your precious blood. Lord Jesus, this month of October, we rededicate our lives to you. And we ask that the power of your Holy Spirit and the grace of your resurrection flow upon us in the most mighty unhindered way. In

02:12 Jesus holy name we pray. Amen. Let's eat of his holy body and drink of his precious blood together. Lord Jesus, we thank you that we belong to you. Thank you that we are not for ourselves, nor can the enemy claim us. But you have bought us with your own life through the power of your own death and resurrection. Thank you Lord. May we become channels of your blessing this month of October as we are calling it the month of your kingdom. Let your kingdom grow and increase through our lives.

03:14 >> In Jesus holy name we pray. >> Amen. Thank you users as they are passing the bags and you're dropping the cups. I want to remind you we all are praying no if you remember last month we had spoken about thinking of at least two or three friends who who may not be very friendly but you know to at least two or three people who don't know the gospel who who don't believe in worshiping God with you and I I requested you that we'll pray for such people and I hope you all are praying for at least two or three such people every day pray for them and God is going to give you an opportunity to touch them with the love of God. >> You know, wait for that opportunity. It will come. You don't have to argue, debate, or prove anything. There will come an opportunity. God will give it to you. Pray for them. Just keep praying every day. God, please bring these people into salvation. Whoever those two or three of your friends are, pastor,

04:17 I've got 15 friends. What do I do? Pray for all 15, you know. So, pray. Maybe they are your family. Maybe they're your cousins, parents. Pray for them and I'm sure God will touch them. While you're praying for them, also remember when you get a chance to invite them to church, invite them saying it's a place of worship. You know, keep your mobile phone off, don't walk around, come on time. So when you make an invitation, make it valid so they know that they have to come with devotion and a sense of respect. And uh your personal example for them will be very helpful. I want to take this time to welcome all of you who have come here for the first time. All of you who are here as newcomers, guests, we want to thank you for coming. God bless you. We truly appreciate your presence here. Want to thank all of you who are praying for the new church construction. We're very close to it. One of the un unexpected things that happened is uh the citywide lockdown on construction because BBMP has become history. I guess we we have been reading it in the newspaper. uh Bangalore city

05:19 corporation has become history. Now there's something new called greater Bangalore authority and because of the transition everything is frozen for some time but anyway just as it sort of starts functioning we should be able to get things through this Saturday is second Saturday which means for all the teenagers there's a special uh meeting happening in the temple of God grounds do come and I'm sure your life will be blessed at 5:30 Again, I'm done. Okay. So, I want to uh teach from God's word this month on the topic of the kingdom of God. The principles of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God came down in a more powerful way. When the day of Pentecost arrived, when Acts chapter 2 talks about the Holy Spirit came, the kingdom of God came among people through the life, death, resurrection, and the life of Christ our Lord. When the Holy Spirit was given,

06:22 the kingdom of God came in a more powerful and mighty way. But one of the principles of the kingdom of God for it to function in our life is the principle of sacrifice. Let's say that together. The principle of >> honestly this is something nobody likes but this is a universal principle. Sacrifice often feels heavy. You know we think of giving up sleep without any uh too much of a worry because there is a newborn baby in the house. When there is a new baby in the family infant born you know sleep goes out the window for at least a few months sometimes a few years. Sometimes your sleep is less because your parents are aging and they need medical care uh time and again. Sometimes the desire of you know keeping the family happy and you want the family to prosper. You sacrifice your personal comforts and you work beyond your comfort zone. You work so hard just so

07:25 that you can provide for your family. Sometimes people sacrifice their pride and ego just to keep peace in the relationship. Some students they sacrifice their friends party. They sacrifice personal pleasure because they want to study hard and get good grades and want to everybody sacrifices for something or the other. Sacrifice is a universal and unavoidable. There's nobody who did not sacrifice something. Those of you who are in church this morning, you made a sacrifice of something to be here in the presence of God. And those who didn't come, you sacrificed the presence of God for whatever other cheap thing you may be doing now. So whether you like it or not, sacrifice is a part of human life. The question is not whether will you sacrifice. The question is are you choosing your sacrifice wisely? Everybody will sacrifice something. So the question is not whether you will

08:28 sacrifice. You have to give up some things in life because everybody cannot have everything. The question is not will you give up something. The question is will you be wise enough to choose wisely on what you're going to give up. This is why Romans chapter 12 let's read verse number one. And the Bible says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your God is saying guys start with offering your body as a living sacrifice." Now, the word living there has a huge potential. See, we must understand when the gospel of the Lord Jesus came 2,000 years ago into the Mediterranean region of Jewish Israel that was invaded and ruled by the Roman Empire. It was a season of unusual things happening. Jewish people were made slaves. Jewish princes were disrespected.

09:32 The high priests and the Jewish synagogues were confused on how to function. Though the worship of sacrifice still continued and in those days when the gospel came the Jewish people rejected the gospel. Why did they reject? Primarily because they expected the Lord Jesus through the power of his miracles through the ability of him raising dead people back to life. His ability to come back to life. They thought he will use all that to deliver Israel from the Roman inquisition, from the Roman invasion. But Jesus made it very clear this time I have not come for a political rule. I will use all of my power as the son of God only for spiritual kingdom. >> He made it very clear. And so the Jewish people rejected him and said our Messiah will deliver us politically, not just spiritually. And so because the Jewish people rejected the Messiah, the apostles of the Lord Jesus, they began to preach the gospel and the Gentile

10:36 people. Gentile are non-Jewish people. They're the good people. All these people began to hear about the Savior, and they began to hear about the goodness of God. They began to see the goodness of God's miracles and favors. And they began to get baptized, become believers and churches began to get packed out with Romans and Samaritans and people who were not exactly Jewish. Jewish people also came. But the bigger number were the good people called the Gentiles. Now there is a problem. These people who have come from the Corinthian culture, the Roman culture, they have come from the Greek culture where there are cast systems all are not equal. where there is injustice, there is a different rule for a different person based on where you were born. It there you you they they have such kind of practices where you go to a temple then you have to visit the temple prostitute and pay her and have a session with her to experience an encounter with those

11:39 spirits. They come from all these backgrounds and and and they have different kind of eating habits and different kind of lifestyle and they come to Christ. Now Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit is writing to them and says guys now that you have come to Christ you don't have to go catch a lamb which is perfect. You don't have to catch a ram that is perfect and go to Jerusalem and sacrifice under the high priest. No, you become a living sacrifice. Come out of your old practices. Come out of your old value systems. Come out of your wrong thinking. Come out of wrong feelings. Come into the concept of the holy scripture and therefore offer yourselves as a living sacrifice. The context is so powerful here. God's word is saying since you've come out now you need transformation in your habits. Old Testament sacrifice was only a shadow of the New Testament substance.

12:43 In the Old Testament, what they did was they caught an animal that was innocent and without blemish. And the priest would kill and offer that sacrifice on the altar. In the New Testament, the Bible says, "Don't go catch an animal and come. Bring yourself to the altar. But don't kill yourself. Get up and live for the glory of God. Be a success. Be victorious. Be holy." That people will look at your life and see the goodness of God flowing through your life. You are a living sacrifice. Go ahead, give God a big hand like you want to. Hallelujah. In the Old Testament, it is the priest who offered the sacrifice. You couldn't just catch an animal of your choice and come to the temple and do it yourself. No, there was no do it yourself system. It had to be through the priest. But in the New Testament, the Bible says you offer yourself. You don't need a priest to come and offer you. You offer yourself why? Through Christ. You have become a priest unto God Almighty.

13:47 That's the power of the covenant of the New Testament. Hallelujah. You are a priest unto God Almighty. Somebody shout a big hallelujah. Amen. Why didn't they have the system of priests? They had the system of priest because everybody cannot come to God. Only chosen people can come to God. But in the New Testament, the veil was torn on the cross of Calvary in the body of Christ. And the Bible says you and I have become priests unto God where by the blood of Jesus we can enter the throne room of grace. And each one here when you enter God's presence, God doesn't look at you like a unknown person. He looks at you like a priest who is standing in his presence authorized by God and your prayers are valied in the presence of God Almighty. You may doubt your prayer. God never doubts your prayer. Hallelujah. You may wonder what I'm preaching today. Is that true? God is happy I'm preaching the truth today.

14:49 In the Old Testament, the focus was on the external rituals for temporal forgiveness. But in the New Testament, it is not an external ritual. It's a internal transformation because you're already forgiven. Now you only have to live a life worthy of it. God has given you abundant life on the earth and eternal life beyond the grave. Sacrifice must be offered faithfully, full of faith, not full of doubt or fear. When you offer yourself to God, offer with thanksgiving and with joy. When you sacrifice for God, do with joyfully, not grumbling and mumbling and trembling and stumbling in doubt. No, offer it with joy. Offer it with joy. You know, I I the other day I was asking a young person, why are you angry with your parents? Didn't they take care of you? Have did you grow up by yourself? Your parents

15:53 brought you up. You know the universal argument. So I was just trying to convince this young person. The young person says, "If my parents have taken care of me one day happily and I said, "So they've taken care of you." And the person says, "Pastor, you know my English." I said, "Yes, I heard your English." I said, "Even if one day they looked after me happily." They looked after me, but never happily. They wake me up in the morning saying, "You will never wake up." When I wake up, they say, "For what? you woke up. They always are unhappy with me. When I study, they say, "For what?" When I don't study, they say, "You'll anyway never study, but sit and study." Always colding, always negative. That's why I don't want to go back home. I hate my house. I asked, "Where will you go?" And that person said, "An address." That young child said, "An address." And I said, "Now where is that?" said, "That's

16:56 where my parents live." I said, "That's called home. That's not home. That's the address of where I'm going to go. But I don't call it home." All what parents did because they were never happy. At least the child felt like that. Child could be wrong. I don't know. I have not seen what happens in their house. I'm just telling you confessionals. So this child felt whatever parents have done, they never did it joyfully. They never did it happily and therefore it was never worth it. When you come and pray to God, when we come and worship God, when we give our best to God, let's do it joyfully, thankfully, not irritated, not doubting, not out of compulsion, not scared that I don't know what bad he's going to do, better pray to him. No, you don't approach God with fear. You got you approach God with faith. That's why the Bible uses the word faithfully. Come to God with thanksgiving. Sacrifices must

17:59 be given as a fragrance to God, not as a stench in his nostrils. We must come to him with thanksgiving. There's a classic story in the Bible is a negative wonders. A guy called King Saul. He was the first king of Israel that brought together the 12 or 13 tribes of Israel. He became the king. He ruled for 40 years. Towards the end of his career, he went through terrible times and he created terrible times. There was this time that King Saul was told by God through Samuel the prophet, go and do such and such a thing. And the guy doesn't do it. He does it 80%, he does it 90%. But he makes sure he didn't do it fully. He ensured it didn't happen fully. Now Samuel the prophet comes to King Saul and says, "Didn't God tell you to do this?" "Yes, and I did it." Then Samuel the prophet said, "But why is it you disobeyed God in certain things?" And you know what the guy says? King Saul says, "I have not obeyed fully, but I

19:04 obeyed partially. Little bit I applied my mind so that I can offer worship to your God." You know last night when I was reading that again and again the first thing that struck me is King Saul is not telling prophet Samuel to worship our God or my God. He has no relationship with God. He's saying I disobeyed God if it is disobedience only so that I can worship your God. You know what this doing for you business doesn't work with God. When you do it for God, do it because you love God and you want to do it out of our whole heart. That's where it makes a difference. That's where it makes a difference. And Samuel was so angry. So angry. 1 Samuel chapter 15. Let's read verse number 22. But Samuel replied, "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much in >> obeying the Lord?" To obey is better than sacrifice and to heal is better.

20:11 God was saying sacrifices are an outward act. Obedience is a inward conviction and submission. And the Bible goes on to say in the next verse when you rebel against God even if you do a sacrifice it is considered like witchcraft. a heart that is not surrendered to God, their worship is similar to witchcraft, calling on demons and stubbornness against the word of God. When you hear God's word and you're stubborn, God said it's like idolatry, worshshiping yourself instead of worshiping your creator. Relationships come with commitments, whether it is marriage. It's a dirty joke, but Bill Clinton said it, so I'll say it. When I was reading Bill Clinton's book, My Life, uh, his book is called My Life. Something that irritated me about these political people is their hypocrisy and

21:14 wretchedness. He talks about how when he fell in love with Hillary Clinton, that's his wife official. So he fell in love with her and he was going to marry her. And he puts it like this. He says, "One of my uncles told me the difficulty of when you have to say yes to one woman. The pain of having indirectly saying to all the others, no." The joy of saying yes to one lady is somewhere compromised in the pain of that yes to one person implying a no to so many other women. That is the problem with many people today. When they want to say yes to God, they find it hard to say no to so many others. That's the problem with classical Christianity of today's generation. Relationships have commitments whether it's marriage or it's parenting or it's friendship. Everywhere so does your walk

22:18 with Christ. It has a commitment element. Like I started with saying there is nobody here who will not sacrifice something in life. But be smart enough to choose what you sacrifice. Don't let it just happen accidentally or incidentally. Choose your sacrifice. Amen. >> Commitment and sacrifice are inseparable. Sacrifice is not a one-time event. It is a daily lifestyle. Luke's gospel chapter 9, the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up the cross daily, not just on Sunday. It's not enough to take the cross, but follow me." The New Testament church was built on the love of God, not the fear of hell. It was built not on the miracles that God would provide, but on the sacrifices they were willing to make for a name that is worthy of everything. >> Amen.

23:20 >> That's what God wants us to live in. Thirdly, sacrifice is the important part of worship. The Lord Jesus with his disciples in Mark's gospel chapter 12 was in a synagogue or a temple and all these rich people were coming and putting big gifts gold and silver. You know why clapping is less today? Because every Sunday, not every somedays preaching is about what God does for us. Oh, we love it. Don't we love? Bangaloreians love free things. It's not just us Christians who know it. Politicians know it. That's why we're living in the era of freebies. Ries that was Hindi. But today it's not about what God gives us. It's today is about because what gave us let us give back. I know it's hard.

24:24 We'll get there. We'll get there. So So in in the temple of God, people were giving big offerings. The Lord Jesus and the disciples were watching. Not disciples actually, Lord Jesus was watching. Remember one thing, the Lord Jesus not only watches your heart, he also watches where your money goes because it is a proof of what you love. How you spend your time, how you spend your talents and how you spend your treasures are really a proof of your value system. The Lord Jesus was watching and in the queue of giving offerings to God, one poor lady came and put two coins, just two coins. Now that's too small compared to the big treasury funds that were being given by the wealthy people. And the Lord Jesus turned to his disciples and said that lady has given the maximum. What? Yes, that lady has given the maximum because gifts may be equal

25:30 but sacrifice is not equal. I'll explain that to you. People gave out of abundance. In other words, fellow who had a lot gave a lot. It didn't matter to that fellow because he has a lot. But that lady had only two coins. When she gave, she had nothing else left in her hand. It affected her. And Jesus said that giving is different from the others giving. When the others gave, it didn't make a difference to them. But when this lady gave, she gave everything she had and it made a total difference to her because she had nothing more in her hands. Everybody's sacrifice is not the same. That's why I say when somebody claps, somebody shouts hallelujah. Don't stare at them in the church. Their hallelujah may sound like your hallelujah, but you have no idea what background that hallelujah is coming from. You don't know where that is coming from. Gifts may be equal or different, but sacrifices are surely not the same.

26:33 >> Hallelujah. Everybody's in church this morning, but some may be paying a greater sacrifice to be in the presence of God. And I want you to know, God not only sees what you're giving, God also sees the sacrifice behind what you're doing. Go ahead, give him a mighty hand. God sees it. Hallelujah. The heart behind the gift is greater than the size of the gift. Amen. >> God measures sacrifice by not what it counts but by what it costs. Leadership requires sacrifice. All leaders know this. Leadership is built on sacrifice. In Bangladesh, one boy with one acre land, when he got married, the girl's family had to move gold from his face to see if it's the right boy because he has 1 acre land. He felt so rich that he took all fake ornaments

27:37 and covered himself with glittery as the richest man in that town because he has 1 acre land. Fellows who are worth 400 million and 500 billion wear the same t-shirt day and night because people who rise to leadership know sacrifice is a important part of your life. >> I'll say that again. Leadership is built on sacrifice. To go up, you have to give up. But whether you go up or down depends on what you give up. Every new level of responsibility requires laying down something. The higher your position, the fewer your personal freedoms. This is so true. Growth always requires letting go of that which is not so

28:40 important. That's why athletes they don't wake up drinking tea coffee like most people. They spend so much time exercising. Why? Because they cannot eat like the CEO. They have to run on the field. CEO just has to sit on the boarding board chair, you know, on that table. But this fellow has to run. Each one has to discipline and sacrifice based on their calling. Pastor, I don't understand. I'm a child of God but my classmates are not and they have no problem in their life. I'm a child of God. Why I have problem? Hey, you are being created and made for something different. Your sacrifices are different. Don't compare your life with others. Your calling is different. Keep going in faith. Keep going in prayer. Keep going in worship. Your God holds your future. Go ahead, give God a big hand. Don't give up. Don't give up your vision. Sacrifice what you have to. The kingdom

29:46 of God requires sacrifice. No success to anybody comes without sacrifice. No success to anybody comes without sacrifice. I'll tell you one true story. What sportsman, I won't take his name. Uh he's a very famous guy. So one day he said to me, "Pastor, I need personal prayer. But I want to talk to you personally. Back in those days, I didn't have an office space. So I I had one but it was not good enough. So I said okay let's do one thing because if you come and talk to me then probably people are going to watch. I don't know people might want selfie with you and now if you want to avoid all that let's do one thing. Let's meet in a hotel. So he suggested a five-star hotel. I was not very happy but because I usually pay the bill. So anyway, I went there. You know, we sat and spoke 2 three hours. I mean, he had many things to say. I drank two coffees and ate one or two chocolate cookies,

30:49 whatever they offered. That fellow drank only warm water. And thing is I didn't realize because the way he ordered that warm water was so precise. I just said I need coffee. What coffee you have? Cappuccino. Said bring it on. But he said warm water not too hot, not too cold. Tall glass. He explained that's why I look handsome and he's fit. You know, I'm telling you that coffee was yum coffee. But he didn't he he suffered but he sacrificed it because he has to get back to the field. I have to go back to the pullpit. Coffee makes me sweeter. I tell you my friends, everybody sacrifices.

31:53 The question is not whether you will sacrifice. Answer is you will. The question is will you choose what you want to sacrifice. Let's be wise. The Bible says be living sacrifices to God. What hinders our sacrifices? One is pride and ego. It affects our sacrifice. The desire for recognition. The sense of insecurity to be humble. It makes sacrifice impossible. Why should I sacrifice? Why should I give up smoking? Why should I give up my free time? Why should I give up my comfort? Hey, listen. Unless you are willing to sacrifice, you cannot experience the greatness of the kingdom of God. What you sacrifice is going to determine where you're going to go in life. Either you will sacrifice your prayer time or you will sacrifice your video time. What you're going to sacrifice is your choice. materialism and greed, being overly attached to possessions and and things that are of this physical visible world.

32:58 Matthew's gospel chapter 6 talks about how it affects your ability to live a meaningful life. You know when God called me to be a pastor in India, I had just I was preparing for my scholastic aptitude test. wanted to go abroad and things like and when I heard God's call saying stay in India I need you in India I I'm so thankful I felt so happy I remember going home thanking God thanks for speaking to me I'm so happy I gave back the money to my dad SAT exam fees I gave it back to my dad and I said God told me to stay in India he said I told you long back to this day I feel so thankful to God that he was merciful to call me. You know whatever we give up, do it joyfully. Don't do it grumblingly, unhappily. Don't do like that. Do it happily. >> Amen. >> The one Amen. Hallelujah.

34:01 Don't limit it to one. Do it joyfully. >> Matthew's Gospel chapter 19 29. Let's read together. Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sister or father or mother or children or land for my name's sake. >> Wow. Jesus says no sacrifice will go unnoticed. >> Every sacrifice there is a God who is watching it. Hallelujah. >> But sacrifice must be done joyfully. Amen. >> Happily. >> You know, uh I used to go to lot of colleges and teach the Bible. Um so I used to suffer with ama, a terrible amma patient. So I had inhaler in my pocket and uh raincoat. I was on a bike and uh so whenever it's raining, but I want to keep time, you

35:05 know. So even in the rain, I wear the rain coat. I stop the bike, remove the raincoat, wear the rain coat and then go to the meeting. Sometimes I used to go with extra change of clothes, you know. So like that and uh sometimes the asthma becomes too much. I would take a puff on the roadside and then feel better and continue. And sometimes I would grumble, God, why is it like this? I'm preaching for you. People are getting healed. What about my life? Heal me right now. heal me right now. Is she angry with God? Honestly, somewhere this principle uh became very strong in my life. No, God is a good God. If he's not healing me, he'll give me the grace to go through it. >> Maybe there is something I don't understand. I'll believe for healing. I will trust God for healing. I'll pray for healing but till I get healed I'll

36:08 continue happily. So I continued happily. I sometimes it was difficult because when people give testment he's saying when you prayed my asma left it's it's like God is pinching me sometimes. But this important principle of not giving up, do things joyfully caught on to me. And so I enjoyed. And one day, very interesting story, somebody invited me to the house and said, "Can you come and pray?" Uh, and I said, "Sure." So when I went to their house, they gifted me a car. Now people had gifted me a car before and I didn't take it. Okay? because I felt the Lord telling don't take so I didn't take one of those brothers Svaraj still comes to our church he had a Tata I forget what it was called those Sara okay it was called Tata Siara he had

37:11 modified oh man that car looked like a beast it was president's beast so uh I loved it and he gave it to me saying you use it now that's the kind of members we have in church I love it but but I felt the Lord saying don't take so I told him, "I'll thank you. I love you, but I can't take this." He cried. I also cried. They cried for different reasons. But anyway, but that day when I went to that house, uh they said, "This is a gift. The Lord is telling us to give this to you." And I said, "Okay." And then they said a story. They said what happened is um their child was struggling with incurable ama and that Sunday God healed that child from ama and uh uh that child became completely healed.

38:13 Funny story, after a few days of running around on the car, I saw my own health improve because the pollution wasn't hitting me. You know, at some point I felt the Lord saying, "Don't worry, I'm healing you." You know what? God has his own crazy ways. Sometimes you can't even add up things. you if Shadrat, Mishak and Abenov came here and said we were thrown into the fire and nothing happened you'll sit like this who's going to believe this story man come on you know what sometimes when you sacrifice joyfully the problem will be people won't believe your story God will do such miracles people will not want to this is true this is Here I want to close with two guys who never offered sacrifice in the Old Testament. Their life itself was a sacrifice. One

39:18 is Joseph and the other is Daniel. I never see them offering sacrifice. They were in the Old Testament. They were supposed to bring a sacrifice to God, but they couldn't. They didn't. But their life itself became a sacrifice. They lived holy. They lived faithful. They lived thankful. Even when they knew the king has decided to throw him into the lion's den, Daniel 6:10, he went up and gave thanks to God in prayer. >> They were thankful. Even though they did not offer anything in specific as an Old Testament sacrifice, God said, "I can never forget their names." It's there in the scripture. I cannot forget their names. Joseph, Daniel, because they gave themselves as a sacrifice. And what happened? They rose to the highest level a civilian can rise. Because when you walk with God, you cannot go down. >> You will go up.

40:20 Choose your sacrifice. Choose your sacrifice. Some of us won't sleep some nights. It's by or I don't know something. But choose what you will do when you don't sleep. Choose what you're going to read. Choose what videos you're going to watch. You will sacrifice. Choose your sacrifice >> because God has called you and me to be a living sacrifice. >> Close your eyes and say, "Father, I know you spoke to me today. And I want to be careful because the sacrifice is not a loss. It's an exchange. What I give up only helps me go up. And I'm not going to be worried about what I give up, especially because I know I will gain something that I cannot lose. Why worry about giving up something I cannot keep when I know I'm going to gain something that I cannot lose? I'll gain your

41:25 kingdom. abundant life on the earth and eternal life beyond the grave. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Wherever you are seated or you're standing, talk to the Lord. Invite his presence in your life. Tell him wholeheartedly, "Lord, I want to live a sacrificial life. I want to live a committed life in the direction of your call for me. I thank you that you're faithful not only to strengthen but to heal not only to carry me through but to bring me into promotion. You're faithful. your time, your will. That's more important. Lord, the principle of sacrifice. Help me, Father, to choose my sacrifice wisely

42:28 that I will be a living sacrifice for your holy name. Father, we thank you that you've spoken to us with such clarity today. May your blessing remain upon each of us in Jesus most holy name we pray. And the people said amen. Shall we all stand? We'll sing a song and we'll pray and close. Down at the cross where my savior died. Down where for cleansing from sin I cry. There to my heart was the blood of life. Gloryy to his name. Glory to his name. Gloryy to his name. There to my heart was the blood of life. Gloryy to his name. I am so wonderlessly saved from sin.

43:33 Jesus so sweetly abides within there at the cross where he took me. Glory to his name. Glory to his name. Gloryy to his name. There to my heart was the blood of God. Glory to his name. Oh precious mountain that saves from sin. I am so glad I have entered him. There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean. Glory to his name. Glory to his name. Glory to his name. Oh yes, there to my heart was the blood of Glory to his name.

44:40 Come to this fountain so rich. Come on church, let's do it. Oh, let the savior run into day and be made complete. Glory to his name. Glory to his name. Gloryy to his name. There to my heart was the blood of God. Glory to his. Go ahead church. Give the Lord a mighty hand of praise. Lift up your Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Come on, open your mouth and praise him. The sacrifice of praise. The sacrifice of praise. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

45:50 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, the anointing of strength, the anointing of assurance, the anointing of a breakthrough in the mighty name of Jesus, power upon every life. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. In the mighty name of Jesus, healings, miracles flow in every life. Heavenly Father, we just want to say thank you for your word that came alive into our hearts. We just want to say thank you, Lord. Give us the divine grace and the strength, oh Lord, to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you. Give us the grace, oh Lord, to choose our sacrifice

46:52 willingly, joyfully, knowing that you will make everything work together for good for those who love you. We bless your precious holy name this morning. Father, at this time we pray for those who are here for the very first time. We believe it is you who brought them here into your presence and we pray that you would bless them that you that you will transform their lives. May their lives never be the same again. May your divine peace, your joy rest upon them. Dear Lord, we pray for those who are traveling this week. May your divine grace and your presence go with them with whatever purpose that they're heading for. We pray for your hand of grace and protection to be upon their lives. Father, we pray for those who are celebrating the birthdays and marriage anniversaries this week. Thank you so much for adding another year into their lives. May the years ahead be prosperous and blessed by you. Dear Lord, we pray for the tithes and the offering that people have given to you with a sincere heart that you would bless them that each and everyone here may experience your abundance. Father at this time we also remember those who are going through a time of difficulty in job or in financial crisis or those who are going through a time of pain of losing someone. Father we pray for your

47:55 comfort, your peace to be upon their lives. Father we pray that this week will be a blessed week. We thank you and we praise you in Jesus most holy name we pray. Amen. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of our heavenly father, and the sweet abiding presence of the Holy Spirit rest and be with us from now and forever more. Amen. Amen. God bless you all once again. We want to take this time to welcome all of you who are here for the very first time. Come on, church. Give them a very warm those who are watching us online today. Those who are here, we would love to meet you in our guest launch. And if you need prayers, our pastors are here in the front as well as in the overflow. God bless you and have a blessed week. Heat. Heat.

49:31 Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat.