First of all, the two verses
from Hebrews 13, 15, and 16. By Him, therefore, let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit
of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and
to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased. Then 1 Peter 2, 1-5, Wherefore,
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere
milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. For if so be ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious. to whom coming as unto
a living stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and
precious. Ye also, as living or lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Now again, our subject is spiritual
sacrifices, and they have to do with those that are the children
of God. You know, it might be that we
have not fully grasped, not fully and absolutely understood how
many things and times there are from the Old Testament system
of worship that are spiritualized in the New Testament for the
children of God. And under New Testament worship,
the things that were material under the old are spiritualized
that we might see them under the new. The greatest distinction,
of course, is that between the lost sacrifices and the great
sacrifice made by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Under the Old Testament, the
priest brought animals to the altar, slew them, took their
blood, and made atonement such like. The incarnate Son of God,
however, shed His very own blood as the sacrifice for our sin. The Old Testament high priest
offered in the prescribed sacrifices for sin upon the altar, took
that blood, putting it there where God had commanded. Now,
thus the Old Testament worshipers were accustomed to a system of
worship that for years and centuries revolved around the tabernacle
and the temple later, and the services of Aaron, his sons that
followed, and the great high priest. And they offered sacrifices
in abundance upon the altar, carrying the blood of beast after
beast and sacrifice after sacrifice that included that room where
it was to be placed upon the mercy seat. Then that priest
would also make prayers to God and intercession in behalf of
the people. When we come to the New Testament
and gospel worship, and the sacrifices that are to be formed in connection
with the gospel, we find in many places in our New Testament where
there is a spiritual allusion to the Old Testament form and
style of worship. Had they a temple and a sacrificial
altar at which they might serve? Had they a priest and a sacrifice? to act in behalf of them, had
they that sweet-smelling odor of altar of incense with beaten
incense upon it. They had these things, but we
have them also but in a spiritual sense. The temple was where God
put His typical presence among the Hebrews. The sacrifices spoke
of sin and of an atonement for sin that was to be made by our
great priest and intercessor. No longer, however, does God
dwell in a temple made with hands. No longer have we a mere human
priest who officiates in our behalf and toward our cause. And no longer do we have a finite
sacrifice that ran around on four legs before it was sacrificed. But still, under the gospel worship,
we learn some things. There is still a temple of the
Lord. 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit
of God dwells in you? Yes, there is a temple. In 2
Corinthians 6.16, For ye are the temple of the living God,
as God has said in Leviticus chapter 26 and verse 12. And I will dwell in them, and
will walk in them. in Ephesians chapter 2, verse
21 and 22. It speaks there to us of the
union of the Jew and the Gentile in one body by means of the reconciling
sacrifice of the Lord. And it writes there, "...in whom,"
that is, in Christ Jesus our Lord, "...all the building fitly
framed together groweth into a holy tabernacle in the Lord."
and in whom we are built together for a habitation of God through
the Spirit." There we have the collective saints of God as they
are pictured as living stones put in upon the foundation which
is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now in the passage that
we read from 1 Peter chapter 2, only verse 4 and 5 are pertinent
to our study of the evening. To whom coming, that is, coming
unto Christ, when people come to Christ, they come unto a living
stone, a stone that has life in it. And this stone is disallowed
indeed of men. It was cast aside by the builders. They set him aside as unworthy. but though disallowed of men,
chosen of God, and precious." Now look what he says in verse
5, "...ye also." Now of the Lord Jesus, he said, it is a living
stone, a stone of life, and though it is disallowed and thought
little of by men, it is precious. in the sight of God, or he is
precious in the sight of God. Now he says, ye also, you who
believe, you elect of God, ye regenerate and ye call ones,
you are living stones, or lively as it is, and you are built up
a spiritual house and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ. Now, note with this text
from 1 Peter that Christ is depicted as the living stone. He is the one who is the foundation,
and He's called not a dead stone, but a living stone. And the author
said, in coming unto Him, You are coming to a living stone,
what is apparently an anomaly here, that is, a living stone. Can these stones live once once
passed? Is it as he says of the elect
in verse 5, Ye as living stones are built up a spiritual house. Note, if you will, the different
view held of Christ by men. Some in the Bible, some from
our day. He was disallowed of men, the
Son of God. He that came down from heaven,
He that is very God and the eternal Son of God was yet disallowed
by men. That's an old text from the psalm.
Is it 118? I believe. Mentioned again in
verse 7 there in Peter, the stone which the builders disallowed
is made the head of the corner. Psalms 118 and verse 22. See also Acts 4 and verse 11
where it is also the stone rejected by the builders, accounted unsuited
and unfit and unworthy. and yet by God is made the head
of the corner, and it stands firm and sure and unshakable."
The elect here are called living stones. They are built up a spiritual
house. They are set in the house according
to the good pleasure of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.
What was just said of Christ is also said of them, living
stones. And we could also say that they
too are disallowed of men. True, Christians are not popular
with the world and are looked down upon and are criticized. Disallowed of men, but nonetheless
having been chosen of God and precious in His sight. Hated
by the world they may be, but hewn out by the special work
of the Spirit of grace to set them in that particular place
that it has willed for God. Our main subject today is spiritual
sacrifices. In Hebrews 13 and verse 15, let
us offer, he has written, the sacrifice of praise unto God. and in 1 Peter 2 and 5, to offer
up spiritual sacrifices unto Him, that is, unto God and unto
Christ our Lord and Savior. And again, as we move along here,
we must notice how our text, our couch, we notice the vernacular
of the Old Testament is imposed upon them in this place. Thus,
we read of a spiritual house, of a holy priesthood, we read
of offering, we read of sacrifices, though they are spiritual, all
as a part of Christianity and of Christian worship. This does
not mean that we are going back under the old covenant or the
old economy, but that in the new, these things are spiritually
applied unto the people of God. Christianity. does not need a
central or a literal earthly material temple, nor a burning
altar do we have, nor a human priest, nor does it need another
bleeding or additional blood, for our sacrifice is Christ,
and once and forever has He been offered. However, according to
our text this evening, and also according to our subject and
more, there are acceptable sacrifices which are pleasing unto God. And they are spiritual sacrifices,
we might know, because they are offered up, they are spiritual,
and they are offered up in, by, and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Nor should this be at all surprising
unto us, For the scriptures speak of Christianity. Christianity
itself is having a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. And
to paraphrase Isaac, behold, the spiritual house and the holy
priesthood, where are the sacrifices, O God? For if there is a temple,
if there is a house of God, and if there are priests, then there
must also be sacrifices. For the priesthood must have
somewhat to offer. And the children of God are called
a holy priesthood. And they have somewhat to offer. And what will they offer? They
are called spiritual sacrifices. Now let's ask ourselves the question,
what is the nature of these spiritual sacrifices? We might be able
to identify and to name some of the spiritual sacrifice. For example, what is a spiritual
sacrifice? We understood the literal sacrifices
under the Old Covenant or under the Old Testament. They brought
such things as lambs and goats and bullocks and turtle doves,
and they even brought the fruits of their field and of their harvest. But what is a spiritual sacrifice
under God? Is it cutting up the flesh, punishing
the body so that it is barely able to function? Is it taking
away all the rest and all the comforts of the life and of the
body? Is it, as some say, being celibate? Is it like some have thought,
wearing old, raggedy clothes and shoes as an evidence of their
humility? Is it being stone broke? Is that
what would be a sacrifice unto God? Is it giving away all of
your money so that you don't have anything yourself left?
We notice in 1 Peter 2 and 5, No specific sacrifices there
are mentioned by name, just that such mentioned without name are
spiritual in their nature. They are spiritual sacrifices. But in Hebrews 13 and verse 15
and 16, mention is made there of specific spiritual sacrifices. What are they? Praise, in verse
15, doing good and sharing, And as Robert Leighton wrote on 1
Peter 2 and verse 5, we are saved the pain and the cost of bringing
bullocks and rams and other sacrifices, and these spiritual sacrifices
are in their stead. We do not bring a bullock or
a lamb or a goat or any such thing. Spiritual sacrifices are
our offerings unto our God. In other words, all sacrifices
that are not taken away, but is changed forever into a new
form and a new manner. A new kind of priesthood there
is, not with Robeson and such as Aaron, but the children of
God. And there are sacrifices that
are to be offered unto our God by those that are His. Let's
notice the sacrifices mentioned in Hebrews 13. In the 15th verse,
the sacrifice of praise. Praising God, lifting up our
voices, or in our own spirits, lifting up praise unto God. What a sweet-smelling sacrifice
is that in the nostrils of our God. Methinks this has little
resemblance to what is passed off in a lot of goat barns today
as praise in the Pentecostal movement and such like. What
they call praise services and such like. When they flail their
arm and they babble away in unintelligible tongues and they jump pews and
they swing from the chandeliers and close their ears at the gospel
or any gospel that is preached unto them. This is called praise,
but I fear it is not the praise that is spoken of in our text. The sacrifice of praise, as John
Brown once wrote on this very same text, quote, this praise
is not a concomitant, that is, it is not something that accompanies
or attends but praise the matter of the sacrifice intended." Praise
itself is the matter of the sacrifice. It is not praise for something
else. Praise itself is the sacrifice,
the spiritual sacrifice. Exclusive of any other matter
in it, praise unto God that everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
In other words, praise is itself the sacrifice. It is the sweet
savor unto God when He is praised. Under the old economy, these
spiritual sacrifices were not absolutely, totally unknown,
for not only did they offer sacrifices for their sin, but they were
offerings of thanksgiving that were made under the Old Covenant,
Leviticus 7, 12 and 13, and Leviticus chapter 22 and verse 29, when
you will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer
it at your own will." Some say it could be a bullock, a sheep,
a goat. Gil said it could be made male
or female as to the gender of it. When Weiner's Bible Dictionary
says, These offerings were sometimes presented as a token of gratitude
for some particular blessing received from God. Sometimes,
he said, as an expression of a habitual sentiment of thanksgiving
and praise out of the heart of an individual that God had continually
And so there was the feeling of kindness and a good feeling
of graciousness before God Almighty. And let us not forget that even
in the days when the sacrifices themselves were in vogue by God's
command, as we so well have had it explained unto us, even then,
spiritual sacrifices had precedence in God's account." Thou desirest
not sacrifice, else would I give it. To obey is better and such
like. But there were sacrifices also
that took precedence in God's account over their formalities
and their outward acts of religion. The bare, formal, mechanical,
insincere offering up of animals without a heart set upon God
in love and devotion was little better than the offering that
Cain brought that was rejected by God. Some things God hated
and repudiated as in Isaiah 1 verses 10 through 15 of the offering
that the people brought strictly in hypocrisy and in formality. David, I think, made the proper
distinction as he said in Psalm 51, verse 16 and verse 17, after
he had sinned and had been granted repentance. Does God require
sacrifice? Yet the true sacrifice that God
accepts, said David, is a broken spirit and a contrite heart. If God required sacrifice, if
He required burnt offerings, then David would certainly give
it. But says the penitent king of
Israel, the true sacrifice, Psalm 51, is a crushed spirit and a
contrite heart which emits sweet fragrances in the sight of Almighty
God. David, in all of his contriteness
after he had sinned, was able to look from the type all the
way to the anti-type. And as Spurgeon said, from the
external light to the inward grace." David was able to see
that. There's a great difference in
the external light and the inward grace in our praise and our service
unto our God, so that a crushed spirit, a contrite heart, is
better with God than many offerings upon the Jewish altars, causing
them to smoke and to bleed. Catch use of the word offer,
if you will, The word offer, which is not a thing put before
men to see whether or not they will be pleased to accept it,
for as the strict and particular Baptist preacher Joseph Hussey
wrote about 1700, quote, the word offer is not to be found
in Scripture in any other sense than to sacrifice, unquote. We see this use of it in our
text in Hebrews. Chapter 13 and verse 15. Let us offer the sacrifice of
praise. Take Psalm 50 and verse 23. Whosoever offers praise glorifies
God. Whosoever offers to Him the sacrifice
of praise, it is glorifying unto God. Can we by any stretch of
our imagination Understand the offering of praise as a sacrifice,
as a thing put before God to see whether or not He will accept
it. That's not the meaning of the
offering of praise before Him. God will receive it, for it is
offered and proffered through Jesus Christ. The sacrifice is
a praise offered by the blood of our Lord once and for all
dying upon the cross. This is to utterly pervert the
word offer and to make it have another meaning in the Scripture
as if it offered something that might or might not be accepted. Consider Psalm 141 and verse
2. Let my prayer be set before thee
as an incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice. praises unto God. Psalm 50 and
verse 14, offer unto God thanksgiving. Psalm 45, Psalms 4 and verse
5, offer the sacrifice of righteousness. Psalms 27 and verse 6, I offer
in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy. Psalms 116 and 17, I
will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Malachi 3 and
3 speaks of offering unto the Lord, an offering of righteousness
before Him. Psalm 69 and 30, I will magnify
Him with thanksgiving. Back to the text in Hebrews 13
and 1 Peter chapter 2, what the apostle calls spiritual sacrifices
and some points to be made about them, such as the tense of the
words. Continually is the tense there. Constantly, perpetually, let
this sacrifice be being offered up to God. In other words, it's
this tense. Let us keep offering up. Let us offer up and keep offering
up the sacrifice of praise. Let us go on offering such before
our God. The Old Testament sacrifice had,
for the most part, set times and places, while the spiritual
sacrifices may be offered anytime, anywhere, day or night. Thus,
let us be continually offering up the sacrifice of praise to
God. This is not to say that such
spiritual sacrifices may flow without interruption. Who could
ever do that 24-7, but are even working Or every waking moment be making
this sacrifice unto the Lord our God. But like those texts
in Luke 18 and 1, even men ought always to pray. Often, again
and again, daily, ought they to pray. Pray about all things. Pray about all matters that come
before them. Ever seize the opportunity. Ever be ready, as Owens did write,
having a constant readiness of mind because of a holy disposition
of heart under the offering of the praise of sacrifice unto
God. Again, look at what the sacrifices
consist of. The sacrifice of praise. We read in one place, the fruit
of our lips which some think is a reference to Hosea 14 and
2, where it is rendered the calves of our lips, the sacrifice of
the calves, the praise of our lips. Giving thanks is the thing
that is exhorted us to do. These spiritual sacrifices are
therefore spiritually and clearly defined unto us. Praise, the
fruit of our lips, thanksgiving. Now under the old economy again,
their offerings of thanksgiving consisted in offering an animal
as in Leviticus 7, Leviticus 22 and 29. While the new economy,
such sacrifices consist of such things as praise, the fruit of
our lips, thanksgiving, supplication, Romans 12 and 1. Present your
bodies a living sacrifice unto the Lord. Hebrews 13 and 16 names
doing good and sharing as being a sacrifice unto God. Paul even
uses such language in regard to the monetary support to the
Philippian church when they gave him an offering to sustain him. In Philippians 4.18 he called
that offering. an offering of money, an offering
of support of him and the gospel, quote, an odor of a sweet smell,
a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God, unquote. Praise is a
sacrifice, spiritual sacrifice, giving honor, glory, and praise
unto God for His goodness, to bless His holy name, especially
for the so great salvation that we have in Him. Much praise includes
the acknowledgement of His glorious excellency and of His wonderful
attribute, His great works, His creation, His providence. We
have much to bless and to thank God for and to be thankful for
the gathering of His elect by the death of Christ is a great
thing to praise God for. Do any ask why these sacrifices? Will God accept such non-material
sacrifices from His children? The answer is clear. Hebrews
13, 16, with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. Philippians
4, 18 calls them well pleasing unto God. 1 Peter 2 and 5 said
they are acceptable They are acceptable unto God. What is
it that gives them their acceptance with God? Why does He receive
them and receive them gladly? Why are they pleasing to God? Is it simply because we are sincere? Is it because we are worthy and
such devoted servants? Because they have expiatory nature
or value about them? Nay. It is because they are offered
in and by Jesus Christ, by Him, our Lord. Acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2 and 5 said. Let's remember, under the old
economy, all of the sacrifices were offered, or they were sacrificed
through the medium of the priest, either Aaron, or His Son. Even
so, all spiritual sacrifices are offered through the medium
of our great High Priest, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And they are made acceptable
unto Him because and by Christ. Apart from that, the Lord's death
upon the cross, apart from Him as the appointed Mediator, our
sacrifices should have no value or blessing before God. For this
by Him, by Him, by Jesus Christ, that covers both the offering
and the acceptance. That they are both offered and
they are accepted by and through Jesus Christ, after and in behalf
of Him. Because of His relation to God,
they are accepted through Him. He is God's Son. He is our great
High Priest. Every spiritual blessing does
flow to us through Christ. And every spiritual sacrifice
does arise to God by and through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. None, therefore, have value or
are worthy or acceptable with God except they come by and through
Jesus Christ. Now in closing, consider A passage
from Revelation 5 and 8 that speaks of, among other things,
golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. That's puzzled me for a long
time. I understand it as to words, but the real full significance
of it, the odors of the saints bottled and brought up before
God. as a bottle of sweet perfume
uncorked, allows to waft up into the air. The prayers of the saints
here are like unto sweet odors unto God, which waft up unto
Him and are sweet and blessed unto Him. They are utterances,
they are so precious to Him, because they are utterances begotten
in us by the Spirit of God. They're not our own. They do
not emanate out of our own mind or thinking, but they emanate
out of the inspiration of the Spirit of God that is in us. Ephesians 6.18, Revelation 8.3-4,
yes, the vial was opened, the prayers of the saints ascended
up before our God. William Huntington on September
2, 1787 said this in a sermon in his church from Romans, Revelation 5 and
8. Quote, Saints' prayers may be
compared to odors in allusion to the ointment made for the
consecration of Aaron and his sons. Unquote. And as Gil said,
the prayers are sweet because they are put up in the name and
the faith of Christ, our blessed Lord. The prayer of the psalmist
said this, Let my prayer be set before thine eyes as incense. Let it rise up as sweet incense. So, the writer says, let us offer
spiritual sacrifices unto God. Not to rivers of blood, not to
pens of goats or flocks and herds, silver and gold, but to sacrifice
of praise. Spiritual sacrifices. to the Lord our God.