Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore, let us
offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our
allegiance to his name.”
Today I have been
feeling so lousy I cannot even sit down for a long period of time. I thought
about not putting a post out today, but the Lord confirmed in my heart that it
was not an option. This morning He gave one of the verses that is pleasing to
His heart and all my meditation was on this verse. As I read Hebrews 13:15
(even though I am reading the book of James right now, but I keep going back to
Hebrews just to see what God wants to speak to me about and God did speak to my
heart about this verse. He confirmed how this verse brings Him lots of joy when
His little puny beings understand it and put it into practice. My next question to God was, what does it
mean to you personally? In the way I formulated the question, I was thinking,
how do you want us to live it out God? God knew what I meant because He can see
my heart and He also knows what I am thinking.
But when I asked
the question, I felt that I asked it for you guys as well, those people that I
know He is using my blog to reach out to. At the same time, I asked the hard
question, not because I am trying to poke the bear, (one of the pastor’s
wives made a comment about me and said
that I have that bad habit with God, I cannot leave well enough
alone.) Call it whatever you want, but I
feel the need to go and get it straight from His mouth. Secondly, I do not want
the fear of pain to hold me back and deprive me from the joy of ministering to
Him or the joy of knowing that He is pleased with me and I bring a smile on His
face so to speak. It is a priority in my life.
It was an awesome thing to hear God said to me “you already know how to
grab hold of this verse, but it felt as if He was saying, you already put it
into practice in your life. Then He showed me those 2 verses of surrender that
I know so well and already talked about in several of my past posts: Romans 6:13 & Romans 12:1 He said just link them to your
post.
So, I set out to
look for a sermon on Hebrews 13:5 since it is so pleasing to God. I found few
sermons but they mostly focus on part of the message that is in verse 15. Praising
God with our lips He loves that, but He wants us to start from the beginning so
that we can avoid dead works. He not only taught me that personally and the
hard way, but it is right there in verse 15, one single word makes all the
difference. He is asking for a continual “sacrifice” of praise. A sacrifice to God does
not have to be an extravagant gesture, it could be something as simple as
denying the self for the day and spend the whole day thinking about Him. This
is something we can learn to do in the spirit, which means we do not have to
stop moving around living our lives. Anyway, I finally found one sermon that
represents what I have been taught by Him and I am leaving you with Charles Spurgeon’s words.
A Life-Long Occupation
Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore, let us
offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our
allegiance to his name"
It
is instructive to notice where this verse stands. The connection is a golden
setting to the gem of the text. Here we have a description of the believer's
position before God. He has done with all carnal ordinances, and has no
interest in the ceremonies of the Mosaic law. What then? Are we to offer no
sacrifice? Very far from it. We are called upon to offer to God a continual
sacrifice. Having done with the outward, we now give ourselves entirely to the
inward and to the spiritual. Moreover, the believer is now, if he is where he
ought to be, like his Master, "without the camp." What then? If we
are without the camp, have we nothing to do? On the contrary, let us the more
ardently pursue higher objects, and yield up our disentangled spirits to the
praise and glory of God. Do we come under contempt, as the Master did? Is it
so, that we are "bearing His reproach"? Shall we sit down in despair?
Nay, verily; while we lose honour ourselves, we will ascribe honour to our God.
We will count it all joy that we are counted worthy to be reproached for
Christ's sake. Moreover, the apostle says that "Here we have no continuing
city." Well, then, we will transfer the continuance from the city to the
praise — "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually."
If everything here is going, let it go; but we will not cease to sing. If the
end of all things is at hand, let them end; but our praises of the living God
shall abide world without end.
I. First, then, concerning a believer,
let me DESCRIBE HIS SACRIFICE. "By Him therefore."
1. See, at the very threshold of all
offering of sacrifice to God, we begin with Christ. We cannot go a step without
Jesus. Without a Mediator we can make no advance to God. He is that altar which
sanctifies both gift and giver; by Him, therefore, let our sacrifices both of
praise and of almsgiving be presented unto God.
2. Next, observe that this sacrifice is
to be presented continually. Not only in this place or that place, but in every
place, we are to praise the Lord our God. Not only when we are in a happy frame
of mind, but when we are cast down and troubled. The perfumed smoke from the
altar of incense is to rise towards heaven both day and night, from the
beginning of the year to the year's end.
3. The apostle goes on to tell us what
the sacrifice is — the sacrifice of praise. Praise, that is, heart-worship, or
adoration. Adoration is the grandest form of earthly service. We ascribe unto
Jehovah, the one living and true God, all honour and glory. Praise is
heart-trust and heart-content with God. Trust is adoration applied to practical
purposes. Praise is heart-enjoyment; the indulgence of gratitude and wonder.
The Lord has done so much for me that I must praise Him, or feel as if I had a
fire shut up within me.
4. The text evidently deals with spoken
praise — "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that
is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name"; or, as the Revised
Version has it, "the fruit of lips which make confession to His
name." So, then, we are to utter the praises of God, and it is not
sufficient to feel adoring emotions. "Well," saith one, "I
cannot force myself to praise," I do not want you to force yourself to it:
this praise is to be natural. It is called the fruit of the lips. Fruit is a
natural product: it grows without force, the free outcome of the plant. So let
praise grow out of your lips at its own sweet will. Let it be as natural to
you, as regenerated men, to praise God as it seems to be natural to profane men
to blaspheme the sacred name. This praise is to be sincere and real. The next
verse tells us we are to do good and communicate, and joins this with praise to
God. Many will give God a cataract of words, but scarce a drop of true
gratitude in the form of substance consecrated. This practical praising of the
Lord is the life-office of every true believer. See ye to it.
II. We will, secondly, EXAMINE THE
SUBSTANCE OF THIS SACRIFICE. "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually."
1. To praise God continually will need a
childlike faith in Him. You must believe His word, or you will not praise His
name. Doubt snaps the harp-strings. Question mars all melody. Unbelief is the
deadly enemy of praise.
2. Faith must lead you into personal
communion with the Lord. It is to Him that the praise is offered, and not to
our fellow-men.
3. You must have also an overflowing
content, a real joy in Him. Be sure that you do not lose your joy Rejoice in
the Lord, that you may praise Him.
4. There must also be a holy earnestness
about this. Praise is called a sacrifice because it is a very sacred thing.
When life is real, life is earnest: and it must be both real and earnest when
it is spent to the praise of the great and ever-blessed God.
5. To praise God continually, you need
to cultivate perpetual gratitude, and surely it cannot be hard to do that!
Remember, every misery averted is a mercy bestowed; every sin forgiven is a
favour granted; every duty performed is also a grace received. Let the stream
leap up to heaven in bursts of enthusiasm; let it fall to earth again in
showers of beneficence; let it fill the basin of your daily life, and run over
into the lives of others, and thence again in a cataract of glittering joy let
it still descend.
6. In order to this praise you will need
a deep and ardent admiration of the Lord God. Admire the Father — think much of
His love; acquaint yourself with His perfections. Admire the Son of God, the
altogether lovely One; and as you mark His gentleness, self-denial, love, and
grace, suffer your heart to be wholly enamoured of Him. Admire the patience and
condescension of the Holy Ghost, that He should visit you, and dwell in you,
and bear with you.
III. I want, in the third place, to
COMMEND THIS BLESSED EXERCISE.
1. "Offer the sacrifice of praise
to God continually," because in so doing you will answer the end of your
being. Every creature is happiest when it is doing what it is made for.
Christians are made to glorify God; and we are never in our element till we are
praising Him. Do not degrade yourself by a less Divine employ.
2. Praise God again, because it is His
due. Should Jehovah be left unpraised? Praise is the quit-rent which He asks of
us for the enjoyment of all things; shall we be slow to pay?
3. Praise Him continually, for it will
help you in everything else. A man full of praise is ready for all other holy
exercises. The praises of God put wings upon pilgrims' heels, so that they not
only run, but fly.
4. This will preserve us from many
evils. When the heart is full of the praise of God, it has not time to find
fault and grow proudly angry with its fellows. We cannot fear while we can
praise. Neither can we be bribed by the world's favour, nor cowed by its frown.
Praise makes men, yea, angels of us: let us abound in it.
5. Let us praise God because it will be
a means of usefulness. I believe that a life spent in God's praise would in
itself be a missionary life. A praiseful heart is eloquent for God.
6. Praise God, because this is what God
loves. Notice how the next verse puts it: "With such sacrifices God is
well pleased."
7. To close this commendation, remember
that this will fit you for heaven. You can begin the music here — begin the
hallelujahs of glory by praising God here below.
IV. LET US COMMENCE AT ONCE. What does the text say? It says,
"Let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually." The apostle does
not say, "By and by get to this work, when you are able to give up
business, and have retired to the country, or when you are near to die";
but now, at once, he says, "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise."
Let us stir one another up to praise. Let us spend to-day, and to-morrow, and
all the rest of our days in praising God. If we catch one another a little
grumbling, or coldly silent, let us, in kindness to each other, give the
needful rebuke. It will not do; we must praise the Lord. Just as the leader of
an orchestra taps his baton to call all to attention, and then to begin
singing, so I bestir you to offer the sacrifice of praise unto the Lord. The
apostle has put us rather in a fix: he compels us to offer sacrifice. Did you
notice what he said in the tenth verse? He says, "We have an altar."
Can we imagine that this altar is given us of the Lord to be never used? Is no
sacrifice to be presented on the best of altars? If we have an altar, do not
allow it to be neglected, deserted, unused. It is not for spiders to spin their
webs upon; it is not meet that it should be smothered with the dust of neglect.
"We have an altar." What then? "Let us offer the sacrifice of
praise to God continually." Do you not see the force of the argument?
Practically obey it. Beside the altar we have a High Priest. Shall He stand
there, and have nothing to do? What would you think of our great High Priest
waiting at the altar, with nothing to present which His redeemed had brought to
God? No, "by Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually." Bring hither abundantly, ye people of God, your praises,
your prayers, your thank-offerings, and present them to the Ever-blessed!
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