Sacrifice: A Universal Principle
Sacrifice is one of the greatest principles of life, and it is not unique to Christianity. Even those who serve darkness understand and value sacrifice; idol worship, at its core, values sacrifice. Nothing of true worth is attained without it. Across the world, people sacrifice a great deal, often in destructive directions, to get what they want. This message turns that same principle toward its rightful and positive use: sacrifice offered to God.
The Ultimate Sacrifice: Christ's Example
Though Christ was in very nature God, He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, He humbled Himself, took on human likeness, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).
Consider what He left behind: streets of gold for the dust of Jerusalem, mansions for a manger, the worship of angels for the rejection of the very people He came to save, the riches of heaven for a poverty so complete that onlookers questioned why an expensive gift should ever be poured on Him. He left a perfect relationship with the Father to experience the Father's silence on the cross, crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
This was not a sacrifice forced upon Him. He had the power to summon legions of angels to His defense and chose not to use it. His sacrifice was willing, and His blood, shed once, was sufficient to be extended to anyone, anywhere, who receives it. That is the extent of what was given so that we could stand in the presence of the Most High.
Discipleship Demands Sacrifice
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23-26). This is not a one-time decision but a daily one. Taking up the cross means:
Denying selfish desires and gratifications that stand against the will of God
Subjecting emotions and impulses, however strong, under the power of God
Dying daily to pride, which shows itself in looking down on others or failing to acknowledge God as the source of one's life
Denying the pleasures of this world that are inconsistent with a life devoted to Christ
Don't Let Your Past Determine Your Future
Whatever a person's past held, in Christ they are a new creation. A recent testimony illustrated this powerfully: a professor, invited to speak at an academic event, openly shared that his family had once been under a curse that no child would complete elementary school, and it proved true for all his siblings. Yet his own trajectory changed entirely when he met Jesus, and he was unwilling to hide that testimony even before an academic audience. Believers are called to the same boldness: don't be ashamed to speak of Christ at the office, in the classroom, in the marketplace, or anywhere else.
What the Believer Should Sacrifice
Time. God is the giver of our time, and He asks for part of it back through prayer, the Word, and fellowship. This is genuinely difficult in a busy season of life, for pastor and member alike, but our relationship with God should not be sacrificed on the altar of busyness.
Energy. In earlier days, church building projects were carried out through communal labor: members carried blocks, mixed cement, and cooked meals for the workers, rather than paying outside laborers for every task. That spirit of hands-on sacrifice is worth reviving rather than defaulting to paying for everything that could be offered freely.
Resources. Some members have quietly funded entire sections of ongoing renovation work (platform cladding, washrooms, carpeting) without wanting recognition. As David said, "I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). True sacrifice must actually cost something.
Comfort. Earlier generations of this church worshipped in sand-floored, thatch-roofed auditoriums, staying through the rain rather than ending service early. What is enjoyed today as a comfortable auditorium came from a legacy of sacrificed comfort. That same willingness to step outside comfort, whether in giving up time, convenience, or ease, remains part of what it means to follow Christ.
Even Satan Demands Sacrifice
Sacrifice is not unique to serving God. Two sobering accounts were shared as a warning: cases where people sought wealth or power through occult means that ultimately demanded human life in exchange, accounts that ended not in gain but in tragedy and exposure. Whatever the enemy demands leads only to loss and slavery. Whatever God asks in genuine sacrifice leads to life, blessing, and an enlarged future.
Sacrifice Is Love in Action
Love for God must be seen, not only spoken. It should be visible in generosity, in service, and in the steps taken toward Him, not hidden as though sacrifice were something to be ashamed of. Others may come to know God simply by witnessing that sacrifice lived out. Giving that once flowed freely but has since stopped is worth returning to; sacrifice is not ultimately for the giver's own sake, but an act of worship offered to the One who receives it.
Conclusion
Jesus paid the ultimate price with His own life, and the table set before believers in remembrance of that sacrifice is a call to remember it rightly: not as a distant historical event, but as the pattern every disciple is invited to follow, sacrifice as a daily, ongoing part of life in Christ.
PIWC-Takoradi Sunday Service
