A Sacrifice of Praise

In our Sunday School class, we have recently been studying the book of Hebrews. The traditional view is that the recipients were Jewish Christians who lived somewhere in Palestine. No book of the New Testament would be more missed if it were absent from the canon than this epistle to the Hebrews. Every Bible student needs such a guide as this to help with their understanding of the Old and New Covenants. The writer walks the reader through the rituals of the Old Testament/Covenant and how they are “Types” of what Christ represents in the New Testament/Covenant. One of the things he deals with is sacrifices. What is a sacrifice? Sacrifice has multiple definitions, including giving up something valuable for a greater cause or killing a person or animal as a religious offering. Under the old covenant, there were five (5) types of sacrifices that Israel brought to the Lord: the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. Each sacrifice served a specific purpose. But what did sacrifice mean under the New Covenant? First of all, the final sacrifice for man’s sin was Christ’s death on the cross. God initiated this because the Levitical system was flawed, and the sacrifice of animals did not take away sin.  It only postponed the penalty.  Christ’s death on the cross eliminated the penalty for sin once and for all. The Christian, under the New Covenant, is no longer required to offer a sacrifice for sins because that price has been paid. But the Christian is not absolved from sacrifice. So, what or how are we to sacrifice now? Let’s look at Hebrews 13:15-16 to see. That passage says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

The word “Him” is emphatic in the Greek. That means that it is through Jesus, and through Him alone, not through any priest, that men may offer sacrifices that God views as acceptable. It is implied here that sacrifices of animals are no longer the kind of sacrifices God accepts. But what are the sacrifices that these verses refer to? Christians do have sacrifices to offer. Some sacrifices a Christian can offer are noted in Romans 12:1-2 and Philippians 4:18. Paul says in Romans, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” In Philippians, he says, “But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” So, what is a “Sacrifice of Praise?” A sacrifice of praise is a sacrifice that consists of praise, a special thanks offering, voluntarily offered. This kind of “sacrifice” is something we can offer up “continually.” Out of our mouths proceeds what's in our hearts. If our hearts are full of gratitude to God for what he has done through Jesus, we will express it with our lips. The writer of Hebrews says that confession or thanks given to God Himself is called “fruit of the lips.” And it should not be overlooked that this confession is something done continually. There is no way a person who abandons Christ in favor of anything else can continue to make such an approved confession. At first, sacrifice of praise sounded like an oxymoron to me. How can praise be a sacrifice? When things are going great, we love to praise. We’re glad to praise when everything in the world is right for us. While I do believe that all praise can be a sacrifice of praise, I really believe that the highest sacrifice of praise comes at the lowest times in our lives. Maybe after a cancer diagnosis, maybe after the death of a loved one, maybe during financial difficulties. Those are the times in our lives where our praise really becomes a sacrifice. Consider Job. We turn to Job 1:13-21, which says, “Now it happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, that a messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you. “While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you. “While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

That, my friends, is a sacrifice of praise! At first, Job’s oxen and donkeys were stolen, some of his servants were killed with a sword, and then his sheep and more servants were consumed by fire. Then his camels were all slaughtered, and finally, his family was destroyed. What was Job’s reaction?  Did he curse God? Did he seek revenge? Did he commit suicide? No! He worshipped God.  He offered a sacrifice of praise. I believe that’s when it counts the most.  When the chips are down. When all seems lost. That’s when we can truly offer sacrifices of praise.

The writer identifies two more examples of the sacrifices Christians may offer that will please God. Christians are to be benevolent, to share liberally with others. It is not enough just to praise God with our lips. We honor him with our substance by being helpful to our brothers when we have an opportunity. We also honor Him by sharing. The word “sharing” is often translated as fellowship or participating in a common cause. Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-37 refer to the early Christian community where believers, united in faith, voluntarily shared possessions and sold property to meet the needs of others. We wonder if this is another reflection on what would be lost if we forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as mentioned in Hebrews 10:25: how would we be involved in any sharing, any participation with our brothers and sisters in the common cause related to Jesus? And if there was no such sharing, how could there be any pleasing of God, for we would no longer have one of the sacrifices that please him in this age? This reminds us of James 1:27 that says, “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Such words of praise and Thanksgiving, and such deeds of love are evidence of spiritual vitality; These please God and are sacrifices of praise!