True living comes through sacrifice. Sacrifice is measured by what one is willing to give up. True sacrifice always costs something of value. Several biblical examples are given of sacrifices that held significance because they cost the giver something meaningful: David sacrificed oxen and land to build an altar after being convicted by a plague; Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume worth a year's wages to prepare him for burial; Romans are called to dedicate their lives as living sacrifices to God's service. True worship recognizes that all good things come from God and leads to sacrificially giving one's life completely to him in gratitude.

1. Awakening To Sacrifice (True Living Comes By Giving)
Pastor Chuck Bernal – June 11, 2017
"Nothing of spiritual significance comes without sacrifice.
Your spirituality will always be measured by the size of your
sacrifice."
THE SWEET SMELL OF SACRIFICE – WHAT IT MEANS
I have everything I need and more than enough. I am taken care of
because Epaphroditus brought your gift. It is a sweet gift. It is a
gift that cost you something. It is the kind of gift God is so
pleased with. (Philippians 4:18 - NLV)
And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent
with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling
sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing
God no end. (Philippians 4:18 - Msg)
The sweet smell of sacrifice in the life of
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But the king answered, “No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer
to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.” And he
bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.
(2 Samuel 24:24-25 – GNB)
But the king said to Araunah, “No. I’ve got to buy it from you
for a good price; I’m not going to offer GOD, my God, sacrifices

2. that are no sacrifice.” So David bought the threshing floor and the
ox, paying out fifty shekels of silver. He built an altar
to GOD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace
offerings. GOD was moved by the prayers and that was the end of
the disaster.
(2 Samuel 24:24-25 – Msg)
True sacrifice is always __________________________________
The sweet smell of sacrifice in the life of
__________________________________
Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man
who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman
came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made
from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the
perfume over his head. Some of those at the table were indignant.
“Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. “It could have
been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So
they scolded her harshly. But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why
criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always
have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you
want to. But you will not always have me. She has done what she
could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. I tell you
the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the
world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
(Mark 14:3-9 - NLT)
Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in
Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the
dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and
Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a
twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard,
and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair.
The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the

3. disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was
worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money
given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a
thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often
stole some for himself. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did
this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor
among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:1-8 -
NLT)
True sacrifice is always __________________________________
The sweet smell of sacrifice in the life of
__________________________________
So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal
to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to
his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you
should offer. (Romans 12:1 - GNB)
Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you
about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and
holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure;
this is your reasonable, essential worship. (Romans 12:1 - Voice)
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your
everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and
walking-around life—and place it before God as an
offering. (Romans 12:1 - Msg)
True sacrifice is always __________________________________
THE SWEET SMELL OF SACRIFICE – WHY IT MATTERS
Love others as Christ has loved us. He gave his life for us, a sweet
smelling offering and a sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2 – WE)

4. A genuine sense of gratitude is rooted in the realization that all
that I am, all that I have and all that I have achieved, is not
because of me. None of us is really "self-made." True worship is
the realization that every good thing in our lives ultimately
comes from the God who made us and loves us. And this
realization should lead to gratitude, and gratitude should lead us
to one logical conclusion: God deserves to have the first place in
our lives and we should gladly and joyfully give our lives
completely to Him. This is the essence of what the Bible
teaches about the nature of sacrifice and worship. (E.J.
Dionne)
(DAVID) – A sacrifice to thank God for his undeserved
_________________________
(MARY) – A sacrifice to thank God for his unconditional
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(PAUL) – A sacrifice to thank God for his unexpected
__________________________
Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors me . . . (Psalm
50:23 – GNB)