SINCERITY AND SACRIFICE ROSS SMITH
Further to the study last week on “LIVING ACCURATELY”, it seems that there is so much more that we need to assimilate so that we proceed down this route with haste. This morning I was impressed with the following thoughts and need to share them with you for your contemplation. Although the list is fairly long, the study of these features will be much longer. It requires both contemplation and meditation, and so I will be very grateful for all the input you will share with me. SO HERE GOES——
“SINCERITY MUST BECOME SACRIFICE, FOR SINCERITY WITHOUT SACRIFICE IS ONLY AN INTENTION TO BE SINCERE.”
- Sincerity cannot rest
- It is goaded by ambition and crowned with achievement
- It is fuelled by enthusiasm and fired by action
- Its genesis is God given
- Its duration is unending
- It is the currency of conviction
- The route to revelation
- A path of promise
- The seed of love
- The fruit of obedience
- Undiminished by adversity
- Thrives in anticipation
- Excels in humility
- Makes practice easy
- Performs under duress
“SINCERE” Free from pretence or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings
You may have heard me frequently say, “God honours sincerity”, and I have used this term in relation to when we feel we are not making the grade. But now I see it a much clearer picture, one that will forever provoke me to “LIVE ACCURATELY”, for in this list, which no doubt Father will extend for you in your study, will continue to provide fodder for my pursuit of that nature that reflects Christ.
This last week I met a man and some comment was made, and he asked, “Are you a Christian?”, and of course I was quick to confirm my status, only to be challenged in my spirit as I contemplated that encounter, as the Lord said, “I don’t want people to ask if you are a Christian, I want them to ask you how can I become a Christian”. That life of contrast of 1 Thessalonians 4:12 now becomes even more demanding in its intent.
I so look forward to your insight and revelation and study notes in due (brief) course, for each bullet point contains sufficient material for extended study AND APPLICATION.
Luke 18:8B However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [PERSISTENCE IN] FAITH on the earth? (Or in the terms of the above, “SINCERITY”) The dictionary gives some explanation of “PERSISTENCE IN FAITH”
From G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly CONSTANCY IN SUCH PROFESSION; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: – ASSURANCE, BELIEF, BELIEVE, FAITH, FIDELITY.
“LIVE URGENTLY AND ACCURATELY”
1 Peter 1:13 (ISV) Therefore, prepare your MINDS for action, keep a clear HEAD, and set your HOPE completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed.
“SINCERITY” as described here by Peter has three significant components
- Prepare your minds
- Keep a clear head
- Set your hope
“Sincerity” has no accommodation for flexibility, it is “RIGIDLY RIGHTEOUS”. To the observer this may seem exceedingly harsh, to the aspirant it is “more to be desired than gold”.
Psalm 119:137 [Rigidly] righteous are You, O Lord, and upright are Your judgments and all expressions of Your will.
“Flexibility is concerned with “range of movement” and in health terms it is the ability to function within a range of movement that does not cause damage.
Over stressed or over stretched muscles or tendons compromise the INTEGRITY, or in our terms, the “SINCERITY” of that joint to function. We are part of that body which is “fitly joined together” and so any compromise of a joint or ligament affects our integrity.
In medical terms it is called “Hyper mobility” and how relevant is that? We see so called Christians that are not in proper, or sincere fellowship and so they migrate between groups, they are “hyper mobile”.
The looseness of these joints affects the entire mobility and efficiency of the body. Conversely, the evasion of exercise means the muscles and joints atrophy, a condition familiar to the church today, no movement of the joints, like, no Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, no sacrifice of praise, just a token response indicative of a lack of “SINCERITY”.
The opposite of “SINCERITY” is “HYPOCRISY OR HERESY”
You cannot be “SINCERE” and “SELFISH”, they are mutually exclusive.
The lack of growth in many people is because they relied only on the milk of the Word, not on the “SINCERE MILK”, they liked “lite” or “fat reduced” like that promoted in our supermarkets. Digestion of strong truth is impaired due to the dilution or denaturing of the “milk”, it is no longer “sincere” or real milk.
Much correspondence in business is concluded with the term, “Yours sincerely”, but I never saw a letter from the Apostle Paul ending that way. At the risk of boring you with the sincerity that the Apostle wrote, let me list some of his salutations. If the body of the letter was deficient in sincerity, then the penman was lacking in integrity, and no amount of salutation would substitute for substance.
1 Corinthians 16:24 My love (that true love growing out of SINCERE DEVOTION TO GOD) be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen (so be it).
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace (favour and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the PRESENCE AND FELLOWSHIP (THE COMMUNION AND SHARING TOGETHER, AND PARTICIPATION) IN THE HOLY SPIRIT be with you all. Amen (so be it).
Galatians 6:18 The grace (spiritual favour, blessing) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah) be with your spirit, brethren. Amen (so be it).
Ephesians 6:24 Grace (God’s undeserved favour) be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ `Amen (so let it be).
Philippians 4:23 The grace (spiritual favour and blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) be with your spirit. Amen (so be it).
1 Thessalonians 5:28 The grace (the unmerited favour and blessings) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. Amen, (so be it).
2 Thessalonians 3:18 The grace (spiritual blessing and favour) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. Amen (so be it).
Titus 3:15 All who are with me wish to be remembered to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace (God’s favour and blessing) be with you all. Amen (so be it).
Hebrews 13:25 Grace (God’s favour and spiritual blessing) be with you all. Amen (so be it).
SINCERITY CAN BE SULLIED BY SYMPATHY
Sometimes we identify with weaknesses or digressions because “we have been there, done that”, but sympathy should be reserved for “when one suffers we all suffer”, (1 Corinthians 12:26) so if there is no similar suffering, the sympathy is superficial, the real sympathy will be evidenced by our action or our participation with the sufferer.
Romans 8:17 AND IF (I hope this will never be a question we are called upon to prove .. comments mine) we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; ONLY WE MUST SHARE HIS SUFFERING IF WE ARE TO SHARE HIS GLORY.
There are several terms that identify “SINCERITY” and we need to expand our concepts to embrace the terminology. Such terms as FIDELITY, PERSISTENCE, GENUINE, EXPRESSION OF DEVOTION, TESTED AS GENUINE, and then see the Strong’s references, without tending to be too monotonous.
“SINCERE”
- G97 undeceitful, that is, (figuratively) unadulterated: – sincere.
- G505 undissembled, that is, sincere: – without dissimulation (hypocrisy), unfeigned.
- G1506 judged by sunlight, that is, tested as genuine figuratively): – pure, sincere.
We can then proceed to “SINCERITY” for further amplification
- G572 From G573; singleness, that is, (subjectively) sincerity (without dissimulation or self seeking), or (objectively) generosity (copious bestowal): – bountifulness, liberal (-ity), simplicity, singleness.
- G861 From G573; singleness, that is, (subjectively) sincerity (without dissimulation or self seeking), or (objectively) generosity (copious bestowal): – bountifulness, liberal (-ity), simplicity, singleness.
- G1103 From the same as G1077; legitimate (of birth), that is, genuine: – own, sincerity, true.
- G1505 From the same as G1077; legitimate (of birth), that is, genuine: – own, sincerity, true.
All this can get a bit tedious but we have such a superficial concept of what it means “TO BE SINCERE” that we miss out on the enormity of Fathers intentions for us. The Apostle faced the same dilemna obviously when he wrote to the Romans, they were apparently “feigning” the devotion or sincerity.
Romans 12:9A [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.
Notice there is more to having “Sincere love”,
- hate what is evil
- loathe all ungodliness
- turn in horror from wickedness
- hold fast to that which is good.
“FIDELITY” faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support:
“PERSISTENCE” Persistent determination, the act of persisting or persevering; continuing or repeating behaviour
“GENUINE” Being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something
“DEVOTION” Feelings of ardent love, Religious zeal; the willingness to serve God
“UNFEIGNED” Not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
We have seen that there is no “SINCERITY” without “SACRIFICE”, and so we need to identify these areas so that we can apply the principle to our daily and spiritual life.
There are numerous scriptures that will contribute to your study and I will list some and the different translations that apply
“SINCERITY”
WEB Joshua 24:14, 1 Corinthians 5:8, 2 Corinthians 1;12, 2:17, 8:8
ISV Ephesians 6:5
KJV Ephesians 6:24, Titus 2:7
NET 1 Kings 8:23, 9:4, Romans 12:8,
“SINCERELY”
ISV 1 Peter 1:22, Ephesians 6:24
NET Psalm 17:1, 145:18
OTHER SCRIPTURES FOR STUDY: Ephesians 6:24, 1 Timothy 1:5, Hebrews 6:22 Timothy 1:5, 2 Corinthians 6:6, 2 Peter 3:1
THE IMPERATIVE NATURE OF SACRIFICE
- THERE IS NO SINCERITY WITHOUT SACRIFICE
- THERE IS NO SALVATION WITHOUT CALVARY (SACRIFICE)
- THERE IS NO “SWEET SMELLING SAVOUR” UNTIL THE SACRIFICE IS OFFERED/BURNT
- THERE IS NO “SUBSTITUTE” FOR SACRIFICE
- THERE IS NO SACRIFICE WHEN SELF IS PREDOMINANT
- THERE IS NO SACRIFICE WHERE THERE IS NO SUFFERING
- THERE CAN BE NO SACRIFICE WITHOUT AN ALTAR
The central idea of sacrifice is surrender to God; and, of course, the place where that surrender is made is the inmost self. The principle that we have long known about, and have tried in our weakness to implement is “DYING TO SELF”, but when the altar starts to get a bit hot from the fire of God, we revert, and jump off the altar, that experience that would lead us into the inestimable value of “SINCERITY”.
In Old Testament times we see that the fire of the altar was absolutely continuous, not here today and gone tomorrow, a sure example of how “SINCERE AND SACRIFICIAL” we should be.
Leviticus 6:13 The fire shall be burning continually upon the altar; it shall not go out.
The fact that there was always fire meant that it was always ready for the sacrifice, it also meant that continuous attention was necessary to maintain the fire, and so the fuel had to be readily available, in our case, the “burning ambition” that constitutes “SINCERITY” has to fuel our response.
1 Peter 2:5 [Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] ACCEPTABLE AND PLEASING TO GOD through Jesus Christ. (see study on “Testing by Experience”)
Since there is a priest, there is also involved the notion of a sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy (devoted, consecrated) and WELL PLEASING TO GOD, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Hebrews 13:15 Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.
Sacrifice is not giving up something, it is gaining something. The cliché “no pain no gain” is a euphemistic statement which carries truth but without context.
Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth.
Matthew 22:16 And they sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians, saying, TEACHER, WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE SINCERE and what You profess to be and that You teach the way of God truthfully, regardless of consequences and being afraid of no man; for You are impartial and do not regard either the person or the position of anyone.
We can sacrifice to the wrong purpose or end. In this case it constitutes and “Idolatrous action”, it can be blatant or neglectfully ignorant
A chapter crammed full of instruction in this regard is 1 Corinthians 8. And it is probably profitable just to extract the salient points in relation to our study. Please do not just imbibe the truncated verses here, but go back and read the whole context. In this chapter the people were not doing or making the sacrifice, BUT THEY WERE PARTICIPATING IN THE RESULTS
We well know the principle of Christian freedom, but must carefully guard against its abuse (1 Corinthians 10:23), the matter might be legal BUT IS NOT EXPEDIENT
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now about food offered to idols: of course we know that all of us possess knowledge [concerning these matters. Yet mere] knowledge causes people to be puffed up (to bear themselves loftily and be proud), but love (affection and goodwill and benevolence) edifies and builds up and encourages one to grow [to his full stature].
Verse 2 If anyone imagines that he has come to know and understand etc.
Verse 3 But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], (Or in our terms “SINCERELY)
Verse 4 In this matter, then, of eating food offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing (has no real existence) and that there is no God but one.
Verse 5 there may be so-called gods, etc.
Verse 6 Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life], and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through and by Whom are all things and through and by Whom we [ourselves exist].
Verse 7 Nevertheless, not all [believers] possess this knowledge. But some, through being all their lives until now accustomed to [thinking of] idols [as real and living], still consider the food [offered to an idol] as that sacrificed to an [actual] god; and their weak consciences become defiled and injured if they eat [it].
Verse 8B Eating [food offered to idols] gives us no advantage; neither do we come short or become any worse if we do not eat [it].
Verse 9 Only be careful that this power of choice (this permission and liberty to do as you please) which is yours, does not [somehow] become a hindrance (cause of stumbling) to the weak or overscrupulous [giving them an impulse to sin].
Verse 10 For suppose someone sees you, a man having knowledge [of God, with an intelligent view of this subject and] RECLINING AT TABLE IN AN IDOL’S TEMPLE, might he not be encouraged and emboldened [to violate his own conscientious scruples] if he is weak and uncertain, and eat what [to him] is for the purpose of idol worship?
Verse 11 And so by your enlightenment (your knowledge of spiritual things), this weak man is ruined (is lost and perishes)–the brother for whom Christ (the Messiah) died!
Verse 12 And when you sin against your brethren in this way, wounding and damaging their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Verse 13 Therefore, if [my eating a] food is a cause of my brother’s falling or of hindering [his spiritual advancement], I will not eat [such] flesh forever, lest I cause my brother to be tripped up and fall and to be offended.
Such is the caution to us in regard to the legalistic rituals of “SACRIFICE”, still carried out by the church today in many quarters, and if we reflect on our current situation.
Daniel 11:35 And some of those who are wise, prudent and understanding shall be weakened and fall; [thus then the insincere among the people will lose courage and become deserters. It will be a test] to refine, to purify and make those among [God’s people] white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time [God] appointed.
WE CAN BE SINCERE IN WANTING THE BENEFITS, BUT ARE WE SINCERE ENOUGH TO PAY THE PRICE? (James 4:3)
SINCERITY CANNOT REST
Whilst we can rest in our sincerity, having that absolute assurance of God’s control over all circumstance, our sincerity can never rest, SINCERITY TAKES NO COFFEE BREAKS, NO HOLIDAYS, NO EXCUSES,
This is the nature of God who created us in His image and likeness, absolute sincerity, and the Psalmist describes how He evidences this “SINCERITY”.
Psalm 121:3-4 He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep
This is in effect “PERPETUAL SUPERINTENDENCE”, a feature or characteristic that is rarely evidenced in anything or anyone else other than God Himself. It is similar to the expression of Hebrews 13:5 where He says “He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)” (AMP)
This is adequate evidence of “SINCERITY THAT NEVER RESTS”, but the extent and scope is almost inconceivable, let me list the range: –
- Not fail you
- Not give you up
- Not leave you without support
- Not IN ANY DEGREE leave you helpless
- Not forsake you
- Not let you down
- Not relax My hold on you
This sounds like a fulltime job to me, but not only does it cover all bases, it covers them with a sincerity that defies comparison, there are seven instances of “NOT” as we open up the degree of sincerity.
That could cause a problem, because in English grammar we have “double negatives”, or in this case “several negatives”. In some languages, double negatives cancel one another and produce an affirmative; in other languages, doubled negatives intensify the negation. This is the case in Hebrews 5:13
But our interest is piqued by the absolute commitment to looking after us. This was a promise made to Joshua, and belongs to all believers, an example we are encouraged to follow is our sincerity.
David, when he was restoring the tabernacle and returning the ark of the covenant committed himself with a degree of sincerity that is also worthy of imitation.
Psalm 132:4-5 I will not permit my eyes to sleep or my eyelids to slumber, until I have found a place for the Lord, a habitation for the Mighty One of Jacob.
Sometimes the Lord asks of us a demonstration of our sincerity, and it is often simply an expression of obedience, He speaks to us by His Word and Spirit, altering us to His requirement, and our response is the measure of our “SINCERITY”. Often, we are sincere for a day, or maybe an hour, or maybe even fleetingly, but He is seeking our absolute and total commitment to His will and purpose.
Proverbs 6:10-11 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down and sleep– So will your poverty come like a robber or one who travels [with slowly but surely approaching steps] and your want like an armed man [making you helpless]
It is this degree of neglect, or ambivalence, or sometimes blatant disregard that has brought the church to that degree of poverty just like a slow growing cancer, it eats away at the very frame of the church and individual until there is a helplessness or paralysis.
Hebrews 5:11 Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even slothful in achieving spiritual insight].
This is where the sincerity of study of God’s Word becomes glaringly obvious, we study “To show ourselves approved unto God”, (2 TIMOTHY 2:15), and this function has been aborted to a large degree because the Word has never been a “Fire and a Hammer” (Jeremiah 23:29) and the confrontation of the truth is spasmodic to say the least. No approval can be afforded where there is an inconsistency of “SINCERITY”, our sincerity must “NEVER REST”.
WE MUST RECOGNISE OUR POSITION OF BEING ETERNAL SPIRITUAL BEINGS JUST HAVING A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE, AND THE ULTIMATE TEST IS OUR ABILITY TO “LEARN TO SENSE WHAT IS VITAL”. (Philippians 1:10A)
SINCERITY IT IS GOADED BY AMBITION AND CROWNED WITH ACHIEVEMENT
2 Timothy 2:15 Study and BE EAGER AND DO YOUR UTMOST to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analysing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skilfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
Does this sound like an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the spiritual ride that so many propose as the route of the Christian experience? The (false) doctrine of “Once saved always saved” loses much of its gloss when the expectations of 2 Timothy are seriously considered.
“AMBITION” has to be properly centred, and this does not preclude the desire to be the very best we can in the profession or vocation we choose to follow, but all these things take a very poor second place when we see what the Word requires.
1 Corinthians 14:12 So it is with yourselves; since you are so EAGER AND AMBITIOUS to possess spiritual endowments and manifestations of the [Holy] Spirit, [concentrate on] striving to excel and to abound [in them] in ways that will build up the church.
2 Corinthians 5:9 Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him.
SINCERITY IS FUELLED BY ENTHUSIASM AND FIRED BY ACTION
DEFINITION OF ENTHUSIASM A feeling of excitement, overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval.
Another term for “ENTHUSIASM” in the Word is “ZEAL”. It has such a wide range of intention as follows: – “eagerness, avidity, avidness, keenness, enthusiasm, feeling, state”.
Romans 12:11 Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavour; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.
Enthusiasm plays a big part in our personal spiritual growth; without it, we are not motivated to read our Bible or spend time in prayer. We exercise our spiritual disciplines out of obligation, we become dry, and become unable to absorb what we are to learn. Or, we give it up and use all kinds of excuses, such as lack of time or fatigue.
When our spiritual lives suffer, so does our ability to relate our Christian experience to others, and we become ineffective leaders and partakers in the building of the Kingdom of God.
The word enthusiasm is derived from two little Greek words, en and theos, en meaning in, with theos being the Greek word for God. So “enthusiasm” literally means, in its root concept, “full of God.” No wonder then that we would be “FIRED TO ACTION” by the fullness of God within us.
But there is a “laminate” involved, there is no point in being enthusiastic if we have not considered the implication, or we do not have an ambition to see the result, and Paul puts it like this: –
Romans 6:18 And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in THOUGHT, PURPOSE, and ACTION).
Ephesians 6: 7 (NLT) Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Ross Smith 