Hebrews 10:5 “a body you have prepared for me”. Jesus gave what His Father had given Him, as an offering, Holy and pleasing. Gladly receiving, we gladly give. Just like God, in and through Jesus.
Hebrews 10:1-10
Jesus received the body prepared and given to accomplish the will of His Father and offered it as a “living sacrifice” - to come at all - and live a life of perfect willing and wanting obedience to His Father (Isa 61:3-4,8-11; John 6:28; Hebrews 5:1-9; as the Son of God, and as God, in agreement with God - not made to, or coerced, but lovingly and willingly, out of love Hebrews 10:7,11,14) and was not ashamed suffer with us, and thus call us brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:9-18)
Received His body as the gift of His Father’s grace
Received His body as an instrument of His righteousness
Offered His body as a living sacrifice
Philippians 2:2-8 laying down His rights and glory, made, in the likeness of a servant…
Jesus then offered His body for the sake of the bride - expressing His love, by mercy and grace
Jesus, as only He could, gave His body up for death, that His death might mean life - to be raised by His Father who would exert the greatest part of His powerful strength to retrieve His Son from death and grant Him life for us who receive Him.
Having received life in Him, we now, in thanks, offer our bodies - prepared for us…
Romans 12:1-2 to receive from God His goodness and love and offer it back to Him… by giving to others.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What is it to offer my body?
To no longer conform to the patterns of this world
To live to give and not to “get”
To be rich toward God; trusting His loving and gracious providence - His faithful provision - Luke 12:13-34
To do the will of the Father, not what pleases my flesh and its desires - Galatians 5:13
To use my body as an instrument of what truly brings joy - to God, our own hearts, and the hearts of others - Galatians 5:22
To make myself an imitator of God, as a dearly loved child, keeping myself pure and unpolluted by the world (Ps 119:1; Mat 5:8; Eph 5:3-14; James 1:27; 3:17) living a life of love and making the most of every opportunity - Ephesians 5:1-2, 15-20
And in the most practical sense, repeating, to repeat Isaiah’s refrain “ here am I send me“ (Isa 6:8)
God is gracious in all things… His commands are not burdensome… as His giving has enabled us to overcome 1Jo 5:3
God never commands us to do something that He Himself has not done nor does He command something that He has not equipped, enabled, and empowered us to do - and that is to offer ourselves, as living sacrifices - that of placing our bodies on the altar to be used by Him according to His good will, His wise purposes, His good pleasure - which is always good.
1John 5:2-5 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Philippians 2:13 “...it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
With gratefulness for God’s mercy, we are offering our bodies, not for the removal and remission of sin, as Jesus did, but, in view of His mercy, with thanksgiving, now offer our bodies, gladly and joyfully, because our sin has been removed, and now - given the privilege to serve the almighty God, our Father, as His beloved children and bring to Him glory - give ourselves to Him and one another. (Matt 5:16; Jo 15:8; 1Pe 2:12).
1Corinthians 12:4-7, 11-27 Unwrapping the gift of God’s making… I, coming to appreciate what God has made me be, what gifts He has given me by His wise and loving grace, must work to discover and receive the gifts within the gift and be grateful for, and find pleasure in, those gifts, and satisfaction in using that gift to build up others - my/our siblings, to our Father's joy - giving as my Father gives - generously
Luke 6:38 “38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
2Corinthians 9:6-8 “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give (when you are prompted to give)… not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work… …enriching you in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion… that it might result in thanksgiving to God.”
Proverbs 23:24 “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; a man who fathers a wise child rejoices in Him
2John 1:4-5 “3It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 4I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth…, 5…you are faithful in what you are doing for the brother and sisters even though they are strangers to you.” (3John 1:4)
A body “you” prepared for me… and gifts you have given me…
The gifts within the gift… and the giving of those gifts given
What talents and gifts have God given me? How might I dedicate them to God’s honor and the building up of others? What is one thing I can do to bless the person here with me now to bless, encourage, and build up with the gifts and talents I have been given?
What am I doing to cultivate those talents and gifts? What am I doing as regular expression of my gifts to build up the body of Christ (here at mosaic)?
To whom am I “re-gifting” those gifts?
